E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadows: Swatches & Rave Review ~ The Femme Review

We all know by now that E.L.F. is a wonderful brand for babes on a budget, but we also know that their products can be pretty hit or miss. One line of product I have had consistent success with is the E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadows, and I am surprised that they don't get the love they deserve in the beauty community. They are insanely pigmented, easily blended, and look stunning applied wet or dry. Better yet, they are paraben and preservative free, and do not contain chemical dyes. Like other mineral shadows these can be a little messy. I considered pressing them in to pans, but I really don't want to compromise their vibrancy. I only have two matte shades, and they seem to be the least stellar of the bunch. So if you are a solely matte kind of person, these might not be a match for you. But if you are all about the shimmer, these will more than likely make you drool.

These retail for $3 each on the E.L.F. website or at select Target stores, but E.L.F. also sells sets that can save you a bit of money. Also, E.L.F. frequently has amazing online sales (I go ten of these free with a purchase over $25 a few months back, and I even got to select the colors I wanted).

E.L.F. is notoriously horrid at representing the true shades of their products on their site, and I struggled when purchasing these to find more color accurate swatches. I currently own 18 of the 27 available shades. Hopefully my swatches will help those who are having the same difficulties, and turn some other people on to these gorgeous shadows! All swatches are applied dry without a primer. Photos are taken with flash to capture maximum shimmer.

Innocent, Angelic, Elegant

Innocent- A soft matte white, bordering on a cream
Angelic- A shimmery bright white. Gorgeous in the inner corner of your eyes.
Elegant- A pale shimmery peachy beige.

Natural, Celebrity, Golden

Natural- A shimmery peach. This is similar to elegant, but where Elegant is more yellow toned and beige, Natural leans more pink.
Celebrity- A light, neutral bronze/gold shade. It is one of the harder shades to describe because it feels in between categories.Definitely one of my favorites.
Golden- A true gold shade, but is not overly yellow.

Caffeinated, Seductive, Smoldering

Caffeinated- A medium, bronzey brown. Another one of my favorites.
Seductive- A matte black. Great to set liner.
Smoldering- A dark silvery pewter with multicolor shimmers.

Sweet, Sassy, Glamorous

Sweet- A shimmery, candy pink.
Sassy- A shimmering pink, darkened mauve.
Glamorous- A medium purple with a touch of fuchsia. This shade is slightly different than the rest in that it is a matte/satin purple shadow with shimmer, instead of a purely shimmer shadow.

Royal, Socialite, Earthy

Royal- A shimmery deep purple.
Socialite- A purple leaning shimmery pewter. A bit like smoldering, but definitely in the purple family. One of the more unique shades of the bunch.
Earthy- A shimmery mossy green with yellow undertones. This is one of the more sheer shadows, but certainly still pigmented.

Outdoorsy, Dreamy, Beachy

Outdoorsy- A gorgeous blackened shimmery pine green. One of the most unique shades of the bunch. It is totally mesmerizing.
Dreamy- A shimmery, candy sky pink.
Beachy- A vibrant shimmering ocean blue.

Here are some comparison swatches:


Innocent got cut out- oops! Doesn't this look a bit like the UD Naked Palette? I wouldn't say these are dupes, but the feel is remarkably similar. From L to R: Angelic, Elegant, Natural Celebrity, Golden, Caffeinated, Seductive, Smoldering