This $9 e.l.f. Eyeshadow Palette Is The Only Thing You Need For Euphoria Eyes

If there’s one thing that’s certain in the world of beauty right now, it’s that when Euphoria is airing, we are in a moment of peak makeup maximalism. For beauty junkies, this means more of everything (and a fun excuse to try out more experimental looks). For makeup novices, it piques interest about how to get in on the trends. Luckily, there are easy (an inexpensive) ways to get into the mix. Enter, the e.l.f. Cosmetics Cookie’s ‘N Dreams Eyeshadow Palette, which has just about every shade you need to try out the season’s top creative trends.

Blue eye makeup of every shade, texture, and shape, seems to be the color of Euphoria Season 2, with all of the girlies in a version of blue at one time or another. You have Maddy’s sharp cobalt liner, Cassie’s over-the-top Dolly Parton moment, and Jules’ cool abstract eye paintings. Kat wears some shade of blue, from turquoise to cornflower, in just about every one of her scenes.

The entire new Cookies ‘N Dreams collection from e.l.f. is in the of-the-moment icy blue shade range, with smart additions of black and white (à la Oreo cookies) to complement the more potentially intimidating blue hues. Every product in the collection is under $10, making the Eyeshadow Palette one of the most expensive pieces of the collecting (although it still costs only $9). I decided to see for myself if the e.l.f. Cookie’s ‘N Dreams Eyeshadow Palette could punch above its affordable price point and recreate some of the looks we’ve seen on Euphoria this season. Overall, I’m happy to say my attempts would totally pass at Euphoria High.

Look #1: Modern Mod

First up, I wanted to recreate Kat’s episode two eye look because all of the elements are already laid out easily in the palette. There’s a matte baby blue for the all-over lid color and and black shadow in the bottom right for a kicky wing.

I was impressed with how pigmented the light blue eyeshadow was. I thought I might need to apply the white shadow first to help the color stand out, but it was unnecessary. With a dense brush, it was easy to pack on the blue and lightly buff it out around my crease. I also got to see the performance range of the eyeshadows when I tested applying the black with a wet angled brush, to created the wing. The creamy texture of the shadows lended themselves well to be used wet or dry.

Look #2 Eye Paintings

Next, I wanted to up the challenge factor, by recreating Jules’ artistic bowling alley look. It has a primarily blue base, but features just about every other color in the palette, as well. Perfect for testing.

The white and ice blue shades both went smoothly and showed up immediately on my lid, as expected. Then, I could easily layer the royal blue shimmer and black freeform lines, by using those shades with a wet liner brush (for added precision and pigment). Where I wanted to add more splashes of color, I could even use just my pinky to finger-paint the look into place, like I would imagine Jules would’ve done.

Added bonus: the shimmery bone shade works double time as a subtle highlighter if you have a fair to medium skin tone.

Final Verdict:

At $9 and smaller than an iPhone, the e.l.f. Cookie’s ‘N Dreams Eyeshadow Palette is a no-brainer to purchase and stash in your makeup bag, whether it’s for a rainy day or every day. Unlike unwieldy single shadows or clunky giant palettes (which I love, but there’s a time and place for everything), this itty-bitty eight-shade palette gives you just the right amount of shades to create a ton of looks without having to overthink anything. Pairing any shade with one of the on-trend blues is bound to yield a cool combination.