Purchase - Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow

image from sephora.com

Another TAUPE eyeshadow to kvell over!
YES. It’s such a great shadow I used YIDDISH! LOL.
OK Seriously.
Benefit has a new shadow called Velvet Eyeshadow. I must say this is like actually like velvet. Smooth, plush, pigmented and loverly.


The taupe color I picked up is called “Where There's Smoke”. Benefit has 8 other colors in this collection and most of them are pretty neutral except for a lilac and blue. “Where There's Smoke” is not too gray, not to brown, and not too plum. It’s just right. The shadow is frosty but not so much that it would accentuate wrinkles or crepey [edit. oops] eyelids (like mine).

The formula reminds me of the MAC star flash shadows. Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow is a powder shadow with a creamy feel to it. That does not mean it will crease…quite the contrary. It’s almost like it glides onto your eye and makes a happy little home on your eyelid. OMG. What is it about Taupe eyeshadow that makes me use such silly metaphor and simile!? Another great thing about this shadow is that the pigmentation is very strong. You only need a little bit. I had to keep reminding myself to lightly swipe my brush across the shadow because using more pressure I picked up enough pigment to color several sets of eyes!

With that much pigmentation it’s an ease to blend the shadow. I usually use it on my lid and blend up with a clean brush past the crease. It really makes a lovely smoky eye as well. Used with black liner and a bit of smudging a wonderful smoldering smoky eye look can be achieved. Benefit’s “Where There’s Smoke” makes one of the nicest single wash of color taupes out there.


The Shadow retails for $18. Which is an average price, but I almost balked at paying that much for a Benefit Cosmetics product. I have found their stuff to be more hype than substance, but got it hoping that the shadow would be as good as their Creaseless Cream shadows. Thankfully it is! The eyeshadow comes in a small white plastic compact with the signature “flying birds” on the cover. There is a little window so you can see which color is which….that’s handy when/if you purchase more than the Taupe eyeshadow, like I did.


I also picked up the Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in “Like What You See “. This is a cool frosty blue. OK. I know what you are thinking. The 70’s are over. Frosty Blue eye shadow is not Pink Sith’s cuppa tea! You are so right! Maybe it was the lighting in my local Sephora, but that blue looked so good next to the taupe that I HAD to buy both. Unfortunately I don’t live in a Sephora (However my husband disagrees with that last statement) so the lighting in my home and in my office made the blue shadow look like I had lost 6 hours of sleep. Maybe it was the placement. I’m not sure. If any of you readers can recommend how I should use this I would be very happy to hear it. I used it in the inner corner of my eye and under the eye to line. Bleh. I looked bruised. Any tips would be appreciated.

Sadly I have no pictures on my eye of this loverly taupe. So you’ll have to make do with swatches. I really need to figure out what’s up w/ my camera. Hopefully I’ll have an eye picture of some taupey-goodness in the near future.

Oh. Do you NEED this shadow?
DUH! Yes. It’s Taupe and smooth as velvet! RUN and get one today!