little white truths

Around two weeks ago, I introduced this eyeshadow palette to my Project Dent series (see here) and I'm back today to review it.

Long story short, I think it's a great little palette and while it's not perfect, it's one of my favourites and I've never done a dud look with it - so I think it's a great palette for beginners and I definitely recommend it.

I bought mine a year or two ago from Mecca, and it's remained the palette I reach for when we're going out and I'm short on time. That's because I know that it will give me a soft, diffused and pretty look without fail - and I've often found myself applying it in the passenger seat in the car because it's compact and I know I won't bugger it up.

In this time-poor world of ours, there's absolutely a place for foolproof palettes like this and I reckon it will work for a lot of people - so long as your skintone isn't tan-to-dark because it is on the pale side.

I also like the packaging of this palette. While some Too Faced packaging looks a bit young and inelegant to me (eg, I don't really want a palette that looks like a chocolate bar or has heart-shaped pans), I think this one's pretty.

It's tin so it's sturdy enough for travel, and I like the design. It's different without being tacky.

Too Faced claims/product details:

• It's all the shades you loved in the Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette, but now in gorgeous mattes
• Incredibly easy to wear and perfect for any day or nighttime look
• Nine stunning neutral matte shadows deliver rich pigmented colours to the lid
• The silky smooth formula is incredibly blendable and leaves an airbrushed effect
• Includes the signature Too Faced Glamour Guide with tips to get you started on three beauty looks (note that I've never even taken my guide out of the palette, so I can't tell you if it's useful - but let's assume it is ; ))
• RRP $52 AUD for 11.4g

There's the palette in direct sunlight above.

You'll see that the top row contains more neutral/cool shades, the middle row is more mauve/plum and the bottom row contains warmer browns.

I like the middle and bottom rows the best but I certainly use the top row. Indeed, there's very little I would change about the colour selection in this palette and I think it's been well thought-through and put together.

Now for swatches. Below I've swatched each row and given you a finger swatch and then a brush swatch for each shade. 

I haven't used a primer because most people seem to swatch with a primer underneath so I thought I'd do something different. In any event, the finger swatches are a good representation of colour-payoff with a primer so you can see how they look when intensified.

First row:

* L-R: Heaven, Cashmere Bunny, Sexpresso

Heaven is an off white with a yellow undertone. It has a matte finish and it feels smooth and silky to the touch. It's not super pigmented so it doesn't show up well on my skintone (it may on paler skins), but it's not terrible and it still works as a matte highlight shade if that's what you're after. I personally only use it to set my eye primer because I have hooded eyes so I don't use a browbone highlight (it just makes matters worse if I do), but I have tried it to set my concealer because it's a little brightening, given the yellow in it, so you can use it for that if you want to.

Cashmere Bunny is a neutral, medium taupe that strikes a nice balance between brown and grey. It has a matte finish and it pulls cool on me because I have strong yellow undertones in my skin, but it may look more neutral on others. It has good pigmentation without being too pigmented, it blends and applies well and it lasts well with a primer. It's matte and it feels soft, silky and creamy (more creamy than Heaven), and it's a versatile shade that I use more than I thought I would. I often reach for it if my eye look is too warm and I need to pull it back, and I also use it to deepen the outer v (I don't often use dark shades for that purpose: this is about as dark as I go for an everyday look).

There they are again:

* L-R: Heaven, Cashmere Bunny, Sexpresso

Sexpresso is a neutral dark brown with a matte finish. Again, it pulls cool on me due to the warm undertones in my skin, but it may look more neutral on others. It's creamy and silky, and it feels a bit softer and denser than the first two shades (perhaps because the pigment is denser). Like many dark mattes, this unfortunately is a little more difficult to blend than other shades in the palette so I tend not to reach for it unless I've got time for extra work. It's not terrible when it comes to blending, but I do need to put in some effort. The pigmentation is ok - which I prefer for a darker shade because I don't like dark shades that are too pigmented - but it may be disappointing for some. You can certainly build it, though. This will make a good brow shade for many and that's mostly what I've been using it for. It's a good shade for lining, too.

Second row: 

L-R: Lace Teddy, Strapless, Risqué 

Lace Teddy is a smooth, soft and creamy matte light peach. It's creamier and softer than Heaven, which almost feels dry by comparison (although I wouldn't call it dry). This might make a good transition shade or brightening lid shade for those with paler skintones, but on me it doesn't show up unless I really build it and by then it looks drying and chalky because I've applied so much. For me, this is just another base shade that I can use to set my eye primer - so I don't need both Heaven and Lace Teddy in this palette and I personally prefer Lace Teddy because at least I can use that as a blush. I really like it as a blush, and if I were to pan this palette, that's likely how I would get through it.

