Best Things in Beauty : Lancome Ombre Magnétique Ultra Lavande

When Lancome first introduced Ombre Magnétique, a high shine loose pigment eyeshadow, in fall 2010, I kept waiting for these to arrive in Singapore but sadly, we never got them here as Lancome often releases different colour makeup collections for Asian countries from what is available in US and Europe. The Asian versions usually feature a blander colour scheme, which is disappointing for those of us who love vibrant tones. Anyway, I was fortunate to be able to finally pick up my first Ombre Magnétique from the Ultra Lavande collection recently.

The Ultra Lavande Ombre Magnétique is a rich royal purple. The melting texture is supposed to be extraordinarily long-lasting and crease-resistant.

I wore this today over Urban Decay Primer Potion from 7am to 11pm and was completely amazed that there was absolutely zero creasing and fading. Sometimes with Primer Potion, my eyeshadow creases at the inner corners at the end of the day but when used with Ombre Magnétique, it looked as flawless at 11pm as it did when freshly applied. There was no fallout on my cheeks during the application process or throughout the day.

I used MAC's #228 mini shader brush to apply the Ultra Lavande Ombre Magnétique from the upper lashline to the crease. I used some lighter lavender and pink shades from Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips in Green Eye Candy to complete the look.

The colour payoff is good and builds up quickly to a an intense finish. It's not super sparkly or glittery like Lunasol's new Shining Ocean Eyes or Beaute de Kose Eye Fantasists, but more of a metallic sheen. Although the eyeshadow is long-lasting, it comes off in one single swipe of a cotton pad soaked with Biore Makeup Remover for Eye and Lip (a biphase remover).

At US$25 for 3.5g, it's not cheap but you do get a generous amount of product and I doubt I will ever finish the pot. To compare with MAC, MAC pigments are US$19.50 for 4.5g.