August 31, 2011

Covergirl Intense ShadowBlast Primer Review, Swatches, Photos

I’m not really a cream shadow person but a while back ago I suddenly discovered some unfounded love for them. It’s kinda slim pickings at the local drugstore if you’re wanting to indulge in such a shadow medium but the recent introduction of Covergirl Intense ShadowBlast Primer had me hyped.

Yeah baby, bring it!

Basically Covergirl pimps ’em as a cream shadow with a built in primer. Hey, cool, so it won’t fade or crease and I don’t need primer prior to use? Brilliant.

The color selection was wow aspiring aided by the fact that freaking Drew Barrymore was looking all kinds of ridiculously wicked in the commercial.

Come on doesn’t the commercial make you want to run out and buy every shade? She looks stupid awesome!

What did I think?

Jump!


A cream shadow with a built in primer for fade-proof, crease-proof long wear.


What a bust.

Never take commercials literally people. You’ll be heartbroken if you do.

The shadows are incredibly vibrant and beautiful on Drew’s eyes in the commercial and lord knows the colors are just as rich and true to color when swatched (my swatches don’t do the shades justice) but actually wearing them is an entirely other story…!

Personally, I thought they were rubbish but I look forward to hearing what you thought if you loved them.

I picked up four shades which were:

  • Extreme Green
  • Beige Blaze
  • Brown Bling
  • Forever Pink

Covergirl got alot of things right here. The colors are all rich and vibrant, very pretty shades that are extremely wearable without looking over done, too bold, or too crazy. The formula is also just as nice with a smooth, creamy base and excellent true to tube color. Even the sponge applicator they included, which is made from a soft, flexible foam, is also perfect in every way….

It’s the actual application that ends up not so fabulous here!


These are a tricky, tricky product to work with. They swatch very well on my wrist but on my lid its an entirely different experience. Perhaps the texture is a bit too moisturizing but the shadows slip and slide around and prove impossible to build up as they sheer out too quickly. I’ll slather on a ton of it with the foam applicator, following the outline of my lid, and proceed to blend out with my finger tip but the shadow simply sheers out too quickly which ends up in a subtle color pay off, a messy, patchy look, and just general chaos.

I’m going to throw it out there and say it has to be the formula as it’s a tad too emollient. It starts out thick but it thins out considerably as you blend and things start to get thrown out of balance since the shadow stays wet a little too long and even if you want to blend out and build up with more product, again, the same results.

If you are successful at getting some of the product into place correctly, chances are, it won’t last. I had ok application with the gold shade (very sheer though) and it ended up creasing within an hour and fading away completely within the next hour. Primer includes? Yeah right.

By the way, to add insult to injury, they have a six month expiration period. Jeepers.

  • No one.

  • Anyone with oily lids.
  • Anyone who can’t deal with a problematic formula that refuses to blend correctly or build.
  • Anyone looking for a cream shadow that stays in place for long wear.


And the moral of the story is don’t take commercials literally…! These are gorgeous and heck, maybe they’ll work for you but I sincerely doubt it. The formula simply fails to work well. They got a very good, solid idea here with a good formula, excellent pigmentation, and nice packaging to back it up but they either have to thicken it up a bit or..I dunno..do something…because the product just fails to blend correctly without completely disappearing as you apply.

What can I said? I fought the good fight but I lost.

No likey.

P.S. Covergirl, how do we get the Drew look? Because she’s rocking these like no one’s biz in that commercial you got there!

Have you tried them?

Spread the bad…

Or the joy!

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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

  • Courtney

    That’s sad 🙁 They look great swatched. Have you tried applying them over UDPP and stippling them on with a sponge applicator instead of smoothing them on? Might not make a difference though if they’re that gooey.

    • the Muse

      yeah but no luck court…same effect…! :-/ they stay goopey and wet that way!

