I’m a sucker for unique packaging, especially if it looks like it will simplify my makeup application. So, I couldn’t resist grabbing a new CoverGirl Smoky Shadow Blast and a matching CoverGirl Liquiline Blast Eyeliner to try and reveiw.

CoverGirl Smoky Shadow Blast is a thick two ended shadow pencil and, looking at other reviews, people seem to either love it or hate it. One end has a highlighting shade and the other has a darker lid shade that is tapered so that it can also be applied as a liner. The pictures below show it from two angles. Use the point to line and the flat to apply as a shadow. The consistency of the shadow is that of a cream to powder, with it being much more on the cream side, especially when it first goes on. The pigment is rather good for a drugstore eye shadow and it wears rather well, although I did not get a full day out of it. The highlighter shade has a nice luminosity to it. Overall, it is good for a nice basic smoked eye look, or wear the highlighting shade with a thicker sweep of the liner for a simple pin-up girl glam type of look.

One important tip though:  Like most cream eye shadows, this one will crease and not wear well if you don’t set it with something. So add a bit of translucent powder or a light matching powder eye shadow over it for better and longer wear. Using a primer with cream types of shadows is also highly recommended. I suspect that some of the negative reviews I have seen of this product have been in part because the product was applied without these steps,which is usually necessary for success with most cream type eye products. MAC paint pots are a huge exception to that rule though—I love those! (link is to previous review).

The Liquiline Blast is a very nice companion product. This soft eyeliner is comparable to my favorite Make Up For ever Aqua Eyes liners (link is to previous review), but is much more affordable. However, unlike aqua eyes, with their multitude of shades, Liquiline only has six choices. The liner also has a nice smudging tip. When I made my purchase, both products were displayed with how to cards that you could also grab. The card is useful, so take a look at one if you see it in the store.

Below are swatches of CoverGirl Liquiline Blast in Brown Blaze (on the left), and CoverGirl Shadow Blast in Bronze Fire, with the darker shade put on using both the tip and the flat. These were taken in indoor light.

I got my products at ULTA Beauty. You can also find them in most drugstores and big box stores. Or, you can comparison shop for CoverGirl Cosmetics.