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

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Overview

Rating: 5/5 stars ★★★★★
Price Tag: $3 USD
Shades Available: 6 shades
Weight: 0.12 oz/3.5g
Where to Buy: At Target & Kmart; online at eyeslipsface.com

The Studio Baked Eyeshadows are one of my absolute favorite products from e.l.f. I urge everyone to give them a chance at least once.

e.l.f. has a bad reputation when it comes to eyeshadows—albeit a deserved one—but they redeem themselves with these baked products. At $3 a pop, these shadows are not just a steal, but a legitimately good product.

One great thing about these shadows is that they (or rather, most) are widely available at local stores like Target and Kmart, so you can avoid the hassle of ordering online.

Packaging:

The packaging fits in with the Studio line, with the black satin plastic on the bottom and crystal plastic lid. At $3, the plastic is expectedly on the thin side and slightly flimsy, but should have no trouble surviving everyday wear and tear. A small silver sticker featuring the shade name is attached to the otherwise plain underside.

Box packaging for the e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadows

The product seems on the small side—especially when compared with their much larger baked face counterparts—but they appear to have more product compared to the e.l.f. Studio Single Eyeshadow.

Size comparison between the e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadows and Blushes

I haven’t had this happen to me, but I would be careful not to drop the compacts as the shadows might detach from the base. There was an issue with the NYC Baked Eyeshadow Palette’s blue shadow breaking off during transit. I’m guessing e.l.f. got that fixed after the initial batch, but dropping any of the e.l.f. baked products could garner the consequence of a broken item.

Formulation

Here’s where the Studio Baked Eyeshadows shine.

Foiled swatches of the e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadows

Before I delve too far in my review, I must insist that you use these shadows wet. Otherwise, you won’t get adequate pigmentation. That said, you could use the shadows dry for the browbone and crease, or other areas where you may not want as much color.

Foiled swatches taken under direct sunlight

Once you’ve applied the shadows to your eye and let them dry, they stay put. They last many hours and, miraculously, don’t crease.

This product does contain mineral oil.

Shades

I have six of the original + expanded ten shades. I didn’t originally see any cohesive theme for the names, but after thinking about it, I think the original six kind of had a fairy vibe going. Or not.

If you couldn’t already tell by the swatches, all of the shades have a pronounced metallic, shimmer finish. If mattes are what you prefer, these probably aren’t your thing.

Moonlight Seranade (DC) [Metallic]

This is white with a pronounced gold color shift.

e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadow in Moonlight Serenade
Unfortunately, I couldn’t capture the gold shift.

If you like white, but also want something more complicated, try this shade.

Update: This shade has been discontinued.

Pixie [Metallic]

A bright pink with lavender undertones.

e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadow in Pixie

Bronzed Beauty (DC) [Metallic]

Unlike the name, this is more of a beautiful gold shade, not quite red enough to be bronze. It’s well suited for the summer months. This shade was a follow up color to the original line.

e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadow in Bronzed Beauty

This shade is a very good dupe for Urban Decay’s Half Baked.

Update: This shade has been discontinued.

Enchanted [Metallic]

My favorite of the shades I own. If you use it wet, it will first apply as a gold very similar to Bronzed Beauty, then transition to a beautiful rosy gold shade with a pronounced gold shift as it dries.

e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadow in Enchanted

If you’re into the Naked 3 palette, this is a similar type of shade.

Toasted [Metallic]

If you’re looking for a darker shade than Enchanted—with less gold—try this shade.

e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadow in Toasted

It’s very similar to Urban Decay’s Toasted from the original Naked Palette. Likewise, it’s a dupe for the Silk Natural’s clone Loaded.

Bark [Metallic]

This is the darkest shade of Studio Baked Eyeshadows I own. It’s like a darker version of Toasted. I don’t use it that often since it’s too dark for my daytime wear. Bark would also be good used in a smoky eye.

e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadow in Bark

Whenever I attempt to photograph swatches of Bark, the eyeshadow has a pronounced taupe undertone, though it doesn’t look like that in person.

I’ve found it to be a near spot on dupe of Silk Natural’s Saddle Up, also a clone of Urban Decay’s Sidecar.

Application Tips

You absolutely need to foil (i.e. use them wet) the eyeshadows. Otherwise, you’re likely to be disappointed with the lack of pigmentation.

Wet your brush then dab the excess off on either a tissue or cloth. Gently swirl the brush into the eyeshadow, then apply to the eye.

You can blend the eyeshadows with a dry brush after they’ve dried to soften up the edges.

It’s also possible to layer them like normal pressed powder eyeshadows, but it will take more time and effort to blend them together.

Images

Final Thoughts

Pros: Shadows don’t crease, pretty shades, super pigmented
Cons: Needs more shades, compacts could be larger, contains mineral oil

I cannot recommend the e.l.f. Studio Baked Eyeshadows enough. I definitely recommend trying Enchanted and Toasted (or Bark for medium to dark skin tones).

If you’re unsure if baked products are for you, you can get them during a half off sale through e.l.f.