      • jade

        I do like the shadows, but my main task is to find out what color is her hair and shadow blast commercial and lash perfection cause the second commercial looks a little deeper and more of the burgandy color and i know when first did red it was like a chestnut red, but verses why each commercial w red hair I mentioned, do u think that’s all lights and way reflects I don’t think that wild make that much difference and I hv tried desperately and want to find out where to get it and what color is it and how to do it ASAP.or any suggestions of maybe different colors combine by colorist they might hv used to get it. my hair now is a Merlot, I had seen feria color r57 which is nice,but not the exact color I want like hers do not understand ,when I ask what color is her hair in commercial can not get answer everyone else tells color,why big deal it’s a compliment to her.I do like the chestnut color she had had book sign in where first showed her hue of chestnut but that can’t be the same color in both commercials.Can someone please be nice enough to help me out. thanks bunches,if u email me and I don’t get back know I didn’t see it with all junk email please send again. Ciao Ciao PS Urgent my rootsvgonna show soon I gotta get answer and I pray it comes in great color bottle that doesn’t fade.I used lo real new excellence and great on holding with color block best tried so far.would love to be able go stylist and have done I just cannot afford but better for me with all medicine have take scarred with me doing it and some of products have so much bad stuff in it worried hair fall out,Just feel safer with expert and bet they could match color for me.Anyone got extra cash laying round won’t miss. remember me smiles hey a girl can dream can’t she. now I’m done latr.

  • Caitlin D.

    Well, I only have Beige Blaze, but the trick is to not use a lot. A little really does go a long way. What I do is dab a small amount on my eyes, and use my finger to blend it out. That’s when the primer aspect really kicks in. Beige Blaze is great to use under powder eyeshadow. Hope this helps!

    • the Muse

      hi Caitlin using a little really didn’t work for me as you can barely see the color… I’m not using it as a primer but as a shadow 🙂 so I want some color. These aren’t actually marketed as a “primer” they are an eyeshadow with a built in primer so they don’t fade or crease so that is how I reviewed them….with powder on top with def give a different result ;-D

  • femputer

    Wow, it never ceases to amaze me what an intensely personal thing makeup is and how widely people’s reviews of a product can differ! I *love* these ShadowBlasts! On work days I dab one on, blend a bit with either a finger or a brush, put shadow on top of it, and I don’t even need UDPP. No creasing! After I tried the brown one this was my go to look for like 2 weeks straight. *shakes head* Well, can’t win ’em all, I s’pose! 🙂

    • the Muse

      interesting femputer…sadly I didn’t have success….and no creasing? wow! you really had a win with this. I didn’t see those results AT ALL.

  • nicole

    wow that sucks, i wanted to try these so bad but now i dont because i can just see how peeved I would be if they are hard to work with and dont do as advertised lol

  • OperaDiva318

    Long time lurker… It’s a pity these aren’t worth it as an eyeshadow, got to wonder if they’re that emollient, could the gold and pink almost double up as highlighters? if they sheer out a lot, i could see them being pretty for that…at least to be usable for those that bought and are dissapointed..

  • kiwikiwidragon

    I bought the taupe and the lightest shade, cream? I had moderate success with them. I patted them on, over primer, blew them dry with a small fan and then used a blending brush to bring the two shades together. It was a quick, simple, dark/light look that wasn’t great as far as pigment and pay-off, but it worked for the subtle look i was going for that day. I was waiting for another sale to get the blue and purple ones, but I haven’t gotten around to it. Not high on the makeup priority list. Tarte had some lock and rolls in turquoise, purple, and blue that were great. they were $15 for the set at Sephora a while ago and they came with a bright scarf. those have great pay-off. If you got them at CVS Muse, I would take those bad boys back!

    • the Muse

      kiwi I have a feeling that they’ll end up being returned, right now they are in the makeup graveyard…so sad…no offense but your application method just seems like alot of work lol!

      • Sarah S.

        I had those Kiwi! Loved the lilac but the gold-beige looked icky on me and the turquoise stained my lids!

  • Colleen

    I have these in both the brown colors and I love them! I find that the don’t crease and look nice. However you can’t blend too much with these or you will just blend the color away.

  • Becky

    Your review is exactly what I said to my husband when I saw the commercial. Damn she looks good but I don’t care how they present it, no way it applies evenly and stays there. I have never had a drugstore cream shadow work on me. It’s kind of like thinking that Great Lash is a good mascara. It’s just garbage.

