Review -- e.l.f. Essential 18 Piece Eyeshadow Palette

I love splurging on high end makeup items that make me feel a little extra pampered, but there's something really thrilling about finding budget-friendly items that perform just as well as their higher end counterparts.

And it helps stretch your beauty dollar a little further, which is always a good thing too.

e.l.f. is a brand that often surprises with those kind of beauty bargains, and their new Essential 18 Piece Eyeshadow Palette is the latest serious value in the line worth checking out.

Because it's just $8 for 16 shadows that are really nice and easy to use.

The palette is part of their Beauty School offerings, and it really is ideal for anyone who needs a foolproof collection of shadows for school -- but it's also perfect for work or any occasion when you want mostly soft, natural makeup.

elf Essential 18 Piece Eyeshadow Palette

elf Essential 18 Piece Eyeshadow Palette

It comes in a black plastic compact that's extremely sturdy and features a large mirror on the inside that's definitely usable. The shadows aren't named, but the shades are mostly natural colors like tan, brown, ivory, and taupe, though there's a gorgeous spring green and some coppery/rose gold tones thrown in to keep things interesting. There are multiple finishes too, with a blend of matte, shimmer and metallic shadows.

elf Essential 18 Piece Eyeshadow Palette top row

elf Essential 18 Piece Eyeshadow Palette second row

elf Essential 18 Piece Eyeshadow Palette third row

The shimmery and metallic shades are the standouts in this palette, as they're all richly pigmented, creamy, and easy to blend. In particular, I love the copper and peachy shades in the bottom row.

The matte shades aren't quite as nice as the metallic and shimmer options -- they're not as pigmented and are a little less creamy. But they're totally buildable and pair well with the metallic and shimmer shades.

The palette also comes with an angled shadow brush that may not be the best brush in the world but is definitely more useful than the usual sponge tip applicators or tiny, prickly brushes that usually come with shadow palettes.

Considering the $8 price tag, I would seriously recommend this palette to everyone -- especially for anyone who's new to the world of makeup and wants to build up a nice collection of everyday shadows.

If you're a makeup nut like me, though, you'll still find use for this palette -- it's ideal for traveling because there are plenty of shades for a soft daytime appropriate look and several darker shadows to create a smokey eye for the evening.

Have you tried the e.l.f. Essential 18 Piece Eyeshadow Palette? Are you a fan?