The Kosas 10-Second Eyeshadow Made Me Completely Rethink Liquid Shadow

Ordinarily, I'm not a huge fan of liquid eye shadows. I find that many of them crease, are too sheer, and flake off once dry. That's why I was surprised to find a collection I actually want to add to my already-packed daily makeup bag. When the Kosas 10-Second Eyeshadow [1] ($28) first crossed my desk in the shades Element, Waterfall, and Fahrenheit, I was intrigued by the watery texture and "shake well" instructions on the frosted tube.

The unique consistency was enough to convince me to give the category another try. Read what I thought, ahead.

The Kosas 10-Second Eyeshadow Formula

I was immediately drawn to the Waterfall shade, a pearly light blue. It needed a good shake to mix the pigment with the liquid in the formula, but applied blue in one swipe to my lids. The flexible and flat doe-foot applicator made applying the shadow easy, and I was able to create a precise shape using the side of the applicator. While it did take a little to dry (it's very wet), once it set, the eye shadow didn't transfer, smear, or flake. I was able to apply my go-to liquid eyeliner on top of it without messing up the pigment as well.

Kosas 10-Second Eyeshadow on the Author

Later in the day, I decided to see if I could layer the shades. I opted to put the warm purple shade Fahrenheit in the crease and blended it out with a tapered brush. I loved the diffused, watercolor-like finish this gave my eye look with very minimal effort. Adding the additional shade didn't make the first blue one patchy, and the two blended together seamlessly. Next, I placed a third copper shade, Element, beneath my eye and blended out with a brush in mere seconds. Plus, since these are liquids, I didn't have to worry about shadow fall out beneath my eyes. I was surprised to find that the eye shadows didn't smudge, crease, or fade throughout the day, making it a total makeup home run.

Read on to see all of the shades.