Product Review plus Mini Tutorial: Bday Party Look

So this tutorial and review is a long time coming.  I did this look more than two weeks ago for my best friend's birthday party, but haven't gotten around to even thinking about posting it until today.  Sorry!  The weather has been poopy and I've had midterms so the posts are coming slowly.  Will try to pick up the pace!

So, this is mostly a review for the new E.L.F. customized shadow quad I made for myself, as well as the pen eyeliner that featured in a previous blog.  (see My $15 E.L.F. Spree!)  It's also a mini tutorial with shortened steps because I'm assuming everyone is familiar with basic application at this point in time.

Here's the palette:

Here's the pen:

Using these colors, I decided to go for a natural, springtime look that would be both appropriate for day and evening.  Starting with a primed eyelid, I applied the Pink Ice shade as a base and the Ivory shade as a brow highlighter.

Notice I'm wearing a thin line of black liner.  It's not supposed to be there, so pretend you don't see it.

Next, I shade the outer corner of my eye with the Moondust shade:

After that, I'm going to step outside of the shadow quad and choose a dark, espresso brown shade to deepen the color in the outer corner.

Once I've completed that step, I'm going to use black pencil liner to fully line the top eyelid and halfway line the bottom lid from outer corner to center.

Next, I'm going to take a smudge brush and layer black shadow right over the black liner, smudging and blending along the way to create a smokey look.  I'm also going to add a stroke of silver pencil liner to the bottom inner corner.

From the shadow quad, I'm going to use the ivory highlight shade to layer over the silver liner.

Using my E.L.F eyeliner pen, I'm going to draw a moderate, tapered winged line across my top lid.

I curl my lashes and add mascara and I'm done.

The result is a neutral, natural look that easily transitions from work to play.  I really love the convenience and control of the pen eyeliner.  It's very long lasting, but easily comes off with L'Oreal's Clean Artiste Waterproof makeup remover.  My only qualms are that the felt tip isn't the softest and it tends to dry out FAST.  I have to re-wet the tip with water a few times when using it, which some might find rather inconvenient.  This is my general experience with pen liners.  I've spent anywhere from $1 (E.L.F.) to $27 for pen liners and the delivery and performance are more or less the same.  So if it's something you want to try, it's a safe and cheap bet with E.L.F.  At only $1 per piece, you can't lose.