Sometimes you see a makeup brand for a hot minute and it disappears immediately and you wonder why on earth that happened.

Sometimes, there is a very good reason.



I was wandering around Marshalls and found a combination package of the Calvin Klein "Tempting" duo. The box was a little beat up (well, look where it's from) but the makeup was intact and seemed cute enough. The packaging and colors looked nice enough and it was already on clearance. "What the hey," I thought and I bought it.

How little did I know.

This morning I swatched the shadows and tested the mascara that came with it. I have a few words on this, so hold on.
This is what I got. The white swatch on the right took about three swipes, but I'm obviously extremely fair and I give the white a pass. The dark plum color, however, does not! That's about seven coats of the darker color in the set! My skin is closer to the color of printer paper, so the fact that it doesn't show up on me is absolutely abysmal. It looks muddy and the texture of both is rather chalky.

What really gets my goat about the whole thing is that this was originally marketed as a prestige brand at Sephora. I've had better luck with Wet N' Wild eyeshadows that I've picked up at CVS. I initially wondered why this brand faded out so fast, but I think the answer is fairly obvious.

The mascara that came with it is also lackluster. It lengthens, but it also flakes almost immediately after application. I'd put up pictures, but honestly the whole thing is so disheartening.

My advice is to skip this brand even if you do catch it on the clearance rack.

Disclaimer: All products were purchased by yours truly at Marshalls.