Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow Quads (Review & Swatches)

My Personal Rating:
-Formula: 7/10
-Packaging: 6/10

-Value: 8.5/10
-Overall: C+

CVS is ALWAYS having BOGO sales for Revlon products. I actually picked up these Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow Quads months ago but am finally getting around to posting a review. I already owned 1 of the quads (which I bought a year or 2 ago?) but since then, they've changed the formula.
The packaging is alost slightly different. The old one was black with a clear cover while the new one has a black cover. The old one had the Revlon logo at the top with gold font on the back while the new one has the logo on the bottom with white font on the back. Not much of a difference.

Anyways, I like the wide selection of colors (according to drugstore.com, there are 11 different quads.) The formula is alright. I would never ever use this as a creme shadow (even though that's what the product is supposed to be.) If you use them alone, or even over a base (UDPP, TFSI, MAC paint pots), they still crease. I have dry lids too but they just always seem to crease. I think these are great as a base -meaning over a primer but under your actual eyeshadow. They are great for enhancing an eyeshadow and making the color more vibrant. I use them like I would NYX Jumbo pencils -not as a primer but to make my eyeshadow even prettier and brighter. These are actually pretty sheer also so you'll need to add a few layers.

As for the packaging, I hate it. There's a just a flimsy, plastic cover. The cover on my "Precious Metals" quad broke quickly so I'm trying to take extra care of the others. The lid tends to open very easily so be careful if you're going to throw this into a bag with all your other makeup (unless you like a mess or creamy glitter all over your things.) There is no mirror and the whole thing is just really cheap (I guess that's one of the reasons the price is so low.) The only good thing about the packaging is that it's pretty slim and is light weight. The value is good (you can pick these up at Walmart for like $4.95) or get them at drugstores for around $6.50 (wait for the coupons and you'll get two for the price of one.) Overall, I'd give these a C+ grade. These are great to have but not a necessity.

Above picture was taken with FLASH. The colors are actually a tad more accurate without flash.

This is the same palette but I took a picture with NO FLASH. I couldn't really capture the actual "richness" of the colors. It's basically somewhat inbetween the 2 pictures but they lean more towards to NON-flash pictures.
The pictures above are of the "Precious Metals" quad. When I first purchased this, I used it a lot but I barely use this anymore because this particular quad is just too shimmery for my taste. I love shimmer but this one is like shimmer overload. I love the colors but they went a little overboard on the shimmer. From left to right, the colors are shimmery silver, shimmery light gold (probably meant for use on the brow bone but WAYY too shimmery for me), bronze, and a reddish-copper (like a penny but more red.) I'd skip this one if you're not a fan of too much shimmer. Also, the color payoff on this one isn't anything above average (unless you layer it a lot.)
Above Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow Quad in "Khaki Suede." First color is pinkish/peach that barely shows up on my skin. It's very pretty but I have to layer it so many times just to get so-so coverage. Second (from left) is light green in the tray but almost white on my hand. It's very light that goes on as a beige-white with slight green tint. Third is a nice mink brown. This is my favorite. Not too much shimmer but nice sheen. Last is a gray/pewter. I don't really like this quad but it was the only other one left so I decided to try it.
Here above is the quad in "Skinlights." The first color or the left reminds me of MAC Painterly Paint Pot but lighter and more peachy. This is an almost matte color with very little shimmer. The color second from left is a rosy coral with more red. This is a really pretty color with a gold sheen and shimmer. The third color is a very light champagne with a hint of gold that looks almost white on my skin. The color all the way to the right is a mocha brown with a light tint of red. Overall, this is an OK palette. I only like the rose gold corally color.

Shown above is "Wild Orchids." Of all the quads, this is the one to get. The shade on the far left is a pink shade of purple. The shade second to the left is a blue violet. The next shade is a muted purple -almost like like the "dusty rose" of purple. The last shade all the way to the right is a plummy/red/brown.

Here above I used 2 shades from the "Wild Orchids" quad and topped them with 2 colors from the purple NYX trio. The swatches on the outside (far left and far right) are just the first and second shades from "Wild Orchids" with nothing on top. In the middle, I used the NYX shadows on top of the "Wild Orchids" shades. So far left and second to the left, I used the same "Wild Orchids" colors but on the one second to the left, I topped it with the NYX shadow. See how intense the color is? The same goes for the other swatches (far right and third from left.)

Here above is another Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in "Perfect Peony." I don't like this color at all. It's just a medium pink that does nothing for my lips. It's almost the same color as my natural lips but it makes them look worse! My lips feel and look very dry (the lighter colors feel dryer than the darker shades.) I loved these "lipsticks" (I feel like they're more of a stain) at first but I've realized that they are really drying.
That's it for now. If you're looking into the Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadows, be sure to pick of "Wild Orchids" if you're into purples. I wouldn't recommend them as an eyeshadow but they make a good base (with primer underneath.) They're pretty cheap but be on the look out for BOGO sales for extra savings.

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