December 20, 2011

Rimmel HD Glam Eyes Review, Swatches, Photos

Rimmel introduced its HD Glam Eyes Palettes earlier this year in the UK. A celebration of all good things British these eyeshadow palettes feature four shades of shadow in a Union Jack design. Anglophiles like myself swoon when we see makeup and the UK combined.

Formula is amazing on these little guys and the price isn’t too bad either at $4.99 each.

Can you guess the problem though here?

I hauled two of these from ASOS several weeks ago but they are popping up in drugstores now. I got two more recently at CVS (or might have been Harmons don’t quote me). The price jump is huge as at ASOS they are over $10 each and US drugstores have them for as little as $5. Rimmel does surprise me on occasion and that would be the case with these as the formula is quite amazing for such a little bitty price tag.

Each palette features a dual sided sponge applicator and four shadows. The shadows are laid out in a Union Jack design. I admit the design slayed me, I die. I just love the way they designed the shadows to form a Union Jack. It’s terribly cute and incredibly impractical but more on that later.

The formula is like a light version of a Stila Eyeshadow with a velvety smooth feel and a texture that blends like butter. But where as Stila goes off base sometimes with a bit too much frost these have a soft sheen of a finish that looks quite gorgeous on and proves very easy to apply and blend. I liked the formula alot and felt like it was fairly new for Rimmel as it isn’t comparable to any of the other shadow formulas that Rimmel currently offers. The shadows prove to have more than enough color pay off as well and build easily for more pop!

I appreciate that Rimmel included fairly great shades for contrasting with here as well. The shadows graduate in color and each one matches perfectly together to create a single look. Some brands are guilty of throwing strange shades at us which in turns puzzles us during application but HD Glam Eyes have perfectly matched shades that are never muddy when blended together nor do they end up looking the same so you can get some nice definition and contrast in the looks you create. Rimmel also includes a lovely little diagram in the back of each palette to show you exactly how to get the look.

By now I imagine you guessed the issue here right?

As lovely as that little Union Jack design is, it does, indeed, prove completely impractical. The main shadow is a large cross which is easy to get to with a brush or sponge however the other shades of the design have smaller well strips and aren’t as easy to pick up color from. These tiny strips of color prove a challenge to get at even when you’re using a sponge applicator. Thankfully enough the sponge applicator included with the palette is long and thin so it does fit into the wells nicely but…….it still proves tricky to get enough color on the applicator for decent color build up. At first you’ll be enchanted by the design but as you work with the palette you’ll probably end up cursing it.

Shades I tried:

  • Green Park (chartreuse, golden green, olive green, brownish green)
  • English Oak (dark chocolate brown, creamy beige, coppery bronze, light golden brown)
  • English Rose (pale pink, plum, taupe-y plum, dusky plum) (worn below)
  • Heart of Gold (bronze-y brown, bark, light beige cream, bright gold) (worn below)

Overall, Rimmel HD Glam Eyes are definitely worth a purchase but be warned that the design of the palette proves a pain in the arse to work with and I do question whether the wonderful formula and lovely pigmentation is worth the extra effort to get at. Good stuff here but a damn shame the sweet packaging kills the deal in the end.

Tried ’em?

Thoughts?

Do share!

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‘.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  • Kimryan8

    Green Park looks awesome. I’ve often wondered how you get the powder out of the tiny little triangles but they look so pretty I’ll probaby get at least one. I’ve been waiting for them here. Thanks for reviewing!

    • Kimryan8

      I picked up Green Park today at Ulta – It was $5 something. Holy cannoli – those triangles are super small. The colors are really pretty so I’ll check back in when I try them out!

      • Kimryan8

        I tried Green Park today – lovely eyeshadow colors and texture. This is my first Rimmel eyeshadow and its really pretty.

        Muse – you are right on about what a pain in the arse it is to use – those triangles are insanely small.

        I also figured what the hey – I’ll try the guide on the reverse side. Gold in the crease? Brown as a highlighter? I looked like my eyes were healing from when I got punched out last week.

        Anyway, I switched around some of the colors and used a light shimmery nude to highlight the brow bone and the shadows are really suprisingly georgeous. Props Rimmel! I am just so torn with the tiny triangles! It ended up being a total mess!

  • Tammie

    I have “English Rose” and basically the same issues you do…essentially the only color you can REALLY use is the large middle color, the other ones are practically impossible to get. I use my fingers to apply and there is no way I can get the colors to not mix when I am trying to get them.

    • the Muse

      *nods* exactly Tammie! Love if hey were bigger :-/ formula is lovely, design is a bitch though!

  • TK

    You know, I was guessing that was the problem. Looking at it in pictures it looked a little small. But to be honest I don’t really care. I love the Union Jack design and the colors look gorgeous, so a little problem like that isn’t going to deter me! I even like the green palette and I typically hate anything green. I’m kind of curious about how the palette with the traditional Union Jack colors will look. I think I’m trying to fool myself into thinking I can rock blue and red together. Oh well, I definitely want these!

  • eight

    Yeah, the wells do seem small for most of the shades. I’ll probably pick up a couple though if there isn’t a crazy price markup for us Canadians. They are a nice collectable anyway!

  • eight

    Ooh, ok, it seems they are $6.49 each here, which isn’t a bad markup. Might wait for a sale though!

  • Olivia

    the swatches and colors looks great but i think the design is really impractical no?

  • Eve

    I really like the green one but I definitely want the red, white, and blue one! It’s so cute, I don’t mind cursing at it!

  • Fey

    Super cool! Thank you for the review. I have been eying these guys, but I thought the pigmentation would bite. It looks great though. I don’t mind swiping tiny strips of pressed shadow, so this is great. I can’t wait to pick up the silver/black one!

  • Telly9009

    They’re cute, I just can’t get passed the design. how the heck do you pick up any eyeshadow? I think I’ll pass. Great review as always though. =)

  • cat

    I picked up Green Park and English Oak and even though I haven’t played around with them too much, I kind of figured that the smaller sections of the palette would get annoying. Sigh…the sacrifices we make for cuteness.

  • Coral

    I kind of hope they have the traditional smoky eye palette colors. I would probably put up with the impractical lay out if they are really that fantastic.

    • the Muse

      they do indeed coral I didn’t pick it up but they have a selection of silver/black/gray for a smoky look!

  • Kelly

    I’m obsessed with anything that has something to do with England, so I just have to have one of these. They look so adorable, I think I want the one that looks like the actual Union Jack, the one with white, blue and red.

  • SJG

    I don’t care how hard the color is to get to. These are giving me a lady boner.