The 1-swipe-and-go eyeshadow concept is a not a new thing, but I'm surprised companies are still trying with this mostly failed concept. I've tried the Catrice version, which less ambitiously consisted of only two shades (but with 4 such combinations is one palette) that proved to be not particularly impressive, however as individual eyeshadows applied in a regular manner, they worked fine. Bourjois went with the three shades system and from the moment I saw these I had my doubts. While they are better than Catrice's, especially when it comes to the seamless transition between the three shades, this formula didn't impress me much.
Formula: When I swatched these in the shop, I was pleasantly surprised by the creamy, pigmented formula, so I surprised to see that's not the case with the ones I got. The feel drier and before I swatched them both thoroughly they weren't very pigmented. The added sponge does not pick up product as well as some other I've tried, so I tried them with a thin brush and they proved to be more pigmented, however the thin strips and the deep setting in the packaging makes these very hard to apply with a brush. The one plus I see at these is that the blend between the three shades is indeed seamless, a pleasant surprise compared to the Catrice's version I've tried before. It takes several layers and swipes in the packaging to build it up to a decent level, but compared to good drugstore eyeshadows, there feel fairly average. Shades blend ok with a brush. As you can see on the pictures, these have fall out.
02 Brun-ette a dorée
The 02 Brun-ette a dorée is a combination of warm shades: a pale yellow, medium golden bronze shade and a deep brown. This trio performs poorly and I've really tried to build it up for the swatches. It shows up on the eyes, but as a gentle wash of colour and the darkest shade is actually the most disappointing.
06 Abracada brown
06 Abracada brown is a neutral combination of beige, taupe and deep brown. It's a much more pigmented combination, but mostly on account of the well performing bottom shade. It's much easier to build this one up, but it still takes many layers.
Staying power: These crease on me. Almost nothing creases on me, especially powder eyeshadows, but these do. Staying power is average and I don't get a lot of wear time worth these, which is unusual because eyeshadows tend to last well on me.
Packaging: The packaging is unnecessarily bulky for 3 grams of product. The shape of the applicator is granted better than Catrice's and it does work at depositing the colour in a nice gradient shade. Of course it all fails when it comes to the edges and I always end up with some eyeshadow too far out from the eyes, so a separate brush is a must or at least some fixing with fingers. They blend ok with both options. The material of the applicator is the thing that bothers me. It's the same as at those cheap wedge foundation sponges, meaning it does not pick up colour well because the surface is too smooth and "plastic". The top part of the applicator is shaped like a little bow and though it's cute, it could be designed just a bit better to hold.
Price and availability: These cost 12.99 € and are sold in drugstores.
While they are not the worst (at least shade 06, as 02 is definitely not well done), their main task of being a much faster and practical way to apply several shades to a nice gradient finish fails because you're stuck with layering and fixing the edges. I'd also rate them higher if they didn't crease, but given that they crease on me, there's a high chance this happening on those with oily lids. Sorry Bourjois, but as much as I love your foundations, concealers and lip products, this is a miss for me.
Have a great day!
*PR product.
