Review: Femme Fatale Duochrome Eyeshadows

I’ve been hearing all these wonderful things about Femme Fatale duochromes, and I finally decided to place an order. I ordered a custom stacker that ended up being around $16.00 USD including international shipping to the U.S. for 5 mini-sized Femme Fatale eyeshadows. Each eyeshadow has a sifter and has tons of product that will probably last me at least a year, to be honest. I place my order on May 28th, it shipped on June 9th and arrived on June 16th. They sent me a note apologizing for the long TAT, but it honestly seemed quick for international shipping, in my opinion. Here’s the cute packaging they sent my order in:

Here’s a close up of the stacker. Each level screws on to the one below, convenient for storage! My only complaint is that the eyeshadow of the lower level can get on the label of the eyeshadow above it.

So, just a disclaimer, Femme Fatale recently released this PSA stating that many of their shades would be discontinued and reformulated to have a better sheen and staying power. Out of my choices, these include Dispersion, Impsy, and The Nightmare. I didn’t personally have much trouble with these, but just so you know!

Next, this is the first time doing swatches. If some look uneven, it is totally not the eyeshadow. I tried to apply with my finger, and it was all a hot mess. I’m surprised they came out as good as they did, honestly. The left side of the swatches are over Pixie Epoxy (a glitter glue) and the right is over bare skin. I almost always wear Pixie Epoxy every day, regardless if the shadow is matte or glittery.

First up are the five shades I chose: Alpine Skies, Secret Shiny, Candied Apples, The Nightmare, and Impsy. I tried to show the duochrome in each one, but it is MUCH more prominent in person.

ALPINE SKIES

Alpine Skies is pretty cool taupe/nude base with a turquoise shimmer. I actually wore this shade the other day and found it a bit difficult to apply over Pixie Epoxy. Partially my fault because I don’t think I let the Pixie Epoxy dry enough, but also it was just not as easy to apply as Secret Shiny or The Nightmare was. It also appears very turquoise on my actual eyelid, so I need to play around to see if I can get the duochrome going like it was on my arm swatch. The base color is also a bit close to my skin color so when I do see the effect it almost looks like I missed a spot with my eyeshadow. This might just not be the color for me, even though I do really like it.

SECRET SHINY

I chose Secret Shiny over some of Femme Fatale’s other lavender duochromes because I really liked how the cool lavender shifted to a golden shimmer. It was this blog post that sold me on this shade as being unique over other purples, and they were totally right. The only downside is that like Alpine Skies, I only really could see the gold shimmer rather than the base color once applied. I saw this great eye look using Secret Shiny that looks so lavender yet mine is predominately gold. I’ll have to work on application; maybe I’m applying too much product at once.

Candied Apples

So, Candied Apples is Femme Fatale’s most popular duochrome. It shifts from a reddish pink to a green but has enough brown in it to be very wearable. It also reminds me of Dance Moms…which I watch religiously. The formula for this one was great. I mainly got it because all of the hype, and apparently it is very wearable without primer for every day and work situations.

The Nightmare

I chose The Nightmare to be a shade that was a bit more out of my comfort zone. It is a deep blue-purple with a green shimmer. The formula is great in my opinion, and it applies and blends very easily and evenly. It’s still super out of my normal comfort zone, but I’ve been using it for my outer v area and crease, along with Alpine Skies and Secret Shiny. I also have seen it used as a lower eyeliner, which looks very bold and glamorous. Can’t wait to try that!

Impsy

Impsy is a red-purple base with a golden shimmer. It is the creamiest of the five I chose. I think it is a very wearable duochrome, and it seems quite elegant. My only warning is it was a bit hard to wash off and left a small stain on my arm (when I washed with only water). It may not be for those with sensitive skin. I noticed this was a trend for most Femme Fatale red-toned eyeshadows.

Along with the eyeshadows I chose, I received three sample colors, as well. Again, Pixie Epoxy on the left, bare skin on the right of each swatch. These were Ruby Wings, Dispersion, and Ruins of Stardust. Dispersion is a duochrome, so I tried to take a photo capturing the shift:

Ruby Wings

When I saw Ruby Wings, I actually at first thought it might be a blush or lipstick sample because it was so bright red. It’s a matte bright red with maybe a pink tone to it. I actually can’t think of any occasion or combination that this would ever be wearable in. I know that’s personal preference, but I try not to look like I have red eyes for crying for the most part. Anyways, maybe I can blend it super sheer as a blush instead. Also, like most Femme Fatale red shades, this left a bit of a stain when washed with water.

Ruins of Stardust

Ruins of Stardust is very true to its name. My camera couldn’t capture its true glittery nature, but it is a true burgundy or wine shade with TONS of sparkles. Very pretty and works perfectly with Pixie Epoxy.

Dispersion

Lastly, Dispersion has a slightly more purple base than Impsy and a strong aqua sheen. It is being reformulated, but I ran into no problems with the current formula. I think this could be a cool lower liner color, as well.

Overall

I would definitely order for Femme Fatale again. The price was very inexpensive for the product, and I was very happy both with the shades and the formula of the eyeshadows. I would like to learn how to apply them better to get more of a duochrome effect. Any recommendations would be awesome!