Gifts and Gift Giving

The e.l.f. Studio Endless Eyes Pro Eyeshadow Palette that boasts 100 shades isn’t a new product, but I’ve come to appreciate it more and more lately. Like most women, I sort of gave up on eyeshadow palettes that have a large number of shades – I end up using the same few, and most go to waste. But when I saw the e.l.f. palette on sale, I thought I’d give it a try for the price (it was $4.98 on sale at Target, it is $10 marked down from $20 at the eyeslipsface website), and I’ve really come to be impressed with it.

The formula is quite sheer and layerable – I haven’t had any creasing issues. The shade range is decent without being too heavy on highly unwearable colors (the one brick red shade has enough chestnut in it to still be flattering – worth trying on olive skin tones especially). I would have liked a true white and true black in the palette, but on the whole it’s a minor issue. There is a mix of matte and shimmering shades, and the subtle shimmer stays put even when not wearing primer.

I enjoy testing out various shades just for feasibility. First night I had it, I decided to try an electric blue shade that I’d never attempt otherwise.

To my surprise, it worked on me – if the phrase “bright smokey eye” makes sense, that was what it was. I was expecting a brighter, more intense blue NARS Night Flight kind of look, and while it did impart more color than my usual daytime “three shades of vanilla” eyeshadow look, the layerable color is quite wearable. This led to trying out shades that I’d never usually try each night before I took off my eye makeup, and eventually, I started experimenting in the morning with different variables. For instance – a brown tinted moss green makes sense for a crease color. But what about a wintergreen shade? Or a Kelly green shade? The beauty of this palette is that the formula is so sheer, it takes several color washes to really goof.

I also like the palette for tweaking lipstick colors. I wanted to make a pomegranete shade a bit richer the other night, and I dusted on some brick red color, followed by a dot of fushcia in the center of the lip. The brick red added depth, the fushcia didn’t show as a pink but rather just as a highlight over the basic lipstick. The same principle follows for any shade that needs to be lightened or darkened after application, or needs to be nudged a shade or two over. And if you are looking for a brighter smile, it can’t hurt to add some blue to any lip shade – a perfect use for the many blue based shadows in this kit.

This palette makes a great gift for a teen learning makeup application or anyone looking to experiment with shades. After as many years as I’ve spent playing with makeup, I still came across new looks that work for me, and rediscovered some hues that I had forgotten I liked as much. This weekend I picked up the Mini Eyeshadow Palette (32 shades) for my gym beauty bag – great for when I hit the gym and am then headed back out or back to work. The pinks, corals, and reddish brown shades also work great as blushes (think in terms of Benefit’s Georgia or Dandelion in terms of intensity of wash), just be careful to not get any nearby colors on your brush (pinching the bristles works). It’s one impressive little kit!

Find the e.l.f. Studio Endless Eyes Pro Eyeshadow Palette at eyeslipsface.com for $10.