Liquid eyeshadows have been around for some time, from NYX’s Lid Lingerie, to Stila’s Glitter and Glows, but it’s only recently that I’ve started to notice matte formulas popping up in the beauty world.
The idea of a matte liquid eyeshadow intrigues and excites me: this is a product you can swipe across the whole eyelid for a classic look with minimal time and fuss. It’s perfect for travel – even if you carried a couple of these, it’s a world away from lugging a big palette around. I’ve always liked shimmery liquid eyeshadows like Glossier’s Lid Star, but find they can be difficult to blend out – a matte formula is so much more versatile.
The two biggest liquid matte eyeshadow releases this year come from two of my all-time favourite brands, so I had to give them a go. Glossier’s Sky Wash, released in March, came first, but was shortly followed by Too Faced’s Melted Chocolate eye shadows two months later. Today I’ll be putting these two to the test, comparing formula, longevity and ease of application.
GLOSSIER SKY WASH:
Price: £15 (£4.28 per ml)
Packaging: The Sky Wash has Glossier’s trademark simple but effective packaging. It’s easy to see the shade of the product with the colourful lid, and the sleek design makes it the perfect travel companion.
Shade Range: Glossier’s Sky Wash comes in seven different shades, from oranges and beiges to more out there shades like bright blue and yellow. Sky Wash is perfect if you enjoy a more creative and colourful look, but there aren’t too many neutral shades to choose from.
My own shade, Valley, is a gorgeous burnt orange tone. It’s a must-have for autumnal months, but because it’s not too bold it can be easily worn all year round.
Formula: The Sky Wash is a very sheer matte, with a thin formula. This makes it buildable and suitable for every occasion, whether you prefer a sheer wash of colour, or bright pigment.
Ease of Application: The buildable formula makes applying the Sky Wash super dreamy. It’s easy to blend out a little bit with your finger, and put more on as you feel necessary. It’s easy to build other eyeshadows on top too.
Longevity: Even though Sky Wash is a light wash of colour, it’s still visible for the entire day. I’m impressed that there’s no difference whether or not I use my Morphe eye primer with it, it lasts all day without creasing too much either way.
Overall thoughts: Glossier’s Sky Wash is perfect if you fancy a light ‘wash’ of colour all over the lid. It’s a very on-brand product, and incredibly travel friendly. Your eyeshadow is easily complete with a simple swipe and blend of Sky Wash, or can provide the perfect base for powder shadows.
View Sky Wash on Glossier’s website.
Read my full review of Glossier’s Sky Wash in Valley here.
TOO FACED MELTED CHOCOLATE EYESHADOW:
Price: £19 (£3.87 per ml)
Packaging: Like Sky Wash, Too Faced’s Melted Chocolate shadows are super travel and handbag friendly. They are all different colours corresponding to their shade, making it really easy to differentiate between them. They are very sleek and have a typically Too Faced style.
Shade Range: Being ‘chocolate’ inspired, the eight shades are all varieties of neutral brown tones. Some are more purple, red or bronze toned, but they are all based in brown. To some this would lack variety, but I think it means there’s a shade for all skin tones and preferences.
The shade I own is Amaretto, a brown with a slight pink tint. Because the shades are all quite brown toned, they are very versatile and match with any sort of look.
Formula: The Melted Chocolates are PIGMENTED! You only need a tiny little bit to cover the entire lid. And yes, like the rest of Too Faced’s chocolate range, it does have that dreamy chocolate scent, you’ll be pleased to know!
Ease of application: It might just be something to get used to, but because of how pigmented they are, the Melted Chocolates are not the easiest products to apply. Unlike the Sky Wash, which you can blend with a finger, this definitely requires a fluffy brush to achieve even blending (and so your fingertips aren’t stained!).
Longevity: They are long-lasting but not quite as well as Sky Wash – I think because they are more pigmented, there’s more product on the lid and thus it’s bound to crease easier.
Overall thoughts: The shade range of Too Faced’s Melted Chocolates is totally up my street, it was very difficult to choose a shade! While pigmentation is a good thing, I think blending it is going to take a bit of getting used to.
View Melted Chocolate on Boots.
GLOSSIER VS TOO FACED:
Comparing the two by price, Too Faced’s eyeshadow costs a little bit more, but you do get more ml for your money so I’d say that evens things out. Too Faced offer eight shades to Glossier’s seven, so again, not much difference there. Personally, I prefer Too Faced’s neutral shade range but Glossier’s more colourful range has an appeal too.
The difference in formulas is where things get interesting – to say these are both matte liquid eyeshadows, they both have completely unique formulas! Glossier’s is sheer and buildable which I find easier to apply. Too Faced’s is thicker, more pigmented and more difficult to blend out, but it definitely makes for a more effective and eye-catching look. Where I may be tempted to add other eyeshadows to the Sky Wash to create depth, the Melted Chocolate requires nothing else.
Overall, both the Glossier Sky Wash and the Too Faced Melted Chocolate shadow are great items in my collection. I’d say that Sky Wash is more suited to everyday looks, but because it is so buildable you could perhaps add a little more to take you into the evening, if you so wish. Too Faced’s is probably a product I would be saving for evening/event wear because it is such a bold shade, I’m not so sure I could pull it off everyday!
Have you ever tried a liquid eyeshadow? I would love to hear your thoughts!
