Clinique- Chubby Shadow Tint for Eyes Lavish Lilac 09

I don't know if eye shadow in a pencil form qualifies as a new trend, but there are certainly quite a few of them on the market these days. The newest eye shadow stick comes from Clinique: Chubby Shadow Tint for Eyes (following the success of Clinique Chubby Stick for Lips). I was very curious about this product but had a hard time deciding on a color to try since I already have eye shadow pencils in just about any shade I can wear. In the end I picked Lavish Lilac (#09) because it looked complex and not too purple.

Compared to eye shadow pencils from other brands (Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, Sue Devitt, and even NARS), Clinique Chubby Shadow Tint is harder and feels waxier. The other pencils I have are much more creamy, thus blendable. This Clinique pencil is not as dense, and at least in the case of Lavish Lilac not as pigmented. This means that you paint your eyelid and go. No blending, smudging or diffusing necessary-- for better and for worse. It's quick and simple to apply, but less versatile than creamy formulas that let you create smoky effects.

The finish of Clinique Chubby Shadow Tint for Eyes is high in shimmer. It requires a good base/primer otherwise I've experienced some creasing. The primer I liked best with this shadow is the one from Edward Bess, but NARS worked almost equally well.

As I mentioned above, I have nothing similar to Lavish Lilac, The closest I got is Surat by Sue Devitt and Amethyst from Laura Mercier. I think the swatches demonstrate the difference in texture-- my older pencils are softer and creamier. My biggest disappointment with this Clinique pencil is that it doesn't perform well under the lower lashes. I wanted Lavish Lilac as an Alternative to the new limited edition Chanel Beryl that doesn't show up on me at all. I've found that if I want to use Clinique Chubby Shadow under my eyes I need to put a generous amount of product on the back of my hand, warm and soften it and then apply with a brush.

Bottom Line: pretty color, meh performance.

Clinique- Chubby Shadow Tint for Eyes ($16) is available at the counters and from clinique.com.