Review: New CoverGirl Intense Shadowblast Primer + Shadow

As you all probably know by now, I've been very excited to try this latest eyeshadow from CoverGirl. When I spotted it at CVS, I had to pick one up, and I decided to go with Beige Blaze since I thought it would work best as a primer underneath other powder eyeshadows.

 CoverGirl Intense Shadowblast Primer + Shadow in Beige Blaze

(retail: around $8, .27 oz)

The first thing I noticed about this product is that the wand is not your typical sponge-tip applicator. The sponge on this applicator is much more "fluffy" and slightly larger than other sponge-tip applicators. I really love it as it feels softer against my lids than other sponge-tip applicators.

As you can see in the swatch above, this is a pretty standard shimmery beige. After applying it several times to my lids, I can confirm the following:

• It blends very easily, but it's not "intense" once you blend it a bit with your finger. I find that on its own, the color of Beige Blaze is actually quite sheer, and the shimmer seems to lessen a lot as you blend it.

• When I tried to build the intensity with additional layers of product, I experienced some creasing, so I think it's best to use just one layer and blend it for a softer, subtle look if you're going to wear it by itself (as opposed to wearing it as a base for other shadows).

• When worn alone, this product lasts all day on my lids with very minor creasing or fading. But again, it's a subtle look and not an intense pop of color on its own (of course I can't speak to the other shades in this range, which might be more intense when worn alone). After letting this product "set" for a few minutes, it doesn't go anywhere. It seriously doesn't budge, which is great because I can also use it as a highlighter on the inner corners of my eyes--it's wonderful in that capacity.

 But now I'd like to tell you how this works as a primer, which is pretty much the sole reason I purchased this product to begin with!

I decided it would be nice to try it with some other CoverGirl powder shadows, so I chose my trusty Shimmering Sands trio (which I also purchased with my own personal funds, many moons ago):

 CoverGirl Eye Enhancers 3 Kit Eyeshadow in Shimmering Sands

(retail: around $4)

In the swatches below, you can see how each shade in the Shimmering Sands trio looks when 1) worn on top of Beige Blaze and 2) when worn alone:

(click to enlarge)

As you can see, Beige Blaze REALLY makes these colors pop. The beige color of Beige Blaze does alter each shadow's color a tiny bit, but boy does it make the colors more intense! Also, I want to point out that if the powder shadow you're using already contains shimmer, Beige Blaze will definitely intensify that shimmer.

I thought it would be interesting to see how Beige Blaze worked with some of my less-pigmented shadows, and then I also wanted to show you how it worked with a true MATTE shadow:

As you can see, it REALLY intensified the shadows from the Princessa palette, and it it also intensified the shimmer of those shadows as well. 

If you're a matte shadow lover, I'd like for you to enlarge the above photo and take a closer look at the swatches of Bobbi Brown Woodrose. I hope you can see that when worn on top of Beige Blaze, the matte finish of Woodrose turns a bit more satin, but I don't think it's shimmery. In fact, it some spots it still looks pretty matte to me!

When worn as a primer, I absolutely LOVE CoverGirl Intense Shadowblast in Beige Blaze. In fact, I might go so far as to say that Beige Blaze seems like a cross between Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin and Eden. It's sort of combo of the two! It's got the shimmer of Sin, but it's a bit close in color to Eden (note: it's definitely not a dupe of either one--again, it's sort of cross between the two).

On my oily skin, this product sets in a few minutes and once it's on, it's not going anywhere. In fact, I had a hard time removing it with my usual towelettes! I find that as a primer, it's easy to apply my powder shadows on top of this product IF I don't let it set for too long. I accidentally let it set for over five minutes once, and I found that my powder shadow didn't adhere quite as well as when I wait just a minute or two to let it set. But once it's on, I think this product works beautifully as a primer to intensify my powder shadows--shimmers, satins and mattes alike! And it also functions beautifully as a highlighter for the inner corners of my eyes, which is a nice added bonus!

FINAL VERDICT: For me, the "intense" part of CoverGirl Intense Shadowblast in Beige Blaze really comes through when it's worn as a primer underneath other powder shadows. WOW, it really makes a wide variety of my powder shadows POP in intensity, and it heightens the shimmer of already-shimmery shadows as well. When worn under matte shadows, I find that it can make mattes look a bit more on the satin side, but nothing too dramatic at all. I find this product also works well as a sheer wash of color when worn alone, but be careful not to use too much if you're wearing it by itself or it might crease a bit. It's also fantastic as a highlighter for the inner corner of my eyes, but my favorite way to use it is as a primer. For me, it doesn't budget and my powder shadows seem to last all day with very little fading or creasing. Just expect a little trial-and-error and experiment a bit with how much to use, and how long to wait before you apply your powder shadows. I'm confident that many of you will find the perfect combo and will be able to make this one work for you. Bravo, CoverGirl, for a fantastic new drugstore eyeshadow primer!

Have you tried any of the CoverGirl Intense Shadowblast Primer + Shadows? If so, how do you like them? If not, do you think this product might be a good fit for your needs? I'd love to hear from you!