Here’s a closeup of my “new discovery” in this post. I’d gotten bareMinerals’ A Vision in Velvet without prior knowledge as to how to apply and work with mineral shadows. As a result, I was met with a disastrous first impression.

However, with my faith in this product renewed by the awesomeness of a layer of MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque all over my lid, I set out to try out some more combinations. After all, the thing comes in twenty shades. My eyes glazed over as I tried to come up with the permutations for those colors.

As was mentioned, the first look (above) is just the Rubenesque Paint Pot all over the lid, with Satin Plum on the crease and the inner and outer corners. Pretty. It’s pretty subtle, too, with the shimmers visible only up close.

Here, I just swiped Velvet Violet over the center of a lid, for an overall purple-y look. It’s a little less warm and a little more intense (for some reason?).

Next, I started with a clean lid, again washed with a layer of Rubenesque, with the majority of the lid covered in Velvet Mauve up until the crease. It’s broken by a line of Satin Mist along the crease.

Lastly, I started with a clean lid, prepped with a layer of Benefit’s Lemon Aid. First, I patted some Velvet Espresso along the crease and the outer corner of the eye. I brought it down to the lower lashline and patted the center of the lid down with a heavy layer of Satin Peach. Unfortunately, the warmth and brightness of Satin Peach is lost on the lid.

Makes me wonder if I should clean my brushes or if the color’s just not that strong when worn. It was really pretty in the shadow pot.

Anyway, as you can see, the shadows can be pigmented if handled a certain way. It can get a little muddy at times, I find. I don’t find it to be easily blendable, although it’s great for layering. It’s also a little daunting to play with it as you’re about to step out. I find that the shades can be pretty unpredictable, when it comes to whether or not the colors are true-to-pan.

I’ll be playing with these some more, but if you have any winning combinations, please let me know! I’m in a rather weird limbo between excited and exhausted.