Best Things in Beauty : Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in "Where There's Smoke", bad sales associates and the ultimate battle of murky shades.

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Where There's Smoke is the other shade i bought during the Glamour Shopping Week (about 2 weeks ago now). click here to read the review of Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Fawn Over Me.

story:
they gave away a Bad Gal mascara sample as GWP, and you could get a "professional" make over and make up lesson worth 40€ for free. but on the day i went there, the girl "forced" me to try on a lipgloss (although i asked for another shade that they discontinued), then i asked her if this counter would get a brow bar in the near future (no they won't) and she told me that my brows are too short, especially on the right side - i know, i'm on the way to grow them a bit wider, but i just don't like the look of drawn on brows that much, so i keep the drawing at bay - and she took her great brow pencil (which has a good ashy colour, i have to admit.) and drew on 2 thin intense lines on my right brow!!!!!!!! one on the beginning of the brow, one on the end!!!!!
and that pencil was so soft and intense, you could clearly see those weird lines on one single brow only, i looked like a crazy lady with that frosty lipgloss and one weird brow. omg i didn't know if i should laugh or just kill her with a look. and then she said: looks much better, don't you see? she was finished! now brushing out, no evening out, two lines and finito.
i snatched the brow pencil out of her hand, and also figured to get a brow spooley and tried to rescue what's left. sure i refused that make up lesson-offering.

back to the topic:
the Velvet Eyeshadows contain 3g and cost 19€.
they come in nice and sturdy acrylic packagings with loving doves printed on the lid.

Where There's Smoke is a muddy pewter/taupe/whatever colour with tiny multicolour shimmer in it. in the shadow, it almost appears as a satin finish, only in sunlight or strong artificial light you can see the shimmers. that's my only criticism with this shadow, i like such shades to be shimmery (i know, i already have so many of such, and a satiny shade would be a better extension to my stash, but i can't help :P).
the texture is very smooth and fine, it applies even and pigmented and blends out well. i like to use it on the outer corner for a soft smokey look. i don't have any problems with its lasting power.
the Velvet Eyeshadows are colour coordinated with Benefit's Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows, this particular one goes with the CCS in Skinny Jeans.
this shade is often compared with MAC Smoke&Diamond, but i find them to be totally different and can easily justify owning both ;) but for this shade, i still prefer the cream shadow version.

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Where There's Smoke in the shadow & in sunlight

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Skinny Jeans - Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Where There's Smoke

this is how it looks applied: (notice the too short brow ;) )

Benefit Fawn over me on the inner half and lower lashline, Benefit Where There's Smoke on the outer parts

MAC Smoke&Diamonds - Benefit Skinny Jeans - Benefit Where There's Smoke - Lancôme Erika F.

EDIT: in the end, i find it looks better in the pan than applied, but applied it looks better than swatched. and i forgot to swatch TheBalm All About Alex next to these, also an Essence shadow could look similar. i will update this post tomorrow with those comparisons.
out of these four, i like MAC Smoke&Diamonds best, it has some peachy shimmers in it that makes it more complex than the other shades. next would be Erika F., this has beautiful crystal sparkles and looks great in an evening-smokey eye.

what about you? do you like such shades? do you have such bad experiences at cosmetic counters?

UPDATE: more comparisons.