bareMinerals The Cocktail Hour Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
bareMinerals The Cocktail Hour Eyeshadow Palette
Quick Review: bareMinerals The Cocktail Hour Eyeshadow Palette
bareMinerals The Cocktail Hour Eyeshadow Palette ($24.50 for 0.28. oz.) is a holiday palette from last year, but it’s actually still available through bareMinerals at a discounted price of $24.50–it originally retailed for $40.00–and it is a truly fantastic palette. I’m a huge fan of the Ready eyeshadow range, and this palette is and was excellent. This palette contains these shades:Â Black Tie Optional (black velvet), Icebreaker (pink pearl), Swanky (dazzling plum), Spiked (copper blush), Elixir (luxe lilac), Invite Only (taupe slate), Libation (sugared cinnamon), and Shaken Not Stirred (jeweled envy).
- Black Tie Optional is a dark charcoal black–there’s a hint of gray there. It has cool undertones, excellent color payoff, and has a mostly matte finish.
- Icebreaker is a pearly pale pink with subtle warm undertones and a frosted finish. Super soft, smooth, and intensly pigmented.
- Swanky is a red-toned medium-dark purple with a satiny finish. It had nice color payoff and was soft and smooth to the touch.
- Spiked is a warm, medium orange with a hint of reddish-copper and a frosted sheen. Good pigmentation and smooth texture.
- Elixir is a pink lavender with a frosted finish. It was very soft and had good pigmentation.
- Invite Only is a soft, metallic finished taupe–a great balance of gray and brown. Nice color payoff, smooth finish.
- Libation is a beige-copper with a champagne metallic sheen. It has a very, very reflective finish with good pigmentation.
- Shaken Not Stirred is a darkened navy blue with fine navy blue shimmer over a matte base. This had good color payoff, especially when applied, but the shimmer isn’t very noticeable on.
This is a fantastic palette, and at $24.50? a total steal. The quality is excellent across the board; there are no duds in this palette. These wear well, apply beautifully, and blend out easily. If you love soft, buttery eyeshadows with rich color payoff, this palette has your number.
** A Note on Quick Reviews: In an effort to be more on-the-ball for 2013, I’m digging through my photo folders and getting as much posted as I can. These are not full-length, in-depth reviews, and instead, I’m writing brief reviews. For dupes, I highly suggest checking out The Swatch Gallery; it’s my first stop whenever I am looking for possible dupes. All of the swatches in this post are automatically added to the gallery, so you can compare them for yourself.
bareMinerals The Cocktail Hour Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
bareMinerals The Cocktail Hour Eyeshadow Palette
bareMinerals The Cocktail Hour Eyeshadow Palette
bareMinerals The Cocktail Hour Eyeshadow Palette
bareMinerals The Cocktail Hour Eyeshadow Palette
bareMinerals Black Tie Optional Eyeshadow
bareMinerals Icebreaker Eyeshadow
bareMinerals Swanky Eyeshadow
bareMinerals Spiked Eyeshadow
bareMinerals Elixir Eyeshadow
bareMinerals Invite Only Eyeshadow
bareMinerals Libation Eyeshadow
bareMinerals Shaken Not Stirred Eyeshadow
I actually bought this last year through a preview sale before it launched and I have loved ever since. I, too am a huge fan of the BE READY eyeshadows. They are truly famtastic :).
Ha, I just bought this. The $40 price tag always made me hesitant to buy, especially since I saw how small it looks in person, but I can definitely stomach that price. Besides, it’s a gorgeous palette!
That dark blue is so beautiful…
I love how BE recycles colors! The first three shadows, Black Tie Optional, Icebreaker and Swanky are a current quad called the A List and its accompanied by a mid toned icy pink. And Shaken Not Stirred is included in the Last Call duo!
I swatched this palette last year in-store, and it was just awful. I really love the loose shadows, and I was so excited to see these (even @ $40, it’s still a great price for 8 shades), but I just can’t these to even swatch well. I realize there are times a shadow applies better than it swatches, but I refuse to put a “tester” anywhere near my eyes or lips…
I had no problem with this swatching – it was as buttery/pigmented as all the other Ready palettes I’ve come across!
If this is a quick review, I’m totally fine with it. Hopefully it will make things easier on you, there are so many products I’ve wished you could review..
Definitely keep this in mind if your other readers do not buy all of them! Have to wait till after the holidays before I splurge any more.
Thank you, Charlotte! 🙂
Hmm…price seems great, can’t believe I missed this palette last year because the color assortment’s nice.
