Being in my forties means that I have seen quite a bit of eyeshadow fashions over the past thirty years or so. There was the wet look, the creamy look, the smoldering look and my absolute favorite - Maybelline Blue.

So when Clinique brought back some of these colors, I was reluctant to say the least. Over the past few years I have fallen in the eyeshadow rut of either a smoky gray or taupe or some brownish shades. Just not too much variation.

Then my Clinique lady showed me some of the Color Surge shades and I was hooked. It helped that she let me try them on in the store.

The one thing I was always told is that a woman over forty or even over 35 should stay away from shimmery, glittery eyeshadows. Whoever came up with this load of crapola did not know what he/she was talking about.

Color Surge Soft Shimmer Eye Shadows come in 12 shades. They range from a soft shimmery pink to a beautiful greenish/brown. These shadows are available in single colors or duos. The duos are available in 14 combinations I picked the single color in "lot-a-lilac" (shade #208).Because the singles retail for $13.50 and the duos for only four dollars more, it almost makes more sense to buy the duos. I wish I would have known that pricing information at the time I bought my single color.

This is a creamy powder with a bit of shimmer and shine in it. Clinique also offers the super shimmer variety of these eye shadows, but I haven't tried them yet. It looked like they had quite a bit more shine and shimmer to them though.

The packaging is very nice. The eye shadow comes in a clear plastic box with a silvery lid. The name "clinique" is stamped on the lid in white. Because the box is clear, I can see at one glance which shade I have in my hand. The inside of the lid doubles as a mirror - the entire lid, not just a mini strip of mirror. The eyeshadow takes up most of the other part of the box, with a little left over for an applicator. This applicator is obviously small, but well made. I've had applicators that fell apart the first time I used them, or ones with edges so rough that I almost cut my eyelid. Not this one - it has a thick spongetype material on one end and a silver colored handle on the other. Despite it's size it's easy to hold and use.

There are .09 ounces of eye shadow in this box. More than other companies and plenty to last for a long time.

Applying the eye shadow is easy. Just swipe with eye shadow brush or the applicator and smooth this on your eyelid. It goes on sort of creamy, but not greasy or heavy. To get a bolder look this eye shadow can be layered or combined with other shadows. Once it's on it stays on - all day, I kid you not. I usually put my make-up on at about 6AM and I do not have to re-apply my eyeshadow until 8pm or so. At that time I am usually home and it comes off anyway.

I've never had a problem with this rubbing off or creasing at all. It stays smooth with intense color all day. What I really like is the fact that I can layer this. So if I want a bolder look at night, I can just apply another coat.

My skin tends to break out from certain cosmetics. Clinique tests all their products and they are also fragrance free. There is absolutely no scent to this eyeshadow and no weird odor. Clinique also does not test on animals.

I've got a feeling that this eye shadow will become one of my favorites. Now I just have to buy a few more shades.

The price is a bit steep, but just the thought that I get a superior product of high quality would justify spending that kind of money on an eyeshadow. All I have to do is add up the smaller amounts I spend on shadows that did not work for me.

The only "con" I could find was that there was no list of ingredients anywhere on the package. There also was no listing of ingredients on the website.

You can find the Clinique website by going to:

www.clinique. com

I would strongly recommend that you do not shop through the site. Most better Department Stores have a Clinique counter and you can either make an appointment for a total make-over, or wait till they have Bonus giveaways in the spring and fall of each year. Then you spend just a little money and get lots of goodies free.



Recommended: Yes