Today, I am reviewing the ELF 50 Piece Makeup Artist Palette. On the official website, it is $25 (USD). It includes 5 blushes, 5 bronzers, and 40 eyeshadows in an array of colors. The actual palettes are removable and are stacked to fit inside the a hard plastic case, which has a big mirror built in.
They also have a 56 Piece Makeup Artist Collection holiday/gift set, which includes this exact palette in a white case and 6 other pieces from the Essential line. This collection is $30 (USD) on the website.
I purchased mine during the website's half-off sale over the holidays for my makeup artist kit. I primarily got the palette for the blush/bronzer portion of the palette. For me, the eyeshadows were just a convenience.
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The cover of my palette is slightly damaged from being stored in my kit. I covered the mirror with the blush palette. The mirror takes up the entire inside lid.
The blushes in the palette are very nice. They all have no glitter in them, which I personally prefer. In the pan, these blushes have very subtle flecks of glitter in them. On the skin, you cannot see the glitter at all and leaves a natural matte finish (subtle sheen).
The first color is more of a highlighter for sure. It looks just like a pink version of Strange from the UD Naked 3 Palette. The only issue that I want to point out is that it applied super powdery! Given that this is by ELF, I can't be too mad about it. Since it does apply powdery and has minimal reflecting properties, I don't think it would be the best option as a cheek highlighter.
The rest of the blushes are gorgeous! I'm so happy ELF selected these shades in the palette! They are pigmented and blend-able. The second shade is the standard baby pink; third is a hot pink; fourth is a universal pinky-nude (flattering on all skin tones); and the fifth is a bright coral.
The bronzers have the same finish as the blushes, but the glitter is oh-so slightly more noticeable in the three last shades. You really need to be up close and personal for anyone to see it. In the photo, you can't even see it! Honestly, I can't think these are bronzers at all. The only one I would consider is the fourth one. It is matte enough to use a contour bronzer if your skin tone is compatable. I can see it being mostly used to get a sun-kissed glow if you use it light-handedly (remember, they are pigmented!).
The rest of the bronzers are really more like nude-toned blushes. But hey, who doesn't like blushes, right?
The first row of eyeshadows are smokey shades. They would look great for a evening look. Generally, they all applied and blended nicely. The white first shade was a bit too powdery, but then again it's ELF. The only problematic shade was the last shade, which is a matte black. It applied patchy and I had to swatch several layers to get it to how it is in the photo.
The second row are shades of green and blue. This is the most disappointing row. As you can see, a lot of them are very sheer. I was most excited about the fourth shade. In the pan, it is a bright turquoise. Unfortunately, the color pay off did not deliver. The shade that disappointed me the most is the last shade. Again, I had to apply so much product to make it how it is in the photo and it still does not look good.
The sixth and seventh (the ones were it looks like there is a gap) are super sheer! However, they are actually just shimmer with a sheer base. Sixth has a sheer light blue base with silver shimmer. Seventh has a sheer, medium blue base with gold shimmer. I think all these shades (especially 6th and 7th) would look best with a white base underneath.
The next row are pinks and purples. Honestly, if this was it's own palette, I would totally be all over it! They are all so pretty! I have absolutely no complaint for this row of shadows. What you see is what you get!
The last row of shadows are nude, bronze, and copper shades.They all applied wonderfully. One thing I want to mention is that the gold fourth shade is only one swipe! It is the most pigmented shadow in the whole palette! I was very impressed with it!
OVERALL, I would recommend this palette. It is a genuinely a great palette to have if you're on a budget. It has wide color selection for all occasions, which makes it very versatile. A large majority of the palette has excellent color pay off. It is such a good deal for the price. It would be an even better deal if you can get this on sale like I did!
Thanks for reading!
♥ Jesse
