Review: Milani Spotlights Baked Eyeshadow Quads

Alright, so when I purchased those new Milani nail lacquers that I've been raving about for the past few days, I also spotted this new Milani eyeshadow display:

(click to enlarge)

(These are the two quads that you can't really see in the other pics)

Now from what I can tell, they've created a few new Runway Eyes palettes (the one with the birght green and blue stripes looks new to me but I could be wrong) and then they've got these new Runway Spotlights mini-quads. I've got to say that $6.49 for an eyeshadow quad that's about the same size as an eyeshadow single is a little steep, but I fell in love with the green shades in "01 Go Lights" so I figured I'd try it out:

Here's a pic comparing the Milani Runway Spotlights quad to the Carlo di Roma quad (retail: $1) and a Victoria's Secret Wet/Dry Eyeshadow, just for size comparison:

So as you can see, you're not getting a lot of product for almost 7 dollars, but that's not the only issue I have with these little quads.

Let me say that it was very difficult to apply enough color on my arm to be able to take this swatch photo, and even after rubbing and rubbing my brush on the lighter shade of green in the quad, this was the best I could do:

Next, let me tell you that these powders are EXTREMELY soft. I mean, they're don't-even-think-about-dropping-this soft. I was a witness to what happens if you DO drop this quad, and it's not pretty. A girl standing next to me at CVS accidentally dropped one on the floor, which is carpeted, and the entire quad crumbled into dust. Literally, we both watched it drop, and when she picked it up we were both shocked. I've never seen an eyeshadow crumble and be destroyed so easily. The thing only dropped about 3 feet, to a carpeted floor!

Lastly, the other thing I didn't care for about this quad was that after I applied all four colors to my eyes, I was only moderately happy with the results. The colors were all sort of blah. But then it got worse, I'm afraid. As the day wore on, the colors all seemed to blend together on my eyelids to form ONE color by the end of the day. In other words, I started the day with champagne shimmer on my browbone, light green on my lid and dark green and brown in the crease. By the end of the day, it all sort smooshed together and turned into gray. It looked like I was just wearing one shade of gray on my lids and crease.

Final Analysis: If you're looking to wear just one shade at a time from these quads, these might work for you. But wearing a few shades together at the same time could result in the colors blending together and taking away from each individual color. Also, if you do purchase one, don't expect excellent pigmentation, and definitely do not drop one of these on the ground, even in a carpeted room, or you could be left with dust. The one thing I didn't do was try these wet, which could add to the color intensity. I think I'll try that before I return this quad and maybe I'll get better results, because really, the colors are so pretty in the pan.