I realise I might have been writing quite a lot about higher end brands lately. Whilst I don’t consider myself a beauty snob, the higher end products are in many ways prettier and more attractive – so are their prices.
At the same time, I have wondered how do the lower end products fare? I embarked on an experiment with fellow beauty fan Beetrice of Beetrice Reviews to check out some eyeshadows in the lower price end of the spectrum.
First of all, let me define my idea of lower end. I was targetting eyeshadows in the RM25 and below range. This takes us into the realm of pretty dirt cheap, if you ask me! I wanted to see what I could find in this price bracket and how the products fare. We ended up with 3 – Elianto, Skin Food and Bloop. We considered Beautilicious but scrapped it due to bad experiences on both our parts and there were some other brands I spotted in Watsons (mostly) but I was not prepared to try them because I did not know a lot about them and they looked too much like knock offs of other brands. We basically played safe and stuck to more mainstream low end brands.
I’m starting off my review series with Elianto Shimmer Shadow in Forest Green.
When Elianto was first launched I was told it was a Korean brand. There are lots of Korean brands around now and many of them are in the lower end of the price spectrum e.g. Skin Food, The Face Shop, Missha etc. Later, I found out that Elianto is actually a Malaysian brand but have their products manufactured in Korea.
I checked them out when they were first launched and I was very surprised to find that their eyeshadow singles were only RM5. We are talking large pans of power eyeshadows that are about the size of Stila or Bobbi Brown pans. Now, they have other formulations and prices do differ. I decided to try the RM5 shimmer eyeshadow.
My choice of colour is Forest Green. The reason I chose this colour is this – the colour selection from the RM5 range is quite poor.
I had a choice of pastels with quite chalky and powdery texture or bright neon shades. Forest Green was the best of the lot!
The texture of the this particular colour is surprisingly nice. It is soft to the touch and nicely pigmented. The colour on skin looks pretty much the same as seen in the pan – a dark green with shimmer.
I wore this one with gold and with light green shades with Forest Green smudged close to the lash line. It does look quite lovely on so I’d say its RM5 quite well spent! I did not have any allergic reaction to it and although there was some fading by the end of the day, it was only to be expected.
Elianto does have other types of eyeshadows now. I find the colours of some are much better – less chalky and powdery, more shimmer and pigment – and the colours aren’t as scary neon or pale pastel as the RM5 range. Their prices too are higher but nothing that goes beyond RM20. I think that Elianto might make good stage makeup. Their colours are bright and sometimes garish which will stand out on stage for those who need it.
All in all, I’d say that Elianto eyeshadows are a good buy if:-
- You are on a budget
- You want to experiment with colour
- You want a particular colour e.g. fuschia pink just for 1 occasion
The eyeshadows come in a plastic clamshell case and you can buy the empty palettes from them to fit 4 to 40 colours. In general, the colours are pigmented but it is quite touch and go depending on the line you look at and the colour you want so it is quite inconsistent in that regard. Brighter colours generally go on stronger while the ligher shades tend towards the powdery.
Would I re-purchase? I’d say no. The colours are too “young” for me – they are mostly brightly coloured shades and don’t cater much for those who prefer a more toned down style. They do appeal more to the young – the stores and counters are usually filled with younger customers – mainly due to the low prices and the colours available. It does and will turn off older customers who may just see this as a “play” brand. Many people I talk to just write them off because of the price and image, but I think Elianto has found their niche and look good to stay! Elianto is also available in Dubai and the Phillipines.
Pros: Dirt Cheap, Long lasting, bright
Cons: Colour selection is poor, texture is chalky and powdery for some, colours are too drastic, quality is inconsistent
The other product I have tried from Elianto is the Eye and Lip Makeup Remover.
Update: Check out Beetrice’s Review of Bloop de Paris eyeshadow which is part of this series.
Elianto Shimmer Eyeshadow
Cheap [rating:5/5]
Good [rating:3.5/5]
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