I was using this palette today and just remembering back to the time I was considering buying this online. I had the hardest time finding a good blog post on this and the reviews on Sephora seemed split down the middle between love it and hate it.
I kept getting drawn to it though because it had all of the colors I like to wear: a taupe, a gold, a copper, a bronze, and some dark shades to use for some drama. It's got 7 shimmers, 4 mattes, and 1 shadow with an identity crisis (is a shimmer but thinks it's a matte). It's also got a nice balance between warm and cool tones. It's a $32 palette, so it's much cheaper than almost all of the palettes in the store by far (Urban Decay Nakeds, here's looking at you). It also comes with a brown eyeliner and a decent dual-ended brush, with an angled liner side and a fluffy blending side. Might this be the palette of my dreams? My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to give it a go.
So what was the verdict... was this one (of many) poor life decision(s) on my part? Or am I just plain tickled that I found an everyday neutrals palette at a fraction of the cost? We shall see!
Let's get acquainted with it shall we. Here's a closeup shot of the left side of the palette.
Swatches below:
Top Row from Left to Right:
1 - a shimmering cream moonstone (*) - The shimmers in this palette overall are a bit coarser than I'd like but this is a good inner corner highlight shade.
2 - a rosy copper shimmer (*) - This is one of the smoothest applying shades in the palette
3 - a satin olive. This one actually has shimmer in the pan, but swatches as an almost matte. I feel like the color is a little murky when placed on the eyelids.
Bottom Row from Left to Right:
4 - matte almond / milky shade - This one is perfect for the brow bone but not much else. It's also a bit chalky.
5 - a shimmering rose gold - This one has a ton of fallout and is also a bit chalky.
6 - a shimmering caramel (*) - This shade is particularly smooth and buttery.
And now on to the right side of the palette.
More swatches, swatches galore!
Top Row from Left to Right:
7 - purple shimmer. I don't know that I'd ever use this shade myself but maybe it appeals to the bolder souls out there and is a nice addition as a pop of color.
8 - a chocolatey shimmer (*) - I really enjoy this shade as an eyeliner or to darken the outer v.
9 - a deep, matte brown. (*) - Meant to be used as eyeliner.
Bottom Row from Left to Right:
10 - matte taupe with a purple undertone (*). Pro Tip Amateur Tip: I actually use this shade for contouring my face as well sometimes.
11 - shimmering taupe that can look grayish blue on the eyes (*). This is my favorite shimmer in the palette. While the others are a bit one-dimensional and not very refined, this one is silky smooth.
12 - matte black (*) - Again to be used as eyeliner.
In case you were wondering, the shades with the (*) next to them are the shades that I actually enjoy using, and swatched more evenly.
Pros
- This was a value buy for me. $32 for 12 eyeshadows and an eyeliner, and a very solid dual-sided brush.
- I use 8 of the 12 shades on a regular basis. In school, this 67% is a 'C' but in makeup land, I'll round up to a B. I've had much worse. (That's what she said.)
- Packaging is nice with a huge mirror. I'll include a shot of the sexy packaging below..
Cons
- The shimmers are a bit one-dimensional and have coarser particles than I would usually require of my Sephora-purchased palettes. The lighter shades can be a bit chalky.
- You must be careful when using brushes to manage the fallout, especially the lighter shimmer shades. The colors are easier to use when applied with the fingers.
All in all, if you were a marketer, and you had sent me one of those radio button surveys, I'd fill in the button for "Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied". I would say that the quality of this palette is not much better than drugstore quality. However, there are a lot of very wearable shades. The kind that really cement ones' eyeshadow collection. I use this palette very frequently, however, even if I hit pan on my most loved shades, I will probably not repurchase the palette. I would say that if you enjoy the shades, and if you can find this on sale at about the $15-$20 price point, you will not be disappointed.
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Thanks for reading!
What's your go-to neutral palette?
Are you more into value or luxury palettes?
-Joan
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