I was going to type out the full name of both palettes in the title, but the names are SO. LONG. Has anyone else noticed this with drugstore products? Why are the names always enormous?! ): It makes everything so difficult to remember.
Anyway, since Walgreen's ran that 40% off Maybelline sale last week, and I still had a couple of $1 off coupons in my bag, I went ahead and grabbed both of these. The quint is one of the new Maybelline Color Explosion palettes in 15 Forest Fury. The quad is 200 Alluring Almond, one of the limited edition Color Plush palettes from this display.
Let's start with the quint.
When I saw these palettes, I was like, "YES ANOTHER ASIAN ONE," and I was right. XD The formula is very, very similar to the Color Plush shadows, which is either a really good thing or a really bad thing, depending on how much you like them. Looking at the palette, I thought it was really gorgeous, but when I swatched it today, I was less impressed... It comprises of a cream glitter, a deep forest green liner, an emerald green, a lime green, and a pale yellow highlight. Mostly, I don't understand the lime... It's so neon compared to everything else, LOL.
As I said, the formula is almost identical to the Color Plush quads. I will say that Forest Fury is slightly more pigmented than most of the CP palettes, but I don't know if that's just this quint or if there's actually a difference in formulation. The only real change is the addition of the glitter shade, which—in the tradition of many Asian eyeshadow palettes—is meant to be an overlay, not an actual lid color. I wasn't expecting to like it, since I'm not really into glitter, but I do have to say that it makes an excellent addition for a night out on the town. The glitter isn't too overpowering, but it'd still provides a lovely occasional sparkle in low-light conditions. It's also an easy way glitz your look up, which makes this palette a handy little day-to-night piece.
If you remember my post about this collection when it first came out, I was more interested in the brights. But alas, I've come to realize that I pretty much only wear boring work neutrals now, since I do work in an office. Some of the other girls come in with like rust red and electric blue on, but I'm pretty sure the general consensus is that it isn't very professional, so... Don't really want to chance it, hahaha.
Anyway, with this in mind, I decided to be good and pick up Alluring Almonds instead, and I have to say... I really, really like this quad. o.O I didn't expect to love it, especially since the colors look so boring, but it's that rare set where all four shades are total workhorses: The highlight is a champagne, the lid shade is a peach, the crease color is a taupe, and the liner is a brown. Amazing, am I right?!
So yes... I foresee grabbing a backup of this quad if I see them around on clearance shelves, but definitely, if you need something to stick in your purse for mornings, this is the one to get.
