I recently decided to revamp my make up kit and treat myself to quite a few new bits and pieces. One of the things that I most wanted to purchase was eyeshadow and, having never owned any Bourjois make-up previously, I wanted to see what they had to offer. I noticed their Smoky Eyes range which each contained three different shades and were priced at £7.99. I tend to opt for brown eyeshadows as these suit my colouring best so I purchased the 'Mordore Chic' set.

THE SHADOWS

The Smoky Eyes sets come in variety of different colours. Alongside the brown set that I purchased, there are pink, blue, green, purple, grey and another darker brown-black kit. The kits are packaged in a plastic circular pot, with a clear lid to display the colours underneath. This flips open to allow access to the eyeshadows, which are set in three small circles in a brown plastic base. On the side of these powders, a small applicator is set in the plastic. This is not very large - about 5cm long - and has two sponged ends which can be rubbed on to the eyeshadow and then used to apply this to the eyelids.

The eyeshadows themselves are almost creamy in texture. There is a hint of sparkle to them when they catch the light. In my set, I have a light cream, a light brown and a dark brown. The idea of these sets being that you use them as a colour pallet and apply each colour to a different area of your eyes, blending them together to create a smoky eye effect. The shadows are heaped so they are almost half a sphere in shape.

APPLICATION

I found application with the sponge applicator provided nigh on impossible. I understand the inclusion of this in the set as it means you can put the shadows in your handbag and have the means to apply them if necessary. However, I would suggest it would be very hard indeed to achieve the blending and precision necessary to provide the smoky eye look with this. The sponges are too small and you are unable to get enough grip on the applicator to direct it accurately as it is so small.

When applying with my own make up brushes and applicators, it is much easier. The shadows are so fine that they do crumble a little when you apply the pressure of your applicator, but you are able to get enough of the shadow on your applicator easily. I tend to use mainly the light brown shadow and blend in a little of the dark brown around the sockets and corner of my eye. I find the cream one is great at highlighting along the brow bone. The colours blend easily without having to spend too much time rubbing at them.

THE LOOK

These eyeshadows actually give quite a subtle effect, which surprised me. When I think of smoky eyes, I think of quite a bold, dramatic look. You have to apply quite a lot of the shadows to get a deep, dark colour. This is good in some ways as it allows you to use the same set for both daywear and evening wear as different looks can be obtained simply by applying more or less shadow. However, if you like a dark, dramatic look you will get through this set very quickly! Sometimes I don't use these for the smoky look and just use them as a mono colour - usually the paler brown shade as this gives quite a natural look. Therefore, this is quite a versatile pallet.

The shadows glide on easily and it is easy to correct any mistakes by rubbing at the area to remove the powder. They also last quite well throughout the day - a good 7 or 8 hours of wear and the shadow does not clump or crease. It keeps the same smooth, coloured appearance throughout the day.

OVERALL OPINION

At £7.99 this is not a cheap product - eyeshadows can certainly be picked up much cheaper. Whether this is good value for money or not really depends on your usage. If you want to use the three colours provided to create a smoky look regularly, it is not bad value and a good product for doing this. If you are likely to use each shade separately, it is probably less good value as you could buy the shades separately and get more shadow in the pot - it is inevitable that you will have a favourite shade in the set and use this up first and possibly discard the rest.

I find that the shades in the set combine nicely with each other to create a smoky effect quite easily - much less blending is required with these than a lot of the other colour pallets that I have tried. I also find that the length of time that the shadow stays in place for, and the fact that you can look as good at the end of the day as at the start, means that I am happy to pay the £7.99 pricetag.

For me, it would be preferable to completely remove the applicator provided from the packaging and instead provide a little more of each powder. I have absolutely no use for this and I do begrudge paying for a feature that has such limited use. I understand that this may be convenient if you keep these in your handbag, but even so, I would find this applicator little to no use.

I do like the look the eyeshadows give me and that they can vary from natural to very dramatic by applying more and more - this means that I do not need to own lots of different shadows for different circumstances. I would happily recommend this product to you and will be repurchasing this once I have used mine up.