Review -- e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Eyeshadows (Heartbreaker, Disco DJ, Beauty Queen, & What's Your Name)

 Whenever e.l.f. has a big sale, I always take the opportunity to try a bunch of products.

Now, their prices are certainly reasonable to begin with, but when you're getting 30 percent off or more, they're practically steal.

I mean, the products are definitely hit and miss, but when you're spending $3 or less on them, you can feel free to experiment without worrying about wasting much money.

A while back, I decided to give the Pressed Mineral Eyeshadows a try, mainly because the colors seemed to call to me.

Yep, you guessed it -- they're mostly natural shades.

e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Eyeshadows: top row (l. to r.): Heartbreaker & Disco DJ; bottom row (l. to r.): Beauty Queen & What's Your Name

I picked up four shadows: Heartbreaker, a cool, shimmery dark brown; Disco DJ, a pale silvery gray with a satin finish; Beauty Queen, a light beige with satin finish; and What's Your Name, a matte mauve-y taupe.

These shadows are decently pigmented, particularly the darker shades. Disco DJ and Beauty Queen are somewhat sheer, but I find it pretty easy to build them up to the intensity that I'd like with a couple of layers.  Still, the overall effect with these shadows is pretty soft and subdued -- kind of like Tarte's eye shadows. For me, that makes them perfect for days when I'm in a rush and just want to be able to slap on my eye makeup and go.

e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Eyeshadows: top row (l. to r.): Heartbreaker & Disco DJ; bottom row (l. to r.): Beauty Queen & What's Your Name

 The formula is pretty nice and smooth, so the shadows are easy to apply and blend. However, they are pretty soft so when you run your brush against them, they kick up a lot of "powder" for lack of a better word. That can also mean some fallout when you apply them to your eye, though I find that if I tap off any excess, I don't have a problem.

e.l.f. usually resorts to really bulky packaging that is hard to store, but the Pressed Mineral Eyeshadows actually come in round, slim compacts that are extremely easy to stack in a drawer or basket.

These shadows normally retail for $3 each for 3 grams of product, so while they're not the greatest shadows in the world, they're really a bargain. I definitely recommend checking them out if there's a shade that catches your eye.

In fact, when e.l.f. recently had their 50 percent off birthday sale, I picked up 4 more of the Pressed Mineral Eyeshadows (Lunch Break, First Date, Miss Popular, and Wine Tour) but they just arrived so I haven't had a chance to play with them yet. (I'll include swatches in an upcoming Shopping Bag post for anyone that wants to check them out.)

Have you tried the e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Shadows? What's your favorite shade?