Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Max Factor Excess Shimmer #15 Pink Opal, #20 Copper, #25 Bronze, Review, Swatch, Comparison & FOTD

Drugstore make-up haven't been one of the things I focused since I started blogging. The reason for it was not because I was not buying any but because I didn't find them very exciting to show or write about. Each post requires various hours from shopping to photography, trying out products to writing. Be it drug store or high end, some of the products I purchased out of curiosity have never made it to blog posts because I was not convinced that I would like to put so much effort in them, just to write that they don't work for me.

Two weeks ago something happened. A new drug store product knocked me off my feet. So today it is about them, Max Factor Excess Shimmer cream eye shadows.


Max Factor Excess Shimmer #15 Pink Opal, #20 Copper, #25 Bronze



I have rushed to the store to check these out after seeing a couple of swatches and photos in Instagram. I was wondering how they compare to Tom Ford Cream Eyeshadows and they looked very similar in the pot. There are six shades of Max Factor Excess Shimmers. Upon swatching I have decided on three of them:

Pink Opal: Light cool pink with a lovely duo chromish lavender sheen which I unfortunately couldn't capture by camera. This one apples a little sheered than the other two I have picked up but effect is so lovely, I couldn't resist it.

Bronze: Bronze is a mid-toned bronzy copper with golden shimmer. It is the most pigmented and dense out of three, hence my favorite. I have been searching for a nice coppery eye shadow which is not too red nor too yellow and here it is, big love!

Copper: The name of this one is very misleading to me. The shade is more of a light natural white gold. It is a lovely swipe and go shade for the day time, especially flattering on blue eyes. It is very pigmented, not as dense as Bronze but close.


Swatch: Max Factor Excess Shimmer #15 Pink Opal, #20 Copper, #25 Bronze

Max Factor promises for a 12 hour longevity. I have tried Bronze over Nars Pro Prime and at 12 hour it was intact without any signs of fading or creasing. I don't have oily lids so I would love to hear your thoughts if you have tried that. 

Formula is very close to Tom Ford. With a small amount it glides and covers the whole lid without much effort. It has a metallic finish but subtle enough to be worn during the day. The only difference I can point out once compared to Tom Ford is that the consistency is not the same throughout the shades. I have four of Tom Ford's cream eye shadows and all of them have the same consistency. With Max Factor Excess Shimmers, Pink Opal seems to be less pigmented.In terms of shimmer, they are close but Tom Ford is a tad more complex. Max Factor's formula is not very linear or cheap looking either but there is some difference.



In-action: Max Factor Excess Shimmer #25 Bronze

Once it is applied on the lids, there is around one minute to blend and make sure it is places right until it eventually sets and doesn't move. It can be build up for intensity without getting too heavy or can be sheered out. It looks good in both ways. I have also tried to apply powder to intensify the crease just a little after it sets. It works without any problem.


FOTD with Max Factor Excess Shimmer #25 Bronze

Two of the shades in the range are suspiciously close to holiday re-releases of Tom Ford Cream Eye Shadows so I would like to show them to you side by side. They are not exact dupes but give a similar effect once worn on the eyes. 

Max Factor Copper is lighter and more golden, less brown compared to Tom Ford Platinum (reviewed here). I prefer Tom Ford Platinum on my eyes but I believe blue eyed ladies may like Copper even more.



Max Factor Excess Shimmer Copper vs. Tom Ford Platin

Tom Ford Spice and Max Factor Bronze are close, Tom Ford Spice is warmer, with more golden shimmer. Max Factor Bronze has a tad more red. I have tried these one after another and came to the conclusion that I prefer Max Factor Bronze. MF Bronze compliments my eye color much better. Since Bronze has the best consistency out of the three Max Factor Excess Shimmers I own and it is so affordable, I would say Bronze is a must-have/must-try!



Max Factor Excess Shimmer Bronze vs. Tom Ford Spice

I have heard that Max Factor is unfortunately not available at many countries, yet another reason why I don't present drug store products. Nevertheless these are worth tracking. Also check out Copper on Schminknerd (in German) in action.

