I gave this item 5 stars for good reason! First of all, I was ...born before 1970, I'll own up to that... and asked for this as a Christmas gift due to 1. the VERY reasonable price and 2. the color spectrum. I figured it was a good thing to ask for from my husband-- if it turned out to not work for me, it wasn't too much $$ at stake. It worked out better than I thought, and also better than ANY 20-or-more-colored-eyeshadow set. I grew up in the 80s, so I've tried a lot of these. I am having more fun with this kit than I did with most makeup in my 20s. I mainly wanted to try out the greens and purples, and even though I do not look my age, have good genes, and stick to a beauty regimen every day of every year, 41 is 41. I have brown eyes, and was able to pull off even some of the brighter colors. For instance, the neon greens and even yellow. The violet hues (that are in no danger of being even partially blue) look great. I don't use mineral makeup, because I saw almost the first day I wore it that 1. it didn't show much on my skin, even the dark browns 2.what I did get to show up wore off fast, but worst of all 3. somehow it managed to accent any lines in my face I had. Not exactly worth being 3 times more expensive than regular makeup. The colors I have tried have been matte finish (if there are metallic ones, they are in the minority here--I think), so there's no danger of looking a little skanky (a little like the ones I wore in the 80s sometimes) as long as you don't use a ton. I was REALLY surprised that I could pull off the greens and yellows--though in all fairness maybe I should add I have some training as a make-up artist. Not enough so I could actually apply makeup to other women and do it professionally, but enough to know the basic things you do and do not do,some little tricks to get certain looks, and what looks good on me. Hint- invest in and use a set of brushes to apply all your makeup, toss the little lame mini-applicators -you know, the ones with a foam tip that come with eye shadow when you buy it in the drugstore and are an inch long I was lucky to discover this method over 20 years ago and would NEVER go back. The results are worth it. Anyway, if I wasn't on such a low budget right now I'd pick up a couple to give as gifts. The price is right, the packaging is elegant but practical (no danger of colors spilling over into each other, if you use the clear laminated cover). If you are young and only have a few year's experience applying makeup, watch a few tutorials on YouTube. I would recommend this product to others that want to have a little fun experimenting with colors and enjoy applying makeup. A quality product barely over 15 bucks that gives you so many options, stays where you put it, and then is quick to remove later even without a special remover for waterproof mascara. The brights didn't make my eyes water slightly when I used them under my eyes, and I can't say that for many other eye makeup products-including ones that cost double the price. After 35, I found putting my makeup on was just kind of in a damage-control mode, and it's nice to actually enjoy myself and have a little fun again doing this! Go for it.
