Jill Stuart Prism Carat Eye Review, Swatches, Photos
Jill Stuart released five shades of her newest product, Prism Carat Eye, in Japan for Fall 2011 recently. I decided I absolutely needed a few of these since I happen to be a shimmer-a-holic and boy did these scream shimmer.
I started out with two but my best friend absolutely had to have one so I gifted him with it and later, after I completed this review, he ended up inheriting the other one as well as I simply didn’t end up liking the product and a club kid like him will make way better use of it than I will.
Brace yourself, you REALLY need to love shimmer to get on board with this one.
Jump!
A dual eyeshadow system with base and loose shimmer.
There isn’t any question that Jill Stuart, in my opinion, is one of Japan’s best dressed makeup collections. It’s princess-y beauty is a compelling mix of vintage style vanity pieces. The brand places alot of affection and attention on their packaging so you’re not only getting a quality piece of makeup but also a product that is visually pleasing.
In the case of the Prism Carat Eyeshadows, they too, embrace gorgeous packaging. Each shadow is made up of a two tier pot with a topper done in the traditional Jill Stuart silver with engraving and a single pink jewel. It’s very princess-like and gorgeous. Something those obsessed with packaging will absolutely adore.
I wasn’t particularly in love with the shadow myself as it was a hassle to apply and dare I say simply TOO shimmering for me. I dunno when it happened but I have grown up a little and I actually can admit when something is overkill and these are a little borderline overkill.
The two tier design features a cream base on the top and the bottom houses a loose, highly shimmering powder. The idea is to use the cream shadow as your base product and top it with the shimmering, loose powder. The base allows the shimmering powder to adhere to your lid for an intensely sparkling look. I can’t deny that it’s very pretty but a little too craft glitter-like for me to call elegant or sophisticated.
The shade I kept for review was Blooming Tiara (103) which is made up of a pink shimmering powder and a super pale shade of iridescent pink cream base. Although the powder starts off as a loose pigment resembling that of a MAC Pigment only more shimmery it actually morphs ever so slightly when pressed on and applied thus having a “bursting” effect which allows the pigment to become smoother. This doesn’t always work if you’re using a sponge or brush to apply (a brush is particularly useless for application in my humble opinion) but you’ll understand the effect if you use your fingers to apply.
Personally, I do not like touching makeup unless I have to with my fingers or hands. However, in this case you do want to embrace your fingers for application. To apply I find it’s best to shake the jar (make sure it’s sealed) and proceed to tap it on your counter. Now unscrew it and apply the cream base first with fingers and blend out. Secondly, after that shake alot of your piggie will be in the top of the jar thus allowing you to pick up color from the lid rather than the pot of pigment. Press your finger against the top and press onto your lid and build up as much or as little as you want.
The effect is a highly sparkling eye look.
Sometimes we all have to grow up….and I gotta admit here that Prism Carat Eyes are a little immature. It’s just too much glitter. It’s not something you can easily wear to work or your office nor is it something you’d even want to wear to high school. Done right, it might come across elegant in the proper environment like a club or at a party but not for daily use.
Secondly, the product is difficult to apply and it tends to have alot of fall out resulting in shimmering chunks of glitter all over your face and cheeks….plus it’s difficult to pick up from various parts of your face if you do end up with fall out.
Jill Stuart has a flagship store here in New York that sells the makeup however these would have to be purchased from Japan so a little online shopping, airmail fees, and jacked up pricing would have to be embraced to snag them. I purchased mine at retail as a friend of mine lives in Tokyo but if you don’t have friends or family in Asia, it proves costly to get these.
- Those who really embrace shimmering shades of shadow.
- Those who ADORE shimmer.
- Those who want a shimmering eye look for a party or night out!
- Those who don’t like products like MAC loose pigments.
- Those who aren’t keen on shimmer.
- Those who don’t want to deal with online shipping, airmail fees, etc…
- Those who aren’t interested in dealing with application that needs a little time, patience, and care.
Jill Stuart makes a multitude of wonderful eye products that I would personally highly recommend rather than indulging in Prism Carat Eyes. If you have a lemming I’d recommend purchasing a Jill Stuart Jelly Eye which has an easy application method, just as gorgeous packaging, and alot less time is needed to actually apply it. I hate to be a downer here since the product is interesting but it is a little too much intense shimmer to recommend.
If you simply can’t stand the idea of purchasing it online and you really want to try it might I suggest Girlactik Star Powder paired up with Girlactik Star Base. The brand actually use to sell these products together in a similar fashion as Prism Carat Eyes on Sephora years ago…and really the overall effect was almost an exact dupe!
After reading this review and seeing the swatches what do you think of the product?
Loves it?
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Anyone haul and try them?
Do share your thoughts and review!