Shiseido Hydro Powder Eye Shadows

I reviewed this set of eyeshadows a while back and still use them regularly. They are easy to use and are beautiful alone or as a base.

H2 Whitelights

A shimmery pure white with multi-coloured micro shimmer, Whitelights is a soft cream eyeshadow in a pot. Its light – think airy cream! – texture is easy to spread and control; while its shade, once on the lid, gives a light veil of colour. White is not always easy to wear all over but given its texture, Whitelights is semi-sheer. This makes it a good base under mattes to give them oomph or even as an alone-colour, for subtle glimmer.

For those leery of multicoloured shimmer, rest assured that the sparkles in this cream shadow are very subtle. On the other hand, if you do want the colourful shimmer to show up better, I recommend using a skintone or transparent base below this.

I typically use this as a base on its own as it provides a nice canvas for my all over shades (usually creams, beiges, pale pinks and sometimes whites). The fusion of the Hydro Power and eyeshadow invariably allows the whole effect to last the entire day. It has a soft, light touch like water, yet its formula makes it almost waterproof. When I swatched it on the back of my hand at the Shiseido counter, the tester-swipe wore like iron. However, product from a fresh pot, coupled with application over a tinted sunscreen moisturiser (my usual face base), made it was slightly more emollient. Hence, I say ‘almost’.

I reach for this almost every day. It’s easy to use, almost fool-proof.

H6 Violet Visions

Violet Visions is a cool-toned purple with very subtle shimmer. It is creamier than Whitelights and less airy. It does not feel as supple to the touch as the latter – instead, it feels more solid when swiped. However, Violet Visions is still pliable.

Its creamy nature gives it a strength of colour that makes it suited for a pretty smokey eye with a few intense layers. Happily, it can also be blended out into a nice light lavender (a smidgeon goes a long way), especially when it is applied over Whitelights or other light cream shadows. I like that its texture is never tacky and it is emollient enough to give softness of colour where needed. It doesn’t have the tendency to cake up or end up in unsightly blotches as some cream eyeshadows are wont to do. A slightly warm finger tip blends out the product beautifully.

I typically use this as base for purple eyeshadows. It not only brings out their intensity, it also makes them last. What’s more, it neutralises red purples nicely. If you are looking for a complement to your purple shadows and are hoping to intensify them, as well as make them last, Violet Visions is the one for you.

H7 Green Exotique

Green Exotique is quite an apt name for this green cream eyeshadow – unlike the photo in this review, the actual product is reminiscent of a leafy rainforest plant, more olive and richer in colour.

This medium-to-deep green is pigmented – one swipe and you will have saturated colour on your tips/applicator. A little goes a long way. As such, you will have to be careful not to overapply. However, careful management and spreading of the colour would help you to avoid this…and help you to achieve a beautiful and fresh green eye! If you prefer an intense green look however, this should be part of your stash, especially if you are partial to olives or golden tinged greens on the lid.

Like many of the Hydro Powders, this one spreads easily and does not cake or ball up, as some cream shadows are wont to do. It also lasts fairly well on its own and makes a lovely base for other similarly-coloured or golden-toned shadows.

H5 Aqua Shimmer

If you have always wanted to try a teal shadow but baulked because of its intensity or loudness, you might like Aqua Shimmer because it has the beauty of teal, without the strong pigmentation.

Like H2 Whitelights, it is shimmery, rather than flatly opaque; it spreads beautifully on the lid, imparting a subtle twinkly veil of colour. If you prefer less translucence, you could layer it. What I love about this product is that it does not cake or ball up even with a few layers. You have to spread it on gently though. Aqua Shimmer is fundamentally a sheer-to-medium shade – no worries of an overwhelming look with this one!

I do like an intense eye look at times though and this one is perfect as a base for deeper variations of blues and greens; even purples, to create a complex shade! Needless to say, it works wonderfully as a base for lighter shades of these hues.

Like the other Hydro Powders, this one lasts relatively well on its own and keeps powdered eyeshadow from fading.

Each Hydro Powder Eye Shadow comes with a cute little sponge tip brush which will intensify application but I almost always use my fingertips for better manipulation and blending. To preserve the product, you can transfer some of it into a small air-tight container. However, the smaller container has to be almost filled with product because as with most cream products, it is likely to dry out, if there is a substantial amount of air in the receptacle.

I thought the price in Singapore dollars was outrageous, although in retrospect, I realise that there is a fair amount of product which would last a very long time. You can purchase this at Shiseido counters, as well as online at Strawberrynet.com, where it is sold at a small discount. The current conversion rates being low at the moment, I obtained this at a very substantial discount. If you live in Asia and wish to purchase this, now would be the time!