Thursday, February 24, 2011

Victoria's Secret mineral eyeshadows in Coco and Luxe

Long time no post, guys!  I'm so sorry.  I had no idea what I was thinking last semester when I thought I was busy- looking back, it was nothing compared to this semester.  I have project after project, friends, and a new boyfriend to keep me preoccupied.  That's college for you! :)  I'd be lying if I ever said I didn't like it, though, because being in school and doing what I love gives me so much satisfaction.
Anyway, I actually have a few posts that I should have gotten to before this one, but I'm so excited about getting new makeup that it couldn't wait.  Do you realize how long it's been since I've gotten new makeup?  Since I bought the Revlon Age Defying concealer during the CVS beauty clearance sale, which was over a month ago (which I reviewed here!).  And for me, that feels like.. forever.
I had $25 left on a Victoria's Secret in-store credit, so I decided to stop in today and finally spend it.  I bought these two eyeshadows, another eyeliner and lipgloss, the latter two I will review at a future time!

Victoria's Secret mineral eyeshadows in Coco and Luxe

Left: Coco, Right: Luxe

What they are:  The box says, "mineral-enriched powder shadow that offers luminous color and a silky, lustrous finish."  

Price:  $5.00 each/.12oz, originally $10 (I'm not sure how long the $5 promotion will be going on but it has been since around Christmas time)

Luxe:  Medium pinkish taupe with sheen
Coco:  Warm medium bronze with sheen

They also come in Smolder (navy blue), Bubbly (cream), Coquette (rose pink), Divine (purple).

Left: Luxe, Right: Coco

Formula:  I love love Victoria's Secret eyeshadows.  These two from the mineral line have the same velvety soft texture and pigmentation as the rest of VS's "silky" eyeshadows.  They swatch beautifully, and though they are soft, they aren't chalky at all.  The swatches below are each one swipe- these are a dream to work with!  Such smooth color.  They also blend easily, so you can soften the lines of your color without totally washing it out.
I love the finish of Luxe and Coco, and the rest of the colors in the minerals line have the same.  They have an almost-shimmer sheen to them, which gives them a little extra something.
The only thing to be careful about with these is that they do break easily, so don't drop them!  When I worked at VS, we would frequently have to "damage out" eyeshadows because they would fall on the floor and crumble inside the box.  You'll be fine as long as you don't drop them on your bathroom floor. For traveling, just make sure to pack them in a tight spot or at the bottom of your makeup bag.

Left: Luxe, Right: Coco

Wear/quality:  I haven't tried these exact eyeshadows on my eyes yet, but in my experience with VS eyeshadows they wear exceptionally well with a primer underneath (I have one in the color Beloved, which is a deep muted olive green with gold shimmer).  I don't experience any fading or creasing, as long as I use primer- there's never a time I don't wear primer, though!  I like to consider Victoria's Secret makeup as high-end quality in disguise.  It's in an "in-between" market that is really geared towards women of all economic statuses, but the makeup seriously rivals other department store brands.  Luxe and Coco are smoother and more pigmented than some of my MAC shadows and are $9 cheaper!  
I just love that both colors are super easy to use and beautiful at the same time.  

The quantity is also good for what you pay for, even at the normal price of $10 (which again, I'm not sure if they are going to be $5 from here on out or if it's just a promotion).  These contain 0.12oz, compared to MAC eyeshadows with 0.05oz. 

Pros:
-Great pigmentation
-Long-lasting
-Affordable/value (double the size of comparable eyeshadows at an affordable price)
-Easily blendable

Cons:
-The line (as a whole- a total of 6 eyeshadow colors) doesn't feature much variation; they have the same finish and there isn't a large range of colors

If you're in the market for some new eyeshadows, I say definitely give these a look.  The $5.00 price tag and amazing quality makes them worth it!
Have you tried these VS mineral eyeshadows?  Anything else from Victoria's Secret lately?