REVIEW + SWATCHES | Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows

 

Artist Shadows

Effortlessly create endless eye looks that range from beautifully natural to highly artistic with this unique eye shadow palette. With its breakthrough, gel-powder formula blended with ultrafine pigments, Artist Shadow leaves a smooth, even result that gives lids super-saturated, lasting color. An easily-blendable formula that features diamond, iridescent, matte, metallic, and satin finishes, it is an accessible shadow for the professional makeup artist and the everyday woman. 

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Size: 0.07 oz

Price: $21 (each+$1 for compact), $34 (duo), $44 (trio)

(see below)

  

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The following colors were created for use on cheeks: 

Frosted Peach, Mahogany, Mandarin, Rust, Pumpkin, Copper Red, Watermelon, Electric Coral, Coral Pink, Golden Pink, Electric Purple, Tangerine, Poppy, Milk Toffee, Peach, Bisque, Salmon, Orange,Tomato, Coral, Grenadine,Tea Pink, Light Rosewood, Purple, Canyon, Apricot, Auburn, Flesh-colored Pink, Rosewood, Dark Purple Pink, Eggplant

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The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows retail for $21 each for 0.07 oz. 

However, there is a customizable option where you can build your own Make Up For Ever Custom Artist Palette  in bundles of 2 or 3 and receive a discounted price - $34 for a duo = $17 each and $44 for a trio = $14.60 each. 

Starting out these shadows are within the expected price range of other mid-to-high-end cosmetics brands with the size edging on the larger end of the spectrum - you are getting quite a bit of product for your bucks. The great thing about these shadows, is that you have the option to build your own customizable duos or trios at a discounted price. When you purchase 2 of these shadows, the price of each comes close to MAC Eyeshadow prices (with more product). And if you grab one more to make it a trio then you get an even cheaper bundle price.

While these are not the cheapest eyeshadows on the market or even the best make-your-own-palette system, I still think you can get value for your money by springing for trios versus purchasing singles or duos. They are also larger sized pans so you will get more product than the typical small sized eyeshadow on the market - or even those available in pre-made palettes.

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These shades come packaged in a temporary case; the custom palette cases are sold separately.

In just 3 easy steps, you'll be on your way to customizing your new Make Up For Ever Custom Artist Palette!

STEP 1:

Add a 1-pan, 2-pan, or 3-pan Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow Custom Palette Case to your cart for $1.

STEP 2:

Add 1 or more Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows to your basket.

STEP 3:

When you add 1 Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow and a Mono Palette to your basket, there is no discount applied.

$22 for 1 Eyeshadow + Palette

When you add 2 Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows and a Duo Palette to your basket, a $9 discount will be applied automatically at checkout.

$34 for 2 Eyeshadows = $17 each

When you add 3 Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows and a Trio Palette to your basket, a $20 discount will be applied automatically at checkout.

$44 for 3 Eyeshadows = $14.60 each

 

The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows are currently available for purchase in store and online at the following locations:

• Sephora Stores (limited selection) and on the Sephora website
• Standalone Make Up for Ever Boutiques

 

 

The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows come packaged in a temporary case; the custom palette cases are sold separately for $1 each.

The custom palette cases are solid shiny black cases with a transparent snap-fit lids with the Make Up For Ever logo printed in black. Inside there are magnetized cut-outs that fit the shadow pans securely into place. There are also pin sized holes at the bottom of the palettes for easy removal of the shadow pans - without damaging the product by attempting to pry them out. The Custom Palette Cases comes in 1-pan, 2-pan, or 3-pan sizes.

They are very high quality sturdy palettes that are great for organizing your shadows and for travel. However, these can also be placed into other magnetized palettes on the market - I use my extra large z-palettes which hold 19 of these large sized shadows.

These shadows are only labeled with numbers on the back (ink printed which is pretty much production line basic! HA!). The actual shade names are provided on the Sephora website. For ease of use, especially for blogging and YouTube tutorial purposes, I printed my own labels and secured them to the back of each pan. 

Side note: Make Up For Ever will probably never use actual names for their products since the number system syncs up to their internal coding system and lines up with manufacturing and Pantone Color Matching System references. 

 

 

"In Extra Dimension Eye Shadow is a modern hybrid formula that combines the smoothness of a cream, the blendability of a liquid and the finish of a powder with long-wearing colour and prismatic reflections. Its creamy, silky, near-fluid formula creates luminous, well-defined eyes in finishes from sheer crystallized light to stunning metallic."

COLORS/SHADES

The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows come in a HUGE range of colors - 210 shades in case you were curious!

There are numerous nude shades, reds, yellows, greens, oranges, pinks, purples, burgundy shades, smokey shades....pretty much all colors of the rainbow mixed in with earthy tones! You name it, you can find it here...very few makeup brands can tout having such a large range...well MAC can :)

Be mindful though, that some of these shades are meant for use on the cheeks - blush shades. Of course, they can get away with this since these are marketed as shadows rather than exclusively eyeshadows. You can still use these on your eyelids - at you own discretion and risk of course. The red pigment in these shades can cause staining and some irritation when used on the eyes.

