Ulta Brand Eyeshadows in Rockstar and Wisteria Lane

Anyone who is as obsessed with makeup as I am knows about Ulta. It is the perfect mix of prestige and drugstore and offers a relaxed shopping atmosphere unlike Sephora where about 100 bright lights hit your face all at once. The first time I went to Ulta, I was extremely intrigued by their Ulta brand of eyeshadows. They had a BOGO deal, so I decided to try them. It is safe to say that I will avoiding their brand from now on.

COLOR

Being a purple maniac, I chose two (can you guess?) purples. I am starting to love matte finishes more and more, so I was intrigued by a matte purple called Wisteria Lane. It looks like a blue-based, mid-tone purple with no shimmer, no duo chrome, and no glitter chunks. It really is a gorgeous purple, and a great fall color. The next color I got was a glitter finish called Rockstar. A red-based, deep-purple, I thought they would look really good together. Rockstar is a gorgeous color, just like Wisteria Lane, and they do complement each other nicely, Rockstar on the lower lash-line/outer corner and Wisteria Lane in the crease, I just wish they were better quality.

FORMULA

Obviously when an eyeshadow is bad, it is a problem with the formula. Wisteria lane swatched on the finger fine, but when applied to the eye, it came out half as pigmented and very dusty. The same can be said about Rockstar, however, it is even worse because of the glitter. When I picked it, I just saw a little bit of shimmer, no big deal, right? Wrong! The glitter is chunky and frankly, rough on the eye. You are supposed to be gentle with your eyes- not rub a rough material all over them. What is even worse is that the glitter doesn't even appear- All that pain for absolutely no gain. These colors also blend horribly and stubbornly because after blending a little, the color completely fades. I have nothing nice to say about the formula, except that Wisteria Lane was soft.

FUNCTIONALITY

Since I hate these so much, I do not feel they are functional. However, if you already use and like these eyeshadows, more power to you! They could make great fall or even winter colors, but even the packaging is not good making these even less functional.

PACKAGING

Ulta eyeshadows are bigger than MAC shadows, and come in a cheap plastic casing that will shatter the first time it is dropped. This will easily break on a vanity, even more in a purse.

PRICE

Ulta eyeshadows retail for $7 at Ulta, but are usually on sale in some kind of deal.

FINAL OPINIONS

For the $7, these are definitely not worth it! I got some severe irritations on my eyes from Rockstar, and really don't recommend going near this color. Would I be willing to try their brand again? At this point in time, that is a big no. I honestly think you can get a much better product from Maybelline or Covergirl for a comparable price- you may even save a few bucks!