For $20, you are getting three eyeshadow palettes that contain 5 shades each. One is rosy/plum, the second is a neutral/green, and the final one consists of blues and golds. Each palette contains matte and shimmer shades that are coordinate well together. For each palette, I am going to do two sets of swatches. The first will be without a primer and the second will be over M.A.C's Painterly Paint Pot, which has been my primer of choice lately.
Palette 1 (browns and greens):
- matte pinky beige
- shimmery gold
- satin medium brown
- satin forest green
- blackened green with flecks of gold micro glitter
Swatched over Painterly.
This is my favorite of the trio, which shocked me as I normally do not care for green eyeshadows. Each shade has nice pigment and performs well. However, the medium brown is stiff and a little difficult to blend. That metallic forest green is stunning.
Palette 2 (purples and blush tones):
- satin vanilla with a slight peachy pink duo chrome
- matte cranberry
- shimmery pinky taupe
- satin plum
- rose with tiny flecks of silver throughout
Swatched over Painterly
This is the worst offender when it comes to shadows that peel when you dip the brush in the pan. But they are gorgeous, pigmented colors. The plum in this palette is STUNNING. As is the pinky taupe.
Palette 3 (blues and metallics):
- matte pale mauve
- glittery gold
- matte navy
- satin blackened teal
- glittery silver
Swatched over Painterly
This is my least favorite, but not because of the quality. It is on par with the rest of the palettes, but these are not colors I wear a lot. I need to start, though. The satin blackened teal (or whatever it is) is one of the most lovely blue eyeshadows I have ever seen.
The eyeshadows, especially the shimmers, have fantastic pigment. You really don't need a primer to make them stand out, but it does help them apply a lot better. They are very smooth, but they don't quite reach the buttery status. The mattes are less great, but still nice. They are a bit stiff, so they take a little bit more time to blend out and build up. But they are not chalky, which is a common problem with inexpensive eyeshadows. The number one thing that bugs me about the eyeshadows is that some of the shades have a tendency to peel and flake off when you are swatching them or put your brush into the pan. Not every shade does this, but a few of the shimmers and some of the mattes are guilty of it. You won't notice this when applying them on your eye, though. They don't kick up any powder and when worn over a primer, they last all day with no fading or creasing. I haven't had any issues with fallout, either.
They are fairly small eyeshadow palettes, but I haven't had any problems with getting brushes into them. The packaging is sturdy plastic, but I don't see them being a good option for traveling. I can see the packaging or shadows breaking if something heavy is set on them improperly or if you are not careful with them.
I am extremely pleased with these. I was expecting them to be absolute crap, but they are not. I do recommend trying them out and giving them a chance. They are really quite nice. They would make a great gift for seasoned beauty addicts and newbies alike.
