January 14, 2013

NYC New York Color Sparkle Eye Dust Review & Swatches

NYC New York Color Sparkle Eye Dust is a new loose eyeshadow available in ten shades for $2.99 that launched recently for Spring 2013. I purchased two colors at my local CVS not expecting much but being rather wow’ed by how pigmented these little guys are!

Take a look!

These loose shadows are marketed as being super sparkly but the two shades I tried had a lot more of a metallic finish than a sparkle one. They are a full pigment eyeshadow housed in a small lipgloss-like tube which a sponge tip applicator for application.

At first I absolutely loved the sponge applicator. It made for VERY easy application onto lids. You’d be surprised how easily a lipgloss style sponge tipped applicator works as an eyeshadow one. However, I noticed that dipping into the tube with the applicator brought up a good deal of product which ended up falling all over me, my vanity counter, and everything else…! To avoid a mess lay some paper towel or a wash cloth over the area you’re working on as they do kick up a good deal of powder as the sponge releases from the tube.

On the upside…these have incredible pigment with a bold metallic finish that is stunning. Application is very easy as they glide across lids and you can either blended out with your fingers or the included sponge. They had a no brainer formula that just applied easily for me. The texture is silky and has a certain sparkle to it but I did see more metallic from it than heavy duty sparkle.

Amber Glitz


Bronze Shimmer

On the down side…they have a lot of fall out (TONS!) which results in messy clean up after applying. I had it all over my face, cheeks, under eyes, etc….plus it proved mighty hard to remove that fall out. I literally needed to swipe makeup remover under my eyes and cheeks to clean up the fall out. So if you’re like me and do your foundation and concealer prior to eyeshadow application you might want to reverse…apply your eye makeup first and follow up with your base products (not my favorite thing to do but it is a necessary evil here). You’ll want to use a very strong eyeshadow primer prior as these tend to crease rather badly over a four to five hour period. With primer you shouldn’t have a problem but without, particularly on oily lids, you’re bound to have a mess. They do stain lids rather badly (see my photo below? That’s from swiping away with a makeup remover wipe! What a mess!) so you’ll need to use an oil based eyeshadow remover to get them fully off. They have so much pigment that they’ll leave behind a good deal of color if you’re using a simpler eyeshadow remover or a makeup wipe of some sort.

Amber Glitz and Bronze Shimmer

Eep messy removal!

Don’t get me wrong…I actually loved them but they do require work during and after application. They are messy and hard to remove but once in place I think they look outstanding…who would guess you only paid three bucks for ’em!

Available now at drugstores.

Tried ’em?

Do share your thoughts!

I purchased this item.

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

  • Tammie

    They are lovely but I am much too lazy to deal with all the issues lol. When I consider something “quality” I strongly think about the ease of application so I can’t forgive something that requires a lot of work. Also like you I put my base/foundation on first and I have a good reason for doing so (I kind of make a mess since I apply with my hands, makeup covers it up but the other way would not look pretty).

  • Angela

    $3 seems like a good deal. I’m going to pick some these up next time when I go to the drugstore.

  • Debster

    These look almost identical to the Revlon molten metal liquid eye shadows released years ago. The colours and metallic finish look like a total dupe, even the applicator is the same. Only difference is the liquid/powder formula. Yup, going to get them all.

  • amy

    The formula seems similar, if not exact, to the ones released a few years back, only those had a “roller-ball” applicator. I found with those, to alleviate any fall-out, was to apply some to the back of my hand & pick it up from there with a flat shadow brush. Perhaps that technique will also work with these. I plan to pick up a few of these, too.

  • kimkats

    Hmmmm…. wonder if these would work as eyeliners, or as “toppers” for a blah colored eyeliner to give it a pop of color…’Specially if you used ’em wet?

    What other shades do these come in, Muse?

  • blueraccoon

    I’d maybe pick this up but I’m running out of luck finding the new NYC products. The only two stores I’ve been to that carry the line are Target and Rite Aid and neither of them have the new displays 🙁

  • Heather N King

    They look really pretty about you! Sucks to hear about the fall out though. Thanks for the heads up!

  • Heather N King

    They look really pretty *on you! (Haven’t finished my morning tea. lol)

  • Ashley

    The darker, coppery one looks great on you! And your eye lashes look so full! What mascara are you using?

  • Jnnlopez

    Yup. Picking up those exact colors! I’m always in need for more GOLD. LOVE.

  • Tiffany Martin

    I’m LOVING the close ups, it helps me see more of the product in action ^_^

    I like the look of these, and if there were a method to solve the difficult application $3 is a freaking steal.

    I also think the copper looks incredible on you ^_^