• First Impressions with Almay Eyeshadows and Jelly Highlighters

    Hi Everyone!

    I haven’t tried a lot of products from Almay. I was sent 10 Almay products to review (5 different products with two different shades of each). While that was very generous and all of the products look really pretty, not all of the shades are ones I would personally choose and if I opened them, I would just end up wasting them. So, I’m going to review the products that I’ve decided to keep for myself and I will be putting the unopened products in a future giveaway.

    Several of the products have that iridescent, unicorn vibe – especially the Jelly highlighters and glosses. These products are greatt for a fun makeup look, festival or Halloween…they would’ve been perfect to use for Coachella.

    Smoky Eye Trios Eyeshadow

    • Eye makeup with a velvety smooth texture
    • 3 simple steps to a smoky eye
    • Includes 1 dual ended applicator
    • Ophthalmologist tested – suitable for sensitive eyes & contact lens wearers
    • As always, hypoallergenic & fragrance free

    I received 020 Smoldering Embers and 030 Coppery Blaze.

    When you swatch the shadows with your fingers, they’re not the most pigmented. When you apply them though, they are very nice. For the Smoldering Embers palette, the shimmery bone shade is perfect to highlight the brow bone and I really love the brown shade because it’s smoky, but also perfect for an everyday look (this shade swatched the best out of the three shadows). You can add a bit more smoke by adding the purple shade.

    From top: Smoky Eye Trio Eyeshadow in Smoldering Embers (top to bottom), Shadow Squad Eyeshadow in 160 Thrill Seekers (swatches are clockwise from top left)

    Shadow Squad Eyeshadow

    • Your favorite shades, in each of four finishes: matte, satin, metallic, glitter
    • Mix it up in monochrome
    • Soft texture for beautiful color payoff

    I received 160 Thrill Seekers and 100 Unicorn.

    The Unicorn shades are either not going to show up or look weird on my skin tone, so I will be giving that one away. The Thrill Seekers teal shades are more my style anyway. Again, swatching them, they’re not the most pigmented shades. If you want to add some more pigment, apply it on top of the Velvet Foil Shadow (the Lunar Disco shade is the perfect shade) or make sure to use a shadow primer that will brighten it up.

    I prefer the bottom two shades from this palette. I usually prefer if my brightly coloured shadows are metallic or glittery because I’m not exactly going to use a matte green or teal as a transition shade. The matte shade was also a bit patchy.

    Velvet Foil Cream Shadow
     
    Wear each shade individually or combine for a dramatic customized eye look. Quick and easy application – apply with fingertips or an eyeshadow brush. No shadow fall-out during application.
    • Long wear formula – up to 24 Hour wear
    • High intensity color
    • Crease-proof, smudge-proof, fade-proof all day
    • Infused with Vitamin E and a botanical blend of ingredients

    I received 070 Astro Girl and 060 Lunar Disco

    I first swatched this on my hand (see below- it looks kind of black in that lighting, but it is more blue) and found it very difficult to wash off. It made me worry how hard it would be to remove from my eyes. I don’t have waterproof makeup remover, if you do, you’re probably fine, but it took me a bit more effort to remove it. Astro Girl is a white shade so that won’t really look good on my skin tone. I opened up Lunar Disco which is a blue shade. I tend to go for more neutral shadows, but this looks nice when you pair it with the Shadow Squad Eyeshadow in Thrill Seekers.

    Make Them Jelly Hi-Lite 24K Dreams, Unicorn Light, Velvet Foil Cream Shadow in Lunar Disco

    Make Them Jelly Hi-Lite

    Jelly highlighter that illuminates and shimmers, giving you a celestial glow.

    • Iridescent glitter sheen complements all skin tones
    • Instantly illuminates and adds moisture to skin
    • Buildable highlight for customized level of radiance
    • As always, hypoallergenic & fragrance free

    Pro Tips!

    • Brush onto cheekbones and the bridge of your nose for an iridescent gleam
    • Apply to collarbones and shoulders to make them pop
    • Mix with moisturizer or primer for an all-over glow
    • Add to foundation for customized radiance

    I received 003 Unicorn Light and 004 24K Dreams

    These jelly highlighters dry down a bit tacky. In the pro tips, it says to apply to bridge of nose, I think it’s a bit too chunky to do that, it’ll look like you had some fallout from an eyeshadow get onto your nose. Similar to the Inglot x Jennifer Lopez Livin’ the Highlight, this is a bit more chunky than I prefer my face highlighters to be. I prefer a wet look instead of shimmery chunks, so I think this would be best as a body highlighter for the collarbone and shoulders.

    I’ve compared these to the NYX Jelly Illuminator, check out my post (swatches included).

    Goddess Gloss

    A spectrum of prismatic lip glosses with holographic effects. Designed to be worn solo, mixed or layered.

    • Gives lips a holographic, iridescent glow
    • Lips feel moisturized and smooth, never sticky
    • Made with pomegranate, grape and raspberry oils
    • Available in 8 sheer, easy to wear, high-shine shades
    • As always, hypoallergenic & fragrance free

    Pro Tips!

    • Rock it solo for an iridescent glow on lips
    • Mix & match shades to create infinite ombré looks
    • Layer over lipstick for a transformative holographic effect

    I received 930 Dreamy and 900 Gilded

    These lip glosses really aren’t my style. I don’t really like iridescent lip sticks, but if that’s your style, I think these would look really good.

    This Almay collection is very fun and iridescent. I personally prefer a neutral look with a glowy highlighter so my favourite out of all of the products was the Smoldering Embers Smoky Eye Trio…boring, I know. As you may know, I’ve been trying to streamline my makeup collection. While fun shades and products are cool to try out, I don’t think I would’ve bought anything from this collection because I want to have products in my collection that are timeless and neutral (with maybe a nice pop of colour here and there).

    Have you tried Almay products? What were your thoughts?

    Love,