So what exactly are these little bottles of liquid eyeshadow? They are a bi-phase product filled with coconut water and argan-infused pigment. You have to shake the bottle to actually combine the two before application. The coconut water is supposed to help hydrate and reduce the look of fine lines, while the pigment packs a punch of shimmery color.
Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadows (L to R):
Bora Bora Bronze, Rio De Rose Gold, Playa Del Pink
I initially picked out one shade to test – Playa Del Pink. It’s described as a shimmering light pink, which sounds pretty accurate. It’s basically a highlight kinda color. It’s very subtle, but highly shimmery. Actually, I would probably call it closer to metallic. All over the lid, it kind of brightens up the eyes. I feel like it would be a great wash of sheer, brightening color around the pool or at the beach. There’s a huge problem with that though….
Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadow:
Playa Del Pink
They are completely and totally not waterproof or even water-resistant. In fact, a tiny drop of water makes them disappear completely. Great for removing them at the end of the day, but horrible for a day of fun in the sun!
I might be able to look past the lack of water-resistance because the shadows really are quite pretty. However, I still have many problems with them. First, you have to really shake the bottle to mix the pigment with whatever watery substrate it’s suspended in. I’m talking shake until your arm wants to fall off. You’ll hear a little metal ball shaking around in the bottle, but it does little to help mix the shadow…or maybe it does and it would take hours to mix otherwise.
Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadow:
Rio De Rose Gold
After a good 5 minutes or so of shaking, the pigment looks evenly distributed. I actually apply it with my fingers. The little doe foot applicator seems kind of pointless to me. The claim that a little bit goes a long way is true, but it’s a rather sheer wash of color that is not terribly buildable. It goes on wet, but dries to a nice metallic finish pretty quickly. That’s good and bad. Though it doesn’t really need much in the way of blending because it is so sheer, there’s really no time for blending. If you want to use multiple shades of these shadows together, it’s going to be tough to make them look great. As far as the wear of these shadows, you’re going to need a primer. I tried them without and not only did it crease, but it also faded into almost nothing on my lids. However, with a primer, it lasts wonderfully! No creasing, but maybe a tiny bit of fading throughout the day. I was actually quite surprised that it wore as well as it did with a primer! Unfortunately there are just so many drawbacks with this shadow.
Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadow:
Bora Bora Bronze (with applicator)
Though the shades are pretty, I think you could find another shadow that looks similar without all the drawbacks. As far as the shades go, I also decided to try Rio De Rose Gold, which is described as a “shimmering pink gold” and is probably my favorite of the shades I tested. It’s a very pretty color, but something about it is kind of difficult to wear. The tones in it are just a bit to rosy I think. I wanted to see if one of the bronzey shades might be better so I also tried Bora Bora Bronze, described as a “shimmering deep bronze.” This shade is pretty deep and ends up looking rather patchy on the skin. It’s sheerness works against it. So all the pitfalls aside, the shades don’t seem to be that flattering either. These shadows, though an interesting idea, don’t come close to hitting the mark. Definitely not a great option for a day at the beach as I had hoped. No Coconut Water miracles here!
