Saturday, July 6, 2013

Clinique All About Eye Shadow - Quad

I was looking back over some old blog entries the other week and was looking at my obsession with Clinique makeup about two summers ago and realized that I had looked at almost every single Clinique eye shadow product...but not the All About Eye Shadow Quad  The Quad was one of the last items that I added to my Clinique eye makeup collection.  I had bought the Duo and Trio years before buying one of the Quads and then skipped over reviewing it when I bought one earlier this spring.  Good thing that I decided to review some of my archived posts the other week!

The Clinique All About Eye Shadow Quad combines four complementary Clinique Eye Shadows into one palette, this is a larger version of the Duos and Trios that we looked at several summers ago.  I haven't been quite as into Clinique color as I was at that time and now purchase more of their skincare than any other products but I still do appreciate how well this company can put together a lovely eye shadow palette that works equally well professional life or getting dressed up at night.  My palette contains one shade that works best as a highlighter, one in the crease, and then two that would work on the lid (one that works better in a professional and the other that is deeper and better for the nighttime hours). 

The description that the Clinique website provides is slightly weak so I will include it and then the one from the Sephora website for more detailing.  From the Clinique website, "Wear shades alone or layered together in different combinations. Crease- and fade-resistant. Ophthalmologist tested for even the most sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. Mirrored compact with illustrated how-tos plus two sponge-tip applicators."  This is the very basic description and doesn't include as many usage details as the description on the Sephora website.

The Sephora description of this product, "A palette of eye shadows in four complimentary colors that allows you to create a variety of looks, from natural to dramatic.  All About Shadow Quads feature four versatile, complimentary shades to wear alone or layer together in different combinations. For dark skintones, lighter shades will impart a more dramatic look and dark shades for a more natural style. Dark shades look more dramatic on fairer skins; light ones look more natural.  These powder colors are formulated to be crease and fade resistant, and are ophthalmologist tested for contact lens wearers and those with sensitive eyes. This set includes a mirrored compact with illustrated instructions plus two sponge-tip applicators."

This product is available in the following shades...

- Galaxy - shimmering white/shimmering medium aqua/shimmering light aqua/shimmering charcoal
- Teddy Bear - medium warm white/medium bronze/medium chocolate/deep brown
- Going Steady - pale pink satin/deep plum satin/medium lilac satin/shimmering charcoal
- Smoke and Mirrors - pale white satin/deep silver satin/shimmering deep charcoal/black satin
- Pink Chocolate - matte pale pink/matte medium brown/medium pink satin/deep brown satin
- On Safari - matte champagne/matte medium olive/medium gold satin/deep brown satin
- Morning Java - matte champagne/medium red brown satin/shimmering gold/deep chocolate satin

I only have one of these palettes at this time, I prefer not to review a product until I have at least two (if not three or more) shades of the product however the formula is exactly the same as the all of the rest of the Clinique eye shadows so I have already used every finish in this formula many times over and did not feel that I needed to buy more than one Quad to fully review the formula.  Every Clinique Eye Shadow is the same basic formulation with subtle differences in the textures and formulation as the finishes differ.  None of the shades or finishes are very dramatic from this company, even the "Super Shimmer" description is not the glitter-infused shadow that many other brands use.  Most of the shades have a medium level of pigmentation and are very easy to blend.  Clinique makeup is usually one of the easier brands to wear and works well in a professional environment with only the deepest shades being best left for nighttime.

I have Teddy Bear, all the neutral and brown hues in this palette work nicely together and I can easily create a neutral eye that is polished enough for work or class.  I have used this palette in multiple ways so far and have liked every single one of them.  The white shade is always used as the highlighter in the look and I have used both the medium bronze and the medium chocolate shades in the crease and on the lid.  I have only used the darkest shade in palette directly on the lid or as a liner for work.  I will always play around with mixing a gold into this look, Urban Decay's Half Baked would be the first shade that I try out and we will see how the look changes.

Clinique makeup is always a safe bet, they have many go to shades for me and are easy to wear to work or on casual weekends.  This collection doesn't contain quite as many shades for dressing up but there are many other brands that fit that bill perfectly.

photo courtesy of Clinique

No comments: