Joeybunny and I are evil. A few weeks ago you all were treated to the first monthly installment of:
TAUPES YOU CAN’T HAVE!
We like to torture everyone by featuring a discontinued (DCed) and or hard-to-find (HTF) taupe eyeshadow at the end of each month. Why are we doing this? Because we are Sadists and we can! Joey and I have a sizable collection of DCed and HTF taupe eye shadows that we felt both deserved love and publicity. Now last month a few people were shocked that #1 shadow we reviewed was MAC Innuendo and not Shu Uemura ME Silver 945. Well I'm here to set the record straight. #1 in this series does not signify the "best" or the "top". It just means the first one we reviewed. They are all "The Best" in our eyes....so do not feel that we are not paying proper homage to the taupe featured today when the #2 is next to it's name.When talking about Taupe eyeshadow one would be remiss if they overlooked Shu Uemura ME Silver 945. Long since discontinued Shu ME Silver is the epitome of Taupe eyeshadow. The quintessential taupe shadow is not without controversy. Some warmer toned individuals claim that this shadow "sucks" and is "horrible" (their rudimentary words, not mine). They "claim" that the shadow pulls purple on them instead of taupe. And to that I answer. SO WHAT? What's wrong with purple taupe? (<---Rhetorical question) But I wanted to get the issues of naysayers out of the way before I extolled the virtues of what is the ultimate taupe shadow.
Shu Uemura uses a series of abbreviations and color groups and numbers to name thier line of color makeup. ME = Metallic, Silver = Silver family, and 945 is the unique number for the shadow. Now, the reason they discontinued this shade (I think around 2006) I believe was because Shu reformulated their eye shadow line and with the reformulation, out went several shadows. But how would Shu know what a cult status that ME Silver 945 had gained? They obviously didn't or else they never would have gotten rid of it.
A silvery brownish taupe with a high metallic sheen this taupe looks beautiful as a wash or in a crease or paired with a darker brown, black or plum shadow. The formula is silky and soft. The metallic sheen almost changes color depending on the light that it catches. The pigmentation is glorious and long lasting.
Many have tried to dupe this shade but no one has ever been exact...not even Shu Uemura. They released ME Brown 850 when they reformulated the eye shadows but this inferior doppelganger was no match for the magic of ME Silver 945. There are some that say the Kose Addiction line of shadows in Flashback is a very close dupe, but since I have yet to procure that $30+ shadow I cannot say for sure that it is or isn't. BUT. You can check out Amy's post about it HERE on cafemakeup.com and see comparison swatches. I was fortunate enough to swap for Shu Uemura ME Silver 945. Used once by another makeup addict that obviously valued a Guerlain loose powder kohl over this perfect taupe. Her loss became my FORTUNE.
I have this one! And I'm guarding it with my life even if I can't wear Shu eyeshadows - works for me over a primer though so I'm keeping it for those days when I dare wear it or feel like using something that precious :)
ReplyDeleteMeh... I have this, ME Brown 850, and IR Brown 850.
ReplyDeleteIR 850 is my fave by far, but I am quite cool toned ...
EVIL EVIL EVIL - I still love you both dearly you evil little minxes you! )
ReplyDeleteYes you are both evil, but very creative! This shadow is one that I always remember testing out when I was at Sephora back in the day when they carried Shu Uemura. I kept swatching thinking, "I already have so many silvery shimmer eyeshadows." Mind you this was back when I only had 2: Satin Taupe and a shade from Stila which I forget the name of.
ReplyDeleteOnce I decided to get it, it was discontinued, gone forever. Why companies discontinue AMAZING shades is a mystery. Probably to instill more lemmings in all us addicts.
This looks gorgeous! Glad you have it :)
Heeheehee. I love you two.
ReplyDeleteStill so sad this is discontinued. =/
Is it just me, or is it completely bizarre that the eyeshadow has Silver in the name? It's pretty though :D
ReplyDeleteBest. Eyeshadow. Ever. I have a comparison swatch of Shu's ME Silver 945 and Kose Addiction Flashback on my blog, and they are close but Flashback does not have the deeper mauve tones of 945. The texture and depth is similar, but Flashback comes off slightly "lighter" because the deeper color is less apparent. Love this post!
ReplyDeletethis was mine for the longest time then i gave up on it as taupe is not the right colour for me in many ways. i gave it to a lovely friend as she didn't have access to shu. she is a much better person to own shu e/s than me.
ReplyDeleteyour post is such a teaser! just wait till shu re-release it. :P
I lust for this shadow. I have a funny inkling that this shade will be the perfect taupe for me, which makes me horribly sad as I cannot procure it!
ReplyDeleteParis B: You should wear it more often. Life is short...enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteSarah: Like I said. some people love it others just don't. At least you have a pretty IR Brown to adore!
Sabrina! Hey. Yeah. I never found myself with that problem (Thinking I had too many of one color LOL) I'm sure you will come across it some day.
Catherine: Thanks. We like to be naughty!
SilhouetteScreams: No it's not just you. Shu had some odd color categories there for a while.
Amy@Cafemakeup.com: Thanks for your comment. I'll update my entry to link to your article. I really really want Flashback. It's so purdy!
Jojoba: I'm glad you found a good home for your Shu ME Silver 945!
/lachesis: Yes. this would HAWT on you. It may be yours some day. You can always try to swap for it.