Product Review- e.l.f. Baked Eyeshadow

e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadow Review


From the Brand:  The silky and blendable formula of our Baked Eyeshadow provides smooth and even application with each sweep of color. Baked in an oven, these eyeshadows offer rich pigmentation for a beautiful effect. Infused with active key ingredients Jojoba, Rose, Sunflower, Apricot and Grape to nourish and hydrate the skin. The long-lasting and shimmering color can be worn wet for a vibrant effect or dry for sheer pigmentation, offering a variety of gorgeous eye looks!

Retails for:  $3.00 each for single shadows, $10.00 for 10 pan palette


Where to Buy:  eyeslipsface.com, Select Target stores (singles only, limited shades)


My Thoughts:  I absolutely adore these eyeshadows!  I can't believe the quality you get for only $3.  This is definitely one of the best e.l.f. products they make.  Sometimes it can be hit or miss, and typically I'm not a fan of their pressed eyeshadows.  These, however, are a different story. These are much more pigmented, and the color payoff is both brighter and longer lasting.  I also find little to no fallout at all from these.

I have three different colors, although I only showed two in this photograph.  I first heard about these from a video by Emily from Beauty Broadcast on YouTube.  (I caution you if you watch her videos, you're going to be making a list for the drugstore so you can go shopping!  This woman is the queen of finding the best low-budget products, and she's probably the reason I have so many drugstore brands in my bathroom now.  Which if you'd asked me a year ago, I'd have told you I hate drugstore brands!)  She recommended the three colors I picked up, but after trying them out I think I'm going to go back and get the palette next. 

The colors shown in the photo are Toasted and Burnt Plum.  The other color I have at home is Bark.

I've only tried them dry, but since it's a baked eyeshadow (which is almost the same thing as a pressed pigment in my opinion, since they're a much more concentrated color than a traditional pressed eyeshadow) they can be used with a damp brush for even more concentrated color.

Final Verdict:  They're really missing out on huge profits only charging $3 for these!  In a blind test, I'd guess they were a much more prestige brand based on the quality of the shadows.

**Disclaimer:  This article contains affiliate links.  As with all my articles, the opinions expressed herein are fully my own.  For more information on my policies, please view my Let's Chat page.

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette Review

 Smashbox Full Exposure Palette Review



From the Brand:   
What it is:
A set of universally awesome neutrals that’s essential, effortless, and enhanced for your eye shape.

What it does:
This totally versatile palette is organized with crease-resistant, long-wearing shimmers in the top row and velvety smooth mattes along the bottom. Fourteen essential neutral shades include a range of nudes, blacks, shimmers, and mattes. Use the brilliant eye shape chart, dual-ended brush, and Full Exposure Mascara to complete any look.

This set contains:
- 0.035 oz x 7 eye shadow in shimmer shades (top row): Chocolate Brown with Golden Pearl, Deep Golden Brown with Gold Pearl, Soft Gold with Gold and Silver Pearl, Light Tan with Gold and Silver Pearl, Golden Wheat with Gold Pearl, Midtone Slate with Silver Pearl, Rich Grey with Multicolor and Silver Pearl
- 0.035 oz x 7 eye shadow in matte shades (bottom row): Matte Warm Chocolate Brown, Matte Midtone Brown, Soft Matte Midtone Tan, Creamy Matte Beige, Soft Light Taupe, Ashy Dark Brown, Suede Black
- 0.14 oz Full Exposure Mascara deluxe sample
- Get-the-look eye shape chart

What else you need to know:
Smashbox has taken the guesswork out of application with a cool, new dual-ended brush. There’s a fluffy end perfect for blending matte shades and a flat end to easily lay down the shimmer shades without sparkle overload. Plus, it’s double-sided with black bristles on one side and white on the other, so you’ll never accidentally dip a light shade into a dark shade.


Retails for:  $49.00


Where to Buy:  Sephora stores and Sephora.com, Ulta stores and Ulta.com


My Thoughts:  If you’ve read my review of the Lorac PRO Palette, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of palettes that have coordinating matte and shimmer shadows.  For each shade from soft nude to deep smokey, you get a matte version and a shimmer version in their amazingly pigmented eyeshadow formula.  I love this palette so much it’s joining my Lorac one in my professional kit.  (I’ll be popping off the heavy mirror though to cut down on weight.)  Not only do you get both matte and shimmer of each shade, the left half of the palette is more warm yellow based browns, and the right half is more cool grey based browns and a black, so no matter how you like to do your nude makeup, there’s a perfect shade for your style.

The formula of these shadows is super soft with very little fallout.  However, on first application with it I did find that the mattes are a bit dry looking on the skin and can get a little muddy when blended together.  I’d recommend using at least one of the shimmery shades with the mattes so that you aren’t looking very dated in your look.  In my video review, I’ll show you the shades I used to create the look I’m wearing.

The staying power is fantastic.  Over a primer, you’ll easily get 15 hours or more.  It also comes with a travel size Full Exposure mascara to complete the look.  I love to use the deep matte black shadow pressed over a black pencil liner to give it ultimate staying power and to soften it up a bit for a sexy look.

