The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes Palette 18 Review

The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes Palette 18 Review

By Vindhya C.

Hello ladies,

I am not an eyeshadow person. Though I never get out of the house without eyeliner and kohl, I have never played around with eyeshadows, but now, I have got this pretty little box and I was tempted.  For my wedding, a cousin gifted me some makeup and the The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes was one of them.  Its such a cute gift, take a look at the pictures. I wonder what it is about marriages and makeup. I used to turn my nose up against make up. Even functions meant black liner and kohl, maybe a basic foundation if one was around. And now? Oh boy! I am poring over reviews, going on makeup shopathons, asking hubby for opinions (does this blush make me glow?- answer=Duh!….he wonders if it’s a trick question).  So, its just been a few months since I have got interested in makeup and eye makeup is something I have never tried before. So, I hope I do justice to this review.  Let’s look at them up close.

Price:

It was a gift, so I am not sure, I guess its approximately $22 in cost.

Ingredients:

The Body Shop site says that they have added Marula Oil from Namibia in these eyeshadows. What? Where? Why? Okay, supposed to be rich in oleic acid, so it’s good for maintaining healthy-looking skin.  Mica (Opacifier), Talc (Absorbent/Bulking Agent), Silica (Absorbent), Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate (Absorbent/Anticaking Agent), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Emollient), Zea Mays Starch (Absorbent/Chelating Agent), DipentaerythritylHexahydroxystearate/Hexastearate/Hexarosinate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Isopropyl Isostearate (Emollient), OctyldodecylStearoyl Stearate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Nylon-12 (Absorbent/Bulking Agent), SclerocaryaBirrea Seed Oil (Skin Conditioning Agent), Sorbitan Stearate (Emulsifier), Aqua (Solvent/Diluent), Magnesium Aluminum Silicate (Viscosity Modifier), Polyacrylamide (Film Former), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Methylparaben (Preservative), C13-14 Isoparaffin (Solvent), Ethylparaben (Preservative), Propylparaben (Preservative), Sodium Dehydroacetate (Preservative), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Modifier), Laureth-7 (Emulsifier), Butylparaben (Preservative). [+/- CI 77891 (Colour), CI 77491 (Colour), CI 77499 (Colour), CI 77742 (Colour), CI 77492 (Colour).

Product Description:

A palette of four subtle, iridescent shades to mix and match.Crease-resistant and suitable for contact-lens wearers.

• Iridescent finish.
• Crease-resistant.
• Dermatologically tested.
• Ophthalmologically tested.

Packaging:

A transparent square box holding four smaller square boxes that contain the eyeshadows. There’s something really adorable about those miniature boxes.  The bottom of the box has the details of the colours printed.

Colours:

1) Pearly White:  It’s a very pigmented shimmery creamish white, can be used in the inner corners and for highlighting the brow bone if used with a light hand.
2) Precious Pink:  It’s a very soft pink. I felt it didn’t look much different from the white after application. It probably might have made a nice base colour if it didn’t have the shimmer. Not being an expert in eye makeup, I don’t know what to do of this colour. This is my least favorite among the cubes.
3) Green Shimmer:  This is a lovely green colour. Kind of a bold colour but I feel it will look beautiful if used to line the upper lash line.
4) Silver Sparkle:  This is an awesome silver grey colour, would be lovely base for a hot smokey eye.

Pigmentation:  As you can make out from the pics, the pigmentation looks pretty strong, but on applying on the eyelids, the colours don’t show up much. I had read on their site that using damp eyeshadow gives a deeper colour.

My Take on The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes Palette 18:

Before I say anything else, I should let you girls know that I have got dark eyelids, so unless the shades are really pigmented, they won’t show up on my eyes, or I have to use concealers and I haven’t started using those yet. The colours as you have seen are lovely and pigmented on my fingertips. They have minute silver shimmer in them.  Now, the problem is when I apply them on my eyelids, I really can’t make out the colors. The silver shimmer is more prominent, so it just looks very glittery and shiny. They may show up on lighter eyelids. Personally, I don’t like my shadows to have more than a subtle sheen. Another grouse that I have are the colours. I mean, I am all for natural looking eye makeup and these colours aren’t really the daily wear types.

So, this one is a no go for me. Makes me sad for the money wasted, even though it was not mine.  I am wondering what I can do with this product.  I would like to try using the green and silver to make gel liners (I have seen a DIY for that on this blog), but do you girls have any other suggestions? I mean there’s a lot of product in these little boxes.

Pros of The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes Palette 18:

• Cute packaging.
• Easy to remove.

Cons of The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes Palette 18:

• Too shimmery for me.
• Too expensive.
• Colours can’t be used on a regular basis or as day wear.
• Colours don’t show up on my pigmented eyelids.
• Shimmers spread all over the face.

IMBB Rating:

2/5.

Do I Recommend The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes Palette 18?

Definitely not, we can get prettier colours at much lesser prices, but the warm palette seems to be more popular.

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