Review: Inglot Freedom System Square Eyeshadows

Unless you're totally new to beauty blogs, you've probably heard all of the raves about the Polish cosmetics brand Inglot and, specifically, their eyeshadows. I've been wanting to try their shadows for a long time, and when I posted about that 20% off sale at the beginning of August (sorry, it's now over), I finally caved and made my first order via the Inglot website. 

Unless you're lucky enough to live near an Inglot boutique or counter, you might have a hard time trying to navigate through their extensive selection of eyeshadow colors and finishes (I just realized while writing this post that there is in fact an Inglot counter in San Diego, at the Macy's in Fashion Valley--how I missed that I will never know!). It was incredibly difficult for me to narrow down my first order and I actually ordered three additional shades not featured in this review (early Christmas gifts for friends).

Inglot Freedom System Square Eyeshadows

(retail: $6 each, 2.7 grams for Pearl shadows, 2.3 grams for Matte shadows)

The Inglot Freedom System offers a variety of empty palettes that you can fill with any of their Freedom System cosmetics (eye colors, lip colors, blushes, etc.). I don't own any of the Inglot palettes, but I have enough empty palettes lying around that I can use for these shadows, so that's why I didn't buy one. Also, thanks to some helpful readers for the tip that you can store four Inglot Freedom System square shadows in the $1 e.l.f. palette (click here to see how it's done).

Inglot also offers all of their eyeshadows (including the shades featured in this post) in traditional compacts in case you don't want to fuss with palettes. I opted for the Freedom Palette shadows because they're less expensive ($6 each vs. $7.20 for the compact shadows).

The Freedom System Square Eyeshadows come in plastic sleeves.

The back of the sleeve is made of vinyl and you can peel it open and, theoretically, store your shadow in the sleeve if you don't have a palette. The vinyl is not very sticky, so I'd suggest also keeping your shadow inside the box as well, if you're going to store it that way.

First let's take a look at the two Matte eyeshadows I purchased:

 (The ingredients list comes on a slip of paper tucked inside the box)

 

 Shade 324: a matte cement gray

 Shade 387: a medium-toned matte gray

 First swatch: over Urban Decay Primer Potion (original formula)

Second swatch: on bare skin

I'm kind of a freak for matte gray eyeshadows but,  for odd some reason, true matte grays are difficult to find. A lot of gray shadows tend to lean blue or taupe, and I can count on one hand how many TRUE gray shadows I own. I was absolutely delighted to find that both of these mattes are 100% true gray. There's no blue or taupe in the mix--just lovely gray through and through. 

And now the two Pearl shadows:

 

 

 414: a deep emerald green shimmer with a touch of silver

 444: a medium-toned taupeish-brown shimmer with a slight golden sheen

 First swatch: over Urban Decay Primer Potion (original formula)

Second swatch: on bare skin

As you can see, the Pearl shadows are wonderfully pigmented even without primer. Both of these colors actually exceeded my expectations based on various swatches I've seen around the web.

The Mattes:

I have worn these matte shadows both without primer for a softer look and with primer for a more dramatic look. Worn without primer, I was absolutely stunned by the even coverage I was able to achieve. These shadows are smooth and so easy to apply and blend. Absolutely no patchiness even without primer. And even though the lighter gray shade is a little less pigmented, you can easily build for more intensity. Like most mattes, there's a little bit of fallout in the pan after you've swiped your brush against these shadows, but no fallout on my cheeks during application. With primer, I can get a full day's wear with these mattes and they still look vibrant into the evening. Without primer, I start to see some creasing after the 4-hour mark, but the colors hang in there for about eight hours.

The Pearls:

I was a tiny bit surprised that the Pearl shadows I received weren't as creamy as I thought they would be. They're a tiny bit dry, actually, but thank goodness the dryness does not interfere with application or pigmentation. These shadows are extremely pigmented and they apply very smoothly with no patches or blending issues. Worn with primer, I'd go so far as to say that they might even be too pigmented, and you might need to tone them down a bit. Both of these Pearl shadows blend beautifully and the staying power is excellent with primer (all day and into the night for me). Without primer, I start to get some creasing by the 4-hour mark, but the colors themselves remain vivid throughout the day.

FINAL VERDICT: For just $6 each, these Inglot shadows are a no-brainer. Both the Matte and Pearl finishes work beautifully for me, and the colors just cannot be beat. All four shades are quite true-to-pan and can be worn with or without primer depending on the level of intensity you're trying to achieve. These are lovely, lovely shadows that definitely live up to the hype for me. I'd recommend them to anyone, especially at this price point. Honestly, the only negative thing I can say about these eyeshadows is that I really wish they had real names, instead of just numbers. I really don't like when companies do that, but for these babies, I'll make an exception.

Do you own any Inglot eyeshadows? What are some of your favorite shades?