e.l.f. Mad for Matte Holy Smokes Palette Review

When e.l.f. released the original Mad for Matte eyeshadow palette two years ago, it instantly became one of my favorite products from the brand. I’m a huge sucker for all-matte eye looks, and the palette had great everyday neutral shades.

Then, e.l.f. followed up with the Mad for Matte 2 palette in January, which contained a bunch of peachy shades that have been so popular this year. This one became a palette I reached for often when I wanted a warm look.

Clearly, these palettes have been doing well for them because here come’s the third installment: the Mad for Matte Eyeshadow Palette in Holy Smokes. The new palette contains ten shades that serve up some major fall vibes. Upon first glance, this seems like the most versatile out of the three and I’ve been loving mixing and matching shades for different moods.

The palette has a great range from light nudes to bold sultry shades, so you don’t always necessarily have to rock a smoky eye when using it. Because of that, plus the sleek and compact packaging, I can definitely see myself packing this on vacation with me. The lighter shades feature beiges, browns and grey while the deeper shades give you a strong pop of blue, taupe and black.

What I love about these shadows is the texture— they’re really silky in the pan and blend on the skin easily. Like the other palettes, the pigmentation is great but takes about two layers for the full effect.

Even still, these offer great color payoff for mattes, even in those lighter shades. The obvious standout out of the shades is that pop of blue. It applies the most opaque in the palette, and is such a stunning shade when worn on the lid as a strong smoky eye. If you want something a little more subtle, you can sweep it on the lash line as a smoky liner. I also like the cool gray on the left of the blue, and they look great blended together.

With the e.l.f. Eyelid Primer, these shades look great for hours. I only experience slight fading— only noticeable if you’re paying close attention. For $10, this is yet another great addition that will serve up multiple looks in one palette. Out of the three, I think the second is still surprisingly my favorite, just based on the colors I like using frequently… though this is a close second and I’ve been reaching for it when creating date night or concert looks.

I’m speculating that this won’t be the last Mad for Matte palette we’ll see from the brand, especially since they’ve dropped the numbering and have solely named this based on the shades inside. Looking back on the page for the second palette, it also looks like they’ve dropped “2” and have renamed it to Summer Breeze and the original has Nude Mood added to the name. I can’t wait to see what color combo they come up with next!

Find the e.l.f. Mad for Matte Holy Smokes Palette for $10 on their website.

What’s your favorite Mad for Matte palette so far?