Makeup Review: COVERGIRL Smoky Shadow Blast

I was recently sent a COVERGIRL product to review. It's their Smoky ShadowBlast eye shadow, which are basically two cream shadows in a stick form. I've seen this product in stores but had never considered trying it out since I'm not really a cream shadow kind of girl, plus I haven't bought COVERGIRL products since my teens. This product comes in six coordinated shades to choose from, and I was sent the Bronze Fire shade. I tried out this COVERGIRL eye shadow for two entire days, with and without shadow primer, to really see how well it would hold up.

I'll be very honest. I was skeptical about the quality, but ended up very pleasantly surprised at how much I actually liked this product. First off, it's very affordable. My local Walmart had them for $7.49. The texture wasn't at all like I had imagined it would be. It wasn't oily or sticky, and glided on smoothly and effortlessly. It's a very easy product to use. There's even a short guide on the back of the packaging that gives you step-by-step instruction on how to use COVERGIRL's Smoky Shadow Blast. The first time I tried the product, I followed the steps exactly. I applied the lighter shade all over my lids, from my lash line to my brow bone. Then I applied the darker shade along my top lash line and in the crease of my eyes. It looked harsh and unflattering to leave it that way so I blended out the darker shade a little, and it turned out perfect.

I really liked the way this COVERGIRL shadow product was designed. It's a double-sided shadow stick. The lighter shadow has a rounded tip, and the darker shade has a tapered tip that makes it very easy to apply along the lash line and in the crease. Like I said earlier, I tried it with and without eye shadow primer to see how well it would hold up, and again I was surprised at the outcome. I used this product with my Urban Decay eye shadow Primer Potion, and the result seemed to be the same whether I used it or not. The pigmentation was good. It showed up true to color with and without the primer. The staying power was surprisingly good as well. I was able to wear it for most of the day without having to touch up.

There were a few minor issues with COVERGIRL's Smoky Shadow Blast though. I did notice some creasing after just 4 hours of wear. The creasing was very minor and barely noticeable, probably because of the light color. It creased with and without the primer. I remedied that by rubbing the creasing out with my ring finger. I had expected it to crease again by later in the day, but it didn't. So the creasing could've just been from me using too much product. I also had a problem with the blending of the shadows. Blending can be done with your fingers, but I wouldn't recommend it because when I did a lot of the product stuck to my finger. I found the best way to blend this shadow product is to use a taklon brush.

I have to say, I was very impressed with the quality of COVERGIRL's Smoky Shadow Blast. This product worked the same with or without primer, so I'd recommend saving your primer and using it alone. It's definitely a product I would consider buying, and very much worth trying.