May 9, 2012

Revlon Colorstay Smoky Shadow Stick Review & Swatches

Revlon Colorstay Smoky Shadow Stick are a newly launched dual side cream eyeshadow available in a few shades. Almay as well as a few other brands have these types of pencils available however I’ve never been inclined to purchase one.

As a big fan of cream shadows, I don’t really love them in a pencil formula so I guess that’s why I’ve avoided products like this.

Revlon’s version did intrigue me so I decided to indulge.

Let’s take a peek!

Revlon Colorstay Smoky Shadow Stick have the potential to be a great product. It’s travel friendly and an easy way to get a smoky eye.

Sadly, I found them challenging to work with with a mixed formula that was disappointing.

Each chubby pencil features two shades of color. One side of the pencil has a pointed tip and the other a rounder one. The rounded end (in this case that end is a pale dusky pink) is used to highlight eyes and the pointed tip is used to shade (chocolate brown).

This color selection is called Torch Incendiare and features a dusky pale pink and a rich chocolate brown.

Revlon suggests using the rounded edge (pink) by shading all over your eyes up to your brown bone and following up with the pointed end (chocolate brown) on your lash line and crease, smudged out for a smoky effect.

I really liked the chocolate brown in this pencil. It’s creamy, pigmented, and blends fairly easily. The disappointing factor is the softer pink shade which has a drier texture, blends patchy, and lacks color. I know they want the pink to be subtle and used to highlight but I felt the color was very lacking in quality and pigmentation.

I found the shadow challenging to get into place. The brown shade has the most pigment but you really have to build it up since the color fades so quickly as you blend it out. So it’s a process of applying, blending, applying more, blending…and on and on and on until you get the best finish.

To add insult to injury the tips break off easily. I swiveled up the brown and it quickly broke apart and the pink soon followed after. So do be aware during application as pressing too hard will result in breakage. I only use it once and already it’s unusable since it broke…meh! Burp!

They promise an all day crease-proof wear and surprisingly this is true. I’ve wearing six hours straight without primer and I’m not seeing any creasing or fading. This is one good point of the product.

Overall, Revlon Colorstay Smoky Shadow Sticks are not worth a pick up in my opinion. They are a disappointing mixed bag of a formula with other quirks that make them a rather big nay. I don’t think you need to indulge in my humblest but if you’re curious wait for a sale at the very least.

I purchased mine at Harmons.

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

  • JoElla

    ahh boooooooooooooo. I was hoping these would work.

    Thanks for the review hon

  • Jane

    Aw, that’s too bad, because it’s a very pretty color on you!

  • Melissa

    i’ve been wondering about these thanks for the review!

  • Amy

    They remind me of those Covergirl 2 sided shadow sticks. Sadly, like the Revlon ones, they weren’t the best :/

  • Southern Gorgeous

    So sad these didn’t work out. I’m pretty excited about Milani’s though!

  • Kate

    Well, this is actually GOOD for me because now I won’t be tempted to add them to my stash. It is already unmanageable.

    ‘K, at the risk of sounding redundant (and sounding like a suck up) I just love your symmetrical face and lovely features! I finally put my finger on something about your eyes that has been rattling around the back of my brain for a while now.

    Your huge eyes, with their perfectly-suited brows, remind me of Madonna’s eyes and brows!! And I really mean this as a high compliment. I have always thought that Madge’s best feature is her eyes.

    • the Muse

      on thanks dena, it’s one of the lip conditioners from Clinique ;-D

  • Amelia

    Aargh, these will always have a bad stigma for me because I tried to use the brown one in the outer ‘V’ for my smokey eye for prom. So frustrating and so un-pigmented!

  • Lily

    Thank you so much for this review! I have to admit that I was curious about these Shadow Sticks and was looking at them at the drugstore. I hadn’t seen any reviews or swatches of them yet so I chose not to buy one (especially since Revlon has disappointed me in the past when it comes to eye shadow products). I definitely won’t be buying this product. Your review is pretty accurate to what I assumed about these Shadow Sticks, lol! Too bad though. :/ I really feel like this kind of product could be really great if it had the right formula. And richly pigmented beautifully coordinated colors.

    Now those gorgeous Revlon Balm Stains…I literally bought every single color except Charm! And I’m probably going to pick Charm up when I see it in the permanent display, lol! XD I really love them! Thank you for your reviews on those too! 🙂

    • the Muse

      hey lily! I’m glad you thought my review was helpful 🙂 They are on sale this week at Ulta bogo offer so if you’re really tempted you can indulge on sale…but I wouldn’t lol they aren’t that great! I agree…something with a better glide would be nicer b/c the actual shades are really lovely! My pleasure! glad to hear you are loving them ;-D!!!!!! I like them too!

  • Rachel

    Frankly this review made me want to try this product. I am rather sadly heavy handed when it comes to eye makeup so the fact that when blended it fades got me pretty excited. I will have to be mindful about it breaking though. Do you know how when the bogo ends at ulta?

    ps. I just found your set and I am in love!

    • the Muse

      hi rachel! go for it girl! could work for you! 🙂 but yup, be careful, and if does break just reset it in your freezer for a few minutes.

      typically ulta has a bogo ongoing for ages…I’d say a week or two? but I don’t have exact dates hun, sorry! also I THINK Revlon is BOGO at CVS this week if you wanna shop in store.

      yay! glad you’re enjoying! I look forward to hearing more from you!