e.l.f. Essential Brightening Eye Color

L - R: Day 2 Night, Butternut 

Luxuriously smooth, pigmented formula provides your eyes with a bright and beautiful sweep of rich color. The formula blends into skin for a long lasting, beautiful effect. Each quad is comprised of 4 coordinating shades that allow for both natural and dramatic looks. Built-in mirror and applicator included.

I was lucky enough to win these two eyeshadow quads, Butternut and Day 2 Night, from Heidi's giveaway in September and I was super excited because they are actually the first e.l.f. makeup product I tried (I had only used their mechanical eyelash curler before). I didn't know what to expect from a $1 eyeshadow but I have heard mainly good things about e.l.f. so I was very eager to give these a try.

L - R: Day 2 Night, Butternut 

Yes the packaging is cheap - plastic, flimsy, writing wears off easily - but I was surprised to find a little mirror in there, nestled behind the foam applicator! It's a little awkward to use because it's so small but it's not completely useless as I'm perfectly able to see both of my eyes at once. It's actually great for touch-ups through the day. As with most drugstore eyeshadows, these quads come with foam applicators that I won't use on a regular basis but I like to keep them in case I don't have access to my makeup brushes if I'm staying over at a friend's house or something.

The thing that absolutely wowed me about these quads is the pigmentation - it's incredible for only $1, it's way better than some Lancôme and high end brands eyeshadows I have tried! Of course, this doesn't apply to all the shades - in both quads, the highlight shades are super chalky, sheer and completely useless, but the darker shades are really dark, super buttery and smooth! Seriously, I couldn't believe it! These eyeshadow blend really easily and they are also easy to remove.

Day 2 Night

Butternut

I don't wear eye primer on a daily because I don't usually have a problem with creasing eyeshadow except maybe if I'm doing an intense activity like sport or something, but these eyeshadows lasted all day on me without losing their vibrancy. I'm not sure what they mean by "brightening eye color" though because I didn't notice my eyes being more awake or anything.

These Brightening Eye Colors definitely sold me to e.l.f! If the shipping fees weren't that awful (it was around $16 to ship in Canada the last time I checked) I would definitely stock up on a couple of items. I think these eyeshadows are amazing if you are on a budget or if you are a begginner in makeup because they offer a wide variety of shade - at this price, you can definitely grab them all!

However, I would advise you to be careful because, as I say, the quality doesn't seem to be consistency in every shades, and I guess it will be the same thing with most of e.l.f. products.

e.l.f. Brightening Eye Colors retail for $1 on the e.l.f. website.