Product Review: BA Star Eyeshadow Palette in Natural (press sample)

Thursday, May 9, 2013
I had never heard of this brand prior to being paired with them via BrandBacker, even though BA Star claims to be the number one cosmetics brand when it comes to dance, cheer, and other competitive activities.



To be completely honest, I did not have high hopes for this palette. The packaging is cheaply constructed and looks strikingly similar to the NYX Glitter Creme palettes, the dual-ended applicator is quite flimsy and pretty much worthless, and the fact that there are two glitter cream pans in here made me cringe seeing as how all of my experiences with lower end glitter creams have been quite negative (i.e. stiff, waxy "creme" base and only a sprinkling of glitter on the top with absolutely zero payoff).

But did my predictions about the quality of this product stay relevant after testing?

Find out after the jump!



Another thing that initially put me off of this brand was the fact that my sample had arrived with a rather suspicious green fuzz on the brush. EEK!


Said suspicious green fuzz.


However I was able to find out that the customer service for this brand is spectacular through that little mishap! Naturally I emailed them about the possible health concern because it kind of looks like mold. I got a reply within 3 hours of sending their PR department my email, AND I got a second and fuzz-free sample within 2 days of the complaint. Not bad... well, you know, minus the initial faulty product.

So the PR department is rad, but I'm supposed to be reviewing the product. Time to get back on track!



This palette has three neutral shades of mineral eyeshadow and two gel glitters. I had some predictions about the quality of each pan, but it turns out that most of them were wrong!



Bronze:
  • Personally, I think calling this eyeshadow "Bronze" is a misnomer. It's more of a copper penny shade than a true bronze, but that is just me nit picking. 
  • The texture of this shadow is a bit stiff to the touch, which I found to be consistant with the other two shades. However, it does apply rather well despite the texture. 
  • The color payoff for this eyeshadow is higher quality than I would expect for something within this price bracket, which is really nice, but I did find that it can sheer out a little too much and lose it's metallic luster when blended. 
  • Thankfully this shade did not have any issues with fallout. 
  • Color fades within a few hours of wear.


Cocoa: 
  • "Cocoa" is a nice luminous deep brown with a reddish sheen to it. 
  • It exhibited similar characteristics that "Bronze" did, i.e. stiff texture to the touch along with the whole great-when-packed-on-but-sheers-when-blended factor. 
  • This shade created a very minimal amount of fallout. 
  • Color fades within a few hours of wear.


Nude:
  • "Nude" is a very shimmery white that leads cream. 
  • This shade is the problem child of the group, which is honestly surprising! Normally I find the lighter highlight shades to be the most universally cooperative shades, but "Nude" is a total exception. 
  • The texture of this eyeshadow differs a bit from the other two in the sense that it's softer, but also grittier. It honestly reminds me of a pressed pigment that never got finely ground. It doesn't apply as well as the other two seeing as how it tends to get a bit patchy, sheers out to a sheer 90s brow highlight sheen, and causes some pretty bad fallout. 
  • Color fades within a few hours of wear.
  • Just say no to "Nude".


Gold:
  • "Gold"has a clear gel base with gold glitter.
  • Welp... my prediction for this product being a piece of rubbish was pretty off. The gel base is quite moveable and the glitter seems to be evenly distributed throughout the base, opposed to other gel glitters I've come across that only have a layer of glitter on top of a completely glitter-free and hard gel base. 
  • These will apply relatively well with a brush, a finger, or a silicone applicator.
  • I suggest against layering them on top of the powder eyeshadow since they will cause it to crease.
  • Good luck removing it from your waterline. Afterall, glitter is the herpes of craft supplies and makeup.

Crystal:
  • "Crystal" has a clear gel base with iridescent glitter. 
  • "Crystal" has the same quality as "Gold" in regards to glitter distribution, ease of use, creasing powers, and difficult removal.

Price: $8.75. Bulk orders of 6 or more = $6.00.

Size: 0.22 oz 

Availability: BA Star website

Pros:
  • The glitter shades were surprisingly effective for lower cost products
  • "Cocoa" and "Bronze" have nice pigmentation when packed on
Honorary Pro that has nothing to do with the product:
  • Awesome customer service.

Cons:
  • Flimsy packaging
  • Useless brush
  • Color sheers out when blended and fades easily
  • Nude creates a lot of fallout
  • Glitter does NOT remove easily


Cruelty Free: I wouldn't bet on it.

Special offers (non-affiliate code): 50% off orders with the code BBSMOKY

In general, I'm not really all that impressed with the quality of the eyeshadows. They're not horrible, but they're also not great. The fact that they all sheer out considerably and fade after only a few hours of wear makes me confused that they're marketed as products for high activity hobbies. The glitter pans on the other hand are pretty great. They've really raised the bar for other gel glitters in the lower price bracket. I do feel that there could be more glitter density, but overall they're not bad. 

Overall Rating: 6/10

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