Sugarpill - ElektroCute Neon Pigments

 The latest pigments from the fabulous Sugarpill Cosmetics come in the form of the ElektroCute collection. There's five shades, each a neon hue with added sparkle.

When these were announced, I was itching to get my hands on them. Yes, I'm forever a slave to a good, solid black eyeshadow, but I like to add bright colours in there for fun.

The five pigments are Supercharged (orange), Hi-Viz (yellow), Love Buzz (pink), Hellatronic (blue), and Sparkage (green).

This is going to be a picture-heavy post, so bear with me here.

First up is Supercharged.

Supercharged

Descibed on Sugarpill's site as flaming neon orange with blue/green/gold colour-shifting sparkles, Supercharged applies as a tangerine-orange, it's far less red-based than most orange neons. The sparkles look very gold, and compliment the base shade beautifully.

Supercharged

Used dry, this particular pigment has a very sheer look when applied. Used with a damp brush, it pops a little more & the sparkles are far more prominent.

As usual with my swatches, these are done without using a primer beforehand, unless noted.

L - Supercharged applied dry R- Supercharged applied with a damp brush

Hi - Viz

Next up is Hi-Viz, which is described as being a blazing neon yellow with blue/green/gold super sparkles. Rather than being a screaming highlighter pen yellow, I found Hi-Viz to be a bright lemon shade, as it lacks that green undertone that other neon yellows can have. The sparkles are gold, with a yellow hue to them.

Hi-Viz

Much like Supercharged, this colour also applied very sheerly when used dry & it pops more, both colour & sparkles, when used with a damp brush.

L - Hi-Viz applied dry, R - Hi-Viz used with a damp brush

Love Buzz

This little pot of pink loveliness is Love Buzz. Its description hails it as a brilliant hot pink with yellow/orange/red colour-shifting super sparkles. Love Buzz is probably my favourite of all of the ElektroCutes, but I may be a tad biased, as I love hot pink.
It's a very, very vivid neon fuchsia pink, with silvery pink sparkle in abundance.

Love Buzz

I found this to be the most opaque of all of the ElektroCute shades. Unfortunately, none of my pictures quite manage to do this colour justice, the sheer brightness of it doesn't come across as well as it does in person. Think Sugarpill's pressed eyeshadow in Dollipop in powder form with added sparkle.

L - Love Buzz used dry, R - Love Buzz used with a damp brush

Hellatronic

Hellatronic, described as fluorescent indigo with red/purple/blue colour-shifting super sparkles, is a cool, vivid electric blue shade. The sparkles lend it a slight purple cast, which is very pretty.

Hellatronic

Whilst not as opaque as Love Buzz, it isn't quite as sheer as either Hi-Viz, or Supercharged. The purple sparkle definitely pops more when applied with a damp brush.

L - Hellatronic, dry - R - Hellatronic used with a damp brush

Sparkage

The last shade in the collection is Sparkage, which is described as being a radioactive lime green with blue/green/gold/ colour-shifting super sparkles. Although it has a touch of yellow to it, it's not bordering on chartreuse, lime it definitely is. The sparkle is golden, greeny-yellow, which pops nicely against the base shade of Sparkage.

Sparkage

Another shade that is quite sheer if used dry, the sparkles are amplified when used with a damp brush.

L- Sparkage, used dry. R - Sparkage used with a damp brush.

Although all of the shades do work better when used damp, they can have a tendency to clump because of the glitter. The easiest way around this is to use it with a base, I found NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk to be absolutely perfect for this. The clumping is eliminated, and you're left with bold, vivid, colours and sparkles that pop to perfection, all with a smooth finish.

L - R Hellatronic, Sparkage, Supercharged, Hi-Viz, Love Buzz - used over NYX Milk

Yes, a base is definitely a must if you want to capture the true beauty of these pigments, but it is worth the extra step. The colours are great when used this way, and they're far easier to apply than MAC's neon pigments, which can feel a little chalky.

Because they're loose powders, and because they contain a large amount of glitter, you can expect a bit of fall out with these. Since I tend to do my eyes before my foundation, it isn't really an issue.

If neons are your thing, the ElektroCute collection is well worth taking a looking at, especially if you like your brights with added sparkle.