bareMinerals and Stila: Mini Review and Swatches

My husband knows he's married to a makeup junkie...and I think he accepts it. Heck, I would go so far as to consider him an enabler, but I am absolutely not complaining about that. Honey, if you're reading this, thank you for my new "toys."

Stila Eye Shadow Trio Set in Amsterdam

Stila Eye Shadow Trio Set - Amsterdam

Included: a refillable 3-pan eyeshadow palette and a pan each of dune, sun and twig eyeshadows.

L-R Dune, Sun and Twig

These shadows are of the same great quality as the other Stila eyeshadows I own. Twig actually feels quite dry, but still delivers a beautiful color, albeit not quite as pigmented as I would hope. I think these are great shades for the summer, and for transitioning into the fall as well.

Direct sunlight - Dune, Sun, Twig

Indoors, natural light - Dune, Sun, Twig

I picked this little beauty up at Sephora for $16.00. You read that right. Such a great deal! There are several other options available, but I either wasn't interested in the color combination, or I already had one or two of the shades in the trio. I highly recommend these little sets - you can't go wrong!  

bareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow 4.0 - Quads from The Super Natural Trend Collection

All of the bareMinerals Ready shadows I own have been superior in quality, and these quads are no exception. They are so buttery smooth and richly pigmented, they sometimes seem unreal. The only issue I've encountered is that the matte shades sometimes don't apply and blend as easily as shades with different finishes. However, I think it may just be because the shadow is sticking to the primer. I've solved this minor issue by using a lighter shade as an all over base, layered over the primer, and then continuing with my eyeshadow application as usual. The skipping does not keep me from using and enjoying these shadows, and it will not keep me from adding more of these to my collection in the future. 


These bareMinerals Ready 4.0 quads retail for $30.00 and are available online at bareescentuals.com, Sephora, QVC and Ulta. Since they are part of a limited edition collection, they may not be available at all retail stores and you should check availability before heading out to purchase. If you want to compare value, 4 refill pans from MAC would total $48.00 ($60 if purchased in the casing) for 6g of product. With bareMinerals, you are paying $30.00 for 5g, which, when compared is $8/g for MAC and $6/g for bM.

Check out swatches below, along with comparisons to other shades from my collection.

bareMinerals The Happy Place

This is my kind of palette! I have hazel eyes that can lean green when paired with the right shades. I like the way this quad brings out the green in my eyes, and I just plain like these colors. Check out my EOTD featuring this quad (to be posted soon! posted!).

Direct sunlight - L-R: Peace, Imagine, Exhale, Euphoria

Indoors, natural light - L-R: Peace, Imagine, Exhale, Euphoria

bareMinerals The Rare Find

I think this quad screams fall - such beautiful shades. The green shade was probably what attracted me most, that and it's limited edition. 

Direct sunlight, L-R: Lost for Words, Surreal, Eureka, Frisson

Natural light, L-R: Lost for Words, Surreal, Eureka, Frisson

Comparison Swatches

Let's start with The Happy Place....


Imagine

I think I went a little crazy pulling out every shade I thought might be similar...oh well. Of the shades I swatched, I think MAC's Expensive Pink was probably the closest, followed by bareMinerals Pinot Noir and Inglot 407.

In both photos, the order is as follows: (1) Expensive Pink (MAC), (2) Imagine, (3)Pinot Noir (bM), (4) Brighton Peach (NYC duo), (5) Imagine, (6) Emerald Boudoir (highlight shade, Lancome), (7) Inglot 407, (8) Variations (peach shade, Chanel), (9) Melon pigment (MAC).

I know the photos look almost identical, but it's a slightly different angle.

Exhale
The only shades I had that were similar were Urban Decay's Tease and MAC's Copperplate. Neither are very close, but I'd go with Copperplate for a similar look.









Euphoria
Moving on to the eggplant shade of Euphoria...ahhh, it's so pretty. Here we go: (1) Kaska Beige (dk purple shade, Chanel), (2) Euphoria, (3) Day to Night (purple shade, ELF), (4) Sketch (MAC), (5) Euphoria, (6) 423 (Inglot), (7) Private Affair (deep wine shade, Lorac), (8) Encore (purple shade, Smashbox), (9) Black Ruby (bM). 

Comparison swatches for Euphoria

Although none of these shades are ones I would consider a dupe, there are a few that are similar. I'd say Sketch and Inglot 423 are similar, and even Black Ruby - although if you buff Black Ruby too much, it just starts to look black. After taking these photos, I about hit myself in the head. Why didn't I include Twinks in the mix? Don't worry, I finally came to my senses (look down there somewhere). 

Next, I have a comparison photo below of four MAC shades I would consider to be the most similar (of shades that I currently own).

L: The Happy Place
R: MAC's All That Glitters, Expensive Pink, Copperplate and Sketch 

The photos above are taken at a little bit different angles so that you can see the sheen of the shades. In each pair of swatches, The Happy Place shade is on the left.

Close up of Peace-All That Glitters and Imagine-Expensive Pink

Of the MAC shades I have, All That Glitters was the closest I had to compare to Peace. I'm fairly certain there has to be another MAC shade that would be more similar, or at least with the same finish, but I can only work with what I have.

Now, Expensive Pink is extremely close to being an exact dupe, but it is not 100% exact. The peachy/golden sheen in both shades is pretty dead on, however, the color is not quite the same.

Close up of Exhale-Copperplate and Euphoria-Sketch

Copperplate is obviously more gray than Exhale, but it may provide a very similar look when applied to the eye. Euphoria also has much more of a sheen than Sketch does, although it does have a similar color.

Finally, I decided to swatch Twinks next to Euphoria. I think I originally did, but there were swatches all over my hands and arms, and when it came to do the swatches for the photo, I somehow decided it was too brown to include. Twinks has a very similar finish, but the color is more brown than Euphoria. I think it would be worth it to try a look using Sketch and one using Twinks to see what performs more like The Happy Place on the eye.

Top-Euphoria and Sketch, Bottom-Twinks (MAC)

Let's check out similar shades for The Rare Find...

Eureka

L-R: Spectacular (bM), Eureka, La Douce (Stila), Meadow (Stila)

Now, I already own the Ready 2.0 in Scenic Route, and I was concerned (more like wondering) if the green shade in that duo would be too much like Eureka. While the color is similar, the sheen is not. Both are shimmery, but I'd say that Spectacular is more on the frosty side and has a much more prominent golden sheen. 

Frisson
This color was much harder for me to find any shades that were similar enough to even include in a comparison. The closest shade I found was a bareMinerals eye and cheek color in Soft Focus Savvy.

L-R: Frisson and Soft Focus Savvy

Hope the photos are helpful in either convincing you that you need these limited edition quads, or maybe that you don't need them. Did I mention that they are limited edition? These are wearable shades that can both be worn during the day and also intensified to be worn more dramatically at night.

Let's not forget about the Stila trio in Amsterdam - such a great deal for some remarkable shadows.

So, what's the verdict? Are you going to make any of these yours?

Love, from one makeup junkie to another - Becca