The highlight of this set is that it comes with a great dual ended shadow brush to give you a variety of looks.  This little baby is staying with me though!  I’ll have to slip a brush guard over one end to store it in my brush cup on the bathroom counter, but it’ll be a huge travel friendly space-saver come Christmas time when we go home to Florida for the holidays.


Final Verdict:  Great palette at a great price.  Very versatile, and cuts down on products when you travel!

**Disclaimer: As with all my product reviews, I was not paid by the cosmetic company to provide feedback or review/promote their products. All the opinions expressed in this article are my own. These items were purchased with my own money. For more information on my policies, please view my Let's Chat page.

Product Review- Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen

Pixi Beauty Lid Last Shadow Pen


From the Brand:

What it is formulated to do:
This chubby crayon glides on, leaving lids smooth and glowing all day long. Light-reflecting pigments brighten for a soft-focus effect. Gorgeous shades are multi-purpose and can be used as eyeshadows, liners, or highlighters depending on the color chosen. Super low-maintentance and easy to apply - no brushes needed!

Beneficial ingredients and what they do:

• Vitamin E nourishes and protects
• Peptides plump fine lines

Retails for:  $18.00


Where to Buy:  PixiBeauty.com, Select Target Locations


My Thoughts:  Oh, my goodness!  I'm in love with these eyeshadow sticks!  I've used a ton of different brands of eyeshadow pencils before from drugstore brands like Rimmel to NYX to higher end brands like Tarte and Smashbox, and these are the best quality per price.  I've only tried the one color, but I intend to stock up and buy some more soon.  It glides on so smoothly, and there's a lot of pigment to it.  I can sheer it out with a brush {I just use my fingertip} or keep it ultra pigmented by layering the color with 2-3 swipes.  It stays on nicely without creasing, and it really grips my eyeshadow for a super dense color that lasts all day.  It's been the perfect base for a smokey eye.  It feels great on the skin and don't feel drying at all.  I love that it can double as an eyeliner as well, although I find that it doesn't wear very well on the waterline at all.  I plan on picking up a more nude color for highlighting, so that may work better on the waterline for when a less saturated color is good for brightening things up a bit.


Final Verdict:  My favorite eyeshadow crayon to date!

**Disclaimer:  This article contains affiliate links.  As with all my articles, the opinions expressed herein are fully my own.  For more information on my policies, please view my Let's Chat page.

Product Review- ColorEvolution Eye Color Stacks

Here's another of my great finds from IBS NYC!  I've been wanting to get more into using pigments and loose eyeshadows, and I was excited to see that at IBS there were a few companies there that specialized in them.  After careful consideration, the company ColorEvolution won me over simply based on price.  I tested all the products, and it just seemed to me that they were really all the same.  ColorEvolution's loose pigments were really dense in color, and used wet they are really intense.  I purchased four stacks of colors, and I got a little baggie with lip gloss base, nail polish base, and eyeshadow primer in it along with my colors for free.

Loose pigments and eyeshadows can be used in multiple ways, regardless of the brand they are made by.  Using them dry will give a sheerer wash of color that can be built up.  It's best to use them over an eyelid primer so that the loose powders have something to stick to.  To build up the intensity of the color, you can use a colored primer that matches or compliments the color of the loose pigment.

They an also be used wet to make the color super intense, and for metallic colors give the effect of liquified metal on the lids.  The best method for this is similar to when nail techs apply the acrylic powder to fake nails.  The wet the brush and pick up a bit of the powder with the tip.  Then, they allow the liquid to be absorbed by the powder and turn into a bit of a paste.  You can do this with water or another liquid and your loose pigments.  Once the color has turned to a paste consistency, you can pat it onto the lid and stroke it over the area you want the color to be.  The more powder you pick up, the more you will be applying, so start with just a little and do a very thin layer.  The color is already going to be very intense just because it's wet.  Keep in mind that once the water evaporates, you'll be left with all that eyeshadow on your lid, and it can smear all over if there's too much and no primer underneath.  I prefer instead of water to use Graftobian Magic Set, as it will make the loose pigment smudge and water resistant.  I use it on set all the time for their metallic powders for special effects.

Here are swatches wet and dry of the colors I purchased.  The individual colors don't have names.  They all come in predetermined stacks, and the stacks themselves are named.  They can be purchased online at: www.colorevolution.com

Double Date

A rainbow of colors, most of these are a slight duochrome in effect.  You can see the original pots of color in the background and how they change just slightly.  Top is the pigments dry.  Bottom is applied wet.

Garnet

Half browns and half blues, these colors apply a lot darker when wet than they appear in the pots.  The lighting changed on me for this photo, so you can't quite tell but the far left color is a wine based brown. So gorgeous!

Bronze Baby

Top photo is the colors applied dry.  Bottom is of the colors applied wet.  This is the PERFECT stack for people who love neutrals but want something that's a bit "more" than everyday browns.  There's everything from light champagne to brilliant gold to ruddy copper and aged bronze.

Rainstorm- Not swatched

Overall, I really love the colors in these stacks and am extremely please with my purchase.  I can definitely see myself using just about any of them, even the really intense colors, and I'd definitely repurchase!

**Disclaimer: As with all my product reviews, I was not paid by the cosmetic company to provide feedback or review/promote their products.  All the opinions expressed in this article are my own.  These items were purchased with my own money.