Make Up For Ever *NEW* artists shadows in Orchid, Poppy, Celestial Blue, Crystalline Gray Beige, Crystalline Beige, Purple, Fig, Pink Gray, Pink Ash

I am thrilled to bring to you today my first foray into the New Make Up For Ever Artists shadows. These would not have made it in to my hands without the amazing help of my twinsie, dear frond Gummy from Gummyvision. From swatching real time and sending me pictures so I could choose from what stock was available at the Sephora. From across continents I was able to choose 9 gorgeous shades. That's a friend indeed!
So Make Up Forever has reformulated their eyeshadows - with a whopping 210 colour line up, they have blown this launch out of the park. I missed out of their 30yr Anniversary palette (hesitation is never good), but happy in the knowledge that none of them in the palette are actually limited, so I could in theory collect all myself. At the time of my buying my these, there was a great offer from Sephora, where if you bought 3 refills and one 3 pan palette you get a saving of $22. Essentially one of my 3 pan palettes cost next to nothing.
The new shadows come in Matte (M), Iridescent (I), Satin (S), Metallic (ME) and Diamond (D) finishes. Some shades are designated for cheeks. Here is what I got!

• Orchid ME912
• Poppy ME744
• Celestial Blue D706
• Celestial Beige D504
• Purple S924
• Fig D826
• Pink Gray M548
• Pink Ash S836
• Crystalline Gray Beige DD552

These Artists shadows are vivid and have such a strong pigmentation. They are beyond creamy and blend like a dream. Even with such extreme colouring, they still can blended out to a soft wash - I have even used Poppy in this way. I will also attempt Poppy as a wash of colour on my cheeks. Both Celestial Beige and Crystalline Gray Beige are  perfect to highlight the middle of the lid and bring such a fresh open look to the eye. Celestial Blue can be used as a soft wash, but I prefer it packed on with a winged liner for a bold look. I have bought 4 diamond shades which are not just glitter, but have more pigmentation that gives a solid colour with sparkle. The Metallic shades of Poppy and Orchid are not high shine, but have a soft sheen to them. Orchid has a slight turquoise duochrome effect to it - visible at some angles (subtle) that makes it quite unusual. My lone matte Pink Gray, is less powdery than my Viseart one's. If you love mattes MUFE should tempt you. The Satin shades Purple and Pink Ash are just off a matte and one could be forgiven for confusing them as such. Dense colour with only a hint a velvet texture. I had a few Iridescent shades on my initial list, but these were out of stock. I chose quite a few brights, with the thought that when these eventually launch on my fair shores, we would probably get an edited selection and I have been told already by the MUFE stockists - probably no brights.
I wore one look a full day,with a quick workout at gym for good measure. Only the barest hint of wear - terribly impressive.

Fig, Pink Gray, Pink Ash

Orchid, Poppy, Celestial Blue

Celestial Gray Beige, Celestial Beige, Purple

Celestial Gray Beige, Celestial Beige, Purple

Orchid, Poppy, Celestial Blue

Fig, Pink Gray, Pink Ash

Celestial Gray Beige, Celestial Beige, Purple, Orchid, Poppy, Celestial Blue
Fig, Pink Gray, Pink Ash

Round up: All my thoughts are good. I wish I could have purchased the larger palettes, but those are only available through MUFE boutiques. These new shadows are in my opinion a new step in the evolution of shadows. They are that good. I just want to know what magical device they are using to conjure up these delightful eye shadows. So according to Darwin these shadows will 'outwit, outlast and outplay' (Survivor any one?) their competition. 

210 is a good target I think!

Please note Poppy and Purple are meant as a blush shades so I do no advocate use on your eyes!

Make Up Forever Aqua Shadows- A hit and a miss.

I bought two of the new Make Up Forever Aqua shadows in colours 4E (matte taupe grey) and 8E (matte green). I chose these as they seemed to be the most unusual from my own makeup stash. Also, I chose the grey as my conservative choice and the green as my bold one.

Make Up Forever Aqua Shadows in 8E and 4E

I have to say, that I am really liking the grey pencil. It's really good to use to line and smudge out and as a base for  loose pigments. I also used it with my Nars Soft Touch shadow pencils, which are notorious for creasing, and lo' and behold looked beautiful all day. I was less successful with the green aqua shadow. It was a bit less creamy and harder to blend. The dry time, as it were, was minimal to get a good blend. I had to use eye shadow over in a green shade to soften the hard edges. I do think the aqua shadows in the pearly shadows would be more flattering and less hard work. They looked really pretty when I swatched them in the store. Since they are waterproof, the sheerer shades would be great for a summer beach look, when makeup needs to say on, or else!

These two shades seem to lack the creamy formula of Make Up Forever's gorgeous Aqua Eyes eyeliners which glide on with no pulling and tugging. As you can tell from the swatches, application can be a bit patchy in area's. 4E was definitely my better buy, and I think it works fairly well for a smokey eye. My eye makeup did last through the day on my oily lids, so Bravo!
I do not think I will grab for these regularly, but will probably use them when I have time and a more dramatic look in mind. I think this defeats the purpose of the product, as pencils are meant to be handy, on-the-go tools.

What are your experiences with Make Up Forever Aqua Shadows?