There’s a Reason Why These $3 e.l.f. Eyeshadow Palettes are Going Viral on TikTok!
Love great deals on makeup? 💄
If you (or your teen) have spent any time on TikTok lately, you may have heard of a new compact and super affordable eyeshadow palette that hit the market! The e.l.f. Bite Size Eyeshadow Palette has taken the makeup world by storm, so we tested it out for ourselves!
If you don’t already know, e.l.f. makes cruelty-free, paraben-free, and vegan makeup. But you’re probably wondering, what else makes these little cuties so special?
They’re only $2.99! 😱
Yes, you read that right. Just under THREE DOLLARS for great makeup! I rarely wear eye shadow so when I discovered I could scoop up a beautiful new eyeshadow palette for almost nothing I was practically running to the store!
Plus, I’m already a big fan of e.l.f.’s liquid foundation and use it daily, so I had no doubt that these inexpensive eyeshadows would be great. 🙌 Except for one thing…
Since they’ve hit the market, they’ve gained so much popularity, they’re normally gone before you can even pick them up in the store. Thank goodness, they’re still online, so I was able to order that way!
Even better, with a Target REDcard, I scored an additional 5% OFF making this makeup the most affordable I’ve ever purchased yet! 👏
“But is it worth even just a few bucks?” 🤔
While I will try just about anything for less than $3, it’s still not worth it to spend the money on something you won’t end up liking. Plus, we really hate wasting products here at Hip2Save.
Here’s what I think about these e.l.f. Bite Size Eyeshadow Palettes:
Right off the bat, I noticed that none of the eyeshadow palettes come with a brush or an applicator, so you’ll be on your own to actually wear this makeup. Personally, I have never used the applicator that comes with eyeshadows so I’m not too upset over this and chances are you probably already have an eyeshadow brush you love.
I tested all of the colors on my hand first and the shimmery gold from the “Smoke” palette was by far my favorite! It was the most pigmented and easy to build. This means that it has good, saturated color after just a couple of applications. 🙌
And it still proved to be my favorite when trying it on for the very first time! I really only needed one coat on my eyelids, and like any matte colors when doing a little smoky eye, I kept building until I got the look I wanted.
I was so impressed that none of the pallet colors flaked off onto my cheeks. I know it’s common practice to put your eyeshadow on before your undereye makeup but I break the rules most times and add it last – right before my mascara. 😏 That said, it made it a lot cleaner and beautiful when I was done and ready to run out the door!
For less than $3, I’m sold and already want to try more colors! 😍
Here’s what other makeup-obsessed reviewers have said:
“Y’all! OMG! This stuff is the real deal. I ordered this in the shade ‘Rose Water’, and it’s absolutely gorgeous! The formula is so nice and it goes on so smoothly. And the metallic glittery look is TO DIE FOR!!! I want to get all of these. Absolute perfection!” – Megan ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Great pigment for the mattes and the shimmers are buttery. I have the Mad for Matte 2, Rose Gold Sunset, and some Best Friend duo’s. This is my favorite Elf formula so far. I highly recommend, especially for the price – these are great for travel or on the go. They’re small, but such a good value.” – Christine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I ordered the Cream and Sugar bite-size eyeshadow and I can’t say enough good things about it! It goes on very smooth and buttery – even on my 64-year-old eyelids and stayed on all night! They have nice pigment in the shimmer and matte colors – Elf has really stepped up their game in all their products!” – Sheryl ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Want to try it for yourself? Here are all the retailers where you can scoop them up before they’re gone:
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- Target – Use your Target REDcard for an extra 5% off!
- Kohl’s – could potentially be FREE if you have any Kohl’s Cash laying around!
- Ulta – Check out this Ulta post for how you might be able to save even more!
- Walmart
- Elf Cosmetics
- CVS – the most expensive retailer when not on sale!
Sara you are gorgeous! You look like a model 🙂
Oh my gosh, thank you so much, Bunny. What a sweet comment, you totally made my day!
I agree you should be a model
Wow! Thank you, Sue, that is so sweet!
Sara, can you do more reviews on budget makeup, especially cleaner brands!! Thank you! This is very helpful!
I’m so glad you found this review helpful, Kristin! I’ll be sure to pass this onto the big boss. Have a great day!
