Okay, we're getting into it. I apologize that everyone had to wait for this stuff. I'm vaguely neurotic about things like this. I had to try these shadows over primers, w/o primers, and various other random tests to fully do this review, hence why it took so long. For general overviews of packaging and prices and fun stuff like that, click the second picture for my Sugarpill overview. This is Part 2 of my Sugarpill reviews/ravings, but there is a bit more information at the Initial Thoughts post I did. 
Basically, I am really fond of these quads. I purchased the two available quads - the Sweet Heart quad and the Burning Heart quad. There are nine total pressed shadows available, so the only one I didn't purchase is "Bulletproof", which is the matte black. I really like the NYX single shadow in "Black"; in fact, I like it so much that I purchased a backup when NYX was on sale at Ulta. That, and I have MAC's "Carbon" in both the Pro pan form and in a pot from the Venomous Villains collection, so...I really don't need another black shadow!Anyway, let's get on w/ it, right? (For a color-by-color product breakdown, click here!)
Richly pigmented, velvety smooth, luxury pressed eyeshadows for all-night party wear."
This is the short, but sweet, description on Sugarpill's website for these shadows and, frankly, the shadows speak for themselves. Pic-spam, then review, then single shade breakdown!
From L-R, starting from top - clockwise: "Flamepoint", "Buttercupcake", "Poison Plum", and "Love+"
From L-R (Top row on bare skin, bottom row swatched over NYX's HD Shadow Base.): "Flamepoint", "Buttercupcake", "Love+", and "Poison Plum"
From L-R , starting from top - clockwise: "Dollipop", "Afterparty", "Tako", and "Midori"
From L-R (Top row on bare skin, bottom row swatched over NYX's HD Shadow Base.): "Dollipop", "Afterparty", "Midori", and "Tako"
Long story short - these are pretty much everything everyone said they'd be. They have incredible pigmentation, they blend nicely, and the staying power is decent. I wore these shadows, one eye w/ primer and one eye w/o, for two days straight and my liner and mascara looked like total shit, but the eyeshadows themselves looked great. The packaging is great and these are amazing value for the price. Overall, I definitely recommend them and I really can't rave enough about these.
Primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance, of course!) side.
Non-primer side.
Okay, let's get into it...first off, some of these shadows actually stain your eyelids. The pigmentation is SO intense, you might find a tiny bit difficult to remove shades like "Poison Plum" or "Dollipop" from your lid at the end of the day. These shadows will also stain those white-haired brushes of yours if you don't clean them right after. This doesn't particularly phase me, but it is something to note. As such, I highly recommend using a primer w/ these. Not because they need them - they don't need a primer for color payoff purposes, nor do they require sticky bases; these shadows don't have a ton of fallout and they're neither soft nor chalky. But using a primer is going to provide a bit of a barrier on your lids. Also, when used over a primer, they apply much smoother and blend a bit nicer. This has nothing to do w/ the texture of the shadow and everything to do w/ the oils on your lids. Unless you literally JUST washed your face, a primer is just going to smooth things out a bit. If there is oil on your lids, the product is going to stick to those patches like glue and apply a bit blotchy everywhere else.
I also noticed that the matte shadows have a slightly better pay-off w/ or w/o primer. For example, "Dollipop" swatched AMAZING, both on bare skin and w/ a primer whereas "Midori" was a little bit more difficult w/o the primer. Also, since these are soooooo pigmented, a little will go a long way. You don't need to scrape and scrub at these shadows to get excellent pay-off. In fact, the more you initially apply, the harder it can be to blend out.
I like the fact that there are different finishes. Out of the two quads, "Flamepoint", "Buttercupcake", "Tako", and "Dollipop" are all mattes...and lovely ones at that. They're creamy and pigmented and easy to blend, which is not always easy to find in matte shadows. Add that to the fact that they're not chalky or powdery and you have a match made in Heaven for me! "Poison Plum" and "Afterparty" look more satiny to me - they have a slight shimmer or frost going on, and you can see the satin finish in the swatch, but when applied to the eye, they look nearly matte. "Love+" definitely has a shimmer and it translates to the eye. "Midori" is the one shadow I was super excited for (you know me and greens!) but I was afraid it would end up being like MUFE's "No. 93", which it's not. Out of all eight of the shadows, "Midori" has the most noticeable shimmer to it. It translates to the eye as well, but this particular shadow swatched best over primer. In fact, in the eye look above, I had to pack on a lot of shadow to get it to show up w/o a primer. W/ a primer, the color is amazing though.
So...do I recommend these? Absolutely. The color payoff is fantastic, the quality of the shadows rivals high end offerings, and I don't think they're ridiculously priced - in fact, I think you're getting a hell of a deal. But are these a necessity? Not really, no. First off, these colors are very bright, and not everyone is going to go for that type of thing. Second, while I don't think $12 is expensive, especially not for how much you get in each shadow, spending $12 on one shadow is, most decidedly, not in everyone's budget range. The only two shadows I feel are ones everyone should have are "Tako" (the matte white) and "Bulletproof" (the matte black). But here's the thing - these two shadows are easily dupe-able by cheaper products. The only thing you're sacrificing is the quality of the shadow, but there are plenty of pigmented matte whites and blacks out there. When I say "quality", Sugarpill's mattes are very nice. They blend well, they're smooth, but they're also pressed well. You don't pick up too much product. It's not super chalky, you won't a lot of fall-out, and they're not overly powdery. For someone who works w/ makeup for a living, this would be a great thing. But for us everyday girls, it's not a necessity. You can work around these, er, product fall outs.
But if you love bright colors or if you think you'd get use out of any of the colors Sugarpill provides, then yes - I wholeheartedly recommend them!
