Today I have two more eyeshadow rows to share with you from the Ulta Blockbuster Beauty Box that I picked up during a spur of the moment online shopping spree (More details here.). This set of shades includes a row of cool grey and black tones, and a row of bright nude and taupe tones. I was excited to swatch the grey shades, but was a bit surprised to have yet another row of taupe shades, since the very first row of shadows are so similar. But they are a bit more on the warm side, and brighter, so I actually prefer this row to the first one.

Blackout: A solid, matte, black shade that is on the chalky side. Three swipes shown. I find this one a bit intimidating, though it would be a great contour color for a bold smokey eye. I just feel I would end up looking like a raccoon. Which, even though raccoon's are adorable -Those little paws!-, I don't want to look like one.

Galaxy: A deep grey shade with a hint of shimmer. This one is a little less scary than Blackout, since it is more of a charcoal color. Somewhat chalky, but has a much smoother application than Blackout.

Gunmetal: My favorite shade in the whole grey range, this shimmery, metallic grey applies wonderfully, and has a nice glossy finish. I think it would look great even by itself blended in with some liquid liner on top.

Lock & Key: A soft, matte, metal shade that was chalkier than I wanted, but still looks nice when blended out. Would be a great lid shade for a classic smokey eye.

Sterling: A shimmery, glossy version of Lock & Key. Very pretty, and much less chalky than its counterpart. 

Ice Queen: And finally, the shade with the best name in the bunch, a soft, light grey shade, with the tiniest hint of shimmer. Weirdly enough, it looks beyond chalky in the pan, yet applies with a glossy finish and only a small amount of chalkiness. It is very bright on my skin, but blended out, and with a light hand, it would be a great highlight color. Or it could be worn alone as just a slight wash of color on my lids.

Naked: A matte, light tan, highlight shade that looks chalky in the pan, and on my skin. It also looks a lot warmer and darker in the pan than it does on my skin. That's either the shades fault, or my Casper the Ghost pale skin's fault...

Au Naturel: A warm, pretty, sun kissed peachy/tan shade with a hint of shimmer in the pan, that vanishes once it hits my skin. Sadly, like most of the light shades in this set, it was chalky. But not as bad as others I've tried. I'm looking at you, Lock & Key...

Sunburst: My favorite! An absolutely gorgeous Terracotta shade, that's matte in the pan, but leaves a nice gloss on my skin. This shadow is just so pretty, I could totally see myself wearing it in the summer time, with a nice light brown liner to keep the focus on it.

In the Buff: these nude puns are starting to get old... Anyway! This shade is a mid-tone tan shadow, with little flecks of glitter. It looks a tad dull in the pan, but on my skin it looks very gold, glossy and lovely. Very odd... Reminds me of the old saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Or in this case, don't judge a shadow by it's pan...

Cafe Ole: A bright, coppery brown shade with flecks of shimmer. It reminds me of those wood chips people use to border their gardens... But it does have a nice gloss to it. It's just a bit much for me, though it would work great as a mid-shade for a brown hued eye look.

Social Climber: Weird name, but a perfect contour color. This is a warm, almost violet based, dark chocolate shade. It has a lot of shimmer, which is surprising for such a dark color. It applies nicely, but sadly looks chalky on my skin. I do like it though, since it is a lot less overpowering than a completely black contour shade.

While I think two rows of neutrals is a bit odd for one kit, I think this row is much brighter, with more of a copper undertone, while the first row of neutrals was much cooler, and more subtle. So it actually was nice to have a range of neutrals to choose from, so kudos to Ulta for that decision. The cool grey and black row was also nice, and I loved that there was a mix of matte and shimmer. I was surprised by just how many of the shades had a chalky residue, the last swatches didn't have so many. But while that was a disappointment, the shades themselves were really nice, and like I've mentioned before, a lot better quality than you would expect from a makeup bundle box. 

My favorites from this swatch would have to be Sunburst for sure, that shade is gorgeous, and I already plan on wearing it. Cafe Ole, which is a bit bold for me, but still beautiful swatched. I also love Gunmetal, Sterling, and Ice Queen, even if it is only for it's name.

I've been thinking about maybe branching out into makeup, and maybe starting to show some looks created using these shades. I know I am a nail blogger mostly, but it is fun to try new things. I could even do coordinating looks of makeup and nails... If that sounds like something you would like to see, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading! To read the previous posts in my Beauty Box Swatch series click here.