Warm Gold Shimmer Eyeshadow 101 Shadow Stick by Julep

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I love wearing gold shades on my eyes as a neutral with a bit of bling, plus they complement my blue eyes. Julep's Warm Gold Shimmer Eyeshadow 101 shadow stick ($18) hits that sweet spot, although it's not without issues. Let's take a look.

If you are not familiar with Julep's Eyeshadow 101 shadow sticks, here is how they are described:

A crème-to-powder shadow stick on top with a smudger on the other end. Expect huge color payoff and crease-proof, stay-all-day power.
What it does:

• Glides on evenly with excellent color payoff
• Blends easily before setting to a long-lasting finish
• Soothes and smooths delicate skin with plenty of vitamin E

Warm Gold Shimmer can look lighter or darker depending on how heavy you layer it. Based on the arm swatch I was expecting smooth color, as applying and building it up was easy peasy. However, pictures of it on my lids told me a different story, as it looked slightly patchy.  Still pretty, but not the smooth opaque color I was expecting.

So, I've decided this particular color works better as a topper over other shadows, which is how I wore it below.  It gives a nice glint without looking metallic, something that my crepey lids appreciates. Once the shadow sets it wears well and I like having a more reasonably priced option than the Laura Mercier Caviar sticks,  but like I said, there are issues.

The Eyeshadow 101 shadow sticks are not the most sturdily packaged, as the shadow bullet tends to come loose in shipping and if you are not careful fly out when you open it. This problem was supposedly fixed, but mine was from the new improved batch and still came apart.  Fortunately, no harm was done and I was able to put it back together, but....not optimal.  Most of the shades are showing out of stock on Julep's site, so it will be interesting to see if these come back or are being phased out. Personally, I hope they come back with more colors.