I picked up this cute little compact at Target a little while back (you can find it in an end-cap like this) and it was actually the only thing I found myself drawn to, in a "gotta have it" sort of way. There is also a warm version of this palette, but I opted for the cooler version since I'm always on the lookout for a dependable drugstore matte gray eyeshadow. Let's take a look:
e.l.f. Holiday 2013 6-Piece Geometric Eyeshadaow Compact in Smoky
(retail: $3 at Target, 0.25 oz)
Swatches:
OVER BARE SKIN (NO PRIMER)
From left to right, here's a description of the shades in this palette:
Matte gray
Shimmery beige cream
Matte charcoal brown with sparkle
Matte black
Shimmery dark green
Metallic silver
As you can see, some of these shadows look OK even without primer (especially the matte black!), but here they are applied over the e.l.f. Essential Eye Primer:
OVER E.L.F. ESSENTIAL EYE PRIMER
For this look, I only used two shades from this palette: the matte gray (located at the top of the palette) and the matte black (located at the bottom of the palette):
As for the remaining four shades NOT used in this look, a few of them are quite powdery (the metallic silver and the beige cream) and a few are not quite there with the pigmentation (the charcoal brown and charcoal black). The green in this palette is very similar to the green in the Maleficent palette but a tiny bit darker. The two hits in this palette are definitely the matte gray and the matte black. Something tells me e.l.f. might have known this when they were putting together this palette, considering that they give you so much of the gray and black, versus the little slivers of the other shades. Neither of these mattes is dry or hard to work with--they're both very nicely pigmented (especially over primer) and easy to blend as well.
FINAL VERDICT: Overall, I'm pleased with this palette considering the $3 price tag. I would pay that much for JUST a pigmented drugstore matte gray shadow (so hard to find, for some reason) and this is a nice one. I would say that if you're buying this palette for the matte gray and/or matte black, you won't regret your purchase. But if you're buying it for the other shades, you might be a bit disappointed. Oh, and since this is my first experience with the Geometric Shadows, I want to mention that I didn't have a hard time getting my brush into the little "sliver pans," even when I was using the e.l.f. Essential Eyeshdaow Brush, which is a pretty wide brush.
Do you own any of the e.l.f. Holiday 2013 Collection sets? I'd love to hear from you! In addition to Target stores, I think this palette might also be available at Walgreens, so check there as well, in case you can't find it at your Target. The only 6-piece Geometric Eyeshdow Palette that's on the e.l.f. website is this one.
The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
wow you are ROCKIN that smokey eye. great look/palette for you
ReplyDeleteIt seems like ELF has really stepped up their eyeshadow game lately... the new-ish Prism palettes are pretty good too, though they're also on the powdery side. Still, those swatches look pretty darn good for a $3 eyeshadow!
ReplyDeleteReally pretty!
ReplyDeleteThis looks really similar to the palette that came with the Disney Villains Maleficent lookbook.
ReplyDeleteFor $3 this looks pretty good. Love that it has an ivory, green, black and silvers/grays.
ReplyDeleteI bought this 2 weeks ago- because I was looking for a matte gray shadow! I had pruchased NYX Haywire - a matte deep gray brown and NYX- Craving- a lighter matte gray, but I wasn't getting much color payoff when applied to my eyes, even with a primer. When I saw this Elf palette, I thought I would try again, and I'm so glad I did! The matte gray is perfectly pigmented and it's not too chalky (like some mattes are). I haven't used any of the other colors in the palette yet, but now I know that I will be!
ReplyDeleteI just did a huge elf haul because I had a 50% off all gifts coupon code.. For about $38 I bought some Christmad gifts, as well as some gifts for me. I bought the look books ($2.50 each ) and seriously, they are amazing! So pigmented and apply well with a primer. The Seattle and Texas palettes are also great- they are baked shadows- the same quality as the sephora baked palettes IMO- use a damp brush and the majority if these shadows are amazing! Elf has really stepped it up! I know the quality is good so I have purchased a few if the geometric sets as gifts :)
ReplyDeletePERFECT smoky eye! Now, the colors don't look matte to me, they look satiny, but I love the colors. They look great on primer.
ReplyDeleteLove this look on you! Too bad ELF didn't just make a duo out of those two colors.
ReplyDeletelove the smokey eye G!
ReplyDeleteI bought the neutrals one for my little sister for Christmas. Unfortunately I can't open it to swatch it before then!
ReplyDeleteOne problem I've had with the Rimmel union jack palette is the tight corners are really hard to reach with anything other than a tiny brush. Do you feel it's a problem with these palettes?
ReplyDelete