Review: Flower by Drew Barrymore Color Play Créme Eyeshadows in Awesome Blossom and Flirty Floret

It's time to end the suspense. Last week I posted this picture of my eye, telling you that I was loving the shadow I was wearing (but I didn't reveal the shadow itself). 

Time for the big reveal: it was Flower Color Play Créme Eyeshadow in Awesome Blossom! Congrats to everyone who guessed correctly in the comments/Twitter/Facebook. You guys are gooood.

I purchased two shades from this collection online a few weeks ago (Flower is exclusive to Walmart and, as of the time of this post, only partial displays have been spotted in stores, but the entire line is available online). 

I've been wearing these bad boys non-stop since I got them. So let's get down to it, shall we? I have a LOT to say about these, so sit back, get comfy, grab a cup of coffee or tea and get ready....

Flower by Drew Barrymore Color Play Créme Eyeshadows

(retail: $7.98, 0.12 oz)

Keep reading for my full review...

As with all of the Flower cosmetics I've reviewed thus far on the blog, this product is "Proudly made in the USA" and, per the label, they "never test on animals."

Awesome Blossom (left), Flirty Floret (right)

 Before we go any further, let's just get this out of the way right now:

The bottom of the pot looks very much like a L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow (the pots even contain the same amount of product--0.12 oz.--and the price is the same as well, since most retailers charge $7.99 for the Infallibles).

The biggest different is the height of the container. As you can see above, the Flower shadows are taller. Also, the pot itself is made of glass (The L'Oreal pots are made of plastic). I really love the design of the Flower eyeshadow--it feels nice in the hand, and I love the rose-gold detail (the name plate actually looks like it's an inlay, as opposed to being glued onto the side of the lid). In my opinion, the overall design feels quite high-end.

The one thing I don't care for about this product is that it contains not one, not two, but five different types of parabens. I'm not sure why they need this many, but it seems a bit excessive to me (just my opinion and I am not a chemist, so perhaps there is a reason for this).

I lied. There is one more thing I don't care for about this product. If you look above, you'll see that the inner lid is not flush with the inner edge of the pot. In other words, when you put the inner lid back onto the product, it just sort of "floats" on top of the product. This would not be an issue if this were a pressed pigment (like the L'Oreal shadows), but it's not. More on this in a bit...

Let's start with Awesome Blossom:

The consistency of these shadows can be described as a creamy, whipped mousse. It's not firm to the touch like the Maybelline Color Tattoos. In fact, if you touch it with too much pressure, your finger will sink right down to the bottom of the pot. In other words, it's delicate and it requires a very delicate touch when handling it.

Awesome Blossom is a rich plummy mauve with lots of shimmer (it's almost metallic on the eye) and there is also some multi-colored sparkle in this shade as well.

Here are some pics of me wearing just this shade on my eye (no other shadows were used and no primer either) and I also lined my lower lashline with this shadow:

The original photo I shared last week

 

Same look, in brighter light

Same look, both eyes

Same look, after six hours of wear

I blasted this photo with a lot of natural light so that you could really see how much of the shadow was left on my eyes (which also explains why my hazel eyes look really green in this pic). By the way, this shade really brings out the green in hazel eyes--I get compliments on my eyes every time I wear it. 

As you can see, this shadow is hanging in there after six hours with no primer. It has faded a bit and there was a loss of shimmer, but you can still see it on my lower lash line, which was a pleasant surprise.

Next, Flirty Floret:

Flirty Floret is a rich coppery brown shimmer with some slight sparkle. I was a bit more heavy-handed with the look I did for Awesome Blossom (which I applied with my fingers) so for Flirty Floret, I used an eyeshadow brush for application and I decided to apply a thin, sheer layer so that you could see what that looks like on the eye:

I used no other shadows for this look, and no primer beforehand. I also used Flirty Floret to line my bottom lashline.

In this photo you can see the sparkle in this shadow a bit more (especially on the right eye).

Texture and consistency: In no way are these similar to Maybelline Color Tattoos. The consistency of Flower Color Play Créme Eyeshadows can be best described as a creamy, whipped mousse. However, they don't feel like a mousse during application. In fact, the closest thing I can compare them to, when you're working with them, is MAC Paints. They're as creamy as a MAC Paint and feel quite similar when you're moving them around (applying, blending) on the skin. However, these don't dry to a powder finish like MAC Paints (more on that in a bit).

