I was excited when I heard that the U.K.’s affordable makeup brand, ModelsOwn, was coming to Ulta Beauty.
I went in search of their cute display, and I was trying to decide what to try. I had read a number of good reviews of ModelsOwn so I was eager to find something for my first purchase.
As you know, I adore cream eyeshadow. It’s hydrating, it’s quick. I just love it for my dry eyelids. So when I discovered that ModelsOwn had an affordable cream eyeshadow palette, I decided that would be my first purchase. I bought Colour Chrome, 10 small cream shadow pans in a very nice rose gold metallic plastic case.
It has a nice big mirror, the names of the shades on each pan, and a double-ended usable makeup brush. Off to a good start.
The shadows are metallics, but the finishes seems to vary by shade. I expected them all to be metallics with a sheen, but IMO some are shimmers, some are traditional metallics, a couple are glittery, and a few appear to be matte or matte-ish. The mix of finishes is a good thing.
The colors look beautiful, a mix of golds, greens, greys, and blues.
- Platinum: white shimmer
- Electrum: sheer bronze shimmer
- Rose Gold: pale copper metallic
- Emerald: turquoise matte
- Superior: medium blue matte
- Pure Gold: orangey yellow gold metallic
- Nickel: bronze-brown matte
- Iron Oxide: grey-green metallic
- Pewter: deep blue-grey matte
- Slicked: grey glitter
I did my swatches over Urban Decay Anti-aging Primer Potion eyeshadow primer as I usually do. I thought the shades look fabulous in person (here they are a little washed out by the natural sunlight), and most of them were more than decently pigmented.
Using them to create an eye look, the shadows were easy to apply and easy to blend.
I used Electrum and Nickel on my lid with Platinum in the inner corner. It all seemed good. I finished my makeup and went about my business. A few hours later, I looked in the mirror, and my eyeshadow had faded to either nothing or a bunch of glitter. WTF? I applied the eyeshadow over UD AA primer that works for me every time. Not this time.
A few days later, I tried another eye look using different shades: Iron Oxide and Rose gold. Same thing. After about 15 minutes, the shades had already started to fade. After less than an hour, very little identifiable color remained. 👿
If I hadn’t waited so long to try out this palette and if I hadn’t misplaced the receipt, I would return this palette to Ulta. It’s terrible. I wouldn’t even use it as a shadow base. I think it would be good play makeup for a little girl. That’s it.
The palette (7g/0.2 oz.) is priced at $19.99. For $19.99, I expect much better performance than I got. Unfortunately, because of this fail, I am unlikely to spend any more money trying other makeup from ModelsOwn.
What have your experiences with ModelsOwn been?
It’s such a bummer when something you’ve been looking forward to fails like that. Ugh. Can Ulta maybe look up your purchase/receipt in their system, since you’re a rewards member? I don’t go there very often anymore so I’m unfamiliar with their current policies… Might be worth a shot though.
I am going to try to go to Ulta today. Trouble is I bought it during the Ulta sale for July 4 weekend, so my 30 days may have run out. I’ll try anyway!
Wow, what a total fail! That’s so sad too, because these colors are gorgeous. It might worth finding that receipt!
Lola Seicento recently posted…Jane Iredale Mystikol Powdered Eyeliner in Onyx | Review and Swatches #JaneIredale
I’m going to try going to Ulta today and see if they can look it up. I am dangerously close to 30 days so I don’t know if they’ll take it back but I’ll try.
I had a really crappy experience with the Wonderland palette that I bought. Reading your review of this one, I just don’t think I’m going to venture into buying any more of their shadows. I’ll stick to the nail polish and lippies!
Judy recently posted…IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Compact Review
I remember that from your review last week, Judy. Glad to hear that the nail polish and lipstick are worth buying.
This palette is stunning! I have to try it!
Pass on this one! The shades will disappear on your eyes
I tried a couple of products from this brand before and they were all very mediocre. Honestly I would give the brand a pass and thank you for the honest review, Allison!
Shireen L. Platt recently posted…THE ‘LET’S GET NOSEY’ EDITION: WHAT’S IN MY BAG?
I was wondering if it was worth it to try something else from the brand, but thanks for letting me know I can pass on it altogether!
I expected the colors to be more vibrant than that based on how they looked in the palette.
Katie Nystuen recently posted…Orly – Whats the Password?
Me too, Katie. The shadow swatches were quite vibrant in person, and they were fine when first applied to my eye. But they started to fade within 15 minutes and then I was left with almost nothing. Epic fail
Such a shame! These have so much potential.
Naked Without Polish recently posted…Polish My Life Sweet Sips of Fall Collection Swatch and Review
I was sooooo disappointed because these are my kind of shades 🙁
Morning everyone……🙋🏻☕️ I have finally stayed with my favorite eye shawdows by Too Faced. Only matte for my eyes. I try to always use my coupons at Ulta, especially the 20% off ones. Love ❤️ the Ulta Store. 😱 Have a beautiful day. 💐
I have the Too Faced Matte Palette too, and I need to take it out and use it again, DiEtta! I bought the ModelsOwn cream shadow palette with a 20% off coupon, and I’m hoping they have a record of my purchase. I’m going to try to take it back 🙁
Cross that one off my list! Probably just going to try their polish and lipsticks. Having cataract surgery soon so won’t be able to wear any eye makeup for sometime. Good news is that I will be able to see again! And when I can start to wear shadows it will be just in time for the holiday palettes to make the scene
Yes, pass on the Modelsown cream shadows at least, Sandy! My friend Sue was scheduled to have cataract surgery, but she switched doctors to one who is closer, and he told her he could correct her vision with a different glasses prescription. I was shocked by that, but if true, she lucked out. Nevertheless, everyone I know who had cataract surgery said it was a breeze and that they recovered very quickly. Good vision is worth giving up eye makeup for a little while. Glad you’ll be back in action before the holidays!
