Ciate The Jessica Palette Review & Swatches
The Jessica
Ciate The Jessica 9 Shade Eyeshadow Palette ($39.00 for 0.48 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette that features nine shades with three mattes and six shimmers. There was not one shade that was good; decent would be a stretch for maybe one or two shades–it might even be kind to say it’s mediocre rather than what it really is: a prettily packaged piece of garbage that Ciate should be ashamed to have put on the market, let alone marketed to add “va-va-voom” to one’s look. That the formula is supposed to be “ultra-blendable and creamy,” which couldn’t be further from the truth.
The shimmer formula was firm, stiff, and densely-packed and difficult to pick up with a brush, even if I jabbed and prodded and tried to discover its secrets of any of the shimmer-based shades. There were dry, difficult to apply (even with fingertips!) as the product went on unevenly, caught on and emphasized texture on my skin (frankly, didn’t realize I had so many dragon scales on my eyes), and had tons of fallout from attempting to apply/blend/build up the product. The three mattes were soft and blendable but very powdery and prone to sheering out, so they ended up being more like a veil of disappointment all over one’s lid.
Oh, all the shimmers developed hard pan after two uses and needed to be roughed up with a paper towel to even be “usable” for third and fourth go-round over primer and with wet brushes, which I’m here to report didn’t help in a meaningful way. They just got worse the more I used them–sheerer and drier in their pans (except the mattes, those didn’t develop hard pan and remained the same in texture). The “look” shown took 45 minutes for one eye (I normally spend 10-15 minutes per eye) and represents packing and pressing of multiple layers, using fingertips to press into place, and then giving up as the more I tried to blend or build up color, the more it started to lift in places.
Look Using this Product
The Jessica
LELimited Edition. $39.00.
Love Letter
Love Letter is a medium-dark, reddish copper with warm undertones and a satin finish. The consistency was incredibly stiff and firmly-pressed in the pan, so I had to jab at the surface to get product to come off and have something to put on my brush. There was fallout, poor adhesion, and it had to be blended out with a fingertip to get the stiff edges to diffuse at all. It had decent pigmentation the first two uses, but the third usage was where it had developed significant hard pan and seemed to get drier. It lasted for six hours before fading visibly on my skin.
Top Dupes
- Charlotte Tilbury Walk of No Shame #2 (PiP, ) is cooler (95% similar).
- Terra Moons Spiked (P, $6.25) is darker (95% similar).
- Natasha Denona Apollo (PiP, $29.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (95% similar).
- MAC DM Me (PiP, ) is lighter (95% similar).
- Guerlain Exotic Orchid #1 (PiP, ) is warmer (95% similar).
- Urban Decay Warning (PiP, $19.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (95% similar).
- Dior Cruise Look #3 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Leopard Sun #3 (PiP, ) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- Natasha Denona Atmosphere (120M) (PiP, $29.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Kylie Cosmetics Duke (LE, ) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
Ingredients
Mica, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Talc, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Zinc Stearate, Hydrogenated Styrene/Isoprene Copolymer, Silica, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Tocopherol, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tin Oxide, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140)
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Look Using this Product
Love Letter
LELimited Edition.
Oh, Roger
Oh, Roger is a blackened purple with flecks of glitter. It had sheer coverage, a dry, crumbly texture that felt gritty against my skin. It was firmly pressed in its pan and did not want to come out to play–don’t bother trying to soften the edge of this one! I had some luck building and packing this shade on, at least, though there was lots of fallout for my troubles. The glitter migrated while worn , while the base pigment seemed to start fading after six hours of wear.
Top Dupes
- Urban Decay The Artist (LE, $19.00) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Stila G*psy (P, $24.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- NABLA Cosmetics Selfish (P, $12.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- NABLA Cosmetics REM (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- NARS Chile (P, $22.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Huda Beauty Jaguar #5 (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Stila Spellbound (LE, $24.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Anastasia OA (LE, $12.00) is more shimmery, lighter (85% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Winter 2018 #4 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar).
- Pat McGrath Synthetica (DC, $25.00) is more shimmery, lighter, more pigmented (90% similar).
