Veracious Product Review: Clarins Ombre Matte Eye Shadow in Rosewood

Hi, everyone! I made a bold claim a couple weeks ago, touting that this lot of goodies was my most satisfying haul ever. I stick by it! One of the products among the bunch was the lovely Clarins Ombre Matte Eye Shadow in #04 Rosewood. I'd heard raves for this unique matte cream shadow formula and after some impressive swatches in-store, I was very happy to take it home! 

The Ombre Mattes come tucked in Clarins' typical shiny red boxes that feature a full ingredient listing and a description of the product inside. They are touted as "new generation eye shadows" that offer easy application, a flawless finish, even colour, and a smoothing formula. They also promise a cream-to powder, lightweight texture and long wear. 

The shadows come in small round glass pots with reflective (fingerprint attractive, eek!) gold screw-off lids. The bottom of the pots feature the shade name and other relevant information. I find them to be elegant and compact- a very nice addition to my eye shadow drawer!

The shade I selected was #04 Rosewood, which is a difficult colour to pin down. Despite the shade name, there is no hint of rosiness to be found. Instead, in some lights it looks like a cool, greyed taupe, while in others it looks like a warmer chestnut brown. While it's a bit of a head-scratcher, I actually like that it can lean both ways, as it can be worked into both cooler and warmer looks. The finish is gorgeous luminous matte that truly feels lightweight on the skin. 

Here's a swatch of Rosewood in natural sunlight on my inner arm (MAC NC15 skin tone):

Clarins Ombre Matte Eye Shadow in Rosewood

And here's a shot of me wearing Rosewood as part of an eye look. I've applied it all over the lid, focusing on the crease and outer corner. As you can see, in this lighting it looks much cooler than in the swatch above:

Here's a full breakdown of the ups and downs of this pretty little pot of shadow:

Pros:

• Feels incredibly soft and lightweight- no hint of heaviness, greasiness, or dryness
• Beautiful pigmentation- can leave a semi-sheer finish or be built up easily for a more opaque, smokier look
• Rosewood is a shade that should be flattering on just about anyone! A very wearable brown
• While this does crease somewhat (see below), it does wear well for several hours and the creasing creates a sultry, rather than a sloppy effect
• Elegant, sturdy, compact packaging- a lovely, easy addition to any makeup storage! 
• At $24 CAD, I actually find this to be reasonably priced for a higher-end brand such as Clarins. Also, a little goes a long way, so I can see this pot lasting forever! 

Cons:

• I find that this does crease slightly (as seen in the photo above), even on powdered lids, if an eye shadow primer is not used underneath
• This definitely looks cooler on the lids than it does on arm swatches, so perhaps not a pick for those who prefer truly warm-toned shadows. 

So there you go! Overall, I'm very happy with this unique matte cream shadow and am definitely tempted to snag other shades from the range. Despite the mild creasing, I find the texture and finish to be quite beautiful and elegant and Rosewood is proving to be a perfect no-fuss shade for Fall! 

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend! xo