February 7, 2011

Mally Eye Brightening Long-Wear Shadow Base Duo Review, Swatches, Photos

I absolutely adored the idea behind the Mally Eye Brightening Long-Wear Shadow Base Duo when I saw her present it on QVC. The concept of the product allows for a long wearing base to be worn as a primer for shadows with a pearl finish or to be worn alone to brighten the area up plus an eye brighten which had a matte finish to be worn under your eye to brighten the eye area up. Basically Mally combined the two products in one compact and allows each product to perform two great functions.

It seemed ideal to me as I’m always looking for a great base outside of my beloved Benefit Love Aid to use as both an eyeshadow primer or just worn alone plus something to brighten my eye area. Who doesn’t want wide awake, fatigue-less eyes?

This compact sounded like the ultimate solution!

Here are my thoughts!


A dual compact that houses an eyeshadow primer and brightener!


I LOVE the idea of this product and really enjoy the packaging. Part of its appeal is the packaging as it houses not one product but two. I like the idea of having commonly used products in one place and this is exactly how the product is designed as one side has your eye brightener and the other your eye primer. Perfect!

The eye brighten is a gorgeous formula and pretty much can be easily used as a concealer if you so choose as I felt like it was an identical formula to Mally’s Cancellation Concealer that I already own and love. Formula is pigmented, blends easily, and brightens the eye up without any doubt. I do feel that using concealer as well as this isn’t necessary as I can easily use this as my concealer however if I need extra coverage I can do a light coverage with my normal concealer and pat a bit of this on top for extra brightening power. This is a matte finish but don’t let that sway you into believing that it might be drying or powder-like as that’s simply not the case. Formula is emollient and blends easily under my dry eyes.

Now I loved the idea of the shadow base/primer as I thought I’d make proper use out of it for my eyeshadows plus use it in place of Benefit Lemon Aid to brighten my lid. I thought this would prove ideal for days I wanted to go without shadow and just indulge in a nude eye lid.

However….


Formula isn’t as forgiving on the base sadly as it has a pearl finish which creases rather badly when worn alone or under eyeshadows plus it has a certain knack for aging my eyes rather than simply leaving behind a nice, nude lid.

I blame the pearl finish as it’s not my most flattering finish and comes across a tad frosty and shimmery. Far be it from me to say something is TOO shimmery as I adore my sparkle but this just doesn’t do much for my lids!

Sadly, it’s only available in a light and dark finish. Light should do well on fair and medium fair skin but dark may be limited to olive or tanned skin, nothing darker I don’t believe.

  • Anyone looking for a lid brightener and primer all in one (two products, one compact, perfect for travelin’).
  • Anyone with dark circles, tired eyes, or fine lines (the brightening cream will do wonders with these areas).

  • Those seeking a good shadow base to prevent creasing and fading (this is great for use with pigments as it’ll prevent falls outs plus it gives shadows a little extra pop but for fading and creasing it doesn’t do the trick as my shadows began to crease and slide around within an hour of use).


Like I said I loved the concept of the product but it failed to work in some aspects. I actually ended up returning it as I thought merely using one side was a bit wasteful as I can’t see myself using the shadow base and since the other side was so much like a concealer I already own, well, needless to say it seemed a bit of a waste overall. In theory it sounds great but it fails to work so well at keeping my shadow locked into place and even without shadow it doesn’t do any wonders worn on its own.

Wanted to love it but just didn’t make the cut sadly.

Anyone try?

Love?

Leave?

Share it.

Available from QVC.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Mary the Muse Militant

    Looks like a great product but shame it wasn’t what you expected.
    I didn’t know you could return items to QVC?
    I often backed off buying from them because I thought you would be stuck with something.
    Can you return cosmetics that are tested?
    Also, “too shimmery” for the Muse !! I was wondering if I read it properly ! LOL

    • the Muse

      hey mary yeah 🙁 sigh. cosmetic purchases are 30 day guarantee so you can return if it doesn’t work however I do not know the UK policy for returns. You might wanna call and ask. Here in the US they’ll take it back within 30 days used or not used 🙂

      haha weird for me to say that :D!

      • Mary the Muse Militant

        Great to hear they accept returns over there if the item is used, so hopefully they will here too.
        I’ll double check first.
        TY !