Ingredients
Mica, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Talc, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Zinc Stearate, Hydrogenated Styrene/Isoprene Copolymer, Silica, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol, Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Look Using this Product
Oh, Roger
LELimited Edition.
Sunset Blvd
Sunset Blvd is a medium gold with strong, warm undertones and a frosted finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation, though that only lasted for the first two uses, and though I tried to rub away the hard pan that had developed, it seemed like it had dried out and became stiff, difficult to pick up with a brush, and more and more challenging to apply evenly or to build up coverage of on my lid. The first time I wore it, the color wore decently for six and a half hours, but the second time, it looked faded within four hours of wear.
Top Dupes
- Urban Decay Dash (LE, $19.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- NARS Alhambra II (PiP, $19.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Leopard Sun #1 (PiP, ) is cooler (95% similar).
- Huda Beauty Nefertiti (PiP, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Tarte You're Lion (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Becca Opal (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Sydney Grace S'mores (PiP, $6.25) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Stila Vitality (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Bobbi Brown Overheated (LE, $38.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Tiger Eye #1 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
Ingredients
Mica, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Talc, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite,Zinc Stearate, Hydrogenated Styrene/Isoprene Copolymer, Silica, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate [May contain / Peut Contenir / +/-: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Look Using this Product
Sunset Blvd
LELimited Edition.
I'm Not Bad
I’m Not Bad is a medium copper with warm undertones and a satin sheen. This was another shade that seemed like it was decent, but the eyeshadow seemed to dry out between uses and went from “maybe this is workable” to “is there anyway to revive this?” The first time I used it, the product adhered unevenly, seemed blendable, but then it started to lift away. The second and third time I used it, I could only get semi-sheer pigmentation that looked splotchy applied. It lasted for six hours before fading noticeably on me.
Top Dupes
- Makeup by Mario Master Metallics #10 (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- Ciate Gilt (PiP, ) is more shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- MAC Rose (LE, $21.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Smashbox Pushup Bronze (PiP, ) is more shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- ColourPop In Axis (LE, $6.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- PIXI Beauty Auburn Blaze (PiP, $20.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Sephora Copper Rush (291) (P, $9.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Natasha Denona Tone (223CP) (PiP, ) is lighter (90% similar).
- MAC Sexy Eyes (LE, $17.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Too Faced Werkshop (LE, $16.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
Ingredients
Mica, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Talc, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Zinc Stearate, Hydrogenated Styrene/Isoprene Copolymer, Silica, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Alumina, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Look Using this Product
I'm Not Bad
LELimited Edition.
Patty Cake
Patty Cake is a light purple with warm undertones and a satin sheen. It had semi-sheer coverage that did not build up. The texture was dry, firmly pressed in the pan, and difficult to pick up with a brush, let alone making attempts to blend out the product. In case that wasn’t enough, the texture of this applied emphasized my skin’s texture and made me wonder if I might be part dragon–then again, it did take five attempts to layer it on to get a visible effect so it was… caked on (I’ll see myself out). It wore for five hours before fading noticeably on my eye.
Top Dupes
- Sydney Grace Wish (DC, $8.00) is more shimmery, darker, brighter (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Flash (DC, $19.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Milani Bella Violet (14) (P, $4.49) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Fenty Beauty Violet Vibez (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar).
- Sydney Grace Deliverer (P, $6.25) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar).
- Viseart Coy #8 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar).
- KVD Beauty Selena (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar).
- MAC Ultraviolet (P, $23.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar).
- Too Faced Follow Me (LE, $16.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (80% similar).
- ColourPop Fault Line (P, $4.50) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (80% similar).
Ingredients
Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Mica, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Talc, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Zinc Stearate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Hydrogenated Styrene/Isoprene Copolymer, Silica, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Look Using this Product
Patty Cake
LELimited Edition.
Drawn That Way
Drawn That Way is a light, yellowed peach base with flecks of pink and gold sparkle. Initially, it had promise, but upon second, third, and fourth use, it was progressively sheerer, drier, and almost grainy to the touch. I had to push and jab at the surface to dislodge product to try and apply it to my skin. It was so firmly-pressed that even fingertips proved to be little help against the dark magic this formula possessed. What little I managed to transfer to my skin stayed on decently for six hours on me but had fallout over time.
