Review | Aritaum Mono Eyes Eyeshadows

I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to makeup, or anything in general actually, I'm just not an adventurous person. However, when I walked into Aritaum on one of my trips to Korea and saw that they had a 1+1 for their Mono Eyes eyeshadows, I thought I would get a few colours get some colours I wouldn't normally get just to experiment with different looks. I know most of the colours I got are neutrals but I did get a few other colours like a pink and a peach colour so give me a little bit of credit?

For 5,000 KRW a pop, they are extremely affordable, but I purchased most of them when they were having a 1+1 sale so they were actually 2,500 KRW per eyeshadow which is insanely reasonable, especially considering the quality of the eye shadow. They have a bunch of different finishes, some glittery, shimmery and matte, and the textures are slightly different as well, depending on the finish of the eye shadows but we will get into that in a while.

They come packaged in a black plastic container with a transparent top which makes it really convenient to see the colour inside. The transparent plastic does come out when you drop the container though so that is something you have to be careful of. Also, the eye shadow breaks really easily - I dropped one of the eyeshadows only once and it shattered. 

The sheer number of eyeshadows they have is amazing, I believe they have more than 60 shades? They have golds, silvers, pinks, purples, blues, oranges, all in different finishes as well. So I'm pretty sure you will find one that suits you. 

The lasting power is pretty decent and even if I don't use an eyeshadow primer first, I don't see much creasing even after 5-6 hours. At the end of my work shift, I can still see colour on my lids which is pretty decent considering I work in the F&B industry. I have to say that some of them do have a little fall out after a while but it is nothing serious so it doesn't bother me that much. 

The eye shadows blend easily on the eyes and I don't find any of them applying chalky at all. The pigmentation of the eye shadows varies. Some of them are pretty sheer and although they do show up on my eye lid, I didn't manage to capture their true colour when I did a hand swatch. Some of them are really pigmented and a I have to make sure I pick up only a bit and blend it out properly. Also, I don't use my eyeshadows wet so maybe it you try using them wet, they may be more pigmented?

The first shade I have, and it is my favourite shade of them all, is in No. 22 Burny Hug which is a glittery champagne gold. I really love using this all over my lid if I want to do a light gold eye look, or to use this just on the center of my lids to add dimension to my eyes. The glitter in this one is slightly chunky and falls out slightly, so it would be better to use it with a eyeshadow primer so that it sticks to your lid better. But it is a gorgeous shade to use if you want something subtle but super glittery on the eyes.

The second shade I have is No. 37 Cocktail Dresses which is a pink with gold glitter in it. I like it for days when I want a pop of a colour on my eyelid but nothing too crazy. I'll usually sweep this all over my eye lid and add on a darker colour on the outer third of my eye for more dimension and it gives the prettiest wash of pink on the eyes.

No. 60 Dusk Grey is a mid-tone brown with a silvery sheen to it. The silver comes from really finely milled glitter that looks more like a sheen than actual glitter and I love it. I love this for nights (or days even) when I want to do something darker and smokey on the eyes. If you use a light hand, this adds just a hint of colour to your whole eye lid but you can pack it on to intensify the colour. 

If you're looking for a warm brown colour with gold glitter in it, then No. 63 I-Designer. You can't exactly tell that there's glitter when you apply this on the lid but you can tell there's some sort of sparkle to it beyond just a warm brown colour. I like to use this to deepen the outer area of the eye.

No. 64 Maxi is similar to No. 63 but instead of being a warm brown, it is a cool tone brown with gold glitter in it. This shade is probably the most pigmented among all the eyeshadows I've got.

No. 66 Florist is a light peach with little flecks of glitter in it. This eyeshadow is extremely creamy and buttery. This colour is pretty sheer so it is perfect for a base colour if you want to brighten up your eyelids before adding on other colours. If you want it to stand on it's own, you'll probably have to pack on the colour for it to show on your eyelids.

The last colour I have is No. 81 Silk Scarf and it is a matte greyish purple. In the pan it looks more brownish but when you actually swatch it, it looks a lot more purple then brown. I haven't really had the chance to use this yet to be honest. I only bought it because I thought it was a matte brown (oops) but that will teach me to purchase products without doing swatches of them properly first. 

Here are all the swatches side by side. 

Overall:

PROS:

• Priced very affordably
• A large range of colours and textures
• Transparent plastic top to allow you to see the colours of the eyeshadows
• Lasts on my eyelids for 8-10 hours
• Very little fallout
• Creases only after 8-10 hours
• Easy to apply
• Blends well

CONS:

• Shatters easily
• Cheap packaging
• Not all of the colours are pigmented

Honestly, for 2,500 KRW per eye shadow, I really cannot complain about anything. I don't know any other brand that offers eyeshadows this cheap, and even without the 1+1 discount, 5,000 KRW per eyeshadow is also very decent. I love all of the colours I have and I have no qualms about buying more of them. The only thing that bugs me is how easily they break. I drop things on a daily basis and I have already dropped some of these eyeshadows a few times. Luckily, I've usually drop them onto soft surfaces like my bed or on a bag of mine so none of them have shattered beyond the very first one I broke, but I know it's only a matter of time before I break the next one. If you're less of a klutz then I am, then definitely purchase some of these colours to try out because I think they are definitely a bang for your buck.