First Impression: e.l.f. Cosmetics x Jackie Aina Eye Palette “J Glow”

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of ELF.Yes, their prices ensure everyone can purchase whatever their heart desires, but I’d rather pay more for better quality makeup. No knock to ELF, they found their niche and stuck with it! But with so many other brands packed with quality and competitive prices, I always walk right past the ELF displays in the drugstore.

Not going to lie, I was a little surprised by Jackie Aina’s announcement that she was collabing with ELF Cosmetics on a palette. And her reason partially being that she was impressed by ELF’s commitment to quality – I was left shaking my head! Was this palette going to be a game-changer? Was ELF going to ramp up its powder formula for my melanin makeup lovers? I NEEDED to know the answers so of course I purchased two palettes to test. And by test, I mean support Jackie with my coins. =)

First impression – I didn’t love the palette. The taupe matte and shimmer colors leave me wanting more pigmentation. The matte was especially chalky, it flaked the first time I swatched it, and would not grab on to my shadow brush to save its life. But, was I expecting NARS quality shadows for $6? No, I came into this with realistic expectations and loving the entire palette was not one of them.

If you think about it, I would happily pay $5 for one shadow from a Looxi or a ColourPop, so if I could just find ONE diamond in the rough, the palette would have been worth it. I can happily say the cool sapphire shade more than did it for me. The color is beauuuutiiful on brown skin and the pigmentation is perfect. I could pick it up with my finger for a swatch just as easily as swipe my brush into it. Another winner, the matte cool brown. I already have a ton of deep browns, but not many cool-toned ones. I was happy with the color payoff and overall how it performed on my skin.

Would I buy this palette again knowing that I only likes 2/5 shades? Absolutely, no hesitation YES. I could hate all the shades and still purchase this. Why? Because I want to support Jackie and if spending my money to support a fellow black beauty blogger will show brands that there is value in the collaboration then I will happily throw my $6 at them! I hope to see more from Jackie in the future and if this palette does re-stock, I hope you will purchase it as well!