Pros: Decent pigmentation, vibrant shades
Cons: Probably not appropriate for tweens, no neutral shades

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Sugarkiss was alive and kicking at Toys R Us (and also Target, to a small degree). For those of you who haven’t heard of Sugarkiss, it was a line of makeup aimed at tweens (i.e., tons of glitter products) until e.l.f. discontinued it a couple years ago.

One of the products I was most interested in was the Beauty Book: Bright Eyes Edition. The Beauty Books are one of my favorite products by e.l.f. and those vibrant rainbow shades were calling my name. This product was originally available at Toys R Us stores, but I couldn’t find it at mine and resorted to ordering it online.

Beauty Book: Bright Eyes Edition

Rating: B+
Price Tag: $5 USD
Shades Available: 1 palette
Weight: 12 g
Where to Buy: ToysRUs.com

Though this palette is technically aimed at tweens, I’m not sure how many parents would be comfortable letting their kids wear bright orange and vivid blue to middle school.

I’m not sure how many adults would feel comfortable wearing bright orange and vivid blue out in public.

Packaging

The Beauty Book is constructed from the same cardboard and foam as the regular e.l.f. versions. The main difference is that this Beauty Book is a 1.5 cm shorter height-wise and 2.5 cm shorter width-wise than previous versions.

Back of Sugarkiss by e.l.f. Beauty Book: Bright Eyes Edition

On the inside is a quick, not very informative, tutorial on how to apply the eyeshadow, while left side houses the 12 pans of eyeshadow and two applicator wells. Normally there is an applicator and eyeliner pencil in each Beauty Book, but here we only have two double-tipped sponge applicators.

Inside of Sugarkiss by e.l.f. Beauty Book: Bright Eyes Edition

The weight, at 12 g, is the same as the Essential Beauty Book Eye Sets, but contains less product than the 9 pan Essential Beauty School Eyeshadow Book (review here) at 18 g. In other words, the Sugarkiss by e.l.f. Beauty Book has 1/3 less product compared to earlier palettes. The Beauty Book also lacks a mirror, eye pencil, or the Essential Eyelid Primer (my review here) from previous versions. Yet all of the Beauty Books have cost $5 USD.

Height difference between the Sugarkiss by e.l.f. Beauty Book and the previous e.l.f. Beauty Books.
Note the lack of a spine title.

One aspect I really don’t like about this Beauty Book is that there isn’t a title on the spine. It is my only book that doesn’t have one.

Formulation

I was surprised at the color payoff of these shadows. Considering it’s e.l.f. we’re talking about here, and really vibrant shades, I was expecting to be disappointed. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and pigmentation.

Swatches of Sugarkiss by e.l.f. Beauty Book: Bright Eyes Edition

Obviously the shadows aren’t as well pigmented as say, something from Sugarpill (or so I’ve read), but they work very well for a $5 dollar product.

Shades

Fun fact. The Pantone Color of the Year for 2014 is Dazzling Blue and it’s in this palette. Well, close enough.

There are twelve rainbow shades in the palette. Sadly, the palette is not presented in color order. Why do manufacturers habitually make this blunder?

Close up of Sugarkiss by e.l.f. Beauty Book: Bright Eyes Edition

Technically, the shadows are pearl, since there is a noticeable sheen in the pan, but most apply like a matte. There are no noticeable shimmers and definitely no glitter flakes.

The most neutral you’re gonna get is the coral and the yellow. Everything else is not work safe. What surprised me most was how well the greens worked my skin tone. I have warm undertones and greens rarely work on me.

Normally e.l f. shadows create a soft look, due to a lack of pigmentation, but I was able to achieve a defined look with this palette. I put the coral (second shadow from the right on the top row) in the inner corner, followed by the lime green (first shadow on the right of the bottom row)in the middle third of the eye and the emerald green (next to the lime) on the outer third. I then applied the blue (first shadow on the right of the middle row) to my crease, going over it with a fine line of purple (second shadow to the right of the middle row) to add more depth.

I lined my eyes with Wet n Wild’s Idol Eyes in shade 132 Envy, followed by the LE Wet n Wild Fantasy Makers Glitter Eyeliner in colour Magical. I used the e.l.f. Essential Shimmer Eyeliner in Plum Passion on my bottom lids and topped off with the e.l.f. Lengthening and Defining Mascara in Black.

Again, not exactly a look I would wear outside unless i was going to some sort of costume party, but I was pleased with the results.

Images

Final Thoughts

In all honesty, I bought the e.l.f. Sugarkiss Beauty Book as more of a collector’s piece. As a thirty-something mother and homemaker, I have few occasions to use such a palette.

Despite the smaller palette, and subsequent less product contained within, I think this is a good product. For those of you who love bright, pigmented colors, this is for you.