Top 10 of 2011: Eyeshadow Palettes

Christine — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:00:31 +0000

Top 10 of 2011: Eyeshadow Palettes

The idea of picking a mere ten fantastic products for the entire eye category (which, as I’m sure you’re aware, I have a great love for) was borderline absurd. I could not resist breaking it out a bit more

Bare Escentuals The Playlist Eyeshadow Palette (plus lots of love for the Ready formula in general!)
Tarina Tarantino Jewel Eyeshadow Palettes
theBalm Nude ‘tude Eyeshadow Palette
theBalm Cast Your Shadow Palette
Wet ‘n’ Wild Comfort Zone Eyeshadow Palette
Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette
Chanel Topkapi Eyeshadow Quad
Inglot Eyeshadow Palettes
Le Metier de Beaute Penelope Kaleidoscope
theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3

What was your favorite eyeshadow palette this year?

5 Spring Palettes (2011 Edition)

Christine — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 13:00:03 +0000

5 Spring Palettes

As summer collections start to debut, I thought it might be nice to do a recap of five of the best spring palettes we saw this year!

What was your favorite spring palette this year?

theBalm Shady Lady, Vol. 3 Palette Video Review & Swatches

Christine — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:00:37 +0000

Video Review: theBalm Shady Lady, Vol. 3 Palette

First look at theBalm’s Shady Lady, Vol. 3 palette, which is new for 2011, along with swatches and all that jazz. You can my written review here.

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:00:54 +0000

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

theBalm Spring 2011: Shady Lady Vol. 3

TheBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 ($39.50 for 0.51 oz.) is an eyeshadow palette that includes nine shades: Lusty Lee (silver shimmer), Envious Erin (shimmery pearl), Racy Kacy (copper shimmer), Safe Bet Annette (pale-pink shimmer), Runaround Rebecca (sage), Come-Hither Heather (soft taupe), Open To Offers Olwen (teal), All The Way Annie (shimmering amethyst), and Guilty Gwen (sparkly black shimmer).

Lusty Lee is a bright silver-gray with a frosted finish.
Envious Erin is a pale, creamy white with soft golden warmth.
Racy Kacy is a coppered brown with a frost-metallic sheen.
Safe Bet Annette is a pastel pink with a white frosted finish.
Runaround Rebecca is an olive green with a khaki brown base and frost-metallic sheen.
Come-Hither Heather is a mauve-y taupe witha frost finish.
Open to Offers Olwen is a rich, vibrant blue with a touch of teal and frost finish.
All the Way Annie is a red-based purple with soft silver flecks of micro-glitter
Guilty Gwen is a softened charcoal black with silver flecks of glitter. This was the only shade I had issues with–I had to scrape out the product to get it to show. It was so poor, I thought it was actually defective. (It is really packed on in the swatch to get it to show.)

my thoughts on the formula: With the exception of Guilty Gwen, these eyeshadows are soft, silky smooth, and packed with pigment. They apply evenly, blend out beautifully, and aren’t powdery at all (sometimes a side effect of really soft eyeshadows). The formula is the same as the individual eyeshadows–no skimping or cutting corners.

This palette has a good mix of colors, and I can see some combinations coming from the palette, though I see these more easily mixed with other products you already own. They are all rather shimmery/frosty finishes, which makes them easy to blend. The quality is really phenomenal, excluding Guilty Gwen, and well worth the price tag.

value: theBalm’s single eyeshadows retail for $16.00 and contain 0.12 oz. worth of product, while this palette retails for $39.50 and comes with 0.51 oz. worth of product. Single eyeshadows work out to be $133/oz. and the palette works out to be $77/oz. The palette is also an excellent deal, because each shade is approximately 0.057 oz. each (the average full-sized eyeshadow is 0.05 oz.), so you get more variety.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 28/30
Value: 10/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5

final thoughts: I had to take off two points because of Guilty Gwen, but I would have loved to give this palette full marks–it really is a beautiful palette with so many well-pigmented, easy-to-use shades.

where to buy: Sephora

See more photos & swatches!

theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow Palette

Lusty Lee, Envious Erin, Racy Kacy

Safe Bet Annette, Runaround Rebecca, Come-Hither Heather

Open to Offers Olwen, All the Way Annie, Guilty Gwen

theBalm Lusty Lee Eyeshadow

theBalm Envious Erin Eyeshadow

theBalm Racy Kacy Eyeshadow

theBalm Safe Bet Annette Eyeshadow

theBalm Runaround Rebecca Eyeshadow

theBalm Come-Hither Heather Eyeshadow

theBalm Open to Offers Olwen Eyeshadow

theBalm All the Way Annie Eyeshadow

theBalm Guilty Gwen Eyeshadow

Temptalia

Top 10 of 2011: Eyeshadow Palettes