I just need to think if I’ve already got enough of these sorts of shades in my collection! XD
I’m sorry, but I see much more complete the old way of doing reviews. A lot of bloggers in internet do reviews, but your posts were special because you wrote a lot of things about the product. I prefer quality versus quantity
Hi Aida,
These are not replacing regular reviews – I have about 8,000 photos outstanding that I’ve taken of products swatched and tested but have not had time to write full reviews of. These are, in essence, bonus reviews – so I can either not post them at all or I can post quick reviews. The major difference is that for some quick reviews, no dupes will be given, but we have the Swatch Gallery at your disposal so you can take a few minutes to check out dupes at your leisure 🙂 For instance, I’ve reviewed the Ready formula over a dozen times in the past – so I’ve waxed poetic over it more than a few times and you can always read those in-depth reviews, since the product in this palette conformed to previous experiences. I assumed that readers would rather see a partial review than none at all, but if that is not the case, I’m happy to receive your feedback! Thanks!
How unfortunate, we seem to have the same name, but we are not the same person :). I actually prefer the shorter reviews, because I’m mostly interested in pictures of swatches and overall impressions. I’m not interested in dupes at all, so the lack thereof doesn’t affect the “quality” of your posts in the least :). As always, Christine, you are doing a fabulous job and I appreciate your work so much. Your blog is my go-to beauty blog.
Thank you for the feedback, Aida! 🙂 I appreciate it! Happy holidays!
I’m happy with partial reviews!
Love how shaken not stirred and invite only looks
I have no issues with the short review style either! I know how much work must go into every in depth review. The most important things to me are the swatch photos and your overall impression and rating, anyway. Thanks again for all you do.
And these palettes are great! I’ve never tried one, there’s always a few colors I wouldn’t wear. But I’m just waiting for the right color combo to come along and pick one up because they have performed so wonderfully for you.
Bare Minerals is going to do my pocket book in! Their “ready” shadows are so good and these 8 pan palettes are terrific. This one seems a good way to build my collection of purples quickly and easily and without a “clunker” in the bunch! I do love these quick reviews but also miss the “dupes”. I realize it’s a trade-off, though.
Oh my god i need elixer. I love it. Dammit, bM, stop taking all my money!
I’ve always wanted to try their eyeshadows, but I was so disappointed with their foundation that I just never have. Reading your reviews is definitely fueling my intrigue, though.
Cool, now for so much less money!!
I snagged this – the colors are gorgeous, I’ve always wanted a Ready palette, and at half price? Can’t beat that 😀
I just bought this! I’ve been wanting the A-list quad palette for awhile, but I see that the colors in this one are pretty similar to it! I can’t wait for it to come in. Thanks for the review Christine!
I almost bought this after you posted the review, but decided to wait until after Christmas. I’m glad I did – it’s $17.15 on the site now and free shipping! 😀 I added it to my cart and checked out without any hesitation this time!
And thanks for the quick reviews – I love ’em! Your quick reviews are better than most people’s in-depth ones. I’m totally ok with swatches and a little blurb if it means I get to see more products!!
Wow. That is a STEAL. STEAL I TELL YOU!
Thank you! 🙂
I just ordered one as well, along with the Love Affair Luminizer, which was also on sale ($20). So excited!! I second the thoughts on Christine’s quick reviews 🙂
This blog is corrupting me… I just caved and ordered this palette and the luminizer that you reviewed as well! I found a $20 off $50 coupon code online too so I grabbed a double ended eyeliner and one of the small eyeshadows in a teal color for a grand total of $34 with free shipping! Late Christmas present to myself…
Score! 🙂
So excited to get this! It’s a steal at 17 and free shipping! The colors look so pretty and pigmented.
Since this was marked down even further, I’m glad I waited to buy it! The low price + no shipping was the perfect excuse. Plus, the shadows are great.
Christine, absolutely love your blog and read it religiously -especially when considering a purchase! I bought this palette after seeing your review as well as the two 8.o from holiday 2012 and couldn’t be happier. This formula is highly underrated – although very happy to see it win in your editor awards! Thank you for the time and effort you put into this blog. I sincerely appreciate your dedication and the great information you provide. Happy 2013.
I am ecstatic that you are loving the formula as much as I have been, Jennifer! It truly is a remarkable eyeshadow formula and it’s great to see it getting more love 🙂
Thank you so much! Happy new year!
I was still able to purchase this online- it’s really stunning! thanks for the review
I have over 200 loose BE shadows that I am just not into as I used to be. I avoided going to the Ready range of products, but ADORE the Cocktail palette. It is cooler toned than the September palette which is warmer. I have used the Cocktail Hour daily since I got it. It is so easy to blend use, and great soft, smooth pigmentation. NOT Chalky which is so important to me.