| Review | AURIC Cosmetics Smoke Reflect Cream + Powder Eye Shadow Duo
I'm usually not one to jump on an Influencer's brand but Samantha Ravndahl is one of the very few Influencers I enjoy watching and admire. She has always been honest and real about her thoughts and opinions about brands and products, which is something I appreciate so much. As many of you may know, I am also not one to "pull punches" when it comes to being honest in my reviews. So, naturally, I will be putting all my honest thoughts out there about this formula.
These eye duos are obviously reminiscent of one of my favorite products, the Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color, which I know Samantha is a big fan of as well! While I didn't need more eyeshadows in my collection, I had to try just one of these to compare them with the Tom Ford eyeshadows. I have very high hopes for this formula and I expect that this shade range will expand soon enough.
The AURIC Cosmetics Smoke Reflect Cream + Powder Eye Shadow Duo retails for $39.00 USD and is available at AURIC Cosmetics. These eyeshadow duos are housed in a stacking packaging with a tub of cream eyeshadow on the bottom and the powder eyeshadow on top with a flip-top cover. The upper section contains a small mirror, which is a nice touch and in a pinch will be helpful but it is still quite small for use.
The bottom tub that houses the cream eyeshadow is frosted glass and the only issue with the glass packaging is that the cream eyeshadow doesn't like to adhere to it and has a tendency to stick to the plastic insert covering the cream eyeshadow. This is an issue that Samantha did address in a live stream. This did happen to mine when it arrived. The whole cream eyeshadow was stuck to the top insert. It did settle down after tapping the container and leaving it to sit upright for a while. It isn't a huge issue but more of a minor annoyance. I really do love the glass packaging because it feels so luxurious and looks so beautiful.
This is the same packaging style as the Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Colors. It is a nice and convenient packaging for use and travel. The AURIC Smoke Reflect comes with 1.65 g/0.058 oz. of powder eyeshadow and 5 g/0.176 oz. compared to the Tom Ford duos, which come with .07 oz powder eyeshadow and .24oz of the cream. You definitely get a bit more product for a lower price, since the Tom Ford one retails for $65.00 USD.
SHADES
For this initial brand launch, there are currently only three shades but I can see an expansion of this shade range as the brand grows. All the shades seem to very wearable and suitable for all skin tones. Each duo comes with a cream eyeshadow and a coordinating sheer powder eyeshadow that can be layered or used individually.
Temper (cream) - While described as rose gold, this shade is more of a rosy bronze. It is much deeper than what I consider rose gold and the base is very neutral. In the container, it looks rose gold but on the skin, it is much more bronze, which is slightly disappointing but it actually makes it a great standalone shade. It looks really great on a wide variety of skin tones as a one-shade look and I think that's the intention of this eye duo.
Temper (powder) - The shimmer top coat eyeshadow appears to be a peachy-rose gold shade but when layered on the Temper cream eyeshadow, it appears more golden with silvery shimmers.
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| Swatches from left to right: Temper (cream), Temper (powder), Layered |
COMPARISON SWATCHES
The obvious comparison here is to the Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color in Golden Peach but the two are very different. The AURIC Temper duo is much more of a rosy bronze and the Tom Ford is a warm pink shade with a gold topper shade, which appears much more golden than the AURIC. I own pretty much all the cream eye duos and cream shadows from Tom Ford and none of the shades compare to this one.
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| Swatches from left to right: Temper (cream), Temper (powder), Layered, Golden Peach (cream), Golden Peach (powder), Layered |
FORMULA
Cream Eyeshadow
The cream eyeshadow has an emollient thick mousse texture. It looks a lot like the Tom Ford formula; however, the Tom Ford formula is not as thick and has more of a gel texture than mousse. This slightly thicker mousse texture applies well with both fingers and brushes. However, it can be a little difficult to pick up a little bit of product with a brush without picking up a little clump, fingers are probably the ideal means of application. I still like using a brush but you have to kind of press the brush down on the back of your hands to even it out on the brush so, that it will be easier to apply.
The cream eyeshadow is incredibly creamy and mousse-like, it makes the cream very easy to apply and blends evenly across the eyes. The cream just glides across the skin and it doesn't look patchy or emphasize texture on the skin. A lot of this has to do with the soft luminous finish. The cream eyeshadow has no visible pieces of shimmer and while it looks quite luminous in the container, the finish is much softer on the skin. The formula is also very pigmented and you only need the very smallest dot of product to cover the entire lid.
This formula doesn't seem to crease, even when I applied it to a bare lid without primer and my eyes are hooded. In fact, my eyelids actually fold, so I tend to get bad creasing with certain formulas but this one didn't crease on me at all! This formula is also very long-lasting, wearing for beyond 8 hours with minimal to no creasing or fading during that time. I didn't notice any fading or creasing when I wore it for about 10 hours.
Powder Eyeshadow
The powder eyeshadow is very tightly pressed into the pan but can still be picked up by a brush. This formula works well with both fingers and a brush but with a brush, you will need to press a bit harder and shimmy the brush back and forth to pick up enough shimmer. The shimmers are quite fine, they add brightness and a little twinkle to the eyes but without emphasizing texture.
The eyeshadow is very sheer and doesn't add a lot of color but when applied on top of the cream eyeshadow it does change the color slightly. Applied alone on the lids, you can get an etheral translucent sparkle across the eyes. These shimmers adhere very well to the skin, even without the cream eyeshadow on the lids. You can get 8 hours of wear out of this powder eyeshadow.
THE LOOK
Please try to ignore the fact that one of my false lashes is falling off in the picture. For this look, I used the three matte shades from the Tom Ford Sous Le Sable Eye Color Quad (review here) in the crease of my eyes for definition. I, then, applied the AURIC Temper Cream Shadow across my lid and the Powder Shadow on the very center of my lid. You can see that the cream eyeshadow on the lid looks much more bronze and the very center with the powder eyeshadow looks quite golden.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I am very impressed with this formula! It is just as good as the Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color formula! It has a beautifully smooth and creamy whipped texture that is such a delight to use and work with. The finish and colors of these cream eyeshadows are versatile and can be used alone or combined with other eyeshadows. The sparkling topper contains a beautiful fine shimmer and sparkle that looks amazing alone or on top of the cream. Overall, these duos are truly luxurious and perform so well! I have no complaints about these and I plan on picking up more shades. I think if you're looking for Tom Ford quality at a lower price, these are excellent alternatives. These are so delightful to use and they really do look good on everyone! I love the sophisticated formula of these eyeshadows and how they flatter all ages. They are so great for a quick and polished look and I can't recommend them enough! I am definitely planning on picking up other shades from the range and I'm excited to see if there are new shades to come!
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