I am a huge fan of Elf’s brow pencil! I have a hard time finding a shade that isn’t too dark or red looking and their neutral brown is perfect. There’s also a brow compact that has a little brush in it with a powder and cream option that is very good also , and lasts forever because you don’t need a whole lot.
Oh yes! I love their brow pencil too! Thanks for suggesting the brow compact! I’ll have to look for that one!
I love these too!! ELF currently has free shipping btw 😊 They make some incredibly nice products especially for such a cheap price point and being 100% paraben free and vegan. I also love their putty primers and jelly highlighter. Nice post!
Ooh! That’s awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Amy!
I agree the putty primer is great! I’ll have to try the jelly highlighter.
I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Amy! Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for this post!
You’re so welcome, Juliette! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hmmm, this post makes me want to give this stuff another try. I’ve been following Hip2Save since 2010 and there was a deal on this makeup posted ages ago. The stuff was under a dollar at an online drugstore I believe (my memory is getting bad lol) and was pretty new to the market from what I understood. Due to the low price, I decided to purchase quite a few items to try the brand out. I found the eyeshadow to be super hard to blend and felt that most of the stuff I tried was a little above dollar store quality. Maybe they have since revamped their original formula to better the quality? Either way, based on your review and the swatches on your hand, I think I’ll give e.l.f. another chance. Thanks a bunch!
Let us know what you think this time, Brooke!
Definitely give e.l.f. another try! I use several e.l.f. products daily and they’re great. I’m always surprised at how decent they are for such an affordable price!
I hope that you like them this go around, Brooke! I would never promote something that I didn’t personally like…and if I didn’t, I would be sure to share it! If you don’t already have one, I find that a great blending brush for eyes makes all the difference!
Hi Sara,I cant wait to try this . It looks like the colors are very pretty. A quick question, what eyebrow product do you use .? Thx for the review, God bless.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post, babymair! For my eyebrows I use the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow wiz in medium brown – I love it! Here’s the link if you’d like to try it out. https://amzn.to/3cxiTVJ Have a great day!
You HAVE to try their setting spray, in the black bottle. I keep it in stock and use it everyday.
Thanks for the helpful comment, Mariam! I’ll have to try the setting spray too!
The “pumpkin pie” palette in the photo looks like it *might* have a dupe for UD’s legendary “Smog”…which I recently found out has a toxic teflon-forever chemical in it. I’m on the hunt for a safer, cleaner version of that “Holy Grail” shadow color!
Oh, that’s such a great idea, Maggie! I’ll be sure to pass this idea onto the big boss. 🙂 Have a great day!
I like elf brow gel.
Sara what elf liquid foundation do you use and what shade? Does it have good coverage n stay?
Hey, Cilla! I use the elf Flawless Finish Foundation. Right now I’m actually using two different colors (beige and ivory) I use one pump of each and mix them on the backside of my hand and then apply with my foundation brush. I hope this helps! Here’s the link for the foundation if you’d like to check it out: https://goto.target.com/c/12116/79126/2092?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fe-l-f-flawless-finish-foundation-0-68-fl-oz%2F-%2FA-78663674
Thank you for the make up deal. It would be great to see some posts on how to properly use anti aging skin care products and all the latest and greatest. So many products out there and I just get overwhelmed with what I should actually use to prevent this ugly aging process. Thanks! H2S
I will be sure to pass this onto the team, Christie!
Kohls has these for $2.55 on sale when I checked their website 🙂 I will definitely give rose water a try – the colors look fabulous! Thanks for all the info h2s!
You’re welcome, Jen S! Thank YOU for the heads up on your find!
I wear very little makeup and haven’t worn eye shadow since the 80s – I just cant stand how I look in it – BUT I do occasionally buy cheek stains and mascara. Budget is an issue right now and I always try to buy cruelty free. I always passed over ELF because I thought something this cheap couldnt possibly be responsibly made. THANK YOU for pointing it out. I’m excited to have a new option now.
You’re so welcome, Jen! I’m glad that you found this post helpful. I also don’t use eyeshadow often, so the fact they offer safe and inexpensive pallets is so great! Thanks for stopping by!
You used all four colors in the palate? Could you please do a tutorial for this eyeshadow look? It’s very elegant
Hi Larisa! For the palette above you could start with the lightest shade over the entire eyelid. Then one of the medium shades could be used in the eye crease. Last I’d use and blend in one of the darkest shades on the outside corner of your eye. Hoping that is helpful!