Lakme Absolute Color Illusion Pearl Eye Shadows Reviews and Swatches: Gold Pearl, Smoky Pearl

The Color Illusion range got launched during the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2014 by the grand finale designer Rajesh Pratap Singh. The theme was to create makeup that played tricks on the eyes. And boy the way he started his finale show! It was every bit Illusion! The eyeshadows from the illusion range have pearl finish and come in 8 shades: Blue,  Gold, Jade, Smoky, White, Starlight, Pink, Peach.

(a little birdie told me the dates for LFW AW 2014 has been announced – 20th-24th August 2014, and I can’t wait to see what the theme is for this time)

Lakme Absolute Illusion Eyeshadow Gold Pearl:

It is champagne gold shade with a lot of shimmer and gives a beautiful sheen. It makes for a beautiful inner corner highlighter and an all over lid colour when doing neutral looks keeping the lips in focus. Gold shades go beautifully with warm Indian skin tones and this one is no different. The pigmentation is quite sheer and I use it wet to pack on my lids. Also it works better with fingers than a brush because that way you get more pigmentation and intensity. This shade had some fall out so you gotta do your eye makeup before your base when using this.

How I like to use it: I was wondering how to use it since it has a lot of sheen and may not work everytime as an all over lid colour. All this while taking in my daily dose of youtube. Just then Marlena of MakeupGeek used this beautiful pearly eyeshadow just in the centre of her upper lid after doing her eye makeup to make the area pop up and catch light. Inspiration hit and I tried it on wet just on the centre and boy it looked so pweety!

Lakme Absolute Illusion Eyeshadow Smoky Pearl:

Its a greyish blue shade with lots of sheen and shimmer. Very night time. The pigmentation is good and packs on a lot of colour in one swipe but I still like to use it wet to make it more intense. This shade has lesser fallout than Gold Pearl. The name Smoky is very apt since all you need is just this blue shade to do night out eye makeup since it looks very deep and lively on eyes. Plus the shimmer reflects beautifully under artificial lights so makes for a good clubbing eyeshadow.

How I like to use it: I use the Lakme Eyeconic Grey Kajal as a base and then pack this all over the lid. A little blending in the crease and I’m sorted.

I took the following swatches with fingers as I feel they are better used with fingers than brushes. Smoky Pearl works fine both ways.

 left: Gold Pearl, right: Smoky Pearl (The left set of swatches are taken with a damp finger while the right set is dry)

Pros of Lakme Absolute Color Illusion Pearl Eye Shadows:

• Beautiful pearly shades which catch light and look beautiful on eyes.
• The wear time is good. I’ve worn them for about 6-7 hours without a primer.
• They don’t crease for around 4 hours without a primer. With primer it can be improved more.

Cons of Lakme Absolute Color Illusion Pearl Eye Shadows:

• Sheer pigmentation so can’t be used dry.
• Gold Pearl has some fall out issues.
• The texture is not smooth and quite gritty.

A look with these coming soon. Lemme get my brows done first!

Price: Rs.750 each

VNA Rating: 3.25/5

So is it for you? If you like eyeshadows that glisten and look sparkly on eyes or if you are a fan of pearl eyeshadows in general. From the two I like Smoky Pearl as it makes smokey eye looks very easy. The texture is not that great but the staying power is good and with a primer underneath you can improve the pigmentation. But I suggest that you use them wet with a damp finger.