Review: Maybelline Eye Studio® Color Plush™ Silk Eyeshadow

OVERALL RATING:  9/10

PROS:  Fantastic pigmentation, great color selection, well-coordinated colors, silky-soft shadows, great shimmer, easy to blend

CONS:  Poor packaging quality

Having green eyes means that there are a few certain color palettes that can really make your eyes pop, with shades of purple being one of the best selections.  I always try to keep some purple shadow in my makeup case for days when I want to really play up my eye color.  When I ran out of my last purple eyeshadow from L'oreal (which I really wasn't crazy about), I headed over to the drugstore to pick up some more.  I usually do well with Maybelline products, so I looked over their selection, and picked up their Eye Studio® Color Plush™ Silk Eyeshadow in Virtually Violet (formerly known as "Purple Icon") on a whim.  When I tried it the next day, I was blown away.  I immediately went out and bought two more colors that same evening.

I had never used a drugstore-brand product that I was actually THRILLED about until I found this eyeshadow.  When I dipped my brush into the pan for the first time, I was shocked at how much shadow was immediately picked up--I didn't have to scrape and struggle to get it onto my brush!  When I swept the color onto my lids, I was even more excited.  The colors are so pigmented that they appear on my lids EXACTLY the same as they look in the pans.  The colors smooth on like butter.  The shadow is so soft, and glides effortlessly over the eyelid.  Blending them is a breeze--you can use the shadows to create a beautiful ombre effect on your lids.  I would go so far as to compare these shadows to the shadows from my Urban Decay Naked Palette;  Yeah, they're that good.

The Eye Studio® Color Plush™ Silk Eyeshadow comes in a total of 12 different color combinations, each coordinated for a beautiful look with a variety of shades.  I personally own Virtually Violet, Green With Envy (which I happen to be wearing right now), and Mad for Mauve, and I definitely want to get more.  The shadows come in quads, and can easily be blended together or worn separately for a wide variety of looks.

All of the shadows in this collection are shimmery, so if you prefer matte shades, you probably want to look for something else.  The shimmer is certainly not overwhelming, but is definitely noticeable, and draws attention to your eyes.  

Here are some swatches from the sets I own.  Note that all of these were applied dry;  when wet, the colors become even more intense! 

Virtually Violet

Green With Envy

Mad for Mauve

The lightest shade in this set happens to be extremely close to my skin color.  It shows up much better than this on darker skin!

The bottom line is that these shadows are fantastic.  Before I got the Naked Palette for Christmas, these were the shadows I wore every day, and now I alternate between the two.  The major difference in quality between these shadows and the Naked Palette is found in the packaging.  The Eye Studio® Color Plush™ Silk Eyeshadow packaging is made of really cheap plastic.  I have to handle it pretty gingerly because I feel it might crack or break apart at any second.  Really, though, this is a minor detail for such an awesome product.  I adore these shadows, and I HIGHLY recommend them for anyone who wants high-end quality on a drugstore budget.

These shadow sets retail for between $7 and $10, and you can find them at virtually any drugstore in the U.S. that sells makeup.  Visit Maybelline's website for more information or to buy!

I will definitely be posting looks/tutorials for the shadows I own in the near future, so stay tuned!  For any of you that own other colors of the Eye Studio® Color Plush™ Silk Eyeshadow, feel free to share your experiences or photos in the comments!