TEXTURE & FINISH 

The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows come in 5 different finishes - diamond, iridescent, matte, metallic and satin.  

In order of my favorite to least favorite:

Metallic – Vibrantly-toned. Shimmeringly metallic with high-shine pearl. My favorite of all the finishes - extremely creamy and shiny without being frosty or overdone.

Diamond – Intense shimmery base colors with smoothly pearlized, ultra-fine glitter. The glitter adheres well and stays in place. Some of the lighter shades (anything with Crystalline in the name) tend to apply a bit more sheerly than the other richer shades.

Matte – Flat matte, no shimmer, no glitter, no shine finish. Soft and creamy but not overly powdery.

 Iridescent – Smooth creamy texture with a subtle iridescent shine. This finish is not consistent from shade to shade - some shades are easy to work with and apply beautifully while others can get a little troublesome.

Satin – Provides a soft subtle non-frost, light-refractive sheen. This texture is tricky as it can clump up and cause trouble with blending. 

PIGMENTATION 

The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows are nicely pigmented across the board. There are of course some shades (as you can tell from the live swatches) that require a little more building up than others. And there are also some shades that are meant to have sheer color payoff.

APPLICATION & WEAR 

The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows have a great formula which applies well, blends easily and wears beautifully throughout the day without fading and fallout. 

While I had no issues using natural or synthetic bristle brushes with these eyeshadows, I did find that a more densely packed brush worked best for the non-matte shades. The non-matte shades also have a tendency to get crepe-y so less is more - start with a little and build up from there.

The diamond, iridescent, metallic and satin shades do have a strong silicone (dimethicone) base which allows for slip and high sheen. However, this can also leave to clumping of the product and even creasing. I always recommend using an eyeshadow primer with oily lids and in this case I highly recommend it! Personally I didn't have issues with creasing and I do have ridiculously oily eyelids!

I also find these work equally well with a damp brush or a creamy eyeshadow base.

 

The Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows are my favorite eyeshadow formula to date. I really enjoyed the previous formula and new revised formula takes everything to another level. I am slightly upset that the famous #92 Shadow is no longer available and nothing in the line-up truly replaces it.

However, I highly recommend this line (of course there are a few not so great shades - check the details below) without hesitation. There are a few troublesome shades that I would skip but overall it's a great lineup. 

Have you tried these shadows?  Interested?

 

 

M100 Black - matte black with decent (not overly intense) pigmentation

S102 Onyx - Gorgeous satin black (great for smokey eyes)

D104 Black Diamond - satin black with silver glitter

ME108 Steel (favorite)- Shimmery deep silver 

M110 Cement - matte deep gray

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I112 Chrome - medium satin grey with slight purple undertone

S114 Pearl Gray - pale satin gray

ME116 Silver - shimmery light silver

D118 Platinum - shimmery icy silver

I120 Snow Gray - pale shimmery gray

ME122 Snow - icy cool toned white

D124 Crystalline White - icy white with a slight pink undertone

M126 Chalk - matte white

D200 Crystalline Mauve Turquoise - icy white with blue and purple shimmer

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ME202 Iceberg Blue - icy pale blue

I204 Sky Blue - satin sky blue

D206 Celestial Blue - icy sheer light blue

S208 Baby Blue - satin baby blue

I210 Light Turquoise - shimmery light blue

I212 Periwinkle - medium periwinkle purple blue

S214 Ultramarine Blue (favorite) - rich ocean blue

ME216 Electric Blue (favorite) - shimmery deep blue

I220 Sapphire (favorite) - deep metallic blue

D222 Night Blue - deep blue with silver glitter

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ME224 Navy Blue (favorite) - rich inky deep metallic blue

S226 Abyssal Blue - satin blackened blue

S228 Petrol Blue - deep green blue

ME230 Peacock Blue - shimmery medium blue

ME232 Turquoise Blue - high shine turquoise blue

S234 Azure Blue - satin deep teal blue

D236 Lagoon Blue (favorite) - shimmery teal blue with silver glitter

I238 Blue Cedar - satin deep teal blue

M240 Prussian Blue - matte blackened blue (skip)

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I300 Pine Green - deep satin teal green

ME302 Peacock (favorite) - rich deep brown with green shimmer

ME304 Emerald (favorite) - high shine emerald green

D306 Bottle Green - deep forest green with green/golden glitter

D308 Aquatic Khaki (favorite) - deep green brown with blue/green/silver glitter

ME310 Fir Tree Green (favorite) - blackened forest green

S312 Mint Green - satin mint green

S314 Nile Green - satin light pistachio green

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D316 Crystalline Pinky Green - sheer shimmery lime green

