I'm a big fan of L.O.V.s Magnetic Eyeshadow formula, well the one shade I have, so when I saw these new ones on their website they peaked my interest, especially since the shades looked so pretty. Unfortunately these don't have that lovely texture Magnetic eyeshadows have, instead they are creamy eyeshadows. Six shades of these exist, I have five, while the extra shade is 550 Platinum Radiance. 

Texture: These are creamy eyeshadows with a glitter finish. In terms of texture they are like Maybelline's Colour Tattoos, so creamy with a firm formula. Pigmentation is a mixed bag at these.  The palest three 500, 510 and 520 have a sheer base and even if I try to build them up, I never get more than a gentle touch of colour. They are more about the glittery finish, so  I would classify them as toppers to add on top of other shades. Shade 530 Magenta Shimmer is by far the best performing shade in this bunch. It's very pigmented, applies nicely and has red shimmer that is less obvious than at other shades. 540 Dazzling Emerald is a nightmare shade. I love the colour, these type of shades are some of my favourite, but I can't apply this evenly. The more I try to build it up, the more sheer patches appear. I have exactly the same problem with their other formula in a similar shade THE Glacious Stylo Eyeshadow 910 Bronze Leaf, meaning L.O.V. does not know how to make such shades work. LOV named these eyeshadow and liner type of product, but I don't see these working as liners, except maybe Magenta Shimmer.

510 Precious copper - a pale orange/copper with gold glitter. Sheer pigmentation, but nice glittery finish.

520 Champagne sparks - a champagne beige gold with gold shimmer. Sheer pigmentation, but again nice glittery finish. This shade is  very similar to Essence's Metal Chrome eyeshadow 02 Ironic.

530 Magenta shimmer - a deep reddish-purple-brown with purple shimmer. A top performer and the only shade I think is really worth getting.

540 Dazzling emerald - a shade between old gold and forest green with gold shimmer. Fully opaque, but impossible to apply evenly.

Staying power: These crease on me during the day, though the shimmer doesn't travel much. 500, 510 and 520 are sheer shades, so they perform ok in this department. 530 Magenta Shimmer fades to a tamer version through the day, while 540 is a lost cause all together, since the patchiness only worsens. 

Packaging: These come in glass pots with a pretty rose gold lid. These is not extra protection foil and because of that 540 arrived in a poor condition. The eyeshadow shrunk inside the pot and became detached, so it fell out and I had to press it back in. 

Price and availability: These cost 9.99 € and are available on Ličila.si (Pink Panda) and Kosmetic4less.de

As gorgeous as they are I wanted more from these. Only Magenta Shimmer is an impressive shade, while the lightest three should be more pigmented, but if you want a sheer shimmery shade, these will do fine. The 540 Dazzle Emerald is too hard to work with which is a shame because I like the shade. When it comes to glitter L.O.V.s Glitter Unexpected palette is better than these, but the shade range is not as nicely neutral.  

Have a great day!

*PR products.

New cream eyeshadow are so fun to try, so when I saw L.O.V. offers some lovely, very wearable shades, I decided to try one despite the heftier price tag for drugstore. I picked a shade that isn't common in the drugstore, but I have a few similar powder ones, which are my favourite and in fact this was the type of shades I wore all the time five-four years ago (yay for UD's Stash eyeliner). Considering how expensive these are and how amazing the competition is, including from L.O.V.s sister brands Essence and Catrice, I expected a lot, but I have to say both the cheaper versions are actually better.

Texture: this has quite a strange texture that I never seen before other than in a stick foundation, which I think was from Maybelline (it was something like Fit me stick). It feels cooling wet when you're applying it. Pigmentation is good and you get a metallic effect before you blend it out, however, the application isn't as smooth as at my other cream eyeshadows, but not because it's too thick, rather too wet, so it skips some parts. You can see that on the outer edge of my lash line in the bortom picture. This means you have to layer the product for an even finish, but it can be done. It blends a bit harder than others and I need a lot of time, but it blends out into a green-taupe shade.

Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolour in Devotion on the lips and Wet n Wild foundation brush (picture from a new in).

Colour: Bronze Leaf is what every other company would describe as vintage or old gold.  It's an olive green-gold shade with gold shimmer that is similar to shades like L'Oreal Bronze Goddess (greener), Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Stash (darker, greener), ArtDeco's eyeshadow in 245 (my everyday shade years ago, it's most similar, but more taupe) and Golden Ganashe from Chocolate palette (more brown). Applied in an opaque coat, it has a metallic finish.

Staying power: I rarely wore it without an eyeshadow base, but it lasts pretty well and surprisingly doesn't crease a lot, at least the first few hours.

