Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why these pigments are so anticipated by drugstore makeup enthusiasts is because pigments are quite rare in the drugstore makeup department. There really aren't many brands that have ventured into pigment/loose eyeshadows. More over, Maybelline has some pretty impressive claims for its new product, as follows: "Double-dipped pigments create intense eyeshadow colour intnsity. Superior staying Power, for crease-proof wear all day long." -maybelline.ca
Well, doesn't that just make it sound like these pigments are a must-try product? Let's see some swatches below.
Part 1: The Neutrals
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| 3 swipes, no primer |
(L to R)
1) 30 Black Mystery - The darkest colour of the entire range. This is a blackened deep charcoal colour that could be built up to an intense black if several layers are used. The finish has a subtle sheen to it, but the most notable feature of this particular shade is that it contains a fair amount of deep blue glitter/shimmer in it that catches the light. The overall colour reminds me of a star-filled night sky.
2) 45 Downtown Browm - A brown colour pigment that leans toward the cool end of the specturm. This is a very easy to use neutral colour that can be incorporated into almost any eye look. There are a small amount of pearl color shimmer in this pigment but it is not super noticable, so the overall finish is simply a pearly brown colour. Colour is buildable, and will definitely work well as an outer corner or crease colour. It will come in very handy for a wearable daytime smokey eye look.
3) 35 Breaking Bronze - A colour that is very true to its name; this is a straightforward bronze colour. Nothing fancy to spice it up, but this colour itself will be able to create for you as fancy a look as you would, or as toned down as you like. I personally think this colour would compliment a tanned complexion beautifully for the summer, or it will look great even on fair skintones for a spiced up night look.
4) 60 Buff and Tuff - This is like a lightened version of downtown brown, and also a bit warmer in tone. There are noticable gold shimmer flecks in this particular colour, which I am personally not a fan of. I would have liked this shade more if they did pearl/silver shimmer instead.
5) 55 Barely Brazen - This is the lightest colour of the entire range, and it's a classic nude champagne-y colour that is perfect as an all-over lid colour to add some sparkle to your eye. Or for a more intense look, this colour can be used as an inner-corner highlight and browbone highlight. There are not mch shimmer/glitter specks noticed in this shade because the entire finish of this colour is just so reflective already.
Part 2: The Brights
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| 3 swipes, no primer |
2) 20 Pink Rebel - Unfortunately, this colour did not come off as pink and vibrant as I expected from just looking at the pot, but the colour is still very pretty. The colour is more like a toned-down hot pink, with purple undertones, almost like a fuchsia pink colour. It does have a small amount of silver glitter specks incorporated in it, so it gives a sparkly look when the colour overall catches the light.
3) 15 Potent Purple - A grape-toned pruple colour. This one is almost like the dud of the entire range because it was the hardest to swatch with intense colour, and was also quite patchy and uneven when I tried to swatch it on my arm for the above photo. The colour is pretty, and the finish has a nice sheen, bit it is not easy to work with.
4) 10 Brash Blue - A truely intense cobalt blue colour. The colour payoff on this shade was excellent, true to pan, and brightly intense. Although this colour is definitely not for the faint-of-heart and can't really be used for "every day looks" , I know I will be having lots of fun using this colour to create looks for halloween makeup this year! This is also a great colour that I can consider using under my lower lashline as an eyeliner.
5) 05 Never Fade Jade - This is a type of forest-y pine green colour that isn't really that close to the colour of actual jades. This type of green has quite a bit of blue undertone to it so that it appears cooler and darker. Still this is a gorgeous colour and is considerable for anyone who enjoys using greens often, especially because it compliments brown eyes beautifully and really makes them pop. This is also a great colour that I can consider using under my lower lashline as an eyeliner.
Overall Thoughts...
As exciting as these are to the drugstore makeup world, after playing around and experimenting for one week, I don't think these are a groundbreaking product by any means. The following breakdown will likely explain why that is.
Texture: The texture for most of these pigments are very smooth and forgiving. The exceptions would be Potent Purple and Pink Rebel, as they came off quite uneven and splotchy. The ones that have noticeable glitter in the pigments did not feel gritty on the eyelids either.
Fallout: YES, these pigments will be a major fallout pain if you don't prepare a sticky base for them. Therefore, an EYE PRIMER is a must in order to use them because otherwise you will find a fair amount of the colour on your cheeks. Also, to further avoid fallout, do not use the swipe motion with your brush to apply them. Instead, the pigment should be patted into the eyelid with a flat eyeshadow brush, sponge-tip applicator, or even your fingers to ensure minimal fallout.
Pigmentation: Pigmentation is strong for most of these colours, again with the exceptions being Potent Purple and Pink Rebel. However, I don't think it's as exceptional as what Maybelline appears to claim it being. When compared to the minimal track record of drugstore pigments, Maybelline has done a really good job with these already, but by no means will it be turning be away from my MAC pigments any time soon. Using these pigments on top of an eyeshadow base definitely intensified the colour payoff for me, and another great way to get strong colour payoff is actually to use a Color Tattoo Cream Shadow in a corresponding colour (i.e. Never Fade Jade & Edgy Emerald, Wild Gold & Bold Gold, Breaking Bronze & Bad to the Bronze, etc etc) as its base, because that is also a nice and sticky, long lasting base trick! I really believe Maybelline meant for these pigments to be paired with the Color Tattoo Cream shadows...what do you think?? :)
Lasting Power: I needed to use a good base underneath the pigments on my eyelids in order for them to last most of the day and remain crease free. Without a base, the colour started fading quite fast and also started to fallout onto my face o.O" So I would have to deem the claim of "for crease-proof wear all day long" to be another fail, as that was not possible unless extra measures were taken. When a primer type of product was used prior to the application of the pigment, the performance of the pigments were significantly better than without.
So overall, I enjoyed trying out these new pigments but I don't think they are an absolute must-have by any means at this point in time. The colours are nice and I like how the range is separated into neutrals and brights, so there will be something for everybody :) If you enjoy using loose, mineral eyeshadows and pigment type of eyeshadows, you will likely enjoy trying these out. If you prefer something that is less messy to work with then I'd say stick to the regular eyeshadows in pan-forms, because these can be quite a disaster if not used carefully.
These pigments retail for $7-10 each for 1.3g of product depending on which drugstore location you get yours at. These are new, permanent items to Maybelline's lineup. I imagine we may be seeing new, limited edition colours in later Maybelline collection launches.
Have you spotted these are your local drugstore makeup departments yet? Will you be trying them out? Let me know! :) Thanks for reading~
Joanne
Disclaimer: Products mentioned in the above post were all purchased by myself with personal funds. This post and its content are not sponsored in anyway and all are my personal, honest opinions.