    • the Muse

      everyone also raves the lash blast mascara becky and I’ve NEVER had any kind of success with that stuff!

  • Jayne

    Please excuse me while I take a screenshot of that commercial and email it to my hairdresser. I have been toying with the idea of taking my long, wavy hair into the red family (pale skin and freckled, I figure why not?) because I’ve been watching too much Mad Men. That commercial may not have sold me on the eyeshadow, but it certainly sold me on A) Drew Barrymore and B) Her INCREDIBLE hair color.

  • Sara

    Can I say that I totally laughed uncontrollably when I got to the lower parts of your post and saw “‘Who Might Like it?’ No one.” I’m still smiling as I type this. *snicker*

      • Sara

        *lol* I can tell! Still smilin’ thinking about it.

        Can’t say as I’m surprised this stuff was crap. I’ve been burned before and am not giving in again. After flipping through some of the comments of people who got it to work for them – they really had to work for it! If you have to put real effort into making a product work for you the way it’s supposed to effortlessly….then I’m not really sure it’s worth a buy.

        • the Muse

          I agree sara, beauty shouldn’t be about careful application and TLC….I wan it to work out of the box not have to fiddle around with it to get it to work!

  • Cait

    I’ve been wanting these for awhile, but after reading the review they sound pretty icky. Thanks for saving me money! lol 🙂

    • the Muse

      my pleasure cait! maybe during some sort of sale you’ll want to indulge, could work for you, personally I didn’t likey!

  • kristin

    I thought these would be sketchy!! I usually pass on anything Cover Girl anyway, but I was thinking of trying these because of that pretty green color. Thanks for proving me right! LOL 😛

    • the Muse

      no problem kristin might be worth a risk if they have a bogo at the drugstore otherwise I thought they were a fail!

  • Mia

    I use the Beige Blaze as an eyeshadow primer. The glitter isn’t so obvious because, like you wrote, these tend to blend out very easily. I wouldn’t use these alone though. They aren’t very pigmented and it’d take some talent & time to really make the color show up. I am happy there’s finally a drugstore eyeshadow primer I’m happy to use. I used to use NYX but I moved and Ulta’s now over an hour away 🙁

    • the Muse

      hey mia, yup same…as a highlighter it’s very nice but not as an all over color :-/

  • Fey

    I’m craving spongecake. Just look at those applicators. Yum.
    I haven’t heard anyone say anything good about these. Bummer.

  • haley

    “who might like it? no one”. ah, that made me laugh.

    thank you so much for reviewing these, i was lusting after the green one (been into those forest-y green shadows lately), but it seems like it’s a no-go.
    it’s horrible, even after reading this review, i’m still tempted. damn advertising! also, it’s drew barrymore…who doesn’t love her?

    • the Muse

      lol sorry haley that was harsh but the poor formula just made me skeptical anyone would succeed here! My pleasure. if you run into a bogo maybe try it, maybe you’ll love it but I just really disliked how they sheered out! ;-D

  • Sarah

    Ahhhh…you got my hopes up for a second. Wouldn’t it be lovely if they actually worked?

  • mumtaza

    you poor thing! you’re not alone! i haven’t tried these because i’ve been burned too many times by things that look like this at the drugstore. i like cream shadows because one of my eyes literally tries to wash off my eyeshadow. it tears up, as in not down, and washes off my upper lid, so if i use like mac paint pot, my eyeshadow actually stays on. i will tell you to try urban decay cream shadow. those are great and on sale right now at urbandecay.com for $3! i also got lancome ombre magnetique in black macadam today at the outlet? is that crazy or what?? is it creamshadow or like armani eyes to kill i can’t tell? also i had a question: you always cover your hair in photos on this site. is that for religious reasons? keep your head up! there are cream shadows out there that will treat you better.

  • deb

    That’s too bad, they are beautiful swatched! Nothing like the ones Guerlain had for summer huh?

  • Sarah S.

    Thanks for your honest review, Muse! Some people out their have raved these on their blogs (won’t name names) but I can tell by your description these are not for me! Never had any luck with cream shadows, but I do like Greed UDPP or the Benefit ones if applied sheerly. What cream shadows do you like?

