I hated this shadow. The great color impression provided by the window really appealed to me but the pressed loose powder formula with that extra gray piece made absolutely no sense to me. When I opened it powder exploded everywhere and got all over my hands and my dresser. For this shade in particular, the color payoff was completely different than the name and the impression. There as nothing Plum about this shadow- it when on closer to a browny black than a plum. Very disappointed and won't be buying again.

I have only used smoldering plum once, so far not impressed. The color in the container looks exactly what the name says, a smoldering plum. Once on the eye it looks like a grey like black. I was very disappointed. I am hoping once I play with it a little more I will be able to obtain that gorgeous color.

This color is beautiful shade of black/plum when on you eye can look like any color including dark brown, black or plum or any mix of those color especially depending on the base underneath.I can't stress the base enough I wish I had that figured out much faster.
I can agree that this color can be a little hard to work with esp with too much blending is can get really muddy and not be very attractive.
Once you find the right brush to apply the product(which is key).If you use a flat eyeshadow brush you get way too much product on your eye your better with a blending brush to apply.. It can look really pretty with a neutral color on your eyelid.
Keep the stopper you'll need it if it gets unpressed
If you like to throw colors on and walk out the door this product probably isn't for you.

i got this shade because it got a glowing review on a certain beauty blog. and i already had another shade from this line that i LOVED because of its rich pigmentation, limited fallout, value, and staying power. i found that smoldering plum was a little too heavy on the smolder and light on the plum. in the pot, it looks like a deep plum with a lovely shimmery/metallic finish. when applied, it looks like a weak black with only little hints of purple if you look at it from certain angles. if you brush it on several times, you can build to a richer shade, but compared to the other infallible shades, it leaves a bit to be desired.

Smoldering plum sounds like it would be a lovely, smoky plum color right? The sort of shade we all seek out but never quite find? But instead of the gorgeously shimmery eggplant shade you see in the container, on the eyelid this is practically matte and not really purple at all.

It is more of a gray/brown color and while it isn't the worst for a smokey look, it isn't what it claims to be, which is disappointing. Blendability is lacking, shimmer is lacking, color is lacking (which is not to say the pigmentation sucks. The pigmentation is good, but it's not the right color).

I really loved this line's Golden Emerald, so I had high hopes for this - and it failed to meet expectations.

The only Infallible eye shadow I have that I don’t like :( I had high hopes for this since I love my other Infallibles, and I love purple shades, but I just can’t get a good application from this one. It looks sooooo pretty in the pot, a deep purple-plum with golden flecks. But on my lids it just shows up as a blackened purple. The texture is nice, it's like a pressed loose-powder, and the lasting power is impressive. But this shade is so dark & pigmented that it just looks splotchy and uneven when I apply with my fingertip (my preferred method for applying the Infallible shadows). I’ve tried just sort of ‘packing’ it on with a stiff smudge brush, and also a lighter application with my ELF eyeshadow brush, but either way I get a ton of fall out. No matter what I’ve tried, this just ends up looking messy and dirty on me. While this particular shade was a ‘miss’ for me, this is not a good indication of the Infallible shadow line as a whole (I love Bronzed Taupe, Gleaming Bronze, and Iced Latte). While I wouldn’t repurchase this particular shade, I still would like to try others in this line. continued >>

I lvoe these L'Oreal Infallible shadows and have almost everyone shade they have released so far. They have some really beautiful shades, they wear well and are reasonably priced.

My biggest complaint about these shadows is that they seem to easily break apart. I can't tell you how many times I have opened one to use it, only to find it has broken up into chunks and shadow dust.....very frustrating. While I will mostly continue to purchase these, I am determined to find another shadow that I like just as much but isn't as fragile.

Not impressed with this shadow. Its almost like a cream-powder. The color payoff is decent but its a pain to blend. A patchy mess, better off shelling out the extra bucks for MAC shadows.

I am a blue-eyed NW10 (NW20 in the summers when tanning from a bottle).

I really like the shadows from this product line. However, Smoldering Plum was a disappointment.

Color: this looks more like a dark grape than a reddish plum upon application. It is unflattering as it made my eyes look small and less bright, and it totally emphasized my under eye circles. I was sad :(

Formula: This shadow goes on very pigmented, and while it is not chalky, it very difficult to blend. I spent at least 5 minutes on each eye with my MAC blending brushes, but it still looked like I either blended the entire shadow away (without primer) or the shadow lines would not budge (with primer).

Fall out: there is a little fall out, but not much considering it is a loose shadow. Could be much worse.

Longevity: When I used it with UDPP, it lasted for 18 hours. No creasing, no fading. When I used it without primer, the shadow did not crease (as many of mine do), but it did fade.

Really disappointed by this shadow. Smoldering Plum is a misnomer. There is nothing plum about this color. In the jar it looks very plum colored, more red than purple,which is what I was looking for. I tried it out and was surprised to see it turn a dark brownish grey on my skin. Try as I might, I see not a hint of plum once it's on my skin :( It's actually pretty ugly. Smooth color, nice shimmer, I might try another color in this line, but the plum is a fail!