I call this terrific tiny taupe my “Speed Racer shadow,” because it dries f-a-s-t, and because I can never remember what it’s actually called, haha.
But seriously, it’s Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow in L-54, a $25 cream shadow (0.16-oz tube) in MUFE’s Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow line.
In a nutshell, I 
it, despite the fact that it dries very quickly, which I normally wouldn’t be into because I like having time to play and blend and move stuff around, but it depends on my mood. Lately I’ve been into doing super fast eye makeup, which these are great for.
I dunno, it’s weird… I feel like I finally found my calling, like THIS was the reason I was put on this earth, to figure out every available path to putting on makeup in 10 or 15 minutes, and then spilling the beans about it.
Anyway, random tangent, LOL! What was I saying again…?
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.
Oh, yeah, Speed Racer, a.k.a L-54, dries extremely quickly, but there’s something about that luster, which is sort of halfway between a shimmer and a matte, that still gives you enough time to move it around and blend it without any brouhaha, even though in real time it sets in less than a minute. Literally, 60 seconds is all you get before it sets, but you don’t need more time than that, because this thing is genius.
The slanted tip looks a little like a lip balm, so don’t go fumbling around for it in the dark and try to apply it when you can’t see what you’re doing, because you might actually put it on your lips.
For defined, yet natural-looking lids that glow, I’ll gently squeeze the tube and dab it directly on my lids (no primer) as close to my lash line as possible. Then I smooth out the edges with a finger, concentrating the color by my lashes, but then I also pull a little bit out and up at the corners for a slight lift.
Then I’ll tight line, apply some mascara, and that’s it. Eyes DONE in two minutes!
Obvs, you can use this as a base for powder eyeshadows, too, and it plays well with lots of MAC classics, like Woodwinked, Satin Taupe and Club. And Mulch looks really pretty on top of it. Those are my faves to use it with, but any sort of brown, bronze or taupe works well.
Try it one of these days. There are many other colors and finishes in the same MUFE formula, but L-54 is the one I love and use the most.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
