This is the first makeup item I purchased in the US. My travel buddy T described the noise I made when I saw this on display at CVS as such: “you let out such a high-pitched scream only a dog walking past by could hear you!” Ah, boys just don’t get the joy of our toys!
I put this on my shopping list principally because I saw this tutorial by Jen from From Head to Toe: From Head to Toe Fall Drugstore Makeup Tutorial She’s been my guru and basically my greatest inspirational figure in the makeup world since I got into it a little more than a year ago. We have similar skin tone and eye shape (though of course she’s 100 times more gorgeous than I am). I often check out the products she has because I know they’ll highly possibly work for me too.
Now onto the duo. The lighter side of Electrified is a shimmery, metallic taupe. It’s what I would describe as a cooler color. The texture and pigmentation are both on-the-spot with this one. On my eyes it looks almost like a silver foil. Definitely an intense and eye-catching color.
The darker side of Electrified is a red-based smokey plum. It looks pretty “purple” in the pan, but once swatched on skin it’s really a smoked-out plum with a brownish tinge to it. I’m a bit sorry to report that the pigmentation is slightly lacking with this one though. Whether on the back of my hand or on my lids, I’ve had to work a little more to build it up to the satisfactory intensity. The texture is also a bit stiff. It’s not a bad shadow by any means, since it is possible to build it up to desired intensity before I lose patience (and trust me, it’s rather limited). However, it is not on par with the best eyeshadows I own. With UDPP, both shadows do wear as well as high-end ones with no fallout.
I’m not the biggest fan of the packaging. If you open the lid you get the eyeshadows, but there is another compartment which hosts the useless little sponge applicator, which means it’s a lot bulkier than what it really should be. I personally don’t use sponge applicators and I don’t know if there are a lot of people out there who still do, but in my opinion it’s pretty unnecessary. With that said however, the packaging isn’t too flimsy, which sort of compensates for the clutter.
The bottom line? I would recommend this duo to people of various skin tones, just because there is a cooler side and a warmer one, and I see how people with different skin tones can make it work. I personally don’t own an awful lot of cooler eyeshadows just because I didn’t think I’d be able to pull them off, but this duo has proven that it is possible to make cooler eyeshadows work for warm-toned girls. The purple side is not of the best quality there ever is out there, but it’s definitely not a dud either. I paid about 8 dollars (before tax), but I just saw them on sale on the CVS website, so I’m sure you can make one your own for cheaper. Even with 4 dollars per shadow it’s a pretty good deal! So go ahead, give it a try, and maybe you’ll find your staple autumn/winter look with this duo!
MOSTLY SUNNY 