Black Eyeshadow
Inspired by my love for black lace dresses, here are my four go to black eyeshadows. They are all similar in colour depth, different in texture and finish though. All of them contain shimmer, the most reflective one is Chanel Mirifique, which is also the most backend one. The other shades are rather greyish black than true, deep black.
Laura Mercier Baked Eyeshadow Mystical – this is my favourite baked formulation, I use it wet and it stays put all day. I like how multidimensional it looks on the eye. There is a tiny bit of fallout though.
Shu Uemura P995 – looks very similar to Shiseido Caviar actually. Both contain tiny flecks of green sparkles. The texture is smooth and silky.
Shiseido BK912 Caviar – my go to black base. I only use a tiny bit and apply any other shade on top. I find this gives me the best results. I like to layer Caviar with any of the shadows shown for more depth. The texture is siliconey-smooth. I really like how blendable those Shiseido cream eyeshadows are.
Chanel Illusion d’Ombre Mirifique – meanwhile, those Illusion d’Ombres have a nice place in my drawer. I like them a lot. Very different from the Shiseido cream eyeshadows. I couldn’t choose one over another though. I really like using Mirifique as liner, it stays on all day on me without smudging.
Laura Mercier Mystical, Shu Uemura P995, Shiseido BK912 Caviar, Chanel Mirifique
If I had to choose one true, deep black eyeshadow, it would be the one from my Guerlain Liu palette. Guerlain makes the best true black eyeshadows. No fallout, pigmented, smooth and they can be used wet as well. I think black eyeshadows are quite underrated, they can be used for different purposes, add an edgy, smokey, sultry, elegant, vampy or whatever touch to your whole makeup/appearance. Like with all dark shades, blending is the key. My favourite combo as for now, is any of the shades above mixed with fuchsia, grape, lilac, emerald green or the lime shade from my YSL Arty Palette. I also like using pastels with black. There is one black that is truly horrible, it’s from my Stila In The Light palette, so much fallout, not even worth using this one. Overall, as for me, I only need one true black (Guerlain) and I like to play with other blacks that contain shimmer, have a different texture and finish.
Love the rich, heavy drama of these photos! I love black shadows as well but haven’t found one that I love in particular. Mirifique was too sparkly for me and Lena kindly took it off my hands. 🙂 I’ll have to look into that Shu or Shiseido.
Oh Mirifique is sparkly, I think you would like the Shiseido one, they have a different texture though, Chanel is moussey and Shiseisdo siliconey. I like both actually. xxx
This is one sexy post, Claire! The sparkles in Mirifique is pretty spectacular. Of the ones you featured, I only have Caviar but it is such a versatile product. I also love how it seems to stay fresh in the pot without drying out and its silcony texture makes application so easy.
Haha, thank you Belly. Yes, that’s the problem with cream e/s. As for Chanel, only Illusoire shrinked a bit, my other ones are fine and I have them for really long. xxx
I’ve been getting into black lately too! I just got a Guerlain Duo and you are right! They make the best black eyeshadow I’ve ever used! That LM one looks gorgeous-will have to pick it up!
I don’t know what magic is behind those Guerlain shadows but especially the blacks are the best I’ve tried. Impressive is that applied wet the texture in the pot actually won’t change, they still are nice. I have two baked e/s from LM (the other one is Black Karat, which is just as great). I think those are one of the best formulations on the marked. They blend really nice applied wet. xxx
Love the photos here, Claire. I have a few blacks, but I usually use it as a liner, or to deepen the intensity of other eye shadows. I hardly use them as a lid colour 🙂
Thank you Lily 🙂 I like black as lid colour but I use black almost everyday, liner, crease etc. Smokey is the way to go this spring hehe (uh, I don’t like spring). xxx
Fascinating. I’ve never had much love for black eye shadows but they are worth a second look.
They are, I like it dark most of the time but they make a great base for other colours as well. Black is underrated haha 😉
Black eyeshadows are so difficult to wear and I haven’t found many that works for me.
Thank you for mentioning the black shade from the Liu palette. I thought it was only for lining. I will definitely try it as eyeshadow! 🙂
I like black, so I have found my way to wear it how I like it and am satisfied at the end. I think everyone has to play around and see what works the best. Oh yes, the black shade from the liu palette is the best black I came across so far. xxx
Wait, are you a fan of black lace dresses as well? High five! I personally don’t own any black eyeshadows though, or maybe just the one in Naked 2. I guess I am always a bit worried that I’d overdose or fail to blend it out properly!
oh yes, I had my time where I was like obsessed with black lace haha. I have hooded lids, so I think even with some dark makeup on it isn’t that noticeable, only when I close my eyes. But nevertheless, blending is the key xxx
I find a good black hard to find, I mostly just use black for liner but lots are too chalky, not smooth or just don’t have the pigment. I really like the look of Mirifique..stares at the twinkling…. 😉
I agree, most of the black e/s are chalky or powdery. I have found my HGs though and I like wearing black. The LM is nice applied wet, it isn’t matte though. The best matte is guerlain imo, goes on really smooth xxx
Hi! I nominated you for the Shine On Award!
Hi, thank you for nominating me Lucy 🙂 I did something similar in the past, so I will pass for now. xxx
Laura Mercier’s Mystical looks so pretty! Definitely going to check this out on my next Sephora run!
Hi, I really like the baked formula a lot, especially applied wet, hope you like it xxx
Great review sweetheart…Thx for sharing..:-)
I just love black xxx