Makeup Geek Eyeshadows- Swatches and Comparisons

I've been really excited about this post. I got these in the mail a few weeks ago and started writing up my review but held off on posting it so I could try out more of the colours in different looks.

Left to right. Top: Vanilla bean, shimma shimma, peach smoothie, creme brulee, latte, hipster, gold digger
Bottom: Cocoa bear, brown sugar, mocha, prom night, wisteria, sensuous, corrupt

I bought 12 pans, one pigment, and the large Z palette. I don't know why I didn't look these up sooner. I just assumed they were $10-12 each so when I found out they were only $5.99 I got really excited. The quality really is as good if not better than MAC. They are so creamy, velvety, and pigmented. Best of all, they blend like a dream. Its so easy to get an airbrushed, blended look with these colours because they are so soft and blendable. I wear urban decay shadows everyday (Naked palettes) and these are so much better. Some colours initially didn't swatch well but when applied on the lid they are very nice. I describe each colour below because some colours looked different in person than the online pictures.

                        ~All swatches have NYX Milk on the top row and UDPP on the bottom row~

Left to right (indoor lighting). Vanilla bean, shimma shimma, peach smoothie, creme brulee, latte, hipster, gold digger, cocoa bear, mocha, prom night, corrupt

Vanilla bean, shimma shimma, peach smoothie, creme brulee, latte, hipster

Hipster, gold digger, cocoa bear, brown sugar, mocha, prom night, corrupt 

Wisteria, sensuous, sweet dreams (pigment)

Vanilla Bean- Satin, neutral light beige (less yellow than it looks online). When I swatched this colour I was dissapointed and was going to tell you to skip it because it didn't seem very pigmented or show up on the skin at all. It's a satin finish so it's not shimmery but when applied as a highlight it looks beautiful. Subtle but very noticable still. My new fav highlight.

Shimma Shimma- Neutral, champagne frost colour. It is gorgeous! This is maybe my favourite colour. I used it as an all over lid colour like I do with Naked Lunch. It is so creamy and soft. Could also be used as a more dramatic highlight.

Peach Smoothie- Matte, light orangey-beige. This colour is deceiving because it looks dark orange online (and even in this picture...) and if it wasn't for the fact that I've seen it used in tutorials and it looking beautiful as a transition colour I probably would have skipped it. This colour looks beautiful on the brow bone and warms up any look. This one initially swatched poorly too (off to a bad start) and was very dissapointed because I wanted to love it, but when applied in the brow bone it was very pigmented and blended really well.

Creme Brulee- Matte, warm beige. This colour is said online to be a dupe for soft brown from MAC. I don't own soft brown so I can't compare them myself, but this colour is quite warm. It doesn't look quite as dark as it does online and is a perfect transition colour for the brow bone. Pairs nice with peach smoothie. 

Latte- Matte, medium brown. On my pale skin, this is a colour for darkening the crease. A shade darker than creme brulee and pairs nicely with it.

Hipster- Satin, light browny-grey. Not too metallicy but a nice, light shimmer. A little too brown to be called a straight taupe. A nice lid colour for darker looks. A little less brown than how it looks online.

Gold Digger- Frost, gold. This is a straight up yellow gold. Not a champagney-gold like Half Baked by Urban Decay. Would look beautiful on the lid. Really nice finish. I was debating between this one and Bleached Blonde (this I preferred from the pictures) but I read one review online that said it was their least favourite colour and not very pigmented so I went with Gold Digger instead. I wore this colour over a champagne to make it less yellow and it didn't really show up well.

Cocoa Bear- Matte, Reddish Brown. I almost passed on this colour because it looks really dark, but so many reviews online mentioned this colour and how it was their favourite. It is a beautiful warm brown for the crease. I got a lot of warm colours so they all pair well together. I looks beautiful in the crease for a smokey, brown look.

Brown Sugar- Dark brown with gold shimmer. I got a bunch of matte brown colours so I felt I needed a more metallic one for the lid for darker looks. Pairs nicely with cocoa bear.

Mocha- Matte, dark brown. This is more a neutral brown than the rest, a bit cooler. Its a darker shade for the outer V.

Prom Night- Frost, brownish taupe. I got this colour to replace my broken Satin Taupe by MAC. It is described by Marlena as a dupe for satin taupe. I swatched them side by side and satin taupe is a bit more pigmented (however its broken which makes it more of a pigment) and more grey. Prom night is just a bit more brown. This is a beautiful lid colour.

Corrupt- Matte black. This is describes as matte but mine definitely has shimmer in it. It could just be on the top though. It's described as more pigmented than carbon, but I don't have it to compare. It is very pigmented and easy to blend.

Wisteria- Matte, pale purple. I saw this colour used in a youtube tutorial by jaclynhill and I've been wanting it ever since. She used it as a transition shade on the brow bone for a smokey purple look and it pulled the look together beautifully. Because it's a pale purple, it's subtle and can be used on the brow bone for many looks. I really like using this colour for looks with my Naked 3 palette.

Sensuous- Dark plum with gold shimmer. A dark purple for smokey looks. Can be used all over the lid for a darker look or in the crease to deepen a purple look. It is described online as having silver shimmer, but I thought it was more gold.

Sweet Dreams Pigment- Metallic champagne, slightly pink. I couldn't decide between Sweet Dreams and Afterglow but went with Sweet Dreams because it looked a bit more neutral. This is obviously very pigmented but the colour is fairly neutral. It is very similar, if not the exact same to shimma shimma so in hindsight I probably should have gotten Afterglow for some more variety.

Favs- Shimma shimma, Cocoa bear, peach smoothie

Least Favs- Gold digger, hipster

MAC Naked Lunch beside shimma shimma

Left to right- Naked Lunch, shimma shimma, MAC Grain, Sweet Dreams pigment. Naked lunch and grain are not quite as frosted as shimma shimma and a bit more pink/warm.

MAC Satin Taupe beside Prom Night

Left- Prom night. Right- Satin Taupe. Prom night is just a bit more brown.

Comparing the neutral shades with the Naked 1 palette. Left to right- Peach smoothie, vanilla bean, creme brulee, latte. The MUG colours are a bit warmer.


 

I'm a terrible blogger. I forgot what these are lol. I THINK it's Buck (UD), creme brulee, latte, peach smoothie 

These eyeshadows are my new favourite thing and I recommend them to everyone. There are so many more colours I want (all of them!). In particular Frappe, chickadee (both were sold out), Cinderella, beaches and cream, cosmopolitan, cupcake, glamourous, homecoming...the list goes on. Word to the wise, I don't know if I'm blind, but some colours I couldn't for the life of me find but came up in the search. So if you can't find a colour you've heard of, search for it!

The Z palette is nice. I wasn't sure what the quality would be like but it's pretty solid. It looked like it would be cardboard but it seems sturdy. It comes with extra magnets so you can use any brand in it (MAC pans need the magnets). Coastal scents has magnetic palettes too for $10, however, I think I like the Z palette better because you can see the colours, the pans are easier to get out, and I think it is smaller. I can use my coastal scents quad for taking just my fav four colours when I go on weekend trips. I will definitely be placing another order and filling up my palette!

What are your favourite Makeup Geek colours?