Product Review | E.L.F. Cosmetics XX Jen Atkin Let's E.L.F.ing Do This Face and Eye Palette

Product Review | E.L.F. Cosmetics XX Jen Atkin Let's E.L.F.ing Do This Face and Eye Palette in Medium Deep ($14, elfcosmetics.com)

Product Details (from E.L.F. Cosmetics website):  An all-in-one face and eye palette featuring a bronzer, blush, highlighter, and 4 eyeshadows to recreate Jen’s effortlessly chic look.  Achieve Jen’s signature chic makeup look with the only palette you’ll ever need. This all-inclusive face and eye palette features a complete range of universally flattering shades, including: 4 luxe eyeshadows, 1 sun-kissed bronzer, 1 sheer-matte blush, and 1 shimmery highlighter to create Jen’s go-to gorgeous glow. Choose from 2 palettes that complement all skin tones.

Review:  Every time I say no more face palettes and something new comes out.  I'll be honest with you, I didn't know who Jen Atkin was and the only reason I bought this palette was it was very pleasing to the eyes - the clear acrylic packaging called my soul.  Now let's see if it is really soul worthy, shall we?

The packaging is very simplistic - the clear acrylic is a very sturdy material and it has a nice weight to it.  I was skeptical that it would feel really cheap like some of their packaging but this was actually impressive. It reminded me of the Tower Beauty blushes and bronzer packaging only in a bigger size.  It did not come in a box but instead a Ziploc type of clear and white plastic which I also liked - minimalism at its best.  This comes with four matte eyeshadows, one bronzer, one blush and one highlighter.  I picked up the shade Medium Deep (the other option is the Light Medium Palette).

I'm just going to start by saying, this Medium Deep palette will not accommodate deeper skin tones.  Maybe having three different shades might be helpful instead of just two - maybe even four.  After all, E.L.F.'s most recent releases has been very inclusive.  

The goal of this palette is achieving Jen's signature look or creating something similar.  If you are not into the type of makeup she has, this is not going to work for you.  Let's start with the eyeshadows - they are pigmented however, they feel dry not only when I did the live swatches on my Reels (@thelovelist1) but also during application (you can watch live application on my IGTV).  The shadow blended well on one eye but not the other.  I use the same eye brushes when trying out new products such as Scott Barnes, Sephora Collection, Smashbox and Sonia Kashuk and these are all very good and high quality tools.  Now, I was able to fix the patchiness but it did require some blending.  That being said, if you want a quick and go routine, this might not be it if the shadows take sometime to blend.  Also, these are all matte shadows but you can probably use the highlighter as your shimmer shade although when I used it on my inner corner, it did not show up well but I am sure if I sprayed it with a setting spray it will do just fine.

The face powders have pigment but they also seem patchy, not only being swatched but also on the face application.  The bronzer seem to apply good on one side but went a little muddy on the other.  The blush did not go exactly where I wanted to and had to fix it a little bit.  Now, once you blend here and there and spray it with a facial mist; it can be all fixed and you wouldn't even know that you had a problem blending.  The powders are feel dry, in my opinion.  They are not as smooth as I'd like them to be or as I would expect from E.L.F.  The eyeshadow shades are probably already in your collection if you have the E.L.F. Bite Size Palettes.  This is what these shadow remind of, however; the Bite Size Palettes are creamier in my opinion.

Is this a bad palette? No, it is not.  In my opinion, it is an okay palette.  If you do not mind a drier formula and having to blend a little bit more, then you might actually like palette.  For me personally, this is a pass.  I prefer smoother and creamier powder formula, both for face and eyes.  I also own drugstore items such as eyeshadows, blushes, bronzers and highlighters that have a smoother finish than these.  Now they may not be in a palette form but I don't want a palette just to have it.  If I have individual items that perform better, I'll take those in a heartbeat.  

Did you pick up this palette?  How did it work for you?

This GRWM is available on my IGTV (@thelovelist1)