e.l.f. Studio Prism Eyeshadow {Review}

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Overview

Rating: 4.5/5 stars ★★★★☆
Price: $10 USD
Palettes Available: Smoke, Sunset, Naked
Where to Buy: eyeslipsface.com

I finally broke down and got myself the Naked palette. Er, not that Naked palette! The new Studio Prism Eyeshadow Palette in Naked!

I hadn’t planned to make an e.l.f. order, but when the 50% of Studio sale popped up, I nabbed the Prism Eyeshadow Palette in Sunset and Naked.

I apologize in advance for the photos and the obviously used palettes. I thought everything was fine when I first photographed the newly opened, pristine palettes. It was not until I went to edit the photos that I discovered every single one of them was blurry. I had already swatched and used the palettes several times by then.

This is a product I am totally in love with. I don’t think I’ve been this excited about a makeup product since I got my hands on the e.l.f. Studio Baked Palette. However, the metallic nature of the shades, to the point of being frosty, reduces the rating from 5 stars to 4.5.

I do think the palette is slightly overpriced when compared to the e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadow Palettes that are at the same price point. A more reasonable price per palette would be $8 instead of the current $10 e.l.f. charges. While I feel the price is a little on the high side, I don’t get the complaints. Have you seen how much drugstore makeup costs these days? Ten bucks for an eyeshadow palette is not expensive.

Packaging

The Prism Eyeshadows are housed in the traditional black casings of the e.l.f. Studio lines. The packaging is closer to that of the squared edge Baked Eyeshadow Palettes than the traditional rounded edge compacts.

Packaging of the e.l.f. Studio Prism Eyeshadows

It is a long, sleek back case with a large mirror and a recessed well for a double-ended sponge applicator. I didn’t used either of them, but the applicator in the “Naked” palette came apart and left glue all over the applicator well and mirror. Needless to say, I threw out that applicator.

Formulation

The formulation is near perfect. Very smooth and silky, creamy, and did I mention? Pigmented. Even though I mentioned that they’re creamy, I wouldn’t say they feel like a cream shadow, as e.l.f. claims. That’s a good thing since I dislike cream shadows.

The eyeshadows are generally metallic, though some come off highly frosty. Due to the pigmentation and consistency, you can achieve detailed eye looks. A lot of e.l.f. shadows once applied do not have a much definition which results in a soft look. These shadows don’t do that.

Despite all the micro-glitter, I haven’t had any trouble with fall out.

You can also use these shadows wet, but I found that I didn’t see much difference because they already look sorta foiled when applied dry.

Shades

There are currently three palettes available, but I only picked up Sunset and Naked. The Smoke palette is much too jewel toned for me.

Top: e.l.f Studio Prism Eyeshadow in Sunset
Bottom: e.l.f. Studio Prism Eyeshadow in Naked

Sunset

This palette was a risk because some of the colors were on the cooler side of the spectrum and I wasn’t convinced I could pull them off.

e.l.f. Studio Prism Eyeshadow in Sunset

As expected, this palette doesn’t work for me as well as the Naked version, but there are some nice neutrals.

Close up of the e.l.f. Studio Prism Eyeshadow in Sunset

It’s reminiscent of Pacifica’s Enlighten Eye Shadow Palette in terms of shade variation.

Naked

Personally, I think it’s too shimmery to really be called “naked”.

e.l.f. Studio Prism Eyeshadow in Naked

I’m not sure I can adequately convey how much I love this palette.

The two darkest shades on the right of the palette are deceptive. They don’t seem that dark, but when you swatch them, wow, are they pigmented. It’s probably because the shadows are highly reflective that they appear lighter than they are.

Close up of the e.l.f. Studio Prism Eyeshadow in Naked

Theoretically you can use the palette to create a single eye look, but the white comes off really frosty. I prefer to use some other matte shadow as a highlighter instead.

Images

Final Thoughts

Pros: Great pigmentation, beautiful shades
Cons: All shades are very frosty, a little pricey

I love, love the Prism Eyeshadows and highly recommend them. We all know that e.l.f historically has a bad track record with eyeshadows, but they really came through with the Prism palettes.

Since it is moderately pricey, I recommend snagging it during a sale.