Make Up For Ever Artist Color Shadow High Impact Eyeshadow Review

Last summer I had the opportunity to test out Make Up For Ever's then-new Aqua XL Color Paint eye colour. I absolutely loved this product. So when MUFE asked if I wanted to try out a couple Artist Color Shadow High Impact Eyeshadow colours (disclaimer: I got this product for free) I of course said yes. While the primary goal behind this offer was to show off MUFE's refillable case system (more on that below), I was more curious about whether I'd prefer these powdered shadows over the liquid Color Paint.

And it turns out that I like Color Paint better. But only because of my own personal preferences: I find liquid products easier to work with and I just loved the khaki shade that my Color Paint tube came in. But if you prefer a powdered eyeshadow— and I think most people do—you're probably going to love Artist Color Shadow.

According to Make Up For Ever, these shadows offer "high blendability and an immediate payoff that lasts up to 12 hours." And they do do just that. Like all MUFE products, these ones are packed with staying power and pigments. While my colours didn't keep their full vibrancy for 12 hours, they did visibly stay on my lids for longer than that. I also foundthis product to be a breeze to work with and it blended nicely with both MUFE and non-MUFE products alike.

Artist Colors come in 121 shades that cover the rainbow and then some. There are also five different finishes: Matte, metallic, diamond, satin and iridescent. Unlike with some other eyeshadows, the finishes make a big difference on how these colours look so if you can, try to see this product in person and even better, try to test them out.

I found that out firsthand with one of my samples. I selected Silver Brown because it looks like a highly wearable brown shade with a bit a shine, thanks to it having the metallic finish. And when I first saw it in person, I thought I'd made a great choice. But then I swiped it on. And I swiped it again and again and I think by the fifth swipe, the colour on my lids finally starting looking a bit like the colour in the pan. However, the makeup I applied never quite matched the original product though thankfully, I still liked the results.

I've used quite a few MUFE products and I have to say that this is a rather unusual experience. Usually you only need one or two swipes of a powdered MUFE item to get amazing colour payoff that matches whatever's in the pan. I'm blaming the metallic finish.

My other colour, Crystalline Papaya, gave me more of a typical MUFE experience. With only one swipe of product, this peachy-pink shade was perfectly transferred from its container to my eyelids. It has the Diamond finish, which means that it's loaded with sparkles. Maybe a bit too many for most day jobs but hey, I work from home so it works for me.

Each shadow retails for $22, which isn't a bad price since this is a high quality product that will last. But I do wish that the packaging was a little nicer. Oh, the throwaway cardboard box part is fine but the basic metal pan that the shadow comes in is a bit... naked. That being said, there is an easy and pretty cheap solution to this problem: Buy one of MUFE's refillable makeup cases.

So let's talk a bit about that refillable makeup system. My two eyeshadow samples were accompanied by two refillable cases in XS, meaning they are designed for one colour. An assortment of sizes are available and because they work using a magnetic base, instead of defined frames, any product that also has a magnetic base can easily be popped into the case. This way you can, for example, use a Metal Palette in L to hold your pick of eyeshadow, blush and bronzing shades. Or you could fill it with nine different Artist Colors. 

The cases are smooth, sleek and seem pretty durable to me. They're also easy to open and close. And the magnetic base means that whatever product you're popping into the case isn't going to come out easily. However, I do wish with that the single cases also had a magnetic side so that you could stick them together into your own custom palette. Yes, I know I could achieve that by using one of the bigger cases but what if I wanted to easily mix up my colour combos? Getting the colours into the case is simple but getting them out is a little trickier (though possible). But if you're someone who has a standard combo of colours that they use, a big case will work nicely for you. The price also works nicely, with the smaller cases costing only $2.

Would I buy these products: Yeah, I might buy a shadow if there was a colour that really caught my eye. And I would definitely buy a case for it.

Should you buy these products: Do you want vibrant, long-lasting eyeshadow in a durable case? Then yes and yes.