Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Pairing Rage with Envy

I've only tried three things from Max Factor in recent memory: their Masterpiece Max mascara (excellent, an old favourite), Burnt Bark eyeshadow and Fantasy Fire nail polish. For whatever reason, much like CoverGirl, their products don't really call out to me the way that comparable brands like Revlon, Bourjois, Maybelline or Rimmel do. I've heard they're aiming for a younger market with the release of the latest Wild Collection (mainly from Emma of milkteef), so when I spotted it at Priceline with a blanket $7 off the whole Max Factor range, I couldn't resist picking up (what else) two neutral options that seemed promising: the Wild Shadow Pencil 2-in-1 Gel Shadow + Liner in Caramel Rage (05) and Wild Shadow Pot in Auburn Envy (35).






l-r: Max Factor Caramel Rage, KIKO 06, Essence Coppy Right

Since picking up KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 06 from Milan, the idea of a cream eyeshadow stick/crayon has been increasingly appealing. Though there weren't any testers around, I decided to take a chance on the Max Factor Wild Shadow Pencil in Caramel Rage. I'm glad I did, because it hasn't disappointed. Although not as glide-on smooth, richly metallic or pigmented as the KIKO, it's a good option in the mornings for whacking on the eyelids for a softer, more daytime appropriate look. I like that it's not super shimmery, with more of a satin/subtle frost finish. It goes on fairly evenly (unlike the criminally patchy and half shrivelled up Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Coppy Right) and lasts all day without much fading. The colour is your run-of-the-mill greyish browny taupe — a little bronze, a little champagne, a little silvery, definitely more on the neutral to cool side rather than warm. On its own, I find it a tad dull and uninspiring, but it really comes to life paired with the other product I purchased alongside Caramel Rage.




l-r: Max Factor Auburn Envy, theBalm Mischievous Marissa, LORAC Garnet, Urban Decay Chopper, Urban Decay YDK

The Wild Shadow Pot in Auburn Envy is packaged identically to their regular Earth Spirits eyeshadows, and it seems the formulation is pretty much the same as well. Auburn Envy definitely swatches more copper/orange than how it appears in the pan, though it doesn't completely translate on the lids. I find the main problem is that the glitter is quite chunky and the shadow requires multiple layers for it to really shine. Maybe I just haven't found the best brush to use with it. I've read that these eyeshadows can also be used wet to amp up the colour payoff and vibrancy, but I haven't tried them that way or felt the need to.

Compared to other shades I thought would be similar, it's clear that theBalm Mischievous Marissa from the ShadyLady Vol. 2 palette and Urban Decay Chopper from the Naked2 palette are much more warm golden orange than Auburn Envy, which is slightly darker and more brown. LORAC Garnet from the PRO Palette is significantly darker, more of a rich bronze in comparison to the other shades, but I've always found it particularly reddish orange on its own. Urban Decay YDK isn't all that close  almost looks pewter in comparison and surprisingly light, though I think that might just be because of how shimmery it is. If Chopper and YDK were superimposed, the end result wouldn't be too far off Auburn Envy, though a bit more gold. It's worth mentioning the Urban Decay shadows only require a single swipe, whereas I had to build up the Max Factor with 3-4 layers to achieve the same level of pigmentation.


My new favourite eyeshadow combination in the mornings is Caramel Rage applied all over the lid, then a bit of Auburn Envy patted mainly onto the centre of the lid. The two meld together and bring out the best in each other, forming an easy to wear light-to-medium taupe with a bit of understated sparkle. The slight dullness of Caramel Rage with its relatively soft pigmentation and cool tone is counteracted with the warmth and diamond dust of Auburn Envy. The cream shadow of the Wild Shadow Pencil additionally doubles as a base for the powder eyeshadow, prolonging wear time through layering and by giving Auburn Envy something to cling to (also reducing fallout), all the while making the colour appear more vibrant and complex.

