Lidstar liquid eyeshadow seems to be one of Glossier’s most divisive products. Personally, I’m a Lidstar loyalist, and I wear my Lidstars especially often in the summer. A sheer, shimmery, sweat-and-humidity-proof wash of color is my ideal eyeshadow look, and that’s exactly what Lidstar provides. But the original Lidstar shade lineup, released in early 2018 (see my review of Cub, Fawn, and Moon here), was undeniably odd. It skewed toward cool tones, offering a lavender and a green but no brown or bronze. Glossier finally corrected that deficiency last month, introducing two new shades: Bun, “a soft champagne with gold shimmer,” and Branch, “a rich bronze with gold pearl.” I would have been remiss not to order both, don’t you agree?

The Lidstars come in clear plastic test-tube-style bottles with millennial-pink caps and tiny doefoot applicators. I should note that the caps have cracked on a few of my older Lidstars, which is unsightly but doesn’t seem to have affected the performance of the product. Still, you’d expect sturdier packaging from an $18 eyeshadow.

By the way, I noticed recently that you can put together any two Lidstar shade names to produce a phrase that looks like it came from the Hipster Business Name Generator. Branch & Bun: a lumberjack-themed bakery. Cub & Fawn: a forest-themed children’s boutique. Herb & Moon: a Wiccan-themed marijuana dispensary.

I was worried that Bun and Branch would be almost identical in color (as usual, the swatches on Glossier’s website weren’t terribly helpful), but they’re quite different. Bun is a light-medium gold with small shimmer particles that blend smoothly into the formula; Branch is a dark reddish bronze with a thinner formula and larger, sparser sparkles of gold and copper. Bun on left, Branch on right; first photo in direct sunlight, second photo in shade. They’re both dried down in these photos.

Here they are blended out; the sparkles in Branch (top) are larger and more spread-out than in Bun, so the formula looks less cohesive.

And here are Bun and Branch with my entire Lidstar collection (the only shades I don’t have are Herb and Moon), photographed in direct sun. L-R: Slip, Bun, Branch, Cub, Fawn, Lily:

I have a couple of eyeshadows that resemble Branch in color, but no near-dupes for Bun, which surprised me. Bun is a neutral gold, leaning more yellow than my bronze and taupe shades, but much less yellow than the shimmers in ColourPop Uh-Huh Honey. L-R: taupe shade from Wet n Wild Plaid to the Bone, ABH Antique Bronze, Bun, Branch, Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze, ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Muse.

All of the Lidstars I’ve tried, including Branch and Bun, have a thin, moussey texture that dries down in under a minute and is totally waterproof, not budging until I use my oil-based makeup remover. However, some Lidstar shades are more problematic than others. Bun, like Cub and Fawn, is pigmented enough that I can apply and blend it with my fingers and stop at just one layer. Branch is more like Slip and Lily: because it’s sheerer, I have to swipe it across my lid with the doefoot applicator, blend it out with a brush, and apply a second layer once the first is dry.

Here I am wearing Bun; this is two layers, though one layer looks more or less the same. On my pale, cool-toned skin, Bun reads as a subtle but noticeable gold. It works well with both warm- and cool-toned makeup looks, and because it takes just seconds to apply, I have a feeling I’ll be wearing it constantly this summer. In fact, it may have replaced Slip as my favorite Lidstar!

And here I am wearing two layers of Branch. It’s a little too dark to be an all-over lid shade for me unless I’m going for a smoky effect, and it looks slightly patchy up close. Because the sparkles in Branch are quite large, there’s also some glitter fallout, which I’ve never noticed with any of my other Lidstar shades. However, if the other Lidstars are insufficiently sparkly for your tastes, Branch might be a good choice for you.

Finally, here I am today, wearing Bun and Branch together. This is the first time in weeks that I’ve worn a bold, opaque lipstick, and I feel really weird!!! (The lipstick is NARS Red Square, of course.) Yikes, I need a haircut. I tried to schedule one last week, but it seems that everyone else in Ohio needs a haircut, too.

Close-up of Branch as an outer-corner accent for Bun (I struggle to avoid getting liquid eyeshadow on my lashes, alas):

If you’re on board with the whole Lidstar concept—that is, if your taste in eye makeup runs to the lazy and the slightly messy-looking—then I’d recommend Bun very enthusiastically and Branch a little less so. I hope Glossier continues to expand the Lidstar shade range, perhaps with a plum shade or some more pastels!