E.L.F. Holiday: The Beauty Encyclopedia "Smoky Edition" + Look

Perhaps, while perusing Target, you have noticed that E.L.F. has released their holiday collection? They have an array of holiday sets at your disposal, such as the above: a 16-shadow palette that includes a black liner and sponge brush for $5. Is it worth it? Keep reading!

(PLUS, I did a look with this palette!)

The E.L.F. "encyclopedias" have a history of  decent success; they are often sold out on their website, and bloggers tend to praise them for getting the most bang for your buck. That's why, as soon as I saw it, I snatched it quickly so as to not miss out on trying the encyclopedia for myself. I've enjoyed E.L.F.'s mineral shadows, too.

Like I mentioned, this is the "smokey" edition; there is also a neutral palette for the same $5 price tag. The book contains 16 different shadows, a small pencil liner in black, and a little sponge brush. It also comes with a demonstration of how to apply shadows on the left side of the book (makes for a great gift for maybe a teen or someone who would like to learn how to use eyeshadow properly!).

The pigmentation of each shadow varies; some are reasonably pigmented, whilst others blend into the skin, looking like just another generic color. However, I kinda like that they have a subtly to them, because it calls for less blending. They're not invisible by any means, just have a softer payoff than say, MAC or Urban Decay. Here are some swatches:

In fact, I did a look today with several of the colors, and was quite pleased with how it turned out. Better yet, the shadows lasted just as long as any of they higher end brands, never wearing off or fading (I used MAC's Painterly paint pot underneath).

One annoying thing about it is that the book is it has a clear plastic sleeve that folds over the eyeshadows. It is attached to the book, and gets in the way when trying to use the shadows- it can probably be cut off, though. Also, I think the liner and "brush" are two very useless things- poor quality, I'd use something else! And, I would've preferred if the shadows had names, but that is just a small thing.

Overall though, I feel the product is worth $5 for sure. The shadows are usable and pretty, and there is great variety in the palette, whether you want to do a funky smokey eye, or a traditional smokey eye.

So, for inspiration, here is the look I did today with it:

Rating: Go For It! 

What do you think of E.L.F.'s Beauty Encyclopedia?