So StrawberryNET is having 10% off all makeup items until tomorrow or Wednesday, so I thought to share this review of a makeup kit I purchased sometime earlier this year from SN.
This is the Cameleon MakeUp Kit G1665 which contains a whopping 48 eyeshadows, 4 blushers, 6 lipglosses and 4 brushes. Currently retails at RM80.50, and original RRP is RM118.00. I bought it for a song at RM30.00 because 1) I hadn’t bought Naked yet, 2) COLORSSSSSS and 3) I didn’t want to pay shipping for NYX. Even at RM80.50 I wasn’t prepared to key in my credit card details because I’d never heard of this brand.
So at RM30.00, it’s definitely a “why not just buy and try?” purchase. After all, there is a good mix of shimmery and matte, nude and bright colors. Here’s a better photo for your reference:
Picture Credit: StrawberryNET. Click for more details.
Upon unwrapping, I discovered a strange smell that reminded me of old Chinese grannies locked up in their musty rooms. Then I saw the box and thought, “No wonder, it’s made in China!”. Before you accuse me of being politically insensitive, I am ethnically Chinese ;).
But really, made in China with a funky smell…part of me started to regret the purchase. It was quite exciting though to see all the colors, but the shadows are definitely not full-sized, whereas the blushes look more like a generic full-sized pan. The shadows are smaller than the typical L’Oreal quads that you find in drugstores.
Picture above is without flash and I think it shows the true colors better.
I swatched a few colors and a blush.
Trusty pros and cons list!:
PROS:
- Lovely mix of colors
- Pigmentation is OK considering the price I paid
- Blushers were quite nice and flattering
- Sturdy-ish plastic case – the lippies and blushes can be slid back inside and you tote the whole thing around
CONS:
- My eyes turned itchy after application (uh oh)
- Smelt funny
- Colors are dull, so you’ll have to use a primer
- Textures on some shadows were nice and velvety, and on some it was really chalky
- Don’t think it’s really hygienic to leave the lip glosses uncovered. I haven’t swatched it and I don’t plan to
- Brushes are a throw-away. They’re disposable and very cheaply made
- EDIT: The ingredients are common for most eye shadow brands. However, I’m worried due to the amounts that may be in these cheap compacts. E.g. the mica amount as mentioned. The ingredients list is a bit worrying. Check out the ‘cones, the parabens, mineral oils and mica. Fun fact: mica is widely used in cosmetics as it imparts shimmer, and it is a naturally occurring group of silicate minerals. The US FDA regulates the level of heavy metals in mica (since it comes from the earth, and may contain trace amounts), but if it’s made in China, I wonder if the levels are regulated there.
In a nutshell, I wouldn’t recommend this, even when it’s dirt cheap. My eyes itched like dancing worms and although it stopped itching after I removed it, it scared me enough to not want to use it anymore. I might use this just to play around and improve my make-up skills, and then invest in purchasing good-quality shadows instead. Not-so-expensive lesson learnt, but it’s still RM30 and that’s like 7 lunches for me (yes, I am that cheap on most days).
belle de moiselle 
i really like nyx’s stuff. the colours can be more pigmented but i think it’s because i don’t use a primer and I’m darker. otherwise the quality is great for the price. especially when it’s on sale.
yeah. maybe i’ll get it on cherryculture or nonpareil. but the shipping is stupidly crazy expensive.
What a shame. I hope you didn’t pay too much for it, though!
Luckily it was only RM30, so that’s less than AUD10 🙂 Otherwise I wouldn’t have paid twice the price even just to hone my makeup skills.
Thanks fr the review. I always wondered the quality of this brand when I see it at strawberryNet….
Hi Lily, nice to see you! Thanks for stopping by. Please note that I could be one of the unlucky ones who developed an allergy to this. If you’re still curious and want to purchase, my recommendation would be to purchase it only when it’s dirt cheap and not when it’s at RM80 now.
Glad to read your posting on this. I think I got a free gift from strawberry.net that has similar packaging and colours as this. I can’t bring myself to use it as yah…”made in China”. No not politically insensitive, but being cautious.
However did swatch and play with eyeshadows but the colours are not pigmented and I stayed away from the powders and blushes. So guess this is going into a bin somewhere.
Hi Honey, thanks for stopping by. I think I remember which free gift it was. The thing is, many items are made in China and there are some great quality products (especially if they are branded and thus subject to higher quality control). But maybe take a look at the ingredients list and see if you’re allergic. I happen to be allergic and the smell kinda turned me off, but I’ll keep it just to play around with it 🙂
Hehe sorry sorry but I could never bring myself to even look at these although I’m glad you have shared a review but I’m not glad you developed an allergy. I’ve actually seen similar looking palettes disguised as “MAC”. Also easily seen at pasar malams. Guess its more or less the same thing 🙂
I’ve seen those MAC ones too :p ah what to do, a lesson learnt for me! Itchy fingers. I’m still wondering if I should just toss it into the trash.
Aiya…not good if it gives you the itch..but it looks rather pretty!
Hullo Ling! Yes, I am such a sucker!! When Paris said she saw the fake MACs that look like these, I was like, “Darn, it must’ve been produced in the same factory”. I think the smell you described on your Daiso lippie is what I was trying to get at.
thanks for the review! i have been seeing this on SN forever but never had the courage to buy even tho it was dirt cheap, and i am glad that i didnt. LOL
:p happy to be the guinea pig!
I have received 1 order from Strawberry.net today and is was concerned me when I cheked the product and wouldn not find where it made from, just jumped up there to research and find oue more, thanks for sharing, I won’t you it for myself. Cost me AUD12.00.. Ohoooo, lucky I did not pay much for stupid thing, but it cost for good lesson anywise. 🙂
Thank you so much for the review. I was thinking to get one since they’re so cheap, but wondered how pigmented the shadows were, and now I’ve got the answer. Thanks xoxo