I have two of the eye shadows, I remember purchasing them at the C.O. Bigelow in King of Prussia about two years ago and they were bought to be used against a strong lip (Lipstick Queen Sinner in Wine, I think). I believe that I paired them with that lipstick for one night and then wore them a few more times but then I moved on. I bought two of the neutral shades that paired easily with other shadow shades or against a strong lip.
"This gorgeous shadow is designed to compliment any look, whether your goal is an angelic glow or a devilish smoky eye, Packaged in a slim, sleek compact with a mirror, this soft finish formula may be applied with gorgeous intensity or playful sheerness, making it easy to take your look from day into night. With a super soft texture and a lasting crease-free finish, The Essential Eye Shadow Singles are a must-have for any makeup bag." This eye shadow is currently available in 14 shades, most of which appear to be neutrals or medium plums, blues, and greens. I don't see any deep blacks or any really dramatic shades. The shades are very wearable in many situations but I don't see many of the artistry shades that I have come to associate with the genius of Kevyn Aucoin. Maybe he preferred to save the artistry for the runways and have shades in his collection that are more versatile.
Whatever his decision was in picking out the shades for this eye shadow line, he made some great choices and it was hard for me to just purchase two of them. I bought Tusk and Oro, two of the more neutral shades, one of which is matte and the other is a shimmer finish.
Here are the shades carried in the Essential Eye Shadow Singles...
- Patina - deep olive green (shimmer)
- Passion - rich plum (shimmer)
- Platinum - light silver (shimmer)
- Tusk - soft ivory (matte)
- Chrome - deep silver (shimmer)
- Whisper - ultra soft pink champagne (shimmer)
- Oro - soft golden champage (shimmer)
- Midnight - rich deep navy blue (matte)
- Bronze - warm gold brown (shimmer)
- Blush - soft dusky pink (matte)
- Copper - warm reddish bronze (shimmer)
- Fawn - warm chocolate brown (matte)
- Goddess - deep copper (shimmer)
- Aubergine - rich burgundy (matte)
I own one of the matte shades and one of the shimmer so I can comment on both formulas. The Matte formula goes on highly pigmented and stays color true. It is not the easiest formula to blend so I have be precise when I apply it. It lasts all day (I always use an eye primer underneath it) and doesn't fade or smudge. This is a great shadow for an eight hour workday and then to go out right after work. Once this one is on, I can completely forget about it. Tusk is a soft ivory with a neutral undertone and it works with any neutral or warm neutral shadow shade. I use it as a highlighter only, it is too pale for me to use on the lid. Oro is the shimmer shade that I have, I have one way to describe it. Imagine if Stila's Kitten and Urban Decay's Midnight Cowboy combined into one shade. The shade itself is closer to that of Kitten, it is a golden champage. The shimmer in it is much more like that of Midnight Cowboy, it is larger and there is tons of fall out potential. This shade needs to be used with the Urban Decay or NARS eye primers, a tackier formula is needed to keep the shimmer in place. This is another shade that that is high maintence to put on but once it is on, it stays in place all day. It remains color true and very pigmented the entire day.
Both of the formulas of this shadow seem to be higher maintence but it worth the extra time in the morning to know that your eye makeup will stay in place and look great all day. The shimmer formula makes more of a statement but that is a norm with a shimmering finish. Even though I am having a harder time finding some of these shadows, I still want to buy Patina, Chrome, Bronze, Copper, and Goddess. All of the shades that I want are warm or neutral shimmers that will work very well with the eye shadows that I already own.
photo courtesy of Kevyn Aucoin
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