Review & Swatches: Rituals Baked Eyeshadow in Urban Grey

I recently discovered that Rituals carried a line wider than just bath and body products.  Having only sampled a few of their shower products via impulse purchases as Gatwick airport, I was quite curious to try out their baked eyeshadow trio in Urban Grey, which consist of (unsurprisingly) two grey toned shadows and a silvery purple.

First off, I really like the little cardboard box that this palette nestles within.  I like the fact that it opens up like a gift box, so you get a good view of the product within, rather than merely opening a cardboard outer and shaking out your product.  This is a little more special.

 

Inside the sparkly plastic case, you'll find three domed mineral eyeshadows.  I really like the shades in this palette - a cool silvered lilac, grey taupe, and greyed purple, which complement my cool skin and hazel eyes nicely. 

In bright sunlight

In shade

Swatched, the colours are undoubtedly pretty but unfortunately way too sheer for my liking.  I've swatched them dry here, and found them to be prettily sparkly but lacking in any real oomph.  I've tried applying them wet to see if that gives a more intense, richly coloured finish, but I've not really noticed much of a difference from the dry application.

All in all, I find myself a little disappointed in this palette.  The eyeshadow is reasonably smooth and silky, which applies easily, albeit with a fair bit of glittery fallout.  The colours are absolutely lovely - but just too sheer for my tastes.  They definitely work for a very soft neutral day look, but I personally like a little more definition, which is difficult to achieve with a shadow so sheer.

If the sheer, sparkly look is more your thing, you'll find this palette at Rituals stores and online via their website, where it costs £18.90.

Disclosure: PR sample