    • the Muse

      sarah I noticed alot of raves on blogs too…some folks got press samples, and I kinda sorta took their review with a grain of salt as it was alot of OMG THESE are amazing! I can’t honestly say I felt like that. Of course, to each his/her own maybe they really did work amazing for them but unfortunately I didn’t think they deserved a rave. They formula, packaging, applicator was good…but it just sheers out too quickly. the color seems impossible to build up. have you tried them? what did you think?

      I really live visee’s cream shadow, they don’t make them anymore but they were amazinggggggggggggggggggggg ;-D I also like the new philosophy cream shadows at the moment!

      • Sarah S.

        OMG are you talking abut the visee promoted by Ayumi Hamasaki? I had those and they did have great opacity and didn’t crease on me for hours! But that was eeek 8 years ago.
        The Walgreens beauty lady swatched one of the CGs on me cuz she loved it, but I was like *groan* because the thickness it looked pretty at never dried and smeared all over my hand.

  • Sarah S.

    Ooh, haven’t tried those but they do look amazing on you!
    I know Ayumi promoted Kose Visee around 10 years ago because I was huge fan of her back then 🙂 But I thought she didn’t promote them currently (not sure cuz I don’t really follow her anymore).

    Nobody wants gooey eyes!

    • the Muse

      aw thanks sarah ;-D mmm I don’t remember ayumi at all tbh! i thought she did a recent promo with them but I haven’t been following visee lately so I am way off base maybe ;-D! exactly ewwww! like eye boogers!

  • BV

    I love my Drew Drew but what the what? Drew is always beautiful but she looks like she’s an extra in Dallas. I think I am having vague flashbacks to Cindy Crawford… before grunge and Kate Moss came in. Some older gals might remember what I am talking about here.

    Also, perhaps ad should read (small print) actual products used in conjunction with other colours that work.

    I will defn avoid this – thank you for this review!

    BV

    I think this is why I was so excited about the Chanel I’llusion D’ombre.. finally a cream eyeshadow that stays put and is super pigmented!! (PS I am not a stooge for Chanel btw!)

    • the Muse

      my pleasure bv hope it helped! yeah, recently reviewed the Illusion D’ombre loved ’em!

  • Josie

    Drew looks amazing there, love her hair! I wanted to try these as i love cream shadows. DId you try patting them on Muse? Thats how i get my MAC big bounce shadows to stay on. Hate when cream shadows don’t blend or get all patchy!

    • the Muse

      josie tried the pat technique and also tried to blend gently with finger…but mmm same results :-/ Drew really does look increds in this commercial..her eyes are so vivid!

  • TokyoChel

    Boo 🙁 I’ve been eyeballing these for awhile and have to say I’m so disheartened by your review. I was hoping they’d be as great as they sounded. Ah well, such is life. Thanks for letting us know to spend our makeup money elsewhere!

    • the Muse

      aw sorry chel maybe you’ll wanna test them during a BOGO!? could work for you, some folks in the thread said they liked ’em!

  • Ruthless

    I must be the only person who Drew Barrymore would not be a strong selling point. She annoys me. Plus shilling an crap product like the smoky shadow blast crap is almost criminal. I have avoided this CG line ever since I tried the pencil duo, it’s just not good at all. The new CG lipsticks are awesome sauce though.

  • Sue

    I agree with you, I bought the pink one a while back and it didn;t look anyhting like the commericals. I thought it might be ok for a primer but that didn;t even work. Don;t waste your money.

  • Jessica

    I hate these. I’ve been looking for reviews and there are shockingly a lot of good ones. I love the green color, but it creases like none other! I even wore it over UDPP and it still creased! Without UDPP, it creased within a minute. What a waste.

  • asti

    I am not really keen on the colours as they feel too basic for me (like standard colours we see on crayons ect), but I bought the beige blaze one and actually liked it as a light eyeshadow! It comes out sheer and I like barely there look in the first place so it’s perfect :). It’s not sparkly either. Whoa, I didn’t notice the 6 months expiry date…… I guess it’s good that it does not contain paraben, but I wish they found a way to make it last longer. Who can finish the tube in 6 months!?