Monday, June 30, 2014

Effortless Eyes: Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in Nude

Remember my Spring Beauty Wishlist? It has ebbed and flowed since its creation; I've changed my mind about getting some things (By Terry Rouge Terrybly), bought but haven't yet tried others (Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Pads, Shu Uemura Eyeshadow), tried and disliked one (Kevyn Aucoin The Precision Brow Pencil), and finally got and fallen in love with a couple (NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, and the hero of today's review: Shiseido eyeshadow trio in Nude). But I'm really sticking to it, right?
I was probably the most excited about trying Shiseido's Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in BE213 Nude ($33 for 3g/ 0.1 oz) because my beauty blogging friend Liz kindly offerred to send it to me after reading the aforementioned Wishlist post. The thoughtfulness of bloggy friends and readers is what truly makes the blogging world go round. Thank you Liz!!!

The Nude trio comes in a lightweight but rather sturdy compact with a mirror and two applicators - one sponge tip, one brush. I never actually use those free applicators, but can't bring myself to toss them - because maybe they'll come in handy in an emergency (what, like a flood? An earthquake?) My mind, 'tis not sensible. The three eyeshadows within the compact, ranging from the darkest on the left to the lightest on the right (have you guys noticed that in 95% of eyeshadow palettes, the order of light to dark is always the other way round? Isn't that interesting? Well, maybe not...) all have the same soft, luminous satin finish - I find the name 'Luminizing Satin Eye Color' pretty accurate. Mind you, this is diffrent than a shimmer/pearl finish, which I hope the swatches below are able to convey - all three Shiseido shades have that subtle, effortless, glowy feel. They're all nicely pigmented, but not as intense as more metallic or pure matte eyeshadows in my collection - I believe they're meant to have a slightly sheerer, 'wash of color' feel to them. All three apply, blend and last without a fault.
You can stop reading now if that's enough information for you; but I know most of you guys are here for the nitty-gritty of texture and shade depth. Since this trio seems like such a basic, boring neutral, I've wanted to compare it to similar shades from my stash and see if I could find any dupes.
Clockwise from the top: Darkest shade in Shiseido Nude trio, Yaby Antique, Fyrinnae Feisty Fennec Fox, MAC Patina, Wet n'Wild Crease shade from Walking on Eggshells
Swatched in the same order as above.
The closest I could get to the darkest shade (I'd call that a dark golden beige maybe, swatched on the far left) was MAC's Patina, Frost finish Eye Shadow (second from the right) - although Patina is slightly pinkier, cooler grey than Shiseido's golden yellow tone. Yaby's Antique (second from the left) is way more olive green and more metallic gold - you can clearly see here the difference between a true shimmery/pearl finish and Shiseido's glowy satin I mentioned earlier. Patina actually has quite a similar finish to Shiseido's, but Shiseido's formula is softer and smoother to the touch. Something like the Wet n'Wild Crease shade from the Walking on Eggshells trio (far right) is darker, much warmer, and more shimmery.

L-R: Too Faced Nude Beach, Middle shade in Shiseido Nude Trio, Fyrinnae Moon Child, MAC All That Glitters
L-R: Middle Shiseido shade, Too Faced Nude Beach, MAC All That Glitters, Fyrinnae Moon Child
For the middle light golden peach shade (far left), MAC comes the closest again with All That Glitters, Veluxe Pearl finish (middle right), although All That Glitters is warmer, deeper and more of a pearl finish. Too Faced Nude Beach (middle left), although not too far off in the pan, is much lighter, pinkier and more metallic. Fyrinnae Moon Child (far right) is deeper, pinkier and more shimmery.
Clockwise: Shiseido Lightest Shade, Rouge Bunny Rouge Unforgettable Oriole, MAC Soft Force, MAC Ricepaper, Fyrinnae Nijiro
Swatched in the same order as above.
And lastly for the lightest white gold shade, again MAC's Soft Force, Veluxe Pearl finish (LE, middle) seems the closest - it's just a touch deeper and more shimmery, and again, the texture of MAC's shadow is drier and harder than Shiseido's. My beloved Rouge Bunny Rouge Unforgettable Oriole (second left) is a touch cooler/pinkier and more pearlized, while both MAC Ricepaper, Frost finish (second right) and Fyrinnae's Nijiro (far right) are darker and more yellow - Ricepaper is more pearly in finish, and Nijiro more shimmery, with flecks of pink and blue visible in the sunlight.
As you can tell from the swatch fest, I do have a few eyeshadows that come pretty close to Shiseido's Nude trio - but they're not quite dupes. I also find the texture of the trio superior to my MAC shades, and the finish more refined, which is why I continue to reach for the Shiseido compact and gladly pack it as my sole eyeshadow option for shorter trips. In the face shots, I'm wearing all three shades in the standard placement: light peach on the lid, dark beige to define the crease and lower lashline, white gold in the inner corner. The overall effect is subtle, luminous definition - but what reads as subtle on my fair skin would probably entirely disappear on medium to deep skin tones, so keep that in mind. Overall, I really enjoy the formula of this trio - and I'll definitely check out more of Shiseido's eyeshadows in the future.

