HERA Eye Shadow Duo AD

In response to the recent market trend of moving away from clunky wasteful palettes, HERA has launched their new Eye Shadow Duo AD line (S$48 in 12 variations). The nifty little double-shade compacts come with coordinated colors and one larger pan, a smart move since most people tend to apply more of the base color and run out of it faster. The formula has also been updated to be creamier and less powdery, to reduce fall-out.

Bronze and burnt eyeshadow tones are big for F/W 2020 so one of the duos I have here is a Satin duo in shade 05. This is a rich flattering color that's easy for most skin tones to pull off. The color contrast between the two shades is not big though, so you pretty much just get a super-subtle gradient when using the deeper tone to contour or define the lashes.

HERA Eye Shadow Duo AD Satin 05

 The second duo I have is a Sparkle one, in a soft rosy tone, 09. The larger base shade is a translucent ivory sparkle in that semi-creamy formula similar to Tom Ford's, which can be applied easily using a finger. The accompanying soft rose shade is a more pigmented metallic with a fine-grained sparkle effect.

Eye Shadow Duo AD Sparkle 09

This duo is extremely pretty, but before you jump in due to the soft see-through dimensionality, but before you rush in, do remember that if you have hooded or puffier eye contours, this type of sparkly shade is typically bad at enhancing contours and can make eyes look more swollen or undefined if you're not careful. A satin shade will give more soft definition and may suit this type of eye shape better.

The glitter duo, to me, is better suited as an accent product to dress it up a completed eye look. The shades make nice sparkle highlights for the ball of your eye. On its own, I find it a bit lacking in dimension and you will not get much definition if you're trying to correct and enhance a less-defined natural eye shape.As I always say, it doesn't matter how pretty the product is, if it doesn't make YOU look prettier.

HERA Eye Shadow Duo AD texture comparisons

I think I saw at least one matte duo at a recent web event hosted by HERA, so you do have some options when it comes to texture. However pearlescent and sparkly shades still remain the most popular in East Asia, so if you're looking for more matte alternatives, you may need to look elsewhere.

In the couple of days I've worn these, they've been very easy to apply and blend. This is heads and shoulders above their older eyeshadow duo formula, which I found quite powdery and hard to work with. This was a much-needed reformulation and I'm glad they've done so. The pigmentation level varies between the two textures of course, and the satin does outperform the glitter duo in terms of level of control, building up intensity, and blendability with both fingers and brushes.

I'm also a fan of smaller eye compacts in general since - unlike makeup artists or influencers - the average person applies 2.4 colors on a daily basis according to Amore Pacific's survey. This means a large amount of product is wasted every time we're sold the "more is more" line. This is one more example in the market returning to fuss-free, responsible, chic minimalism.