Beyond Natural

Cream to powder eye shadows can be a tricky thing.  I recently picked up Revlon Beyond Natural Cream to Powder Eye Shadow Shade 530 Plumberry Prune because it was on sale.  Usually I stay away from Revlon eye shadows as I've never had much success with them, but this looked so pretty and shimmery in its compact and hey... the price was right.

First of all... what a pretty quad.  The shades are very earthy and natural and you can really use a wide variety of combinations to create whatever look you're going for.  I didn't find that this shadow was not very highly pigmented, but it was perfect for blending and also for created a beautiful subtle lid.  I've seen that some complaints about this quad is that it creases over time.  I didn't find that it creased on my lids, but I will offer you some solutions to avoid a potential creasing issue. 

First of all...If you have oily lids it's probably not going to work for you.  Sorry.  That's just the way it is.

Second... a lighter application is better.  The more you glob on, the less effective this is going to be.  USE A LIGHT HAND!   Sometimes less is more.

And finally... I used Too Faced Absolutely Flawless Therapeutic Eye base and Concealer with Apple Seed Enzyme in St. Tropez Tan* for the base of my lid and then using a kabuki brush lightly brushed my L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder (W3) over my lids.  This gave me a nice base for cream shadows and gave me some staying power.  Obviously, you don't have to use EXACTLY what I used... your favorite shadow base and finishing powder will do fine.  You just want to create a nice base to lock in that color and give the pigments something to grab on to.

If you don't give this (and many other) cream shadow a base, it will have a tendency to migrate UP towards your brows, and OUT towards the corners.

* (Too Faced Absolutely Flawless is a bit on the expensive side... can be found at Sephora and 'specialty' locations for 19.99.  I found mine on ebay for $9.99... I know it's not drugstore, but it's so good to me. haha)
 

Overall... it's a great shadow for a natural look.  It really did a good job of adding a natural glow/shimmer to my eyes.  This quad gives you a lot of possibilities... the colors can be combined in many different ways.  If applied on a proper base, the formula stays put and looks fabulous.  HOWEVER...I would not wear this shadow in the summer as sweat may really hinder it's staying power. 

Also... I wore this shadow on New Years with a heavier application of liner and Maybelline Cool Effect cooling shadow/liner in Black Frost.  I created a beautiful smokey effect and received a ton of compliments.  This shows the versatility of this quad.

Some pros:

Smooth application

Easy blendability

Silky formula/great texture

Very lightweight

Adds a subtle glow to your eyes

Beautiful sheen

VERY natural looking

Cons:

Can be a bit difficult to apply if you aren't accustomed to a cream shadow (practice makes perfect!)

Has potential to...*

a. "melt"

b. crease

c. smudge

d. wear off

* A good base could really help, or fix, this problem.  (use the right tools!)