Essence Rapanui Eyeshadow Duo Review

Hello everyone,

Today, I am here to review the Essence Eyeshadow duo in the shade “Rapanui.” Both the shades in the duo are summer shades.  They are very cool toned, inspired by aqua green colors. The name sounds interesting and different and so I thought of doing some research on the name.  Well, the Rapanui’s are native Polynesian inhabitants of Easter Island, in the Pacific Ocean. Okay, that’s enough of geographic details 😛 Let’s get back to the review 🙂

Price:
INR 249 for 4.5 gm.

My Take on Essence Rapanui Eyeshadow Duo:

Packaging: The shadow duo comes in a transparent, small plastic case. The lid top is of clear plastic which opens and closes by sliding mechanism. All details including some beautiful patterns are printed in black over the lid. The shadows are placed in separate pans. The shade name is given at the bottom of the case. There is no attached applicator or mirror provided with the shadows.  Overall, the packaging is very compact and travel friendly.

Shade:  The eyeshadow duo comprises of a lighter shade for the lid and a darker shade to be used on the crease or it can be used alone all over the lid. The lighter shade is a light aqua green or mint color with some periwinkle blue undertones to it. The lighter shade appears more as a silvery blue color after blending. The darker shade is a nice turquoise green color with very less but quite perceptible golden shimmers and sheen to it. The shades are pretty good for summers and contrast each other really well. The darker shade is apt for fair to dusky skin tones, the lighter one will look good only on cooler skin tones.

Texture and Pigmentation: The shadows have a soft, smooth and moderately creamy texture. They are quite powdery but not very chalky. The lighter shade is very poorly pigmented and a bit chalky than the darker one. However, the darker shade is decently pigmented. The intensity of the shades can be increased by using them in wet form. The shadows don’t apply properly or evenly with eyeshadow brushes, they apply quite well with sponge applicators. There is very minimal fall out during application, so the application is quite clean.

Staying Power:  I basically used the darker shade on my whole lid and it lasted on me for 2 hours vibrantly with a primer base, but it creases after an hour, which I really dislike.

Pros of Essence Rapanui Eyeshadow Duo:

• Beautiful summery aqua green shades.
• Affordable.
• Cute and compact packaging.
• Texture is quite smooth and soft.
• Easily blendable.
• No fall out during application.
• Can be used wet and dry.
• Darker shade is well pigmented than the base shade.

Cons of Essence Rapanui Eyeshadow Duo:

• Lighter shade is poorly pigmented, and is non buildable.
• The lighter color really doesn’t show up on the eyes and fades quickly without a primer base.
• The shadows crease even with a primer base.
• The lighter shade is quite chalky.
• Not very long lasting, the lighter color fades pretty quickly after application and the darker shade lasts for 2- 2.5 hours.
• Not easily available in India.
• The shadows don’t apply evenly and do not come out intensely when applied with brushes, only sponge applicator is nice.

IMBB Rating:

3/5

Would I Recommend Essence Rapanui Eyeshadow Duo?

No, never, this duo is a complete failure for me. This one is such a dud from Essence. I really had high expectations from this, but skip this duo, I say 🙂

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