Hi Allison!!! I have been quiet for a while but I have been able to read many of your blog posts,I had to take the time to comment on this because this honest review is the reason I started seriously paying attention to your reviews and you’ve never let me down. I’m so bummed for you because I would also want a refund.Good luck when you go in today.(all positive energy to you!). Some places will give store credit w/o a receipt so fingers crossed they work with you. xo
Thank you, Laura! I know how busy we all are so please don’t feel that you’re obligated to read every post or comment all the time. I’m happy to hear from you when you have a few extra moments. Are you going to get any vacation time this summer? With regard to the ModelsOwn shadow palette, I’m waiting for the traffic to finish and a big set of thunderstorms that are supposed to come through to come through, and I’ll go to Ulta tonight after rush hour and see if I can persuade them to give me back my money or at least a credit. Painful coz I love the shades, but they just had no lasting power at all. It’s been a long time since I’ve had an epic fail like that 😉 xoxo
Just started reading your blog recently and as a woman of a certain age I appreciate your take on things. Somewhat off-topic, I have not found an eyeshadow primer that doesn’t instantly dry out my eyelids and make every wrinkle way more pronounced. Any advice?
Thank you so much, Linny, for reading my blog and taking the time to comment. As far as an eyeshadow primer recommendation, I’ve been pretty much a loyalist. I’ve been using Urban Decay Anti-aging Primer Potion for about 3 years. I have super dry eyelids, and it doesn’t dry my eye area out. I was annoyed that they changed the formula slightly to make it slightly more gel-like than the heavyish cream it used to be but it still works the same IMO. They also added a useless sponge-tip applicator that I could do without, but I think it’s a good product. Have you tried it? Worth sampling at Sephora or Ulta. From the drugstore, I like Milani’s eye primer almost as much as the UD. Have you tried that one? I have also used Too Faced Shadow Insurance but something in that formula doesn’t agree with my eyes and it ends up in my eye so I avoid it now.
Actually, the Milani primer is one of the ones that makes my eyelids look 100 years old! I’ll get my hands on a sample of the UD one you recommend. Thanks for replying:)
Oh no! I don’t use Milani that often so maybe I’ll find it too drying too. The Urban Decay Anti-aging Primer Potion comes in a travel size for about $13, but I’m sure someone at Sephora could make you a sample to try first. Because I’ve had good luck with UD, I haven’t gone searching for anything else. I did get a deluxe sample of Elizabeth Mott shadow primer in a Birchbox and I liked that one too, but the brand isn’t available in stores so you can’t really try it out 🙁 LMK what you think of the UD AA PP or if you find anything else that you like!
I really hope you are able to return this. Gosh it’s disappointing because those shadows look so lovely. The only creme shadows which have ever lasted on me have been Vapour, but they are not exactly “affordable.”
Yes, I just got back from Ulta and they took it back for a full refund! I love Ulta! I’m not sure if I know Vapour or not – I may have received a cream stick eyeshadow from Good Earth Beauty from Vapour or Vapor but maybe that was the shade. I’ll have to look. In cream shadows, I like MAC, NARS and Laura Mercier, but I was curious to try something from ModelsOwn and the shades were gorgeous. Too bad they didn’t perform well.
Yay! So glad Ulta came through. I’ve always had positive experiences with them myself.
Ulta is so much more user friendly! I was so happy to get that money back xo
I’m so happy they gave you a refund. My first few uses with the palette worked well with Too Faced primer but then the colors started fading after a few hours. Now it seems so hard that I don’t think I’ll use it again.
I was shocked, Marcia, because UD AA PP even with the slightly different formula never allows anything to fade on me. I’ve never seen anything like this. I thought the swatches over UD AAPP looked quite good in person and decent when applied on my eyes, so I was shocked when I looked in the mirror and the color on my eyelids was almost completely gone and my red lids were showing through. Sad because I thought the shades were gorgeous. That’s also so disappointing that the creams turned hard in the pans in your palette. Yikes. I was lucky that Ulta didn’t give me a difficult time about the refund at all, and I bought it just about a month ago.
I’m sorry this was such a disappointment, but thanks for the heads up for the rest of us!
The swatches look awful. Thanks for the warning to avoid them.
Phyrra recently posted…Cruelty Free Drugstore Foundation Routine
I’m glad to hear that there bloggers that give an honest opinion about bad experience with products that was purchase or send by the brands themselves. Only a few times in my life had i worn any eye make, mainly stage make-up when i was still doing drama – way back in the day.
I love the colors in here. It’s disappointing they don’t last longer!
Brooke recently posted…MAC Girls Mischief Minx Palette Swatches, Review + EOTD
I’m more into warm colors so this particular palette isn’t for me, but it sure reminds me of a cream eyeshadow palette I used to have in HS. It was the first palette I ever bought, way before I knew which colors work for me and which dont 🙂
Anastasia recently posted…Amazon Prime Surprise Sweets Box July 2017 Review
Such a bummer! I’m usually not a fan of cream palettes anyway, but the shades looked so good in the pan.
Yes they did, and cream everything is my jam. So sad.
Ugh, such a disappointing experience! 🙁 I hate when you’re all excited to try something new and it lets you down so hardcore
Katherine recently posted…Nail Art // Side French Circle Glitter Placement Nails
You’re right, Katherine, and the ModelsOwn shadow shades looked so promising!