Clionadh’s metallic eyeshadows (circular ones) are totally underrated but are absolutely standout. After that, I would say a tie between certain finishes of Natasha Denona and Pat McGrath.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
I would have to say, Pat McGrath. Most of her eyeshadow formula’s are stellar with the occasional poor individual shade. I also really like the shadows that I purchased this week from Sisley Paris. Both of the shades I purchased are quite beautiful on the lid and are very smooth on my crepe-sagging lids. One is a metallic grey/silver and the other is definitely a silver shade. I have used Ellis Faas Antique Silver for years and really love it but it is getting harder to find online and when you do find it, it is expensive to ship. They use to carry his shadows on Beautilish and they no longer do so I was sort of looking for a silver that I liked and that worked well. I am sure there are lots out there but the Sisley Paris one presented itself at the right time.
Probably the Marc Jacobs Omega shadows – Prim-O and Brav-O. They have this lucious, lush shimmer to them that I enjoy every time I use them (I’m wearing Prim-O today). There are lots of others but the MJ ones always come to mind.
MAC, Natasha Denona & Pat McGrath
Nowadays, there’s so many! Sydney Grace, Nomad Cosmetics and Menagerie Cosmetics make EXCELLENT formulas in very interesting, even some very complex shades. I also still adore all my old Urban Decay metallics from awhile back. MUFE, too.
Oops! So tired that I forgot to add PMG Labs metallic formula, which is always a treat to use! And whatever MAGIC Natasha Denona used in her Yucca palette!
Oh really? The Yucca stood out for you? Hmmm, I don’t at all need those colors, but it’s good to here she’s improving her formula rather than not.
Natasha Denona or Sydney Grace as fave metallic eyeshadow formula. Smooth, little fallout and long wearing if one uses an eye primer and setting spray. I have SG shadows that are 3+ years old and they still perform beautifully.
I love, love and love metallic eyeshadows! My favourites would be from either PMG or ND. – but I really only have a few of them. I will be interested to read what others’ here suggest.
It’s a tie between Sydney Grace and Give Me Glow. Both have a very smooth formula with a high shine finish and one swipe opacity but they’re not glittery so they don’t make my lids look crepey, emphasize texture or produce a lot of fallout.
I think Sydney Grace has a great formula and is also a great price. If I ignore cost, its Pat McGrath hands-down. But Sydney Grace is hard to beat. They do beautiful shadows for all formulas and I’ve never gotten one that hasn’t been smooth, densely pigmented, long-lasting without a bunch of fallout.
Agree with you on ND’s (most of them), but can’t say much about Clionadh (still haven’t tried them). As forPML’s, I agree they are vibrant and the texture is pretty good, but not necessary the best. I have Kiko metallic that’s the exact same color as a blitz in one of the motherships and it’s much better.
I want to add a comment about UD which is that I have used UD eyeliners consistently since 2012 with no problems. By around 2021 I bought a large batch of UD eyeliners during a sale, and they gave me a significant allergic reaction on my eyelids. I took a break from eye makeup from a long time after and when I used a UD eyeliner again, I got the same reaction. After some time I switched to other eyeliners (neutrogena, physician’s formula, tresluce) and did not get any reactions. I no longer use any products by UD. I am wondering if anyone has had a similar experience with UD products.