Milani Shadow Eyez Swatches & Review

Have ya'll seen the new cream eyeshadow stick by Milani? Granted, the name is kinda hokey, but the product is pretty cool.

Milani Shadow Eyez are the latest release of Milani products and it's a set of cream eyeshadow pencils (a la Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil). They've got a variety of cool colors, ranging from basics (brown, black, white) to brights (blue, green). I'd seen these on a few blogs and knew I had to try them!

I picked up two colors - Brown Deluxe, because you know I love my neutrals, and Aquatic Style, just to get something different than my usual fare.

First up, we'll talk about swatches. I did a line to show you how it'd look as an eyeliner and then as a shadow color. On the left is over bare skin, on the right is over primer (Urban Decay Primer Potion to be exact).

Natural light:

Flash:

All by itself on a naked eye:

Milani Shadow Eyez in Brown Deluxe. This color is fantastic - a nice deep brown with tons of shimmer. Not glittery at all, and very neutral, surprisingly. Goes on opaque without much pressure needed. Over the primer, it does turn a touch lighter, but it's not really noticeable. Very flattering color - would be handy if you like a wash of color on your lids.

Natural Light:

Flash:

Alone on bare lid

Milani Shadow Eyez in Aquatic Style. This baby is BRIGHT. I love the aqua, and it's definitely not what I usually wear. This one was a little less pigmented but I had no trouble getting opacity easily. This one had an interesting green flash to it in the bottom picture. Again, just a tad brighter over the primer but otherwise,

And just to show you how serious these are - this is a picture after me scrubbing with a makeup remover wipe! The primer held it a little better, but these were serious about staying on!

Now, a few looks I've done with them so you know what they look like on the eye! They blend well within the first 30 seconds or so, then they dry or "set," and they stay put. I'd imagine they'd be super hard to use as a crease shade, but on the lid or as an eyeliner they're be awesome!

I decided to test the claimed 12 hour wear time. Below are my eyes as shot throughout a regular office work day. I used Brown Deluxe on both my eyes, one eye with Urban Decay Primer Potion and the other on a bare lid, and below are the pictures of wear and tear ....

After 5 hours, at lunchtime.

Over Primer                                       Bare Eyelid

Oops. Someone has mascara on their eye. Sheesh. You'd think I'd know how to apply it now!

 After 10 hours, after work.

Over Primer                                    Bare Eyelid

Eww. Gross. I know, I'm sorry. I really didn't want to post these but I figured, someone may benefit from them. Obviously, I didn't! Ha. I think cream shadows and I don't get along. Anything creamy on my lids = no bueno. The primer did help it stay even, but even UDPP couldn't help it stand up to the creasing. Sigh. I'm sure setting them with eyeshadow would help, but honestly, why buy a pencil you have to use both primer and shadow to set? I personally am not sure they're worth the hassle. BUT I do have the oiliest skin/lids E.V.E.R. and I bet anyone with dry to normal skin would do well with these! I'll likely use them as eyeliners or give them to a friend who doesn't have freakishly oily eyelids.

These are really neat and highly pigmented, and would work well as an eyeshadow base to help the color pop. These are comparable to the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeshadow pencils but MUCH cheaper. I won't be purchasing these again and I'll likely give these away as cream shadows crease on me regardless of what I do. Maybe I'll give them a shot again in the winter after I move.

These are a CVS exclusive and retail for $5.99 for 0.1oz pencil.