Top Dupes
- Kaja Sunshine Shimmer (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- MAC Dust Off (LE, $17.00) is warmer (95% similar).
- NARS Mythos (DC, $25.00) is more shimmery, brighter (90% similar).
- ColourPop Extra Sprinkles (LE, $5.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- NARS L'Amour, Toujours L'Amour #5 (DC, $25.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- ColourPop Idol Hour (PiP, $4.50) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Dior Pastel Fontanges #3 (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- ColourPop WKND (P, $5.00) is darker (90% similar).
- ColourPop Cali Girl (LE, $4.50) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Persona Sassy (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
Ingredients
Talc, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Dimethicone,Mica, Lauroyl Lysine, Zinc Stearate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Phenyl Trimethicone,Sorbic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Dimethiconol [May contain / Peut Contenir / +/-: Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Look Using this Product
Drawn That Way
LELimited Edition.
Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake is a light-medium orange with warm undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation but instantly sheered out to a semi-sheer layer of product and could not be built up due to the incredibly powdery, drier texture. There was some fallout as a result, and it did not improve much when I tried it over eyeshadow primer. It lasted for five and a half hours before it had faded noticeably on me.
Top Dupes
- MAC Sandy Crotch (LE, $17.00) is darker, warmer (95% similar).
- Viseart Tarocco (LE, ) is darker, warmer (95% similar).
- Viseart Meringue (LE, ) is darker (95% similar).
- Urban Decay Bailout (LE, $19.00) is darker (95% similar).
- MAC No Mercy (PiP, ) is darker, warmer (95% similar).
- ColourPop Nekkid (PiP, $4.50) is darker (90% similar).
- ColourPop Zing (LE, $4.50) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Luv (LE, $4.50) is warmer (90% similar).
- LORAC Dance 'Til Dawn Eyeshadow #3 (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Natasha Denona Fake Tan (LE, ) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
Ingredients
Talc, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Dimethicone,Mica, Lauroyl Lysine, Zinc Stearate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Phenyl Trimethicone,Sorbic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Dimethiconol [May contain / Peut Contenir / +/-: Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Carrot Cake
LELimited Edition.
Toon Kisses
Toon Kisses is a pale mauve with neutral undertones and a matte finish. It had sheer coverage, wasn’t buildable, and had tons of fallout due to the incredibly powdery texture. It seemed like more product disappeared into the air as I tried to pick up product with my brush than made it to my lid at all. It had a drier texture, though it was easy to diffuse and blend out (also hard to see), and started to fade on me after four hours of wear.
Top Dupes
- Viseart Embrace (PiP, ) is lighter (95% similar).
- NARS Sunbathe (LE, $19.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- Pretty Vulgar Unruffled (PiP, ) is darker (90% similar).
- NYX Undress Me (P, $4.50) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Cozy Cabin (LE, $4.50) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Sephora Scented Candle (229) (P, $9.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop R and R (PiP, $4.50) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Rhythm (LE, $4.50) is cooler (90% similar).
- Chanel Elemental #2 (PiP, ) is lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- MAC Quite Spoiled (LE, $17.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
Ingredients
Talc, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Dimethicone,Mica, Lauroyl Lysine, Zinc Stearate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Phenyl Trimethicone,Sorbic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Dimethiconol [May contain / Peut Contenir / +/-: Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Look Using this Product
Toon Kisses
LELimited Edition.
Honey Bunny
Honey Bunny is a light-medium peach with warm, yellow undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-sheer coverage at best paired with a very powdery, dusty formula that dispersed more product into the air than onto my lid, no matter how much I packed on or whether I used primer. What little I could see seemed to stay on for four to five hours at most.
Top Dupes
- Tarte Plank (LE, ) is lighter, cooler (95% similar).
- Sydney Grace Summer Magic (P, $5.25) is lighter, cooler (95% similar).
- Dose of Colors Basic (LE, ) is darker, cooler (95% similar).
