Clinique All About Shadow Quad – Morning Java Review

Hello friends
How are you doing today? I am back again with the recent eye makeup purchase as I am trying my hand at eye makeup. Did I tell that my New Year resolution is to learn makeup art and hair dos. Yay! I found this Clinique eye shadow quad perfect for my experimentation. I am yet to get perfection with eye makeup brushes but I can certainly vouch for quality and performance of this eye shadow quad as of now. Let’s read more about this.

Price: $28.50 for 0.016 Oz (I received it as a gift with purchase though the eye shadow applicator sponges are missing in my packaging)

What it is:
A palette of eye shadows in four complimentary colors that allows you to create a variety of looks, from natural to dramatic.

What it does:
All About Shadow Quads feature four versatile, complimentary shades to wear alone or layer together in different combinations. For dark skin tones, lighter shades will impart a more dramatic look and dark shades for a more natural style. Dark shades look more dramatic on fairer skins; light ones look more natural.

My Experience with Clinique All About Shadow Quad – Morning Java:

The eye shadows come in a compact rectangle palette packaging with two sponge applicators while the one I received has all fullsize eye shadows but they are housed in square eyeshadow quad sans the applicator. I pretty much like its compact travel friendly packaging.

Talking about the eye shadows, the quad has all basic beige to brown shades (all are shimmery in nature) to attempt either decent day time look or equally sultry night time look with these shades together. I find it perfect for my pale skin tone and brown eyes. Let me introduce all four shades to you: a light beige shimmery shade (starting from first row), shimmery golden satin finish eye shadow, chocolate brown shimmery eye shadow and lastly the dark brown semi-gloss shade.

Starting with this light beige shimmery eye shadow, it seems decent if not good for highlighting brow bone area because it does not show up on my brow bone and I can never use it on other areas of my face the shade being shimmery. It also seems slightly pale for my skin tone hence I don’t think it can be used for highlighting inner corner of my eyes. It does seem frosty at times but again these shimmers are wearable on our skin tone.

The shimmery golden shade is my favorite shade for using on inner corner of my eyes and on lower lash line for that perfect gold makeup. I tried using it as an overall lid color but it seems tricky for that matter. May be I need to research more about using this golden on my skin tone but as of now I am happy to use it in my eye makeup and quite impressed with its metallic yet creamy finish which beautifully sets on my skin. It gives intense color pay off in one gentle swipe with nearly nil fall outs. It never settled in fine lines nor did I ever see those shimmers travelling across my face so far. My face does not look like a disco ball even after several hours of wearing these shadows which is pretty much appreciated. I love how all the shades are powdery yet creamy satin to give intense pigmentation and glossy metallic finish to my oily eye lids that too with nearly no fallout. It stays for good 7-8 hours with or without primer impressive huh!

The chocolate brown shimmery shade is way mild on my skin tone even with the presence of shimmers and is a perfect choice for attempting monotone look or dense smoky look when paired with gold or other dark shades. I find it good enough to sport for a neutral eye makeup look as those shimmers are not OTT and make it decent yet glam to make it an all-time favorite for both day/night time look. Since I am not very creative with eye makeup, hence I feel I disrespect such lovely shade in my stash 😛 I mean I am still learning to use multiple colors on eye lids; I am sure coming to an expert hand, it will create wonders on eyes. It is also a powdery creamy product which sets to a semi-metallic finish on well primed eye lids with nil fallout again. Wear time is perfect for almost 7-8 hours with primer and base.

The last but not least favorite is the dark brown semi-metallic eye shadow which would be ideal for attempting smoky sultry look with any monotone or gradient eye makeup. I am yet to use it as an overall color for my eye makeup and usually pair it with other lighter shades to sport semi-smoky look. I don’t think I am still good for doing smoky makeup for parties yet but I do practice using this shade for smoky look and it beautifully sets on my eyes. I feel that one can never go wrong with this shade as it gives that perfect semi-glossy finish with intense dark brown color pay off not to forget the hint of shimmers. It gives full coverage in one gentle swipe and stays for good 7-8 hours with no transfer or smudging. I do experience slight fall out with this shade but it is way minor issue. Other than that, it sets beautifully to creamy satin finish. I feel that a good quality makeup brush and this eye shadow will be a match made in heaven to sport flawless eye makeup.

Anyways I also think that the finish and makeover may differ as per our makeup tools as they play a key role in flawless application. I use these shades with my Sephora blending eye shadow brush (review coming soon) and they simply blend like a dream even though I am yet to learn blending skills. I see that whenever I wear these shades I need not work upon blending or worry about crease issues unlike with other brand eye shadows I own as these satin formula eye shadows can be easily worn even with dab of our finger tips.
In fact they are equally pigmented with no eye shadow primer or base though I am becoming an ardent fan of primers; hence an eye shadow base or primer is a must for me even while practicing makeup. I am sure that any makeup junkie will love it for an intense color pay off and ease of application; hence, it is not just intended for beginners like me but perfect for any pro makeup artist or expert hand as well. However, price seems a concern as we do see much better brands at a fractional price.

Pros of Clinique All About Shadow Quad – Morning Java:

• Such beautiful metallic light beige, metallic golden, shimmery chocolate brown and deep brown eye shadows with a hint of shimmers.
• They set beautifully into a satin metallic finish with nearly no fallouts or creasing at all.
• The texture of these eye shadows seems creamy metallic and shadows blend like a dream.
• All the three shades except light beige eye shadow are intensely pigmented.
• They stay for good 5-6 hours with no primer/base while the staying power ranges between 7-8 hours with primer potion or eye shadow base.
• Shades do not seem accentuating or aggravating dry skin issues on or around my eye area.
• Quite user friendly and travel friendly packaging.

Cons of Clinique All About Shadow Quad – Morning Java:

• Pricey.
• The first light beige shade seems average for such a high price.
• The last deep brown eye shadow gives minor fallout sometimes.

IMBB Rating: 4.1/5!

Would I Recommend/Repurchase Clinique All About Shadow Quad – Morning Java?
Well I don’t think I have any major concerns regarding this quad as I like it being perfect for my skin tone. I highly recommend this and personally I might try this again. Leaving aside the beige shade which is still workable, I see all three shades are so versatile and can be paired or worn alone for multiple eye makeup looks. This quad certainly increased my enthusiasm of trying new makeup looks every day though I believe we do have better choices in market at such price.
P.S.: I am attaching my beginner level swatches, so please forgive my tired skin and fresher skills 😛

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