Review: L.A. Colors 3 Color Eyeshadow in Water Lily

If you're looking for Dior-quality pressed shadows and you're trying to save a buck or 50, then I advise you to keep on movin'....nothing to see here! 

BUT, if you're on a very tight budget and you're looking for some fun and nicely-pigmented shadows in bright colors, then the new L.A Colors 3 Color Eyeshadows might satisfy your cravings while keeping your wallet intact.

These trios retail for $1 at Dollar Tree and even though they've got their issues, you might want to give them a whirl. Here are my thoughts about the trio Water Lily, which I picked up a few weeks back at my local Dollar Tree:

 L.A. Colors 3 Color Eyeshadow in Water Lily

(retail: $1 at Dollar Tree, 0.19 oz)

There are TWELVE trios in this range, which you can view on the L.A. Colors website here.

 

In the pan, these shadows have a beautiful metallic finish to them. BUT, as is the case with many inexpensive shadows, the metallic finish is just an over-spray. When you break the surface with your applicator, the shadows beneath the over-spray tell a very different story:

As you can see, the colors you THINK you're getting are not the colors you get once you break the surface. HOWEVER, the true shadows aren't bad at all. They're just...different:

I swatched these shadows both on bare skin and over Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden.

On the skin, the lightest seafoam green shade still retains a bit of the shimmer that you see in the pan. It's definitely the most shimmery of the three shades in Water Lily. The pink and deeper teal shades have more of a satin finish--not quite shimmers but not mattes either:

As you can see, the pigmentation of these shadows is quite impressive, even without primer.

As with most trios from L.A. Colors, these shadows have a soft and powdery texture to them. I find they work best when you "pack" them on with your brush, as opposed to sweeping them on (in much the same way that you pack loose pigment on to avoid fallout). Too much sweeping and blending diminishes the pigmentation a bit, but of course this can be minimized with the help of a good primer beforehand.

Staying power without primer is decent. I can get about 4-6 hours of wear before I start to see fading. WITH primer, these babies last all day for me.

There is a fragrance to these shadows, but I don't find it strong or overpowering. They smell like talcum powder to me, which makes sense since talc is the second ingredient in the formula.

FINAL VERDICT: Are these the best shadows to ever hit the world of makeup? Of course not. They are soft and can crumble pretty easily if you're not careful, and the color you see in the pan is NOT what you get when you apply these to your eyes. However, if you know going into it that you're not working with Dior-level shadows here, then with a bit of tweaking, these might work well for you. Just be sure to pack them on as opposed to sweeping them on, and wear a primer underneath for optimum staying power. If you're on a tight budget and you're looking for affordable shades in bright, vivid hues, I'd definitely consider giving these a whirl. And if they don't work, you're only out a buck, right?

Do you own any L.A. Colors 3 Color Eyeshadows? If so, what shades do you own and how do they work for you?