- Dior Matte Nude (PiP, ) is darker, cooler (95% similar).
- Viseart Peche (Rosé Edit) (PiP, ) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- LORAC Canvas (PiP, $19.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- LORAC Mimosa (LE, $19.00) is darker (90% similar).
- LORAC Fawn (LE, $19.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Makeup by Mario Ethereal Eyes #3 (LE, ) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Giorgio Armani Avant-Premiere #1 (PiP, ) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
Ingredients
Mica, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Talc, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite,Zinc Stearate, Hydrogenated Styrene/Isoprene Copolymer, Silica, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate [May contain / Peut Contenir / +/-: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
I appreciate that you didn’t mince words – you’re right that bad makeup is really just garbage from the get go, literally! It’s sad when a lot of work/energy/resources goes into the packaging/product and the result is so bad.
This was particularly awful from a quality standpoint, but then the special packaging just made it worse since obviously people DO buy for packaging – I saw a review that talked about how it was a terrible product but the packaging was cute so they kept it, and I just think you should at least get something decent at this price point!
*snaps*
Oof ouch girl, go off! What a disappointment after the highlighter and lipstick!
A+ for your writing style on this ?? Thanks for suffering through this to give us a review.
Wow. For how much I expected out of this palette from the awesome packaging, this is dreadful. The promotional video seemed very promising. What a let down. You have a humorous way with words, Christine.
I need to go watch it, see how it compares, LOL!
Just why?
“veil of disappointment…” oooooh, SAVAGE. I have to admit, I laughed all the way through this review. I can feel the hate from here, LOL.
I think I commented on the initial preview/swatch post along the lines of “WTF am I looking at?!” and now I know – it’s a steaming pile of hot garbage! Trashfire! Embarrassing pile of crap!
Oh, Christine, love, go and have a delicious latte, pet your beautiful puppy dog and put your feet up for at least 20 minutes because boy, have your EARNED it with this! You took a bullet for all of us 😉
I asked hubby if it was too far, and he was like, “it’s… a little… brutal,” but he didn’t say it was too far… I was particularly disappointed with just how bad it was across the board.
Perhaps a *little* tiny bit brutal, but ?% FAIR and on the money, Christine!
Of everything you wrote here, this is where I felt the height of your frustration — in the top summary, last paragraph, first word: “Oh,”. As in “as if all the previous insults to the customer wasn’t enough, here’s ANOTHER THING!” ?
I have to say, while F-scoring products are obviously massive disappointments I always enjoy reading your reviews on them. Your way with words always makes me laugh! (Btw: you should be arrested for the “caked on” pun!)
That was exactly how I felt like! “If it wasn’t bad enough…”
With so many brands at all price points putting out great quality eyeshadows, there is just no reason for this poor quality. It’s a color scheme a lot of people (including myself) would like, but I’m not interested in fighting a crappy formula. Thanks for the heads up!
Ciate can definitely do wayyy better! Powdery is one thing, but the shimmers? Nonsense!!
Ouch! What a mess! (But I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed reading your review!)
My jaw dropped! Damn! How did this pass quality and control?! The money should have gone into the formula and not just the packaging and marketing. Jessica Rabbit deserved more than this. She’s such an iconic character and for them to besmirch her name like this. Trash.
Does anyone know where I can find a sensible, chemistry-based explanation for why some eyeshadows will ‘seal over’ and develop the ‘hard pan’ described? The girls from Beauty News have opined that this is because of silicone, but I’m really curious to learn more about ~how~ silicone creates that hard texture after an eyeshadow is touched. Google doesn’t turn up much of use.
If you check testers of powder products at a makeup counter (especially toward the end of the day), a lot of them will have developed a hard film over them, too, and it doesn’t seem like… strictly for a really silicone-heavy eyeshadow but even really soft, powdery formulas – sometimes it happens just because of oil build-up, e.g. if you use your fingertips or if you double-dip your brush (going from your face to your compact – your face has natural oils, and depending on what else you have on top, like a moisturizer or foundation, you could be bringing back a little of that).