Finish and pigmentation: Both of the shades I purchased have a shimmery, almost metallic finish with some sparkle as well. The pigmentation is excellent for both shades--you get vivid color with just one swipe, but they can also be sheered out quite easily depending on your method of application.

Application: Since this is a very delicate product, if you're not careful you can have a real mess on your hands. Imagine trying to apply Cool Whip to your eyes. If you used a normal amount of pressure to scoop some Cool Whip up with your eyeshadow brush, you'd have a TON of Cool Whip on your brush, right? Same thing with these. You literally only need to dab your brush on the surface of the product with the tiniest amount of pressure and you'll have all the color you need for your entire eye. But what's awesome about this product, and perhaps my favorite thing about it, is that IT BLENDS LIKE A DREAM. When you're working with it, you can blend, and blend...and blend to your heart's delight and it will never become dry or patchy. Unlike Maybelline Color Tattoos, you have plenty of play-time with these before they set (some may say they even take too long to set). If you're looking for bold color, I suggest using your finger for application. It's a joy to apply with the fingers and it's one of the best shadows I've ever used when it comes to its ability to blend with your fingers. If you're going for a sheer wash, I think it's easier to use a brush because you can be really precise and sheer it out better with a brush (but I still suggest using your fingers for blending up into the crease--you'll see what I'm talking about if/when you try one. They blend out easier with fingers).

Dry time and staying power: Again, unlike Maybelline Color Tattoos, you have PLENTY of play-time before these shadows set. In fact, they don't really ever set in the traditional sense. They never become sticky, powdery or matte to the touch. They stay pretty creamy throughout the entire time you're wearing them, but what's amazing is that they don't turn into a giant, creased mess on my oily lids. Ever. Sure, without primer they only last about six hours before I start to see some fading, but I'm telling you, I have never in my life used a shadow this creamy and had it last on my lids this long. Without primer! Obviously you can't pack this product on and expect to have a creaseless look in six hours, but if you blend well, you don't even have to go super sheer to avoid creasing. Also, these shadows work well underneath powder shadows. I've tried them with a number of drugstore and higher-end shadows and, as long as you wait about five minutes (or even a bit longer) before you apply your powder shadow, the results are gorgeous. My powder shadows look a bit more vivid and very, very rich when worn over these cream shadows. I've been able to get about eight hours of wear when I use this combo (around the nine hour mark, I do start to see some minor creasing, but remember that I've got very oily lids). I also want to add that these shadows do have increased staying power if you use a good primer beforehand (I can get about 9-10 hours before I start to see fading if I wear primer underneath). Oh, and I've been very happy with how these perform when worn as liner as well (see pic above after six hours on my lower lashline).

Fragrance: I detect no fragrance whatsoever when I am using/wearing this product.

Packaging: This product has a gorgeous jar that feels quite high-end (in both appearance and to the touch). I mentioned earlier that the inner lid is not flush with the inner edge of the pot, which means that it just sort of floats on top of the product. I realize that this inner lid was probably designed to help keep the product from drying out, but if you're not careful and you press the inner lid too hard into the jar, product will start oozing out the sides. I think I might end up ditching the inner lid and keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't dry out, because this inner lid seems to get messier and messier every time I open it and close it. Also, the shade name is only printed on the paper label on the top of the lid, so be careful not to remove that (if you want keep the shade name handy).

FINAL VERDICT: Not a perfect product, but certainly perfect in a number of ways. I'm going to go ahead and say that I have never used a product this creamy on my (super oily) lids and achieved such impressive results. Six hours without using primer beforehand and no creasing (just fading)? That in and of itself is unheard of in my oily-skin-world. This product applies smoothly and beautifully with either a brush or just your fingers (I love blending it out with my fingers--it's my favorite way to blend these). Beautiful pigmentation, beautiful colors, beautiful texture and beautiful packaging. My only complaints are the abundance of parabens in the formula and the fact that the inner lid of the jar is getting messier and messier every time I use it. Other than that, these shadows really wowed me and, considering their ridiculously creamy texture, I think they might wow you too.

To see my review of the Flower by Drew Barrymore Nail Color in April Showers, click here. To see my review of the Flower by Drew Barrymore Lip Service Lip Butter in Cherry Chiffon, click here.

Do you own any Flower Color Play Créme Eyeshadows? I'd love to hear about your experiences with them!