Strapless is a dusty, mid-toned rose shade with a dose of brown in it. It's matte and it has a silky smooth texture, but it's not as creamy as some of the other shades (it's more like Heaven in texture). It applies and blends well, and it's one of my favourite shades in this palette because even though it's neutral, it's an interesting shade and I don't have anything else like it. I love it through the crease and I sometimes use it as my 'dark' shade on the outer v for definition. You can use this shade as a blush, too.

And again:

L-R: Lace Teddy, Strapless, Risqué 

Risqué is a dark purple-brown with a matte finish. Like Sexpresso, it has a denser texture than the lighter shades and it's smooth and creamy to the touch. I have some issues blending this shade so I don't use it as much as I would like because it's harder to work with. I can get it to look good, it's just that it needs some extra attention. It also has a tendency to fade faster than the other shades for some reason, and it often looks more grey after you've worn it for a while. I wish they'd nailed this shade and that it also looked more purple in practice, because a decent deep purple is what this palette needs.

Bottom row:

  

L-R: Nudie, Honey Butter, Chocolate Cookie

Nudie is a light/medium taupe with yellow undertones so it's warmer than Cashmere Bunny, although they are quite similar (I've swatched them alongside each other below). It has a matte finish and it's smooth, creamy and silky to the touch (so it's more like Lace Teddy in texture). This is one of my favourite shades in the palette. I love it through the crease and it works as a transition shade on me if I only use a little of it. It also makes a great contour shade for the face on my skintone. It wears well and it's such a useful shade that I almost always use it when I use this palette.

Honey Butter is a light/medium orange brown with a matte finish. It's soft, smooth and creamy, and it applies and blends well. This is my most-used shadow in the palette so I guess we can call it my favourite (I think it's almost everyone's favourite shade in this palette). I can't remember a look I've done with this palette when I haven't used this shade! I sometimes use it as a lid shade and often use it through the crease. It also makes a good blush colour so it's another versatile shade and I know I'll hit pan on this one first. It's just a great shade and it's one of the reasons why I often reach for this palette. 

L-R: Nudie, Honey Butter, Chocolate Cookie

Chocolate Cookie is a medium-dark, warm brown with a matte finish. It's a tie between this shade and Strapless when it comes to my second most-used/favourite shade in the palette. It's the most pigmented shade of the nine but it's also the softest (which may partly be why), so do go in carefully with your brush or you'll pick up too much product. I use it through the crease or to darken the outer v. Indeed, this is the right kind of depth for me when it comes to 'dark' colours because it's not as dark as the other two deep shades so I use it a lot more. It's also the most blendable dark shade and it applies and wears well. I did also try this as a bronzer but it's too warm for bronzing on me so I could probably get away with it more as a blush (mental note to try that soon).

Below I've done finger swatches and brush swatches of Nudie and Cashmere Bunny so you can see them side-by-side:

*L-R: Nudie and Cashmere Bunny (finger-swatched), then Nudie and Cashmere Bunny (brush)

You'll see that Nudie is paler, warmer and more yellow than Cashmere Bunny, but they are quite similar so I can see why some people have complaints about how similar they are. I personally feel that they're different enough to warrant including them both and I do use them for different things, but of course that all comes down to personal preference and also the undertone of your skin (they may look more similar on others than they do on me).

Verdict

This is a great little palette and I use it a lot. Mind you, it's not the most pigmented palette on the market so it won't be for everyone, but I personally enjoy the pigmentation because I can get a soft, diffused but still defined look with these - which is my personal preference because I don't like heavy eyeshadow looks (they don't suit my hooded eyes).

I also agree with the claim that these shadows give an airbrushed effect to the lids, because they make my 37yo, dry eyes look smoother and they're never drying - and I can't say that for all my eyeshadows. In many ways the formula reminds me of the Becca Ombre Nude and Rouge palettes, because they give you a pretty, smooth and gentle look and they're never ageing. So if you enjoy the Becca formula then you'll likely enjoy these too.

All in all, I love this palette and my only complaint is that Sexpresso and Risqué could be a little easier to work with. I also don't need both Heaven and Lace Teddy in this palette, but that's because I have no use for a cream-coloured shadow (given my hooded eyes) and Lace Teddy doesn't show up well enough as an eyeshadow on me to be useful - but of course that's just personal preference.

Recommended.