Here’s hoping someone can give you a most chemistry-based response! 🙂
Wow. I like their shimmer blushes so this is a surprise.
The highlighter + lipstick from the collection were lovely! I’m also a fan of Ciate’s blushes.
How do you really feel, Christine? 😉
This is my new metal band, Veil of Disappointment.
Great review! Terrible sounding product. Damn, you saved me money on this one. I always wonder if cosmetic companies are fully aware when they release garbage or if they’re shocked by the bad reviews.
To be a fly on Ciate’s wall if they ever read this review…
If they do, I’m guessing you’ll be off their PR list! ?
I told some friends that this is their moment, LOL! They just started sending product last fall/winter last year. This is their test!
Sooo….while it’s really disappointing and terribly sad to see such an anticipated palette fail on epic levels of abysmal, your scathing, yet brilliantly written review had me laughing till tears popped up!!! This palette deserves the abhorred and much feared honor of receiving the award for: “Worst Eyeshadow Palette Possibly Ever Made”.
This palette is literal ?.
Good grief! haha
Okay I can’t be the only one who gets excited to read an F review.
I think I let out an OMG!!! every time I see a product receive an F rating. I just KNOW Christine’s summary is going to be comedic gold! It’s too bad that the palette received such poor marks after Ciate spent so much time hyping the product. All cosmetic companies should have a quality control department to avoid disasters like this.
You so aren’t. I wasn’t at all interested in this palette, so I wasn’t going to bother with the review until I saw all those Fs. I have no idea why it is so amusing to me, but here we are.
Lol. Love your scathing reviews!
So disappointing, esp. after how amazing the Glitter Storm palette was from Ciate 🙁
Yasssss sis drag the terrible palette 😉
Would you say this is the most epic fail ever? Lol…I love the brutal honesty.
To be clear: I’d prefer that every product be a winner and get a good review. But when they’re not, your critical reviews are so satisfying to read, Christine! This is all the more disappointing/unforgivable because Ciate is capable of making great eyeshadows.
Fs across the board! Is this a first for a palette?
I feel like there have been a few others with all Fs, but it’s hard to recall exactly which ones fit the bill there… I feel like for sure we’ve had some quads fill that!
This is why i have to have Temptalia in my life: i was waiting for the release date for this….and then i saw the swatches here and thought ‘ruh-roh’ so then decided to wait for the review which i predicted to be bad based on the preview swatches. Sure enough. money saved. It is a true bummer though that eyeshadow formulation hasn’t gotten to a point that ALL the companies at least have a chemical blueprint they go by to prevent absolute wastes of production like this. HOW does this happen. We had the car called a Pinto, it blew up a lot, they stopped putting engines in the backs of cars. Done and done.
The Pinto of palettes! How apt. And in the vein of Christine, since she uses humor to defuse what could have been a rant on how execrable this palette is. Christine, Thanks for always being a true professional and a trouper, in taking the bullet on this dreadful offering. You do have to wonder just how it got soooo bad.
Oh gosh. My parents had a car like that in the early 80’s. My dad still brings that up as the worst car he’s ever owned……
*applauds wildly* Christine, you’re my hero. Thank you for saving us from buying this POS. This palette is an affront to makeup and Disney lovers. They should have just made this packaging into a double-mirror compact if they weren’t going to make an effort with the shadows.
You’re review is very savage lol, thank you
I read through the review 3 times. Once to make sure I had read correctly, once to laugh at everything and then a 3rd time when I made my daughter listen to me read it to her! Thank you for saving us all from this atrocious palette. I have enough scales naturally on my eyelids so I don’t need a shadow playing them up. Very sad. I just don’t know how a brand fails this badly. They all have missteps from time to time but an entire palette means whoever was at the helm fell asleep on the job.
OMG – and I thought the CT eyeshadow palette from yesterday was pretty poor! This is just woeful, What a lot of time you wasted on this palette Christine, to try and get it to work somehow. Obviously, no quality control was happening here.
I honestly don’t understand how this was approved!
I was thinking the same thing, Genevieve. F’s across the board….how can a company release something so dreadful?
