Review: e.l.f. Studio Pigment Eyeshadow in Golden Goddess

Hey Beauties!

I’m really excited to be reviewing this Studio Pigment Eyeshadow from e.l.f. because pigments are EVERYWHERE at the moment, in many different Summer beauty collections. The great thing about these little dynamos is that they are really versatile and can be used for a number of different looks, subtle or striking.

eyes lips face, or e.l.f., is a beauty brand that has a very low price point. Most of their products are in the $1 – $10 range and in this case a low price point doesn’t mean low quality. The quality on the e.l.f. products I’ve tried is actually pretty good. I’ve also read some great things about this pigment on the e.l.f. website.

That being said, does this Studio Pigment Eyeshadow live up to the hype?

e.l.f.’s Studio line is marketed as more for professional use and is a bit more expensive than their Essentials line (although at around $3 a product it’s still not breaking the bank).

From the e.l.f. website:
Color Golden Goddess
Price $3.00
Weight 0.05oz/1.5g
Create a bold and beautiful statement with these jewel-toned, multi-dimensional pigments that impart lustrous high-color payoff and long-lasting wear. The buildable, powdery-fine formula blends seamlessly for ease of application and can be layered for a variety of looks. From soft and neutral to strikingly colorful these six silky and shimmery shades compliment every eye color for a fun, flirty look. Includes Eyeshadow Brush.
Ingredients:
Mica, Nylon-12, Born Nitdide, Silica, Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate. 
MAY CONTAIN: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Red 40 Lake (CI 16035), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Blue 1 Lake (CI 77742), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77077)

The pot is a bulky plastic square, which isn’t really very pretty, but it’s sturdy with a twist-off lid. It has a plastic cap seal with holes in it so you can shake out as much of the powder as you need, but it’s not in very securely so just be aware of that when you’re using it (in other words don’t tip it upside down and shake it vigorously). I think I will probably just take it off and dip my brush straight into the powder because it’s easier. Speaking of brushes, the one they include is a bit too small and kind of useless so I just use my regular eyeshadow brushes with this. I think they’d be better off not wasting the extra plastic for the brush, because unless you’re a makeup novice who doesn’t own any brushes I can’t really see anyone using this one.

Natural light

With flash

Look at all that molten gold shimmery goodness! It looks like real gold flakes, I love it :)
This pigment eyeshadow can be used wet or dry. It is more pigmented when applied wet and seems to stay in place better. Used wet, it would be good for a solid block of colour, or to line with a liner brush. Used dry it is a really soft, blendable powder and would be good for a sheer wash of gold, layering over other colours or blending other shadows out.

Natural light: Wet/Dry

With flash: Wet/Dry

Blurry natural light: Wet/Dry

Blurry with flash: Wet/Dry

In the blurry shots you can see that when used dry there are little sparkly bits of glitter that flash green, gold and pinkish. It’s very subtle but pretty.

I noticed that when wet, the pigment didn’t blend out as much. This suggests to me that it’ll stay in place longer and is less likely to crease. I would still use a good eyeshadow primer though. Blended out, the dry pigment went extremely sheer and could be easily overblended. I’d use a light hand when blending it out or you might end up with nothing! It would be good for layering, as I said before.

Blended out: Wet/Dry

Overall

Pros:

• inexpensive product
• very versatile, can be used wet or dry
• GORGEOUS shade. I love those little glitter flecks. I’d say this would look good on any skintone, because you can layer it as much or as little as you want.
• Very smooth and blendable
• Extremely pigmented but can be blended out to look more sheer

Cons:

• The brush is useless.
• Packaging isn’t very pretty
• The inner cap comes off easily so if you’re not careful you could end up covered in product.

Timesaver/Moneysaver?
Moneysaver. This is SOOO cheap at $3. I’m going to get one in every colour.


Want/Need/No Thanks?
This is a NEED for me. I don’t have many other pigments in my collection yet, so I’m loving this low price, high quality version.

FYI Coupon Code: Right now on the e.l.f. website, Buy 1 item and get the 2nd item for 50% Off! Use code MEMHALF on orders $25 and over. Some exclusions apply. Ends 5/30!

Disclosure: This product was sent to me for review, but my opinion is 100% my own.