e.l.f. Illuminating Palette Review: Did I Get A Dud?

I bought the e.l.f. illuminating palette because I love a subtle glow for everyday wear and many beauty bloggers and vloggers gave it the thumbs up. I also love e.l.f. products for their great quality at bargain basement prices.

But…I am less than satisfied with this illuminating palette. It has zero glow when I swatch it and looks like chalk on my skin. I always try to give every new product a chance, but I’ve tried using it several times and it’s always the same. The e.l.f. website describes this palette (which includes 4 shades) to be perfect for making the skin look radiant through soft-focus powders that capture, diffuse and soften the way light reflects on the skin. The shades can be used alone or mixed for a custom shade.

Now, I realize that an “illuminating” powder will not be as shimmery as a “highlighting” powder, but I’ve seen rocks that have more radiance than this palette. I tried getting photos of swatches but they don’t show up very well on my pale skin.

I do like that this palette (similar to the e.l.f. blush palette, which I love) has powder compartments that can be popped out to mix and match shades from different palettes; a really neat feature and great for making a custom palette of your faves.

Final thoughts?

I’m not really sure what to do with this sucker now. The palest shade is a match for my skin tone, so I can try to use it to set the makeup around my eyes. The other shades I might be able to use as a contour or an eye shadow. We’ll see, maybe I need more experimentation with it? Am I using it wrong?

Either way, so far I’m disappointed in e.l.f.’s illuminating palette and mad at myself for throwing away the packaging before I could return it. Dammit e.l.f. !

So…going back to my opening question: did I get a dud? Anyone else not enjoying this palette?

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