elf 18 hit wonders eyeshadow palette (review + swatches)

Colour, colour, colour. It's all I can think about these days. Though my go-to eyeshadow shades tend to be warm neutrals, I am actively changing that. Partly for creativity sake and partly to ensure that the words "makeup rut" never again enter my vocabulary. On my quest to become more indulgent with colourful makeup looks, I stumbled across an eyeshadow palette from elf. The elf 18 Hit Wonders eyeshadow palette caught my eye largely because of that middle row of shadows. Green, blue, and yellow, oh my! I simply had to know how they performed. If you're equally curious... here is everything you need to know about this drugstore palette.

Review + Swatches (elf 18 Hit Wonders Eyeshadow Palette)

With my last elf purchase being a not-so-great experience (in case you missed that post, check it out here), I had no real idea of what to expect with this palette. Would it be good? Bad? In between? Despite the uncertainty, I was eager to try out this palette and find out for myself. There are of course, eighteen shades here and that includes a wide variety of colours. On the top row there is: Supreme (a purple toned brown), Vibrant (silver), Moss (shimmery moss green), Peachy (soft peach), Quartz (shimmery pink), and Pave (champagne). The middle row is easily the brightest and it includes: Velvet (deep purple), Electric (bright blue), Evergreen (vibrant green), Solar (yellow), Heat (shimmery orange), and Candy (orange-pink). To finish it all off, the bottom row includes: Royal (purple-blue), Shade (grey), Element (peach), Summer (deeper peach), Penny (copper), and Danger (warm metallic). Variety is certainly a huge part of this eyeshadow palette.

Yes, this set contains a wide variety of colours (from neutrals to bold rainbow shades) but it doesn't end there. This elf palette also offers variety in terms of finishes. There are shimmery shades, mattes, and even pearl shadows. So whether you are someone who loves a glamorous and shimmery makeup look or you are all about matte...there are options here. Here are the swatches, row by row, so you can get a better feel for the palette.

It's pretty clear from the swatches above that this palette is a little...inconsistent. 18 Hit Wonders? I think not. That being said, there are some pretty stellar shades to be found in here. Many of the shimmery shadows fare better as they are boldly pigmented, have lots of shine, and stand out among the rest. Some of the matte shades are decent (though need to be built up), like the rainbow colours ones in that centre row. Then there are the not so fabulous shadows, like Supreme and all of the peach-toned colours. They are patchy, dry in texture, and do not blend well. It's a shame! While there are certainly good eyeshadows in here, the inconsistency of the overall palette is a letdown.

Since colour is at the forefront of my mind, I wanted to create a makeup look that was bold and bright. To do so, I tried to use shades from the palette that I would normally steer clear from. Take a look and let me know what you think of the end result....

Rating: 2.5 / 5

I have mixed feelings about this product from elf. There are some wonderful eyeshadows and then there are some that are just plain useless. That inconsistency makes this palette less of a hit and more of a miss. That being said, I still plan to make use of it and incorporate lots of colour into my makeup looks this spring and summer.

Have you tried this palette? Are you a fan of elf products?