High impact? Not really! (High Impact Eye Shadow)

Member Name: xxfoxyredxx

Product:	High Impact Eye Shadow
Date:	24/10/08 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to apply, lasts all day, stays looking fresh and perfect all day long

Disadvantages: Rather boring colours and not really 'high impact' in my view at all

Lately, I can't seem to stop myself from buying eye-shadows. I'm a real addict of the highest order! There are so many different formula's out there that promise us ladies the world and me...I'm hooked on them. I own so many different brands and types it's getting beyond a joke now but alot of the time I'll go out shopping say looking for shoes and I can't find any and get depressed and so buying some make up always cheers me up big time lol. Buying make up and toiletries gives me an adrenaline rush like no other believe me! Even now if someone buys me make up for Christmas or something I'm over the moon and delighted with it and leave the brand new television or mp3 player to the side while I play away with said make up and I guess that's the kid in me! If everything is going wrong in my life I put my make up on and put my best foot forward. Make up reflects my mood and the image I want to put across. I can have as many faces as I desire! If I'm going out for the evening I like dark, smoky eyes made up of highly pigmented loose, dark steel shimmery greys and lashings of mascara and topped off with ruby red lips but for daytime I prefer more subtle shades but still with a hint of vixen! lol I guess here I'm trying to excuse my passion for owning bags of make so I'll shut up lol!

I do love the brand which is Clinique. I came across it a couple of years ago and at first glance it rather bored me to be honest. The counter isn't exciting and trendy, the make up ladies are older than me, the packaging is functional and the products themselves are simply not begging to be bought as they are so understated. This is not particulary in my mind a head turning collection of make up and probably never will be.

To me it's aimed at 30 something's with life set up. Probably career women and minimalist types who own a capsule wardrobe and a cat. The make up doesn't look frightening and it doesn't make a statement when on. To me it's more of an everyday make up brand of reliable make up essentials that you can team up with other stuff you own to create more dramatic types though I think a Clinique buyer normally plays it safe in life and bulk buys this stuff lol. So initially I was put off and never felt tempted, drawn in or connected. Then one day I decided I would try something and just see if it was any better than what I normally bought. A couple of years ago I still owned alot of make up as I do now but not the really good stuff I now own and this was probably at the time one of my most expensive purchases on make up ever. I expected alot for my money.

The Packaging....

The 'High Impact' Eye-shadows I own come in the green plastic recyclable packaging the same as on the review photograph at the top of this page. It's simply a square or oblong in shape (depending on the size you purchase of course) and you can buy them in singles, doubles and trios. I'm not sure if you get them in a four colour combination as I haven't seen those or above but I know you can buy compacts that include a couple of shades of these within them as I have seen them in the past.

You get a sponge applicator within them and if you buy one colour you get a one sided sponge applicator for two and above you get a double ended applicator. Saying that I have seen a double quad with two single sided applicators and things like that in them. I have also seen this in a whitish colour compact but as I said I have the traditional green one's. On the bottom my colour is stated, I'm told that it is indeed High Impact Eyeshadow, contact details for Clinique are on there as well and finally there is a recycle symbol displayed on there too.

What Clinique Say About The Product....

Provides the riches & intensive color for your eyes
Extra-creamy texture glides on ideal coverage
Super-fine powder lasts all day in one application
With special light-diffusing properties, eliminates visible fine lines
Ophthalmologist - tested

My Experience....

I don't know about you but when I read the above statement by Clinique and it say's it's an 'extra-creamy texture' I expected something a bit damp. Well I didn't know that before I purchased it and didn't know that till I just read it! So I don't agree for starters its a creamy eyeshadow in that respect.

I would however agree with them this is a fine powder. It glides and spreads evenly over your chosen make up base with no flaking onto my cheeks or anywhere I don't want it to go and I am very much in control using this product. I use the applicators given in my compacts or a brush of my own and each of them ways of application is fine. The powder even though it's fine clings to the brush and makes the application a breeze and I simply sweep away.

It goes on smooth and when it's on it does feel very soft and feel as smooth as it looks. The colour as I previously said looks very even though not all that rich in it's tone and it takes minimal effort to achieve a nice look.

These are easy to blend either together (using these or other Clinique eye shadows from the range) and easy to blend with other powder formulations and once on they stay on with no creasing or cracking due to you not needing loads on the the eyelids to cover them evenly. There is no fade over time and the colour stays put all day till you remove it with your usual methods of make up removal as this has no special requirements at all. Great for office gals!

However I say this stays put... well it does providing you don't touch it alot. The powder doesn't sink into the skin it lies on top of it so if you touch it with your fingertips you do get a bit of transfer. Not loads but enough to notice particularly if using dark colours so you have to remember DO NOT TOUCH! Now if you blend really, really well and use it really sparingly you can make this almost not happen and of course you could 'set' the look using a little pressed or loose powder over the eyes but for me I don't like this method one bit. This is because all of the 'High Impact' eye-shadows (the one's that I own anyway and I own a few of them), all contain shimmer. Not a 'blinging' out there one but a hint of shine and by pressing on some powder it gets rid of that shine which then makes me question why buy a shimmery eyeshadow in the first place?

Basically it's a nice everyday eyeshadow. It's good quality but would I go out to buy more deliberately? No I wouldn't. Yes it's classy and comfortable to use. It doesn't irritate my over sensitive eyes and there is no smell and it's fuss free to use but the range of these eye-shadows colour wise is just a bit... well.. bland and safe for me. The results are nice enough for daytime use and give a grown up, polished look but for evening they really miss something for me. Do be aware when buying colours to really test them out before purchase because as these are slightly shimmery they take away some colour intensity in my opinion.

These are a safe option and simple to use and as I said very fuss free. Mistakes using this, I haven't faced but if you did make one I'm sure due to the fine powder that it could be corrected very simply. I would recommend this to a lady alot older than in her 30's, as I am. I feel I'm too young for this unexciting make up personally. My Mum is 63 and loves these eyeshadows as she feels they are very simple to use, likes the little bit of shimmer and feels they hydrate her skin slightly and don't show up her creases on her eyes so bad as alot of other brands. Me, I want more bling even in the day....

Prices are so varied and I'd say look online for bargains. I can't remember what I paid but I bought them in Debenhams and think it was around £9.00 for a single and £14.00 a double and £16.00 a trio but that's not gospel so do a bit of research!

Summary: 5 out of 5 for performance, less cos create no impact on me