Purchase - Clinique Fresh Bloom Eye Shadow in Maple Bloom - A Timid Taupe

As some of you may know I have not been a fan of Clinique makeup. I do like one of their perfumes and was recently introduced to the Buttershine lipsticks, which I really liked, so I though that I might be able to put aside the past and embrace a new line of makeup. However, they did it again. Clinique is now back on my SH*T list as the Limited Edition Fresh Bloom eye shadow in Maple Bloom is a huge disappointment.

Let’s start from the beginning shall we?
First the earth cooled.
Then the Dinosaurs came..
OK. Maybe not THAT far back.

I heard such a positive buzz about this taupe eye shadow duo, but I resisted for a long time because I have never been a fan of Clinique. I think it is fine for teenagers that want a “High End” makeup line and for women that prefer a more subtle and almost makeup free look. I however, convinced that I am a reincarnated drag queen, like eye shadows with strong pigmentation. More bold, more, more, more! More is more in my book. So I passed on buying the Clinique Fresh Bloom duo for a long while.

I’m not sure what happened to me. Perhaps I was possessed by Sally Subtle. Maybe I had $16.50 burning a hole in my pocket. Or better yet, the tinfoil hat I wear to block out the thought rays from the secret government satellites had a hole in it. Somehow I decided I “needed” this Clinique shadow.

I went to my local Lord & Taylor Clinique counter and they still had several of them left to purchase. That’s what I love about Lord & Taylor. No one shops there so they always seem to have the Limited Edition stuff well after it’s all gone at the other counters. Not good for the Lord & Taylor company, but good for me….and as we all know. It’s all about me! I picked up one, despite NOT having a gun pointed to my head, and happily brought it home to try.

The Clinique Fresh Bloom eye shadow in Maple Bloom is beautiful. A sweet little silver compact houses an eye shadow duo with an embossed flower (looks like a dogwood or poppy or something) on it. There are 2 shades of taupe. The compact contains a light silvery taupe and a slightly darker, grayish taupe. Both are fairly frosty and both are very close in color to one another.

I swatched the shadows. Humm. They seem awfully sheer, I thought to myself. Well, maybe because I forgot to put an eye shadow base on my arm. Maybe that’s the reason, I say trying to convince myself.

I set out to do a full eye. Once I applied the Clinique Fresh Bloom eye shadow duo in Maple Bloom to my eyes with the proper eye shadow base I said to myself, “Humm. It still is really sheer.” I tried layering on more color, but alas, it only looked more powdery and chalky than frosty and shimmery. I know the shadows were marketed by Clinique as sheer washes of color, but come on…this is silly.

Do you NEED this? Probably not. Unless you just want a subtle hint of color. If that is the case, don’t even bother with trying to find this limited edition shadow or paying over retail for it ($16.50 USD). Maybe pick up a Bobbi Brown shimmer wash instead or better yet, try a loose mineral shadow like Sir Loin Of Beef from Fyrinnae or Drama from Bare Essentuals. Sorry Clinique. You failed again.

P.S. Janine. I know you love this brand and sell it as well. I mean no offense to you. I know you loved this duo and were able to make it work for you. I just needed more pigmentation. Nothing personal sweetheart!