Packaging: Actually feels quite luxurious, since it's metal and has some weight to it. The product winds up easily, not unlike Catrice's which already broke off.

Price and availability: I got mine in Müller for 9.99 €-

Funny how Cosnova's most luxurious eyeshadow isn't as good as their cheapest by Essence, however, with a good primer it works well, it's only the application that's not that easy. I won't be buying more shades, since there are cheaper, better alternatives, however, I do truly love this shade as there aren't many of such around, in fact, I don't think I've seen one in our drugstores. If you like the shade, go for it, but for other colours I still adore Essence's version.  

Have a great day!

Both Essence and Catrice released their version of cream eyeshadow's in a pen/stick form and while Catrice's come in a very similar shape to Kiko's famous stick eyeshadows, Essence's come in a jumbo pen form. I'm a big fan of eyeshadows in this format and I use them all the time as a base for powder eyeshadows to intensify them, make them stick on better and last longer. I trialled both Essences and Catrice's in the shop a few times before I decided to purchase them and both really impressed me with their staying power. I grabbed two of each and I was focusing more on shades I don't own yet, but I did take one shade that's similar to my other ones to compare and see if we have a dupe situation on our hands.

Catrice Stylo Eyeshadow Pen

Texture: These are very siliconey-smooth, which makes the application and blending very easy. While the pigmentation isn't as intense as at Kiko's, in terms of how the texture feels, both formulas are very similar. Both of my shades have shimmer in them, which means they might affect how even the colour looks on the lids, especially as the eyeshadows start to wear off. The colour can gather around shimmer parts and it's not quite as even  looking as at Essence's versions which are more satin on the lids. This is only a problem when they are worn on their own.

020 G'Old Mc Donald 

020 is a champagne gold shade with a shimmery finish. It can be used as an intense inner corner highlight since it's a pale shade. Shimmer particles are quite large, so it doesn't look as smooth and nice applied on its own, but as a base it's great.

040 Brown to Earth 

040 is a brown bronze shade that is similar to Kiko's 06 Golden Bronze, but a touch more muted. However, if you're looking for a similar, cheaper shade, this is a very decent dupe shade. It's great as a base and looks better on its own on the lids than G'Old McDonald, but it doesn't look as smooth as Essence's versions. The shade is a classic and it's a standard colour in almost every cream eyeshadow range (Kiko's 06, Maybelline On and on Bronze, Essence 01 go bro'nze to name a few), so it's what I call a safe bet colour. 

Staying power: With a powder eyeshadow they last all day with no problem. They can crease if the eyeshadow on top is very buttery, but it's not that bad. On their own they will crease at the end of the day, but only little on normal eyelids and the colour will last at least 10 hours.

Packaging: It's very similar to Kiko's with the twist up design, but the product doesn't go back in soon because the base apparently snaps off, so you need to manually push it back in.

Price and availability: I got mine in Müller for 4.29 €.

Essence 2 in 1 Eye Shadow & Liner

Texture: These are slightly more compact or waxy than Catrice's or Kiko's and Golden Rose's, but still very smooth to apply and they blend so well with fingers and brushes. Pigmentation is great, but not as intense as at Kiko's, though you can build up the colour.

03 light me up

03 is a light milky beige with a satin, slightly shimmery finish. It's a simple shade for an everyday look, but I don't like to wear it on its own because I prefer more defining colours. It works as a neutral shade that intensifies other colours, like bright ones.

06 she's got the mauve 

06 is a taupe violet shade, a muted mauve. This is by far my favourite shade, probably out of all cream eyeshadows I own, just because it works so well with my colouring. 

Staying power: These last comparably to Catrice's, so all day with a powder eyeshadow on top, but also quite well without, again they will last all day and with less creasing than Catrice. They look better at the end of the day than Catrice because they don't contain so much shimmer, especially She's got the Mauve looks fab at the end of the day.

Packaging: A jumbo twist up pen with a cap that clicks therefore ensures that the product won't dry out fast. Great packaging and it's commendable of Essence that they decided on a twist up instead of having to sharpen it.

Price and availability: I got them in Müller for 2.99 €.

While both versions are truly fantastic cream eyeshadows (Cosnova did a great job, though we should already fear when they'd be discontinued), I find Essence the winner in this little battle. Essence's look smoother on the lids, since they aren't as shimmery and they last better on the lids. The shade ranges are different enough that there aren't many dupes between the two, exceptions are Catrice 040 Brown to Earth - Essence 01 go bro'nze and possibly Catrice 51 shades of grey - Essence 05 I'm blue (Excellent swatches of both ranges here and here). What else can I say other than I'm impressed. 

Have a great day!