E.L.F. Baked Eye Shadow Review

I'm trying to get back on the product review train here because I've got a lot of products in my collection & have a lot I'd like to say about them!  Today I'm sharing four of the Elf Baked Eyeshadows that I picked up from Target a bit ago.  I'm now seeing Elf Cosmetics in places like Meijer, Wal-Mart, & Kmart in addition to Target.  So these amazing (yes amazing) cosmetic line is becoming more & more available.  Anyway, here are my thoughts on these baked shadows:

 From the Website
Silky & blendable formula provides smooth and even application.  Rich Pigmentation for a beautiful effect.  Infused with active key ingredients Jojoba, Rose, Sunflower, Apricot, & Grape to nourish & hydrate.  Long lasting & shimmering color can be worn wet or dry - wet is more vibrant.  Taken from the website here

First Impressions & Application

From seeing these eyeshadows on the shelf they are gorgeous.  I love the sophisticated packaging of the Studio line of Elf products.  They are usually characterized by black, matte packaging.  The packaging of these eyeshadows is a little different - the doomed, baked shadow is under a bubble of clear plastic on a black, matte disk with a snap closure.  At first look I fell in love with the look of the texture of the eyeshadow in the pan & the color range.  There are 10 beautiful colors - I have Enchanted, Toasted, Bark, & Burnt Plum.  You get .12oz for $3.

When I first opened the packages I wasn't impressed with hard texture of the shadows.  In fact, I packed them away for a while.  I kept bringing them out & swatching them dry and just wasn't impressed.  I think I must have broken them in because I suddenly got a lot of color payoff from them dry.  I don't do the wet baked eyeshadow thing - so I swatched them the way I would wear them which is dry.  You can see the swatches below.  After breaking them in I found they applied nicely with a flat brush or a blender brush.  My favorite of these four is enchanted - it's a lovely, nearly duo chrome champagne/gold color.

 swatched left to right : toasted, enchanted, burnt plum, bark

left to right : toasted, enchanted, burnt plum, bark

Wear Time

Overall I would say these don't last any longer than any other eyeshadow.  Obviously, they will last longer with a primer or other base underneath.  You can create a whole look with these shadows & I imagine a one-shadow look would be perfect with these!  Wear one wet over the lid the blend out with the dry shadow into the crease.  I find that these do apply more evenly & last better over a base.  I like them over something thicker like a Maybelline Color Tattoo.

Overall Impression & Recommendations

These are pretty nice but maybe not for the price.  Don't get me wrong....Elf has the best price range for great quality, but I think you should snag these as a part of a 50% off sale.  They aren't too expensive if you want to experiment but picking them up at $1.50 a pop is a much better deal!  They aren't the best thing Elf has to offer in the eyeshadow department but they aren't bad.  The colors aren't that unique - pick up Enchanted if you pick up one at all - but they have the versatility of being wet or dry.  I guess you could say I'm 50/50 on this.  Out of all of them I recommend Enchanted just because of the color.  I'm not going to tell you they suck...I guess I just feel slightly moved with these as they are cheap enough to experiment with.

Elf offers so much to try at such an affordable price.  Pick them up from retailers above or from the Eyes Lips Face website here.

What are your favorite products from Elf?  Have you had success with these shadows?

xoxo, Moe

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ps. this item was bought by me for a review.  I am not being compensated for this post at all.  Read more about my disclosure policies here.