Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duos - Coffee Shop, Beach Plum

It's finally Friday! Just in time, as I could really, really use the weekend now - Hard last few days and I'm starting to look a bit rough around the edges, not even having the energy to put on a full face of makeup today. NOT pretty :P

Something that's meant to save time on those rare (or not so rare...) mornings you have to hit the snooze button once (...or twice) is Clinique's Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duos, which come in a variety of color combos for $18 at Sephora and Clinique counters. I presume Clinique intended for these duos to provide a complete look-in-one for busy, independent women on the go, and they thoughtfully included a soft all-over shade as well as a dark, dramatic accent in each pan. I picked up two of these in the last couple months, mostly out of curiosity.

First, Coffee Shop!

On the left of the palette is a nude, shimmery beige. The brown looks like a rich espresso in the pan but comes off rather streaky, patchy, and lacking pigmentation - it appears a matte dark brown with microglitter. I had many issues with the formula on the darker shade, but the milky beige is quite nice in texture and color payoff - it's a great, delicate neutral.

I also have Beach Plum -

Once again the left shadow is a lovely, shimmery golden-tan neutral, while the deeper shade is a disappointment (though, admittedly, less of a dud than the one in Coffee Shop). I was hoping for a vivid, medium plum, but, once worn, the purple appears light and almost mauve. Still, without trying to build it up it applies nicely, if the color is one that appeals to you.

My general impression of the duos is that they are... hard. Like, really, really HARD. Hard as stones! I felt like I had to swipe FOREVER to get enough product to come off for application. Once you start applying, though, they are soft and easily blended. Overall, this product is not really for me - shades that I hoped would be bold turned out rather meek and flimsy. I prefer a pop of color!

The quality is decent and the colors are pretty for those who like these kinds of neutrals - Very work-friendly and very subtle. Though I'm not over the moon about Clinique's Colour Surge mini-palettes, I have been carrying Beach Plum in my makeup bag as a quick, easy fix for a sudden makeup emergency that may arise (and I'm not sure what exactly constitutes a makeup emergency, but it's always good to be prepared! :P). It's also a perfectly good and efficient solution for those in a rush who don't have the time to think too much about their daily eye look.

Wear time is fair, and with a primer I experienced no creasing. The shadows started fading after about 6-7 hours, but only slightly and they faded evenly.

What do you think about Clinique's Colour Surge Eye Shadows Duos?