Happy Thursday everyone!
I was excited when I saw Sephora had a mini Bobbi Brown Shadow Stick as part of their rewards system and with my new found appreciation for shadow sticks, I had to pick one up.
Eyeshadow sticks are a convenient item to have as they are quick and easy to apply, streamlining your makeup routine when you’re in a hurry. You just glide the product on your eyelid and underneath your bottom lash line, with minimal to no blending required. There’s no worry about powdery fallout and you can store these in your purse for on the go.
As you already know, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil was included in my Summer Must Have On the Go Beauty and with great reviews, I wanted to see how it compared to the Bobbi Brown ones. So, let’s get started.
Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Shadow, $29 (smokey blue grey)
Described as “a long-lasting, waterproof eye shadow that glides on easy like a stroke of genius.” It’s a smokey blue grey color that has a matte texture (i.e. no shimmer)
Pros
Long lasting and won’t crease with a primer
Glides on the eyelid easily
Rich pigmentation
Good variety of shades
Twist up container so you don’t need a sharpener
Cons
Splurge item at $29 each (I have a sample so the actual product is bigger)
It takes a little bit of effort to blend in
Heat mushes up the texture which can affect the application process
Wide rounded tip makes it difficult to apply on the waterline
Overall: I do like this product but I don’t love it. Although the pigmentation is amazing and it doesn’t crease, I found blending out this product was difficult to do, perhaps because of the matte texture. You are required to blend this out since it’s a darker color and if you don’t want harsh lines to show. One thing worth mentioning is that since the weather has been hot, somehow the heat really softened it up and caused a mushy like consistency. While it still retained its shape, when I applied it, it kind of broke off a little.
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha
Described as “a radiant eye liner that also doubles as an eye shadow.” It’s a bronzey, gold color that has a little bit of shimmer.
Pros
Budget friendly $4.50
Easy application + formula glides on easy
A wide range of colors
Pencil like tip makes it easy to line the waterline
Cons
Requires a larger sharpener
Does tend to crease after a while even with primer
Takes a few passes to build up the color
Overall: I love everything about the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil except the wear time. I get about 5 hours of wear before it starts to crease, about 3 if it is really hot an humid outside. I then find myself needing to reapply or at least blend in the product so that the crease marks don’t show. Applying a similar shadow underneath does help with this product staying on longer but it adds an extra step. However, this blends easily and I had no problem using it as a liner, thanks to the pencil like tip- perfect for creating a quick smokey eye look.
Have you tried shadow sticks? Which ones are your favorite?
Stephanie