27 comments:

  1. Oh gosh, so many pretty autumnal colours in one post, I'm a little obsessed with rich browns and golden colours at the moment! Caramel rage is a gorgeous colour <3

    Jennie xo | sailorjennie.com

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  2. Love these two shades! The Max Factor eye pencil is gorgeous :) ♥

    http://abeautyromancee.blogspot.co.uk/
    http://abeautyromancee.blogspot.co.uk/

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  3. I love all the swatches on this post ❣

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  4. I haven't tried any Maxfactor at all besides Fantasy Fire, and a lot of their products are identical to Covergirl (they are sister brands I think) which is cheaper. These shades though are really gorgeous, Auburn Envy is so pretty - the perfect mix of copper and bronze-y taupe! I've been wanting to try some more eyeshadow stick crayon type products. They seem so quick and easy.

    x Tashi
    http://shiwashiful.blogspot.com.au/

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  5. As always I love your in-depth reviews - especially the fact you share side by side swatches! <3

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  6. The eyeshadow is sooo pretty! I need this in my life!

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  7. I've never tried any eyeshadow sticks OR max factor! Although, i do have my eyes on the Clinque chubby stick for eyes, i love the ones Essiebutton have been using! These colors are so you! I wonder how many bronze eyeshadows you own :P

    à la foliee

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  8. Oh I have to look at both of them! I am not usually interested with max factor as well but I do have some mascaras from the brand and they are good mascaras..
    btw we have the same kiko eyeshadow stick! hehe I love kiko eye shadow sticks they are very easy to use!

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  9. it is pretty but i think essence is quite inexpensive

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  10. I love these swatches. <3

    http://happinessvictim.blogspot.com

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  11. Those look just like the Covergirl 'Flamed Out' shadow sticks and pots, but the Max Factor ones look better!

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  12. Sadly we don't have Max Factor here, but because of you I would try to get these shades.
    I'm not a eye jumbo girl (although I love lip jumbos like the color boost's from Bourjois), but I'm thinking about investing a bit on them. They look amazing and easy to apply in the mornings. I might have to do a little trip either to sephora or to Kiko :3

    The combination is amazing. Thank you for this amazing review.
    Please take care, have a nice day*

    beauty-with-love.blogspot.com

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  13. I love these shades. I've only ever tried mascaras from Max Factor but want to check these out now :)

    Evelyn @ We Were Raised By Wolves

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  14. I was tossing up whether to pick some of these up from Priceline with the sale, but I have so many products that are similar colours. I know I'll end up getting at least one though!

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  15. I bought Caramel Rage as well, a chemist near me had testers and I swatched them when they first launched, and like the way it had a gel-type texture that was cool on the skin. When I saw that Priceline had the $7 off promo I knew I wanted to pick it up, I was pretty happy! I am going to try it with some of my Lorac shadows and see how I fare

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  16. the color and shades are pretty ^_~

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  17. Swatched both of these in Priceline and I was impressed but wasn't in the mood to buy more eyeshadows I wouldn't wear. It was great sale though, the Colour Elixir Lip Crayons were only $3... crazy. The staying power of the crayon was better than I expected but the eyeshadows aren't the best formulated. The colours are so reminiscent of your KIKO haul! I thought Auburn Envy would be warmer when worn but on you it still pulls quite taupe and cool. Pretty!

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    Replies
    1. I know, I was tempted to buy the lip crayons but then I remembered I didn't like the way they felt on the lips (and my like, billion Revlon crayons and 2 uber expensive NARS one that I don't touch).

      It definitely is warmer but not overly so, the picture isn't the best in terms of accurate colour representation/detail but eh :p

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  18. I'm impressed with these gel shadow sticks. I got the white and pink one (did a quick blog on them).
    xxx Kat @ Katness

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  19. Pretty pretty! I've been loving all these shadow sticks and creams recently, I always use a cream base of some sort now! I wish I had max factor around here to try and avon too!

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  20. I love creams for eyes, and the convenience of shadow sticks are always a + for me :)

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  21. What a beautiful combination! They look so pigmented too :)

    Laura x
    http://www.laurasallmadeup.com/

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  22. The Max Factor crayon is such a beautiful colour and so wearable for everyday too!

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  23. I've never tried anything from Max factor before but these two eyeshadows look great. They look so similar to what you already have though hahaha. sucker for neutrals just like me! :P

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