MAC "Birds & Berries" Eyeshadow from Liberty of London (Review & Swatches)

So after drooling over swatches of Birds & Berries eyeshadow for a few weeks after Liberty of London launched, I decided to go back and get it. It was actually sold out at all the MAC stores in my area so I had some high expectations. I have to say though (and people might think I'm insane for this) but MAC is not my number 1 preference eyeshadows. I don't own loads of MAC eyeshadows at all -this is actually my 3rd! Oh the horror! I have a 15 pan palette with only 2 eyeshadows in it and now this. I have nothing against MAC eyeshadows and I need to work on filling up my palette but I tend to like buying those "pre-made" palettes from the loads of wonderful brands available in Sephora. But you know what? Birds & Berries really drew me in. I'm a big "neutral" fanatic and always tend to reach for my neutrals but I have started getting into blues -particulary slate blue or silvery blues.

The Packaging: As I've mentioned before, I absolutely adore the "LOL" collection's packaging. I love the "outer" packaging as well -the beautiful white and black boxes with just a touch of color. (Reminds me of a half finished coloring page.) I wasn't as wowed by the eyeshadows' packaging as much as I was by the packaging of the lipsticks and the beauty powders. The eyeshadow comes in a white plastic container (versus the traditional black container) and features a blue and black flower on the lid.

The Product: I thought this was going to be ultra pigmented from looking at swatches of this online. I also tested it out in the store a few times in the store and thought it would work out. When I swatched it at home, I realized that it was actually pretty sheer -at least compared to many of my other eyeshadows. I had to swatch the shadow several times just to get a good picture. I just feel that there are other brands out there who've produced similar colors that are probably be a lot more pigmented. Also, the color itself is actually kind of dull to me -I thought this would be much brighter.

The Color: Veluxe Pearl. It's a frosty blue with a touch of teal and lots of shimmer.

Swatches..

(with flash)

(with flash)

(no flash)

Overall: This is going back. My favorite part about the eyeshadow is the packaging and I've recently decided that I need to stop keeping products that I'm not going to use (I do feel bad for returning though! Ugh.. such a waste.) I know others will disagree on me about this but personally, this shade is just not for me. I expected the color to be more pigmented and bright and Birds & Berries just didn't cut it for me. Hopefully it works for someone else though! It's already sold out online (they restocked too since it sold out the first time.)