Review and Swatches: ELF Brightening Eye Color

Edit (26th Jan 2011): I had taken better swatches pictures for these quads over UDPP. To see it click here.

I love this quads, I have tried almost all of the quads that available and I finally find the one, well, ten, that I like.

I find that the quad with matte finishes are not good. I couldn't make Brownstone, Hazy Hazel, Punk Funk and Matte Mauve work for me. The eyeshadows are too hard that I have to really rub my brush to pick up the product. It's not that pigmented and hard to blend. Pretty n' Pink and Ethereal on the other hand is too light to show up on my skin. I think it would work for porcelain fair people. Glam and Rocker are glitter madness, not all in the quads are glittery tho. I'm too old for glitter.

There are 18 different quad for Brightening Eye Color, we've gone through 8 of them. The rest, the 10 quads are the better of the lot. What they have in common is that most of them are shimmery shades.

Swatches were done w/o any base or moisturiser. Primer and bases surely will help bringing out the color vibrancy.

From to bottom:

• Blue Moon - The dark blue, off-white and brown are soft and pigmented. The light blue is a little chalky and not so pigmented
• Butternut - My favourite neutral palette, this quad blend easily. The lightest color is a bit hard (to pick up using brush) compared to the other 3.
• Day 2 Night - I think this is the best of all the quads. The black is matte with slight shimmer. The other eyeshadows in the quad have metallic sheen to it.
• Drama - Great for smokey eyes. The white is matte, but crazy pigmented. The greys have shimmer and glitter, but still okay. The black is not so pigmented, but works with the other eyeshadow in the quad.
  

From top to bottom:

• Ivy -My go to palette. The quad pigmentation is great for everyday use, furthermore, the shades complement my dark brown eyes very well.
• Luxe - Luxurious! The color are so pigmented and gorgeous, easy to blend too.
• Nouveau Neutrals - The color doesn't show up very well on my medium skin. But I still like this for days when I'm too lazy for makeup. Well, you hardly go wrong with color that barely shown on your skin.
  

From top to bottom:

• Nymph Dream - If I want a pop of color, this quad is the one I reach for.
  
• Silver Lining - another palette that is gorgeous for smokey eyes. All the eyeshadows in this quad are soft and pigmented.
• Teal Dream - Just like Silver Lining, All four eyeshadows in this quad are soft and pigmented. The blue especially is lovely with iridescent shimmer.

Eventho the packaging is small and cheap, I have no complaint. After all, it's only $1. I have no problem dipping my brush into the eyeshadow triangular pan. The size of these eyeshadow are small, but since it's quite pigmented, I think it gonna last for quite some time. This quads are far from perfect, some are powdery, the other a lil chalky. But all in all, it's great for the price. One more thing, these quads needs good primer or base to show its true potential. NYX Eyeshadow Base in White really bring out the quads vibrancy.

Would I repurchase? If I finished it up, yes.
Would I recommend? Only the ten quads that swatched in this post.