Brand new and just starting to appear in drugstores are the Revlon Colorstay 16-Hour Eyeshadow Quads (About $10-12, shown here in shade Bombshell). I couldn’t even really find any official info on these online, which is a bit disappointing (you would think there would be some press releases or official info on the website). Here’s my take on these new quads.

The Packaging

The first thing you’ll notice is that the four eyeshadows are all different sizes.  This really intrigued me, and when I saw an article in Allure about the theory behind the new design.  Apparently Revlon surveyed hundreds of women on their eyeshadow habits, and tailored the pan sizes to each shade’s popularity.  The quad contains 32% of the lightest color (top left), 25% of the second lightest color (bottom left), 24% of the mid-tone color (top right) and 19% of the darkest shade (bottom right). I definitely like their thinking behind this, because you know how annoying it is to run out of 1-2 shades before the rest of the palette.

The only problem with the packaging is the bittersweet see-through top… its great because you’re able to see the eyeshadows clearly without opening the palette, but there’s no mirror so it makes it a bit harder for touch-ups.  It also comes with a double-ended sponge tip applicator.

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell (Back of packaging)

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell (Included sponge applicator)

The Eyeshadows

Revlon claims that these eyeshadows are budge-proof and crease-proof for 16 hours, and I have to say I’m not 100% sure that’s true.  The downside about these eyeshadows are that a few are so poorly pigmented, its almost difficult to see if they are even on or not.  I didn’t experience any creasing, but then again, I’m not one to use eyeshadow without UDPP as a base to help with vibrancy & long wear.  Even without a base, they stayed on pretty nicely for what it was, but the pigmentation was just a bust to begin with.

• The White: The largest and lightest shade, this one has next-to-no pigmentation.  This makes it work great as a subtle brow highlighter, but a little too chalky for all over the lid as a base.
• The Yellow: The unexpected pop of color in this smoky palette and the second largest shade… at first I was excited and interested to see how it would work together, but because its so poorly pigmented, it just kind of ended up looking a little odd when blended into the crease or inner corner.  It works better on the lid, blended in with the white and a smudged liner…but not as the palette suggests.
• The Light Grey: My favorite shade in this palette and the second smallest shade; this light grey works beautifully all over the lid with just enough shimmer. It’s got pretty good pigmentation, and appears a little bit like a silvery grey.
• The Dark Grey: The smallest shade in the palette, and probably the most pigmented one.  This deep gunmetal grey works great for a smoky eye and blended into the outer corner.

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell (White eyeshadow)

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell (White eyeshadow)

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell (Yellow eyeshadow)

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell (Yellow eyeshadow)

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell (Light Grey eyeshadow)

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell (Light Grey eyeshadow)

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell (Dark Grey eyeshadow)

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell (Dark Grey eyeshadow)

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Bombshell (All shades swatched)

While I love the idea behind the palette design, the two largest shades just don’t have enough pigmentation to blow me away.  The two smaller colours however, are pretty awesome and work together well for a nice smoky eye.  I wish the pigmentation was a bit more consistent between all four shades, because then I think this palette would be a neat modern twist on the smoky eye.

The good thing is that these eyeshadows blend together beautifully like silk, and there’s lots of other combinations out there so I’d definitely consider trying a different quad, depending on the shades.

Summary

• Price: About $10-12
• Availability: Various drugstores
• Overall:  Inconsistent pigmentation- the two lightest shades have a barely-there finish, while the two darker shades are nicely pigmented.  Blends nicely but hard to test the 16-hour claim when half the eyeshadows are barely visible to begin with.  Interesting quad, but for the price i’d skip it because only the two small shades are really worthwhile.
• Rating: B