Review: Rimmel Glam'Eyes HD Eyeshadow in Heart of Gold

I recently received a selection of products from Rimmel for review, so I thought I'd start kick off this little series with an eyeshadow (expect additional Rimmel reviews in the near future).  I have actually had my eye on these little Union-Jack-inspired palettes since they first hit drugstores a while back, so I busted this one open the minute I received it. Now that I've had a chance to play around with these colors for a while, I'd love to share my thoughts with you.

 Rimmel Glam'Eyes HD Eyeshadow in Heart of Gold

(retail: around $5.50, 0.088 oz)

From the Rimmel website:

Rimmel introduces Glam'Eyes HD, our first creamy powder eyeshadow with Velvet-HD technology creates colour that looks perfect under any light. Prismatic pigments catch light at multiple angles, reflecting the ideal colour for the light you are in. Unique palettes of 4 shades expertly coordinated to work in sequence, adapting as light changes to give perfectly complementary effect in any light.Crease-proof colour lasts all day.

My review with swatches and an eye look, after the jump...

(sorry, no ingredients list on these palette)

The Heart of Gold palette includes:

highlight color (champagne shimmer)

lid color (bronze shimmer)

crease color (gold shimmer)

outer corner color (dark brown shimmer)

I don't quite agree with their choice of calling the golden shimmer a "crease color" because darker shades are traditionally used in the crease. I think it might have been more accurate to have called the dark brown shimmer the crease color and the gold shimmer color an alternate "highlight color" or maybe even an "accent color".

Anyway, let's take a closer look at these colors:

Every shade in this palette is a shimmer, and the shimmer level seems to be pretty equal across the board. There is no sparkle or glitter in any of these colors and very little fallout (practically none, actually) during application. 

These swatches were done on bare skin (no primer underneath):

I was extremely impressed with the pigmentation of these shadows, which is why I'm not showing you these swatches over primer. I didn't need to apply a primer first to get any of these colors to show up on my skin:

Here's a quick eye look I did the other night before going out to dinner (no primer):

For this look, I used only the Rimmel pallette on my eyes (in addition to eyeliner and mascara). I did not use any primer beforehand and I also didn't use any addition eyeshadow colors to create this look.

• First I applied the champagne shimmer from lashline to brow bone.
• Then I applied the bronze shimmer to my lid and blended up into the crease.
• I then applied the dark brown shade in my outer "v".
• Then I applied the gold shade to just the center of my lid.
• I then took a fluffy blender brush and lightly blended all of the colors together.
• Lastly, I used the small end of the accompanying sponge applicator to line my lower lash line with the dark brown shimmer shade.

What an unexpected little treasure this palette turned out to be. All four colors work quite well with my skintone and I find each one to be very nicely pigmented even without primer. The texture of these shadows is quite smooth and buttery and each one applies and blends very easily with little to no fallout. The staying power of these shadows has been fantastic for me either with or without primer (I can get about 6-8 hours without primer and 8-10 hours with primer before I start to see fading/creasing).

My one complaint about this palette is the size of some of the shadows. In particular, the pan size for the gold and champagne shades is VERY small, and it's impossible to pick up color with a regular eyeshadow brush and avoid accidentally picking up color from a nearby shadow in the palette. I did find a way to work around this though: I use the small end of the sponge-tip applicator that came with the palette to pick up and apply those colors, and then once they're on my eyes, I blend using my regular eyeshadow brush. 

FINAL VERDICT:  For about $5.50, I think this is a fun little palette that would be perfect for travel because you get four colors in a compact that's not too much larger than a standard eyeshadow single. The quality of the shadows is impressive--each one is smooth, buttery and well-pigmented. None of the colors in the Heart of Gold palette contain glitter or sparkle but all four shades are shimmery. I experienced little to no fallout with any of the shades, and my one complaint is that the two lighter shades in the palette come in pans that are so tiny they're impossible to work with using a standard eyeshadow brush. I would suggest using the accompanying sponge-tip applicator to pick up and apply those shades, and then blend using your regular eyeshadow brush. Other than that, this palette really surprised me. Granted, none of the shades are groundbreaking or very original, but the quality is there and I find the Heart of Gold palette quite versatile. I say give this one a shot if you're looking for a collection of wearable colors that don't require much thought (and especially if you travel, since this compact will take up a tiny amount of room in your makeup bag).

Do you own any Rimmel Glam'Eyes HD eyeshadows? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.