Review: Two Tone Shadow Bar (Laneige)

I’ve been testing this one out for a while because I’ve had a few mixed opinions about it. Laneige is very famous for their two tone bars – especially their lip bar – and their brilliant choice of spokesmodel surely helps. There have been a lot of positive reviews about the following product but, to be honest, I’ve always been a little bit hesitant about it. I’m a big fan of eyeshadow and I love to play with different colours and styles every day. The one thing that doesn’t work out very well for me (pretty much ever) is stick eyeshadows. They always seem not to blend well, apply streaky and crease almost immediately on my eyes, so I usually stick to powders. Regardless though, I did swatch this while I was in Korea and I really liked the colour combination but didn’t end up buying it to try because I was worried the formula would crease.

However, I ended up regretting this when I came back to Sydney because I saw so many posts about it and I was so curious about how it would end up on my eyes. Luckily though, I have some wonderful people supporting my blog and StyleKorean kindly sent this over (along with a few other things I forgot to pick up in Korea) for me to review. I’ve been using this along with the two tone lip bars (which reviews are coming soon for) or read on for my thoughts and some recommendations about this easy-peasy eyeshadow stick!

So this product comes in a very simply designed box – its small but it looks really elegant and high end. The brand name is also in a silver foil (if you can’t see because of the reflection) and there is also foiling over the ends as well. Laneige as a brand is really good with their designs; it’s mature, classy and looks great. I think that people don’t really need to know the label to get that it’s expensive. To be honest, the brand isn’t actually that comparatively expensive, though it is definitely not a road shop brand. Their products usually target those in their twenties and above, I believe.

For this product, I chose the Humming Coral colour (No 1) which is a very natural beige shimmer with a pink-coral point. This is really suitable for an every day look – it’s light, pretty and easy to work with. These two colours are actually a very common colour combination for me as I find that it is the quickest to apply and the easiest to match the rest of my make up with.

So this tube is really pretty. I love the rose gold accents. For those who don’t know, the original two tone lip bar actually looks identical to this but with silver, so I love that the colour distinguishes them. The rest of the package is in white so the overall look is really bright and feminine. The tube is also sealed on the side so you know that you’re getting a fresh product (as though the prettiness of a new stick of eyeshadow doesn’t tell you enough).

The physical design of the tube is really sleek, though I often get a bit confused about the lever on the side – you have to push down for the tube to come up. That’s really the only complaint I have about it. The quality is good, light and the cap is sturdy, so it’s very easy to carry around.

So above in the tube. The angled design allows for the two colours to naturally blend as you apply it so there’s no need to further smudge it out. You can see the swatches below. The colours are really beautiful though I feel like the coral looks a bit more pink on my face, but this is most likely the effect of skin tone. The formula is soft so it applies easily and is really quick to use. However, I still have the same problem with it as I do other eyeshadow sticks.

The overall colour was quite sheer compared to the eyeshadows that I usually use. The shimmer was light and didn’t seem to do much except for add glitter to my eyes – it was pretty though and looks especially good used for the inner corners and under the eyes as the creaminess of the formula helps the shimmer to really ‘hold’ it’s place. There is obviously no fall out.

The pink/coral, on the other hand, applies a little bit patchy because my eyes haver multiple, uneven eyelid folds. Pigmentation is also light but can be built up by working over two or three layers. However, when this colour is blended out, it can very easily fade completely. If you are wanting to blend it, it is better to use a matching powder shadow on top to lightly blend and fix the colour in place. Otherwise, this product does not stay.

Another complaint that I have about this product, actually, is that the squared tube form in rather limiting. Perhaps this is because I’m so used to applying eyeshadow that I have a particular way of blending my colours and I prefer for my shadows to be placed in that way. For this product, I usually used it as a base and then used powder shadow on top to blend, set and build on. This eyeshadow stick isn’t cheap though and, honestly, I hoped that it would work better on it’s own.

So here’s my verdict! I am definitely a little torn but I think that there is a reason this product is quite popular still.

SO WHAT IS IT?

A two coloured eyeshadow stick

THE GOOD

• Very pretty, elegant packaging
• Sturdy and light – good for travelling
• Natural looking colour selection
• Two tones bar is designed to blend the shades together
• Quick and easy to use
• Colour can be built up
• No fall out compared to powder
• Looks great on the inner and lower eyes
• Good to use as a base

THE BAD

• Pigmentation is light and sheer
• The eyeshadow rubs off quickly
• Needs to be set with powder
• Square tube is limiting on application
• Colour cannot be blending by itself (as it will rub off)
• The lever on the tube would make more sense if pushed up
• Expensive

WOULD I REPURCHASE?

Unfortunately, I won’t be repurchasing this product. Similarly to the two tone lip bar, I feel that the pigmentation and formula is a bit lacking though the concept and idea is great. I would have wanted a creamier colour that could set and stay without the use of a powder. I don’t find myself reaching for this at all.

However, I believe that my opinion of this product is based on the fact that I do love using eyeshadow daily. For someone who is less experienced with this sort of product, needs something easy and fast or even had monolids or a lighter eye fold, I would recommend this product. It is great for beginners as it lets you experiment with very little room for failure. This product can be set with a sheer eyeshadow or translucent powder.

I also feel like this product would have worked better for me in a darker colour.

WHERE TO GET IT FROM

The Two Tone Shadow Bar is at StyleKorean for USD$20.68 – 18% off the full price of USD$25.23. Click their name to go to their homepage or, alternatively, click the below banner to go straight to the product page:

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