e.l.f. Clay Eyeshadow Palette, Necessary Nudes

I did an ELF haul a little while back, and this was one of the items that was included. The color palette looks great on website, but in person it's a complete flop. I found the palette difficult to work with and the colors looked ashy once on my eye lids. It was a complete mess. I hate I paid for this no matter if it was in sale or not.

I've been interested in makeup just recently, but still a bit insecure from having fun with the many options such as eyeshadows, highlighters, etc. This little guy is awesome. It's great for guys whom want to make there eyes pop without the exaggerated eyeshadow colors out there. Formula does not hurt my eyes, and the palette is great for subtle looks, pack on the pigments to really stand out.

I am pretty pale, so I'm not sure if that's why the pigments for SURE show up on my lids very vibrantly or if the formula has changed since other reviews. But, these colors are gorgeous! I have very, very oily skin including my eyelids and have never been able to wear eyeshadows. It dissolves from my oil usually and creases after only a few hours. I've tried primers, powders, you name it. This clay based eyeshadow is the only thing that's ever lasted all day. I love playing with makeup so this has given me a lot of joy! It is worth the money to me since it's the only eyeshadow that has ever lasted on my lids and the colors are really rich.

I tried several of these palettes. What I love? The packaging is great and compact enough to carry with. What I dislike is the wild variation in quality of the shadows. Some are smooth and well pigmented, some are just...not. In the end, I depotted all three for stashing, and have designs on using the compact for my own custom purposes. Nice tight concept for portability, but the formulation is sadly erratic.

I got the shade smoked to perfection as a freebie in October and I have to say it is hands down the worst eyeshadow I've ever layer hands on. There is no color payoff at all. I've tried using my fingers, wetting my brush, everything and I can't get the color to show up. The only one that slightly shows up is the black but it's a sort of gray on the skin bc it's so awful. Thankful I got it free. Don't spend your money