Muji Eye Color

So I've became gal-pals with one of hubby's colleagues, J. Over the past month or so, J. and I sort of went everywhere in search of household things to bring some warmth into our apartments. So we explored the Ebisu Station mall and inevitably came upon a Muji. While J. was sensibly looking at towels and napkins and such, the display for these Eye Colors totally hijacked my attention span. Yes, Muji makes their own line of toiletry, skincare, and cosmetics. Surprise, surprise.

There were 4 color variations in the permanent range, Brown, Brown x Gold, Brown x Pink, and Plum. There was also one limited edition for the summer that didn't resonate with me at all due to an odd paring of bright mandarin orange and lime green (I don't want to look like Mikan-chan?). I skipped the Brown x Pink because it seemed too red for me, not to mention the liner color was a satiny black. Ick.

From top to bottom: Brown, Brown x Gold, and Plum. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

I really like the no nonsense and practical packaging for these palettes. They're housed in clear plastic compacts without a mirror or even a sponge applicator, which is fine with me since I use my own brushes anyway. I'd rather they cut out those extra costs and keep the actual products more reasonably priced, which is exactly what happened here as these palettes are 750yen each.

Here's a comparison of Catrice Defining Blush and Muji Eye Colors, so you can get an idea of their sizes. The Catrice compact is very slightly bigger and thicker. 

 

But what really impressed me wasn't their price or their color. If anything, I thought the color lineup is quite bland and boring. Then dear me I had to go to and play with the testers, and oh my goodness, they're sooooo buttery soft and pigmented. I was completely sold!

The finishes vary, with some shimmery, some semi and others fully metallic. There isn't a sparkly top wash with these palettes. So far, I've only played around and wear these while lounging around the house, so I don't know how well they would hold up were I to be out and about in the heat and humidity. Actually, it's cooled down a bit these days so it's mostly just humidity and not so much heat anymore.

- Brown: a warm-leaning beige-brown palette, great for everyday wear, especially during daytime. Interestingly enough, this is the most shimmery palette out of all three, so it's definitely not for the office.

Clockwise from top left:
- Medium crease: semi metallic, high intensity. A warm bronze brown.
- Lid: metallic pearl, medium intensity. A pinky pearly beige that's intensely metallic with a glistening wet sheen. I thought this color would turn frosty on me but it doesn't! Phew! I wear this just by itself in a thin layer all over the lids as an understated daytime look. Very pretty!
- Liner: shimmers, high intensity. A satiny black that's lit up with silver shimmers. If this color were matte-based, I would have hated it. Thank goodness it's not, and it makes a beautiful liner.
- Base/highlighter: metallic, medium intensity. Looks ivory in the pan but applies a soft white. Very pigmented for a base and highlighter so I really recommend using a light hand.

- Brown x Gold: a golden khaki combo that looks warmer than it actually is, applying totally neutral on me. This is my favorite palette out of all three because all the colors just work really well with my skin tone.

 

Clockwise from top left:
- Medium crease: shimmers, high intensity. A neutral khaki brown that's a satin base with gold and brown shimmers throughout.
- Lid: metallic, medium intensity. A pale gold that's gorgeous and sparkly! Love this color so much!
- Liner: shimmers, high intensity. A satiny olived black with gold and brown shimmers throughout, just like the khaki brown above. It's not as lit up as the black liner in the Brown palette but is still a beautiful liner.
- Base/highlighter: metallic, medium intensity. Appears golden champagne in the pan but applies a soft white with gold shimmers. Love this color also, but it is very pigmented for a base and highlighter.

- Plum: a very feminine palette that's surprisingly the least shimmery out of all three I have. I would actually recommend this for the office if you want a softer look to switch up with the usual neutrals. It's also slightly less pigmented than the others, and leans cool despite appearing rather neutral in the pans.

Clockwise from top left:
- Medium crease: shimmers, medium intensity. A muted lavender. This color has an interesting finish. It's leans metallic but not quite there. At the same time, it's too shimmery to be satin, so I'm just going to leave it at shimmers.
- Lid: semi metallic, medium intensity. A princess pink that leans cool, with a glistening wet sheen.
- Liner: shimmers, medium intensity. A gorgeous true purple with white and violet shimmers. I love this color so much, even when I think it's not quite dark enough to line with and is so much better in the crease. Too bad there's only a tiny little square of it. If Muji were to sell a single pan of this color, I'd definitely buy it!
- Base/highlighter: shimmers, medium intensity. Also appears ivory in the pan but applies a soft white.