little white truths

I picked up this palette a couple of months ago after hearing so much about it via the various Facebook beauty groups I'm part of. It slipped past my year-long beauty spending ban because I had a Priceline Club voucher that covered the cost.

I decided months ago to stop making those random purchases in pharmacies and supermarkets just because items were half-price and super cheap: I realised halfway through last year that I was spending more on bargain items than I was on the occasional splurge, so I needed to train myself not to throw that $10 blush in the cart just because it was a steal. It's a habit that's so easy to fall into, and one that's pretty hard to break.

Anyhoo. Initially I'd had no plans to buy this palette because I'd tried a Models Prefer baked eyeshadow duo early last year (yes, from the $2 bin while buying toothpaste at Priceline) and it was so rubbish that it went straight into the bin (but not the same one, in case you were wondering ; )).

But this palette has met some pretty good reviews and, for me, the purchase was almost worth it just for the packaging and included brush (which is better quality than you might expect) - this fancy-looking tray is now a display item on my dresser and, if I squint, I can pretend it's the Urban Decay Naked palette (and indeed I use this trick when looking at my husband so I can pretend he's Jason Statham).

Yes, this is a knock-off item - let's be clear on that. Let's also be clear on the following: this little bundle cost $10 for 12 eyeshadows and a double-ended brush, so I'm holding it up to different standards than I might the $68 Stila palette I recently used my Mecca gift card to purchase (thanks Santa).

While I'll as always give it an honest review, my expectations for this are a little lower - I wasn't expecting much so I was pleasantly surprised even though it's certainly not the best makeup item I own, and I'm not comparing it to the good stuff.

As you can see there's a nice range of neutral shades in here. The packaging looks expensive on the outside but more cheapo on the inside. That's ok. I can still pretend I'm looking at a high-end item before I open it.

A quick comment on the brush (below): it's actually better than I expected it to be. Both ends are useful and I'm glad it's double-ended - I've been using both sides and I'd thought the brush would probably be destined for the trash. Not so!

• A little grumble: only two of the shades (the first and last - Bare and Cocoa) are matte. I'd have hoped that around half the shades were matte, considering this is meant to be a nude palette and, the moment you add sparkle to something, it doesn't look natural. Hopefully Models Prefer might consider this if it releases a second version.
• There's inconsistency between, well, the consistency of the shades - so go easy until you're familiar with the palette. Eg if you use Cocoa (which is the hardest) and then stick your brush into Flushed (the softest), you mightn't expect the amount of 'give' in the latter and you risk gauging a hole in it.
• If you do what I did and go through the softer shades before the darker ones, you'll be surprised by the pigment in the darker ones (as compared to the lighter ones).
• The last three shades don't blend very well; the others are generally better and easier to work with.
• Expect fall out. A lot of it. The pans will get little blobs of shadow in them (and they'll stick to your brush), kind of like pilling - so be sure to tap your brush before application to remove these (it'll help with trying to get an even application).
• Before shovelling on shadow to get your desired level of colour (you may feel you need to do this with shades like Naked), check what you've done in different lighting or you'll risk overdoing it and looking like you've chalked your eyelids.
• Finally, you may have seen me mention that I often use eyeshadow to line my lower waterline. I wouldn't with this palette - cheaper shadows can be more irritating to eyes (eg because they generally don't use natural or organic ingredients), so I've been reaching for a different eyeshadow instead of any shade from this palette when it comes to the waterline.

Ok, let's have a look at each of the shades (and see swatches in various lights below).

*All 12 shades from left to right (in order), outside in direct sunlight - 

note you can hardly see Bare (far left))

* Another one taken outside in direct sunlight, for good measure.

* Indoors, no flash. You can see the pigment issues.

*Indoors, with flash - see how shades like Bare (far left) come out more in different lights. And here you can barely see Naked at all.