Kaja Toasted Caramel Shimmer Eyeshadow Trio Review & Swatches

Toasted Caramel

Kaja Toasted Caramel Beauty Bento Bounchy Shimmer Eyeshadow Trio ($21.00 for 0.09 oz.) contains a sparkling light gold, golden bronze, and chocolate brown. I enjoyed using all three shades, but Gold Dust had weaker pigmentation (which may or may not be a problem you) but would work really well as a layering shade or to brighten the inner corner/tearduct space and Sunny Amber could of had a bit more slip.

Toasted Caramel

B+

Permanent

8.5

Product

8.5

Pigmentation

Texture

8.5

Longevity

4.5

Application

87%

Total

Gold Dust

Gold Dust is a light gold with stronger, warm undertones and a sparkling finish. It had medium, buildable pigmentation (using a fingertip) but was never fully opaque unless I really packed it on and used a wet brush to do so. It seemed to have more of a translucent base, so it was more sparkle/shimmer than underlying pigment. The texture felt smooth to the touch, emollient without being thick or too densely packed in the pan. I had a bit of fallout when I initially applied it to my skin but far less than was typical for a finish like this. It wore well for eight hours on me before creasing faintly but had some fallout over time–I’d recommend using this with an adhesive spray to improve hold a bit.

Top Dupes

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Guerlain Petrouchka #1 (LE, ) is less shimmery (95% similar).
NARS Rio de la Plata (P, $22.00) is cooler (95% similar).
Colour Pop Birthday Wish (LE, $5.00) is cooler (90% similar).
MAC Greenluxe #2 (PiP, ) is cooler (90% similar).
Estee Lauder Blonde Gold (LE, $45.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
Huda Beauty Moon Dust (Remastered) (PiP, ) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
Colour Pop Watch Out (LE, $5.00) is warmer (90% similar).
LORAC Cashmere (LE, $19.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
Tarte Top Yacht (P, $22.00) is cooler (90% similar).
Anastasia Peach Sorbet (P, $12.00) is darker (90% similar).

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Formula Overview

The formula is supposed to have "uniform shimmer in every swipe" that is best applied "with your fingers." They have a dimethicone-heavy feel (unsurprising given it was typically the first ingredient in each shade), so there's a velvety slip that is lightly emollient but not truly wet or cream-like to the touch. I found them to be more powder-like than cream-like, but they had the binding and hold of a creamier formula. They applied well to bare skin without the need of primer, adhesive sprays, or glitter glue for pretty stellar wear--they often lasted between eight and 10 hours on me with slight fallout. I more often saw faint creasing after eight hours than much in the way of fallout.

Fingertips will definitely yield the most pigmented the quickest, but I didn't struggle to use brushes (my preferred method for precision) and found that brushes often packed semi-opaque or opaque coverage as well. I also tried them wet and didn't find that to cause issues to the pan, and it did give some shades a smoother, shinier finish but wasn't necessary to use them (more like a bonus). I didn't have issues with fallout whether I used my fingertips or brushes to apply; I pressed and gently pulled the brush across my lid area to distribute the product (same technique I use for high-shimmer/metallic shades). They were impressive; they were magical--if you love sparkly, shiny eyeshadows, they're well worth a look!

Browse all of our Kaja Bouncy Shimmer Eyeshadow swatches.

Ingredients

Dimethicone, Calcium Titanium Borosilicate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Diisostearyl Malate, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Mica (CI77019), Phenyl Trimethicone, Hydrogenated Castor Oil Isostearate, Aluminum Distearate, Peg-8 Dimethicone, Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate, Synthetic Wax, Dimethicone/Peg-10/15 Crosspolymer, Iron Oxides (CI77491), Phenoxyethanol, Propanediol, Tin Oxide (CI77861), Silica, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Tocopherol.

Gold Dust

C+

Permanent in Palette

7.5

Product

Pigmentation

8.5

Texture

7.5

Longevity

4.5

Application

78%

Total

Sunny Amber

Sunny Amber is a light-medium brown with warm undertones and lots of golden sparkle. It had semi-opaque color coverage in a single layer, which was buildable to full coverage and had similar coverage/buildability both with fingertips as well as dry brushes. The texture felt a touch drier than other shades, though it blended out well and had a couple of sparkles drop underneath my eye while I blended the edges out. It lasted nicely for eight and a half hours before creasing faintly and had a smidgen of fallout over time.

Top Dupes

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Hourglass Exposure #3 (PiP, ) is darker (90% similar).
Colour Pop Reversible (LE, $5.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
Sleek MakeUP Court in Cannes (LE, $9.99) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
Colour Pop Sparkler (LE, $5.00) is darker (90% similar).
Chanel Mirage (95) (P, $32.00) is darker (85% similar).
Chanel Codes Subtils #2 (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker (85% similar).
PIXI Beauty Brilliant Bronze (PiP, $20.00) is darker (85% similar).
Colour Pop Eclipse (LE, $5.00) is less shimmery, darker (85% similar).
Giorgio Armani #9 (DC, $33.00) is cooler (85% similar).
Buxom Bold Bling (P, $12.00) is less shimmery, darker (85% similar).

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Formula Overview

Browse all of our Kaja Bouncy Shimmer Eyeshadow swatches.

Ingredients

Dimethicone, Calcium Titanium Borosilicate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Diisostearyl Malate, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Mica (CI77019), Phenyl Trimethicone, Iron Oxides (CI77491), Hydrogenated Castor Oil Isostearate, Aluminum Distearate, Peg-8 Dimethicone, Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate, Synthetic Wax, Iron Oxides (CI77499), Dimethicone/Peg-10/15 Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Propanediol, Tin Oxide (CI77861), Silica, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Tocopherol.

Sunny Amber

B+

Permanent in Palette

8.5

Product

Pigmentation

8.5

Texture

8.5

Longevity

Application

88%

Total

Gilded Chocolate

Gilded Chocolate is a medium-dark, chocolaty brown with warm undertones and a twinkling, gold sparkle. It had opaque pigmentation applied with fingertips, as recommended, though I was able to get similar coverage applied with a brush by pressing/patting on. I was impressed by the lack of fallout during application, yet the color was still blendable! The texture was smooth to the touch, more firmly-pressed but not stiff or difficult to work with. It stayed on well for nine hours with a smidgen of fallout before creasing faintly.

Top Dupes

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NARS Isolde #2 (DC, $25.00) is lighter (90% similar).
Chanel Éclat Énigmatique #3 (LE, ) is less shimmery (90% similar).
MAC Her Cocoa #3 (LE, $17.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
MAC Softened Up (LE, $22.00) is warmer (90% similar).
City Color Sandstorm (P, $6.99) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
Guerlain Electric Look #6 (LE, ) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
NARS Isolde II (PiP, $19.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
Natasha Denona Copper Stone (188M) (PiP, $29.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
Huda Beauty Topaz #6 (LE, ) is cooler (90% similar).
Colour Pop Auburn (LE, $5.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).

View Swatches

Formula Overview

Browse all of our Kaja Bouncy Shimmer Eyeshadow swatches.

Ingredients

Dimethicone, Mica (CI77019), Iron Oxides (CI77491), Calcium Titanium Borosilicate, Iron Oxides (CI77499), Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Diisostearyl Malate, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), Phenyl Trimethicone, Hydrogenated Castor Oil Isostearate, Aluminum Distearate, Peg-8 Dimethicone, Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate, Synthetic Wax, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Dimethicone/Peg10/15 Crosspolymer, Iron Oxides (CI77492), Phenoxyethanol, Propanediol, Tin Oxide (CI77861), Silica, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Tocopherol.