I318 Linen Khaki - pale ivory green

D320 Golden Khaki - shimmery deep brown with gold and green tones

M322 Khaki - matte green toned khaki

I324 Bronze Khaki - satin khaki green (skip)

D326 Black Bronze - blackened brown with golden shimmer

I328 Bronze - satin deep green brown (skip)

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I330 Linden Green

I332 Meadow Green

D334 Green Apple

S336 Lime (skip)

ME338 Acidic Green

I340 Lime Green

ME400 Buttercup

S402 Mimosa

ME406 Golden - shimmery yellow gold

M408 Mustard -  matte mustard yellow

D410 Gold Nugget (skip)

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I412 Wheat (favorite)

I414 Yellow Ivory

D416 Crystalline Yellow

S502 White Sand

S506 Linen

I508 Olive Beige

M510 Vanilla

ME512 Golden Beige

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S516 Sand

M518 Nude

I520 Pinky Sand

I528 Pearl

M532 Sugar Coated Candy

M536 Milk Tea

I542 Pinky Clay

M546 Dark Purple Taupe

M548 Pink Gray

I550 Olive Gray

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ME554 Gunmetal (favorite)

S556 Taupe Gray (favorite)

M558 Dark Taupe 

S560 Taupe

D562 Taupe Platinum (favorite)

M600 Pink Brown

S602 Cinnamon

I606 Pinky Earth

S610 Almond

ME612 Silver Brown (favorite)

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ME614 Graphite Brown (favorite) - metallic deep espresso brown

S616 Chocolate (skip) - satin medium deep brown

M618 Espresso - matte blackened brown

M620 Gray Brown - matte gray toned brown

S622 Black Brown (favorite) - matte rich brown

ME624 Black Gold (favorite) - blackened brown with gold shimmer

M626 Neutral Brown - matte neutral brown

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I628 Reptile (favorite)  - shimmery olive brown

M630 Sweet Chestnut - deep warm brown

S632 Hazelnut - satin taupe brown

M636 Cappuccino - matte warm brown

S638 Mocha - satin golden brown

D640 Golden Snake (favorite) - shimmery golden bronze

S642 Sahara (favorite) - satin neutral brown

ME644 Iced Brown - shimmery light brown

I648 Golden Fawn - shimmery champagne brown

M650 Cookie (favorite) - matte warm medium brown

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D652 Celestial Earth - medium warm brown with golds shimmer

ME654 Cauldron (favorite) - shimmery bronze-y brown

ME658 Golden Brown - shimmery golden brown

M660 Speculous (favorite) - matte caramel brown

I662 Amber Brown - shimmery golden brown

ME700 Amber - metallic brown toned gold

I702 Mahogany (favorite) - satin warm brown

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D708 Pinky Copper (favorite) - shimmery pinky copper with gold shimmer

S710 Peach (skip) - satin dusty peach

I722 Mandarin (favorite) - shimmery light orange peach

I724 Rust - shimmery muted orange

M726 Sienna - matte rusty orange

ME728 Copper Red (favorite) - shimmery bronze-y orange

I730 Pumpkin (favorite) - bright shimmery orange

S732 Orange - satin bright orange

ME734 Tangerine - metallic neon orange

I736 Copper Red (favorite) - shimmery red orange

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ME740 Magma (favorite) - rich orange with golden shimmer

S742 Tomato - bright orange red

ME744 Poppy - shimmery bright red

I746 Watermelon (favorite) - bright neon coral

S748 Coral (favorite) - satin coral orange

S800 Grenadine - muted rose pink

I804 Golden Pink (favorite) - coral pink with gold shimmer

M816 Rosewood - matte rose brown

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M822 Plum - satin orange brown

D826 Fig (favorite) - shimmery cranberry with silver glitter

ME828 Garnet Black (favorite) - shimmery deep red brown

D830 Black Rose - shimmery blackened purple

S836 Pink Ash - satin pinky taupe

ME840 Pink Chrome - shimmery purple-y pink

M842 Wine (skip) - matte muted cranberry

D850 Nitro Pink (favorite) - shimmery medium pink with silver glitter

S852 Neon Pink (favorite) - satin neon bright pink

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I858 Flamingo (favorite) - bright coral pink

I864 Baby Pink (favorite) - satin light pink

ME866 Frosted Pink - shimmery pale pink

D868 Crystalline Pink - sheer icy iridescent pink

I872 Pearly Pink - pale pink ivory

I902 Quartz - pale pink

I904 Cotton Candy - satin light pink

S908 Mauve (favorite) - bright blue toned pink

ME910 Electric Magenta - neon fuchsia pink

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ME912 Orchid - shimmery pinky purple

I918 Lavender (favorite) - shimmery pale lavender

S920 Violet - light pinky purple

I922 Electric Purple (potential skip) - medium shimmery purple

S924 Purple - shimmery red toned purple 
D926 Blueberry - satin blue purple with silver and purple glitter

M928 Eggplant (favorite) - matte deep burgundy

ME930 Black Purple (favorite) - rich blackened purple