Have you tried any eyeshadows from Shiseido? What are your favorites?

15 comments:

  1. Nude is so delicate and brightening on you! It looks like the very best of no-makeup makeup. I only have Beach Grass but I love how beautifully it applies. I do find the textures super soft so I have a tendency to over blend, but for such an offbeat color combination, it looks practically like a neutral on me. I highly recommend BG if you are loving Nude.

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    1. Yes, no make-up make-up is the perfect description for Nude! I like how Beach Grass looks in the pan, but I'm scared it would be too warm on my skin tone - what do you think?

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    2. They are very very warm colors, but I've seen this work on people with cooler skin tones. Also the colors are very delicate when applied which works in most people's favor. I say try it at the counter!

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    3. Good suggestion, as always, Belly - I feel like a trek to Saks is in order :)

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  2. This looks like an excellent warm nude palette.
    I can totally relate to what you said about the refined texture of eyeshadows. It actually makes all the difference in the world! :)

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  3. Yeeeep, one of my favorites! I have four of their trios, I think, and the Color Bar palette...and I want another trio soon, haha. They're just so easy to wear!

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    1. Hahah, Color Bar totally scares me - but you rock it, girl. I really like the look of the Opera trio, so that may be next on my wishlist!

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  4. So beautiful on you Monika! I love Shu eyeshadows and how soft and refined they are as well. I have this palette and love it too! I wish I could have all the Shu trios haha!

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  5. I love the trio on you and it is really enticing to try after reading your review! I think Shiseido is quite underrated, I owned a couple Shiseido items also eye shadow palettes from Maquillage (a branch of Shiseido that is available in Asia). They are all good quality, lovely textures & pigmentations.

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    1. I was thinking the same thing as I was writing my review - I feel like the only thing that's really popular from Shiseido are their cottons and maybe the facial sunscreens. I haven't tried anything from Maquillage, but the images online make it look gorgeous! Larie also suggested layering the Nude tio over a darker cream base, and now I really want to experiment :)

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  6. No, I haven't tried any shadows from them but I have two trios on my watch list! I totally will be picking up a more colorful trio though! Maybe the purple or green-teal one! This is very delicate and luminous but I would go for more color! It looks great on you, very eye opening and natural!

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  7. Hey Monika! I am so inspired by your review of this... its so well done! :-) I have one Shiseido eyeshadow which is a dark reddish bronze (a single) and absolutely my favorite eye shadow of all times! I haven't seen too many people talk about eye shadows from this brand.. but they are such hidden gems! I have always lusted after these trios but never could get one.. Will definitely go back for these given their quality and raving review from you! :-)
    It does look very very good on you! :-)

    TheConscienceFund

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  8. I recently got my first Shiseido trio -- Beach Grass. You're right, "refined" is such a good word for the texture and shade selection! I feel like a fancy lady using it. The brushes included aren't terrible either, which is a welcome change.

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  9. I love this on you Monika! So soft and polished. I have yet to try Shiseido, I still have some old ones and I was quite tempted by the Color Bar. :)

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  10. They look so understated AND pretty on you! I tried this at the counter, but they don't show up very well on me. I guess that might be the purpose - NUDE, duh! But I like something darker :-)

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