Pat McGrath Iconic Illumination Blitz Astral Eyeshadow Quad Review & Swatches
Iconic Illumination
Pat McGrath Iconic Illumination Blitz Astral Eyeshadow Quad is a new, limited edition foursome that features four warmer-toned shades across sparkling and metallic finishes. All of the shades performed in line with expectations with only Astral Gold Allure being a bit less pigmented than otherwise indicated by the brand (more pigmented than some Astral shades have been, though).
The other three shades were very pigmented and worked well dry as well as wet; those also had a slightly creamier, denser (but not heavy or thick) feel to them, which did feel creamier than past shades I’ve seen in the same finishes.
Astral Gold Allure
Astral Gold Allure is a light-medium gold with strong, warm undertones and a sparkling, metallic finish. It had a twinkling, high-shine–almost wet-looking–effect on my skin. It had semi-opaque pigmentation applied dry with a brush or opaque coverage applied with a fingertip or a dampened brush (you can see how the coverage is higher than it looks at a glance based on the angled swatch). I preferred a dampened brush myself as I felt it yielded high coverage, minimized fallout, and ensured that the most sparkle transferred to my lid (rather than some getting stuck to my fingertip).
I didn’t see any note to use this shade with fingertips (over brushes) in the “how to” instructions, so it wasn’t noted as being sheer or buildable. I thought it had a fair amount of coverage on its own and could be built up (even dry with minimal fallout), but it could definitely be used to layer over another shade to add sparkle, too. It wore well for nine hours with slight fallout over time.
Blitz Bordeaux
Blitz Bordeaux is a deep, muted red with subtle, warm undertones and a pearly sheen. There was the smattering of pink and gold micro-sparkle scattered throughout/ It had opaque pigmentation applied dry as well as wet, though application with a dampened brush (which is the suggested usage, but it didn’t indicate its relation to coverage) gave it a slightly shinier finish with a touch more depth.
The consistency was smooth to the touch, but it seemed to be a little more like a cream-powder after the initial use. It had excellent adhesion to bare skin and blended out seamlessly. The color lasted well for nine and a half hours before fading a bit.
Blitz Brown
Blitz Brown is a deep, chocolaty bronze with subtle, warm undertones and a strong, pearly sheen. The color coverage was opaque in a single layer, regardless of whether it was applied with a dry or dampened brush. I didn’t feel like it was better or worse based on application method, so it was very easy to work with.
The texture was smooth, blendable, and picked up well with a brush, though it felt more cream-like compared to past Blitz finish shades the brand has released. It stayed on nicely for nine and a half hours before fading noticeably on me.
Bronze Gold 003
Bronze Gold 003 is a bright, rich copper with strong, warm undertones and an intense, metallic finish. The eyeshadow had a smooth, almost cream-like texture that felt soft, yielding, and melted against my lid when applied.
It had a bit more slip (but not in a silicone way… really more like a cream-powder that was 70% powder) compared to some other shades in this finish family. The pigmentation was opaque in one pass, which adhered evenly on my lid and wore well for nine and a half hours before creasing faintly.