Are Makeup Geek Shadows Worth the Hype? Ft. Autumn Glow Bundle

When Makeup Geek came out with this Autumn Glow bundle, I knew it was finally time to try out this brand and see if it is worth all the hype that it gets on social media. The good news about this bundle is, none of the shades are limited edition so even after the bundle deal goes away, this review and the shadows will still be relevant and helpful because they can be purchased as individual shadows anytime.

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Makeup Geek Autumn Glow Bundle

Retail: $49 | Click for Ingredient List & More Information

As mentioned, these 9 shadows are currently sold together as a set in the Autumn Glow bundle. It’s for a limited time (not sure how long) but buying the shadows this way saves you $17, so if the shades in this bundle are your type, it’s definitely worth buying now.

The palette is sold separately (more on that later) but since the pans are already magnetized you can pop them into any size zPalette that you own (you can get one for $10 at Sephora). The shadow pans are a decent size (identical to the size of NYX single shadows) and come with 0.064 ounces of product.

Doesn’t this eyelook scream fall?

Please don’t mind the stray hairs — still have a few unruly baby hairs from my postpartum hair loss. They have a mind of their own, seriously…but just look at the makeup! Isn’t it beautiful?! I used Chickadee, Morocco, Legend, Magic Act, Bitten, and Sidekick to create this look. It was really easy, too, no issues building up color. Tutorial on this look coming Monday! <3

This shade range in a palette is popular this year!

I don’t have any palettes like this one in my collection, but just from looking online this Autumn Glow bundle looks very similar to the new Huda Beauty palette, the Modern Renaissance palette, and even the recently released Burgundy palette from Kyle Cosmetics. I’m not saying these are dupes in any way, but the shade selection is similar so if you already own one of those, this might not be worth the purchase.

The consistency of the matte and shimmer eyeshadows are very interesting. I wouldn’t say that they’re “buttery” like my holy grail eyeshadows, but they’re not super dry either. When I swatch them they have no issues showing up in all it’s full, pigmented glory. It’s an interesting concept to have a shadow be pigmented but not feel like buttery velvet when you swatch it.

One thing I found disappointing is if I don’t use my holy grail eye primer PLUS a glitter glue eye primer, these shadows start creasing on me throughout the day. 🙁 With two primers it’ll hold up on my (very) oily lids, but it’s an additional step.

Swatched with no primer underneath. Once into the pan, twice on my arm

Peach Smoothie | Retail: $6 | This shade performs beautifully, but for my skintone has become the least-used in the palette. Because of the peachy undertone I can’t really use it as a browbone highlight.

Chickadee | Retail: $6 | This is described as a matte tangerine orange and I think that sums it up perfectly. I like it! All the mattes I purchased blend very nicely, not too patchy though it can take a bit of patience to fully blend it out.

Morocco | Retail: $6 | This color is the perfect burnt orange. Definitely very, very warm! 🙂

Magic Act | Retail: $10 | This is described as a muted medium gold and I really like it.

Legend | Retail: $10 |All three of the foiled shadows are great quality — remind me a lot of LORAC’s shimmer shades in their Unzipped palettes. This shade is a stunning bronze.

Curtain Call | Retail: $10 | The last foil, a cranberry red, is the perfect shadow for fall and winter. If you use a bit of Fix+ on your brush before going on your lid you will get ZERO fall out. Even without it, though, there was minimal mess.

Bitten | Retail: $6 |A stunning, stunning shade. Very soft, or dusty, maroon in my opinion. A great matte shade.

Sidekick | Retail: $6 | Probably my favorite matte shade in the bundle. Beautiful! Blends perfectly!

Bitten | Retail: $6 | I honestly didn’t think I would like this shade because it has shimmer in my deep shades. But it is very subtle and disappears entirely when you blend it in.

Do I recommend the Autumn Glow Bundle?

If you, like myself, want to try Makeup Geek shadows but are overwhelmed by all the single eyeshadow choices that are available, then purchasing a set like this Autumn Glow bundle is a great option. They have several different bundle sets available HERE. I, personally, like 8 out of the 9 shadows (Peach Smoothie just isn’t a shade I use) so I am still saving money on the bundle. If you have extremely oil eyelids like myself though, keep in mind your best eyeshadow primer might not work on its own.

PURCHASE THE BUNDLE HERE

Makeup Geek Travel Vault Palette

Retail: $13 | Click for more Information

I decided to purchase this palette, because…let’s be real, it’s a STUNNING palette! It is not very photography friendly, though, because the front is LEGIT a mirror. It shows fingerprints instantly, so keep that in mind. But the quality is nice. It snaps shut with a clip, no magnet, and feels sturdy. And since it was only $3 more than the small palette I could buy at Sephora (I can only find that palette in store now, not online), I figure it was worth the extra money for the fancy packaging. 🙂 In hindsight you don’t get as much room as I remember the $10 Sephora zpalette (I gifted it to my mom, so I’m going off of memory here!). So all in all, I am glad I own it but won’t purchase another. I like the zpalettes a lot more because I can see inside the palette without opening it. 🙂

Is Makeup Geek Shadows Worth the Hype?

All that said, there is a part of me that feels like Makeup Geek is a little over-hyped. Please don’t attack me, MUG Fans, this is just my personal opinion. I think that they are a nice eyeshadow and that they work well on the eyes. And if you don’t have oily eyelids you might not have any issue with creasing. But I own four NYX matte eyeshadows and while they aren’t as pigmented as these when swatched, they’re only $4.49 a piece (less during BOGO) and I’ve never had issues blending those or having them crease on me.

Another reason I think they are a bit over-hyped is because they didn’t take the place of my holy grail eyeshadow palettes or even my current favorite palette. And if you think about it — I paid almost $50 for 9 eyeshadows. A LORAC PRO palette is only $44 and gives you 12 eyeshadows. :-/

So, there you go. All the information. I don’t mean for this review to come across as negative or that I don’t like the Makeup Geek eyeshadows — I do! I wish they didn’t crease on me, but I like that they’re nice quality and relatively affordable.

Okay, now to make amends for being so harsh with Makeup Geek 🙁 share with me in the comments below what your favorite eyeshadow is. 🙂 I am always SO overwhelmed when I shop through all their singles!

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Products in this post were purchased by me. Some affiliate links are used. Any questions about my disclosure, please read here. Thank you for your support!