Of course, I don’t WANT products to perform poorly, but oh how I love your scathing reviews. You don’t mince words or tiptoe around the subject. I truly hope people never get on your bad side, because your ability to eviscerate with words is astounding.
Wow, I’m glad I waited for your review. Your eye look looks good though. I love their Wonderwand Intensely Volumising Mascara from them, but their Glow-To Illuminating Blush I had a hard time getting this on my brush even with a dense brush it really disappointed me. I really find them hit and miss.
Oh no!! I’m actually a fan of the blush so I’m sad to hear you’ve had trouble with it 🙁 The last eyeshadows I tried from them were decent – definitely nothing on this scale of terrible, lol!
As the rest of said, i loved your review for the humor of just how bad this palette really was and thank you for saving me the money. I was going to buy the collection together but glad i didn’t! i will be getting the lipstick though!
Wow what a shame =( I had high hopes because I loved the Glitter Storm palette!
Wow! I don’t think I’ve EVER seen an eyeshadow palette with every single color being a total fail, and your descriptions probably made Ciate’s CEO shrink in his seat. I guessed this would be like a C, maybe C-, but an F is shocking! It’s shocking to me that Ciate put out an utter garbage and a money grab of a product, where packaging is the ONLY selling point.
When products are this bad, I always wonder why – it’s not like Ciate doesn’t have eyeshadow formulas to pull from (that are decent), so why the total misfire?
How does this palette compare to the Glitter Storm palette? I’ve been debating getting the Glitter Storm one.
Sorry, I don’t have that!
I have to ask- is this the worst palette you’ve ever tried? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a clean sweep of F’s before!!!!!
I looked through some of my “most disappointing products” posts (not necessarily a list of worst rated, though), and this quad by Estee Lauder x Victoria Beckham did get all Fs – https://www.temptalia.com/swatches/estee-lauder-victoria-beckham-eye-palette/london/
Ciate should have just made a compact mirror with no palette/shadows inside!!!
Then it’d be functional!
First Jujubes’ comment made me laugh, then Christine’s response made me laugh out loud! 😀
Is it weird that the minute that I saw this I got a vibe that this would be pretty crappy?
Score one for intuition.
I mean I wasn’t checking for it anyway as they didn’t obviously have deeper skin tones in mind but man I haven’t seen a full F from you in awhile ??
Why do I kinda love when you give things an F?
Geez an all F rating!?!? Why did they even bother? Very happy that trusted reviews are a few clicks away. This has saved me a lot of money. Seriously though, why did they even bother to put out this…garbage?
Oof, this one is painful to see. I had considered getting this if my money situation allowed it because my name is Jessica and I loved this movie as a kid. Guess I won’t now, thanks so much for your dedication Christine!
Yes girl go OFF we live for your honesty
Wow! Saw someone review it with a meh response but thought it seemed like a C. Never thought it’d be an F! Thanks for the thorough review!
Haha, I love it when you’re savage Christine! Thanks for taking those bullets.
Seriously though, WTF Ciate?! I know you have good products! How did this happen?
I had to reread the beginning of the review to see if I actually had read it right. Then I continued with an amused smile and quite frequent LOL’s.
I am very happy that I didn’t order the palette when I put in an order for the lipstick and the highlighter. Very, very happy, indeed!
I love that you are always honest and the way you have with words. This review should be nominated for wittiest review ever.
Thank you!
“Dragon scales” and “veil of disappointment”. Savage poetry. I love it!
Booo hoooo! Was hoping it would rate well. Good for my wallet though. 😉
This is a spot on review! Sadly for me it 100% corresponds to my experiences with the Palette. Of course I bought the bundle on release day. I am such a fool! I should have been warned by the fact, that there were no reviews out there… I really liked the glitter storm eyeshadow palette and thought, what could possibly go wrong? Well, everything as it turns out.
I will happily use the lipstick and the highlighter, really like them both.
Honestly, don’t feel that way, Nina! Ciate is a solid brand that doesn’t usually have epic fails like this, and like you said, the original Glitter Storm palette was good for you (and that’s the sentiment I heard from others). I think they blew all of us away with what they put out in this palette… in the worst way possible!