The idea behind this post is related to a Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Quad that I bought a while back, in the shade 9 Medusa. I ordered it from an official stockist and have no doubt it’s genuine, however it arrived with a pretty weird smell … It’s hard to describe it, since it wasn’t a rancid smell – but it still was peculiar and quite unpleasant, chemical almost. I didn’t return it in time and it’s been lying around since, which is a pity since the shades are absolutely stunning… The combination of shadows in the quad is perhaps one of my favorites.
So I thought about what to do. I wasn’t 100% comfortable using it, but I didn’t want it to let it go to waste either. So after some googling, I came across a bunch of videos like the one below. Essentially, the recommendation is to simply spritz the eyeshadow with alcohol.
So I decided to give it a shot. After all, I didn’t have much to lose, since either this was going to work, or it would ruin an eyeshadow that was already in a weird state – so, not much of a loss. I grabbed an empty atomizer bottle I happened to have, I filled it with some alcohol, and gave the Armani palette a really good spritz until it really seemed wet. After that I left it alone for a couple of days, semi-open to air dry.
I then did a look with it, which, much to my surprise, worked out quite well. In fact, the shadows became a bit more pigmented and creamier than they were before being spritzed with alcohol. Strange…! The original smell was still there, but it was much less intense than previously.
Here is the eye look I created with this quad, while we’re at it. These pics were taken after it had dried, some with and some without flash:
Verdict: Overall, I’d say this method worked really well to save this quad from impending doom, and I will now feel safer about using it. Ideally though, I think you shouldn’t have to do this, and if anything seems weird about a luxury item, by far the best option is to just return it… In my case, this will have to be a lesson for the future. Also, it is hard to say if this will work on any formula for eyeshadow – but when it comes to deciding between the bin and giving something another chance, I say it is well worth a try at least.
What about you, have you ever used this method before?
Lex
The Cat's Eye 