Final thoughts: A rare moment for me when a product which is so affordable performs so well. My only critic would be the names, which don't match the shades, but who cares... Very much recommended if you have Max Factor available in your country. My favourite is Bronze. Now I have my eyes on the black shade called Onyx!

What is your latest drug store find?

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22 comments

  1. I thought exactly the same about the names!

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  2. I've seen someone compare the black Onyx shade to one from Chanel, so that got my attention. I really like how the Bronze looks on you and I need to try it as well!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Nadja,
      I can understand the comparison but the textures of these are very different than Chanel Illusion d'Ombre so the end result is very different. This formula is more opaque and less shimmery but more metallic. Chanel formula is semi-transparent and builds up when applied wet.

      Delete
  3. I also have these eyeshadows and am totally in love!!!! You're makeup is beautiful as always 😘😘

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    Replies
    1. Hi Irena,
      I am loving mine, never had a drugstore item which I ended up wearing that much!

      Delete
  4. Oh dang, Copper looks AWESOME! I need to stalk a MaxFactor display now! So I almost bought Maybelline Brow Drama the other day, but decided against it because the applicator looks hard to control for me (my brows, as you know, aren't naturally full anyways). What irks me about drugstore makeup in Europe is that it isn't even all that cheap at all, so I never buy anything just for fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sunny,
      you are right, these are also around 9 € here, which is not that cheap, like only something like half of the price... Nothing you would buy for fun and end up not liking. Copper is really nice, I am sure you would love it. Let me know if you end up trying it out.

      Delete
  5. Great comparison swatches, I was waiting for these! I got copper, sadly enough I couldn't find bronze here. They perform excellent tho, it's very interesting. It feels so wet and mousse-like but it really dries down to a very budge proof finish. Also really love the gorgeous shimmer in copper ^^. Must hunt down bronze now!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Teri,
      yes they are superb! If you can't find Bronze, let me know, I will try to find one for you here.
      Xox

      Delete
  6. Never knew that Max factor have these beautiful products. Will be checking them out!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Julie,
      this is why I blog, to give you ladies the heads-up ;-)

      Delete
  7. oh wow... i love a good drugstore dupe!! Sadly, we dont have Max Factor in Singapore, and even if it's available, it's not going to be cheap. Drugstores here are crazy expensive! Thanks for the great intro!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Linda,
      drug store stuff is also not that cheap here, but still more affordable.
      I will get you one of those, I hope they are not sold out everywhere.

      Delete
  8. I don't think we have Max Factor here but man, look how close they swatch to the Tom Ford versions! I guess if you look closely you can still see the difference (Tom Ford having a "smoother" overall appearance) but once applied on the eyes, I doubt anyone would be able to tell! :D Thanks for comparing them for us, Sara! Very helpful.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jaa,
      yes you are right, there is a difference but these are also performing well, and on the eyes they really do stay.Max Factor has done a wonderful job. I never knew that there are some brands that you don't have in US, I thought we are the only ones to suffer and try getting our hands on things lol.

      Delete
  9. How beautiful! These look like such an amazing, affordable dupe- the bronzy shade is especially stunning :)

    -Jen

    www.vibrantbeautyblog.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jen,
      I like the Bronze one too, can't stop wearing it.

      Delete
  10. Meh, what's in a name, right? I'm just excited knowing that there's such a good and affordable alternative out there for the Tom Ford!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, have you checked these out? Do you have them there?
      The formulas are really close!

      Delete
  11. I got Copper as well and was blown away how good it looked on me. On me it's nearly a nude shade, but so very beautiful! (I've brown eyes and hair and am quite fair.) The only problem is the staying power. I normally use UDPP and it definitely creases on me with a base of that after a few hours. I've yet to try it with another base - I was so sad that it creased last time, but then I really have to use a base with everything and cream products tend to crease on me from time to time.

    Anneri

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anneri,

      I also use UDPP, on me they haven't creased at all. Do you have oily lids? Does Chanel or TF crease on you?

      Delete

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