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?