Mally's shadow stick colors - old vs. new

Stargazer77 · ‎03-09-2010

A few days ago I got my Ulta flier and I noticed Mally's shadow sticks would be half off for one of the 21 days of beauty. I figured this would be a great way for me to try one of them to see how I liked it.

I've loved her old shadow sticks for a long time now and have a nice collection of colors. My favorites are Taupe (old) and Twilight (old) and I've found Taupe (old) is nearly impossible to match. The closest I found was Bobbi Brown Stone shadow stick. I did not purchase, I just tested.

So, I decided to go to Ulta to test some Mally shadow stick colors I may be interested in. I also wanted to see how they compared to my current collection of old shadow stick colors. I put some new colors on the back of my hand, went home, and applied my old colors to the back of my hand. Here are my findings...

Before I get into shadow sticks, I want to make a quick note about the only eye liner I tried on the back of my hand. It was Sailor (navy blue) in the Evercolor eye liner (not automatic). It wore horribly. I also love Mally's old liners and I'm not sure if there's a formula change between old and new liners, but this liner is barely on the back of my hand. The shadow sticks held up well. I've washed my hands several times and also took a shower and the sticks are still there, the eyeliner is not.

Back to the sticks...I found Burnished Bronze (new) is pretty much the same as Saddle Shimmer (old). This was the only color I found to match so closely.

The plums, even though old and new have the same name, are nothing alike. The old plum is deeper and has more purple to it. The new plum is lighter and more metallic. They're compelely different. I feel the new plum is not a true plum color. It has more magenta in it compared to the old plum.

Shimmering Mauve (new) is not really mauve to me (it's also quite metallic). I don't know what it is. I thought it was going to be similar to Violet (old) and they're nothing alike. I really liked violet, but always hoped for something more cool toned. Violet is more of a warm tone to me.

I was excited to try Over The Taupe (new) and this was going to be the one I purchased. After trying it I'm not sure now. It's not like the old Taupe at all. The old Taupe is cooler and has a touch of gray to it. Twilight, on the other hand, is warmer. I used to prefer Twilight and then over time I switched over to preferring Taupe. I have a spare of Twilight, but not Taupe. I would say Over The Taupe (new) is more like Twilight than like Taupe, but it has a hint of something else to it, too. I kind of feel like it's Twilight mixed with Rosy Taupe (old).

I thought Chocolate Diamond (new) was pretty, but it's a little dark for everyday for me. Who knows, maybe that will be the one I end up with. It is a very pretty color. I was wondering if it would be like Trailblazing Brown (old), but it's really not. It's cooler and I prefer it to Trailblazing Brown (old).

So, those are my shadow stick findings. I hope you've enjoyed reading. Please let me know what you think of the new shadow stick formulas and/or colors. I would love to hear other opinions. Does anyone plan to pick up a stick or two during the 21 days of beauty?

Also, has anyone tried Julep shadow sticks? I tried them on the back of my hand one other time, but didn't do a comparison. I should do that. I remember liking one of the colors, probably the taupe. I'm crazy for taupe!

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MissSugarKane · ‎01-22-2016

Big fan of the original shadow sticks but when I tried to new version I found it went on very sheer and did not stay put at all. The packaging was also cheaper and the lid broke so I ended up throwing it away because I knew I was never going to use it. I now use my originals, including taupe, sparingly so I can have them for as long as possible. Probably stupid because I am sure they will eventually go bad and I will wish I had used them while I could lol.

Jk9 · ‎07-18-2013

Thanks @Stargazer77. I too loved the old Taupe and Twilight. I still use them. I will check out the new versions and give my opinion. Those old shadow sticks were sooo good. I often based kit purchases on whether a shadow stick was included.

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JustJazzmom · ‎03-09-2010

UD Desperation is a nice taupey eyeliner pencil. But you can probably use it as a lid shadow too.

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tototwo · ‎03-09-2010

Thanks @Stargazer77 for your review -- I'm also a huge fan of the "old" taupe. It was the only eye shadow I wore for 2 years. My stash is now gone and I've tried about every eye shadow stick out there and can't find one I like. I bought the new Mally set here on Q a few months ago and was seriously disappointed. For one thing, they were too sparkly for me. Also, the color didn't last -- but the sparkles did. Not a good look.

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sandraskates · ‎06-26-2014

Not sure if they have what I would call taupe, but I just found Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Shadow crayons and I'm loving them. They have a little shimmer that doesn't flake off (like the colors in the Nakeds) but nothing outrageous. The shimmer just makes you look awake The colors are subtle and last on my eyes on my 9 hour workdays. Give one a whirl.

HappyDaze · ‎06-13-2012

@MissSugarKane wrote:
Big fan of the original shadow sticks but when I tried to new version I found it went on very sheer and did not stay put at all. The packaging was also cheaper and the lid broke so I ended up throwing it away because I knew I was never going to use it. I now use my originals, including taupe, sparingly so I can have them for as long as possible. Probably stupid because I am sure they will eventually go bad and I will wish I had used them while I could lol.

Agreed and would add that they creased very quickly on me which rarely happens with any shadow, especially since I don't have oily lids and this happened with and without a shadow primer. VERY disappointed in the "new" formulas.

Mary Bailey · ‎03-09-2010

I am not interest in the "new".

I loved Shimmering Lilac but could not locate after the bankruptcy I found Rosy Taupe at Ulta and bought all my local store had.

I seem to remember Mally saying something right after the bankruptcy, something to the effect of "believe me, you want to buy this now" I thought she as referring to a change in formulas. but I don't remember what product she was talking about.