little white truths

I included this last year as one of the items in my Project Dent series, and I've been meaning to review it ever since. Using it again has reminded me how much I love it, and you may well see it show up in my 2016 makeup favourites - if I ever get around to taking the photos for my second post ; )

It's just a product that works without fuss or fanfare, and never once have I wound up with a dodgy eye look when I've used it. While it mightn't be the prettiest or most interesting palette on the market, it's perfect for an everyday warm eye look and it's probably my most reached-for set of eyeshadows, which is saying something because I have plenty to choose from.

The palette contains five shades and I've come to realise that five is my perfect number. Yes of course I like palettes with more shadows but there's something about quints that just works for me: for some reason, quads usually aren't quite enough and anything with more than five means I won't use every shade each time, and I like that I can open this and know that every shade will get used.

There it is below. It's beautifully warm while still being wearable and it's not so warm that it makes me look like I've had an allergic reaction around my eye area - a common problem for me when the undertones aren't right.

The other thing I like about it is that it's neither all matte nor all satin. Shades one, four and five are matte while shades two and three have a slight sheen. This isn't a shimmery palette, so if you're after sparkly shades then this mightn't be for you.

I'm happy enough with the packaging because it's sleek and functional, but to be honest it's also a little boring and I prefer the packaging of other Becca products I own (like the highlighters and blushes). You do get a mirror and it's big enough that I actually use it.

Becca claims/product details:

• A palette of five eye shades designed to beautifully contour and enhance the eyes
• Sculpt, widen and brighten your eyes
• Matte shades provide pigment-rich tones to effortlessly create a variety of looks that go from subtle to bold
• These shadows are infused with green coffee oil, which awakens the eyes and smooth the lids, while a built-in priming effect extends the wear of your shadow
• With warm and cool undertones that are ideal for all skintones, this palette’s versatile formula can be used wet or dry as an eyeliner
• RRP $72 AUD for 8g, but do shop around (I got mine for just under $50)

There are the shadows in direct sunlight above and below.

Shade 1 is a matte beige with a hint of peach and it's one of those colours that all but disappears into my skintone. This makes it a good base but it's dark enough that I can use it as a transition colour (rather than a highlight shade), so I prefer it to the traditional paler highlights because I don't use those (my eyes are hooded so I don't highlight the browbone and I prefer shimmer for the inner corner). It's creamy enough but a little drier than some of the other shades in the palette. It applies and blends well.

Shade 2 is a satin pink that looks like a muted mauve/plum on me and it's warmer on the skin than it looks in the pan. The pigment is great and it's softer and creamier than Shade 1 (perhaps because it's a satin) and it blends beautifully. I love this on the lid because it brightens my eyes without being too much or looking like I'm wearing tonnes of eyeshadow. It's such a versatile shade and one that I've reached for when I'm using other palettes because it's one of those 'chameleon' shades that works with so many looks. It may not have enough 'grunt' for some but I personally love it.

Shade 3 is a soft satin brown that has good pigmentation and feels the same in formula as Shade 2 - soft, creamy and super easy to apply and blend. There's a rosy warmth to it that I love and it's versatile like Shade 2 because it goes with so many looks. If I have one complaint, when I'm at my darkest (medium), Shades 2 and 3 look very similar on my eye, but for most of the year they look different enough and they pair well together for a soft gradient effect.

Shade 4 is the softest, creamiest matte in the palette and it's my favourite shade of all five. It's a medium brown that looks like it has slight camel/mustard undertones in the pan but on the skin the undertones look more orange/red. It's one of the few orangey browns I own that never looks too warm on the eye, and it's one of my favourite eyeshadows full stop. The pigment is good and it blends and applies well.

Shade 5 has a similar formula to Shade 1 and it's a touch drier than Shade 4 and the two satins, while still being soft and creamy. It's a rich brown with burgundy/red undertones and it's my second favourite shade in the palette. This one takes a little more effort to blend than the other two mattes (that's often the case with dark mattes, in my experience), but it still blends better than many other formulas I've tried. The pigment is good but it's not too much so I haven't made mistakes with this shade, unlike other dark mattes I own - which can often apply too much colour straight out of the starting gate, no matter how careful I am.

There are the five shades below (direct sunlight). On the left I've done finger swatches and on the right I've used a brush. 

Note that I don't like heavy swatches because I personally don't find those helpful since that's not how I would apply most shadows on the eye, so I've gone for lighter swatches because this is how I would wear them.

And again (stronger sunlight):

In natural light (outdoors):

Natural light (indoors):

And in indirect sunlight:

Verdict

I think I've already said it above but I'll sum things up briefly here for completeness.

This is in my top three eyeshadow palettes that I've ever owned and it will likely show up in my 2016 makeup favourites because it's easily my most-used palette (not including the products I'm deliberately using via Pan that Palette).

I reach for it so much because I know it works and I've always been happy with the eye looks I've created from it, and I certainly can't say that of all the shadows I own. It just looks good with very little effort and I'm yet to make an eyeshadow blunder with it, so that's saying something. For this reason I think it's a good palette for beginners, and it's definitely a good one if you're often applying your makeup in a rush and don't have time to waste on blending bad formulas.

I do own Becca's Ombre Nudes version (reviewed here) and while I like that too, I prefer this one because it's warmer and I don't need to reach for any other shadows unless I want to (although I'll often use my face highlighter on the inner corner to tie things in). The Ombre Nudes pulls cool on me and I prefer warmer looks, plus I normally pair it with a shimmery lid shade - but with this I have everything I need in one palette and, as I've said, when I use it I use every shade.

One of the things I like about Becca's formula is that it never looks dry on my eyes and the satins don't emphasise texture on my eyelids. I'm 36 and have dry, dehydrated skin so I can't just wear any old shadow because many formulas make me look drier and more crepe-y than I am. So it's this, perhaps more than anything else, that makes this palette a favourite - yes I do love the colours and the easy-to-blend formula, but more than this, I love that it makes my eyelids look good.

So in sum, while this isn't the cheapest palette on the market - particularly considering that you only get five shades - I've given it an HG tag because it just works for me. It gives me a diffused look with very little effort, while still offering depth and definition to help me 'retract' my eye-hoods.

Such a great palette and one I recommend.