Unsung Makeup Heroes: Clinique Fuller Fudge

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

It doesn’t get speedier than this: Clinique Fuller Fudge.

Mmm, fudge… Now I want some See’s Candies. 😊

Sorry! Sidetracked!

Anywho… I’ve talked about Clinique’s line of twist-up cream shadows before, but this shade — this one — is my favorite because it’s highly compatible with my lifestyle these days, and by that I’m talking about 10-minute makeup, which is just about all I do these days (maybe 15 minute makeup on a good day!).

The funny thing about this $18.50 shadow (well, funny to me) is that whenever I wear it, I get questions like, “What are you wearing on your lids? Is that a palette? Are you wearing a mix of creams and powders?”

People always assume I’m wearing something more complicated than it is, but nawwwww, it’s just Fuller Fudge. It just so happens to be fab.

It’s a one-stop smoky lid shop, the most delicious warm dark brown with enough soft shimmer in it to keep things from falling flat. When I wear it, I usually do a few swipes directly on my bare lids, then blend out the edges with a finger, or sometimes I’ll dip a 217 into whatever bronzer I plan to wear that day and use that instead.

A few windshield wiper motions here, a swish there, and voila! — I’ve buffed my way to elegant smoky lids that I can wear to pretty much anywhere, with pretty much any cheek and lip colors.

Yeah, this is one of those makeup miracles that works with warm and cool cheeks and lips.

Fuller Fudge feels similar to the NUDESTIX and NARS shadow sticks. Like them, it’s slightly dry, but not as dry as Sephora’s. You get from 2-3 minutes before the cream completely dries, so you aren’t forced to blend like your life depends on it. You have enough time to play, but you don’t have forever.

I appreciate this since it prompts me to get the job done quicker, ya know?

Even better still, this shadow is sheerer than similar shadow sticks, which means that even if I completely muck things up and draw the color up too high or too far out on one eye, it’s not *that* obvious, so you get lots of leeway for imperfection = BONUS!

And, ya know, when I’m doing 5- or 10-minute makeup, I don’t even aim for Insta-glam levels of picture-perfect lids. Pretty good, or even halfway decent, is fine by me these days because, honestly, even though I know I know I could do a better job given more time, I don’t want to spend two hours on my makeup anymore. At least not often. I’m perfectly happy wearing just a bit of something for some extra oomph, and this sensational stick of shimmery brown takes all the effort out of smoky eyes.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen