Kat Von D Glimmer Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Glimmer

Kat Von D Glimmer Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette ($49.00 for 0.63 oz.) includes 12 eyeshadows in shimmery finishes with varying amounts of shimmer from a more satin-like sheen to glitter. Per the brand, the “velvety powder is blendable and buildable” with “long-wear.” The palette features “Glimmer Topcoats,” which are the most sparkly shades in the palette. The brand did not mention anywhere in the online marketing that they could be used with a dampened brush, though I saw no ill-effects of doing so within my own palette.

Two of the “Define” shades (Bronze, Jasper) had stronger base powders but were more sparkly, so with five of the twelve shades having noticeable sparkle or glitter, this palette is going to work best for someone who likes exactly those things–sparkle and glitter. There was fallout throughout wear with the more sparkly shades, and a glitter adhesive would certainly help keep more of those sparkles in place.

The formulas for the “Base” (described as Satin, includes Porcelain, Dusk, Dune) and “Contour” (described as Metallic, includes Copper, Cinder, Rust) shades was particularly lovely to work with–if one wanted intense pigmentation! There were only a couple shades in the palette that were buildable in coverage; the others were quite pigmented.

Porcelain

Porcelain is a light yellow with warm undertones and a pearly sheen. It was richly pigmented with a smooth, finely-milled consistency that blended out easily and lasted for eight hours.

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Dusk

Dusk is a light taupe with neutral-to-cool undertones and a pearly sheen. It had semi-opaque, buildable color coverage that applied evenly to bare skin. I found that the more I built this up, the cooler-toned it appeared–almost like the shimmer became more prominent and the reflection was cooler rather than warmer. I would not describe the shade as a duochrome, but there was more nuance to it than expected. The texture was soft, slightly dusty but blendable and easy to work with. It lasted for eight hours on me.

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Dune

Dune is a soft, light-medium, orange with warm, brown undertones and a satin finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation that was buildable to full coverage with two to three layers. The texture was smooth, blendable, and not at all dusty. It stayed on well for eight hours before fading slightly.

Copper

Copper is a rich, medium bronze with warm undertones and a metallic sheen. It had rich color payoff that applied smoothly and evenly to bare skin. The texture was moderately dense, almost cream-like, and incredibly easy to blend out on the skin. I would not, unfortunately, describe it as buildable at all, which was where the rating fell. This shade wore well for nine hours on me before creasing faintly.

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Bronze

Bronze is a deep, chocolatly brown with warm undertones and larger, golden sparkle over a metallic finish. I tried it both dry and damp, and it was definitely easier to apply with a dampened brush, as it helped the sparkles bind with the base powder better without the need of an adhesive base. With a dampened brush, I only had minor fallout while I wore the eyeshadow, but when I used it dry, there was a more moderate amount of fallout over time. It had good pigmentation in a single layer and could be built up to full coverage with a second layer (more like half a layer!) or if used with a dampened brush. The texture had a more noticeable feel from the sparkles in it, but it applied evenly and blended out well. It lasted for eight and a half hours with minor to moderate fallout.

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Sterling

Sterling is a pale gold with warm undertones and a sparkling finish. It had moderate amount of looser sparkle, and this would be the “Glimmer Top Coat,” which can be layered on top of the other shades for a sparkling effect. It had medium, buildable coverage–up to almost opaque with a dampened brush–that applied more evenly and lasted better than I expected. I had noticeable fallout throughout the day but a lot of the sparkles stayed in place without an adhesive base, but a tackier base would be more prudent for wearing something like this.

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Cinder

Cinder is a deep brown with subtle, warm undertones and a pearly sheen. The eyeshadow had opaque color payoff in a single layer with a very smooth, blendable texture that was firmer in the pan but not at all stiff or difficult to work with. This shade lasted for eight and a half hours on me.

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Onyx

Onyx is a deep black with neutral undertones and flecks of silver sparkle over a matte finish. This shade was least like the rest of the shades in the palette, as the base was noticeably more matte and drier with a chalkier feel overall. The silver sparkles did not translate well to the lid, so this ended up appearing more like a matte, black eyeshadow than a sparkling one. It had medium color payoff that was buildable to semi-opaque coverage with two to three layers. The eyeshadow started to fade on me after eight hours of wear.

Glacier

Glacier is a bright white with subtle, warm undertones and a sparkling finish. It had semi-sheer, buildable pigmentation (up to semi-opaque) with a soft, looser texture that was prone to kicking up excess product in the pan and could have fallout during application if I was not very careful to pat it on. I had the best luck using it with a dampened brush or over an adhesive base, which helped bind the glitter and the base color together better and resulted in less fallout while worn. Applied dry, there was a moderate amount of fallout within six hours, whereas applied damp, there was a noticeable amount after eight hours but did not feel irritating to my eyes.

Rust

Rust is a deep copper with warm, orange undertones and a pearly sheen. The color payoff was intense, while the texture was smooth, creamy with moderate density, and very blendable. So long as you weren’t married to the idea of “buildable,” it was an excellent formula. It wore well for nine hours on me before fading slightly.

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Jasper

Jasper is a medium brown with warm, yellow undertones and flecks of gold and brown sparkle over a satin finish. It had medium, buildable pigmentation with a drier, looser consistency that kicked up some excess sparkles in the pan. This shade was harder to control during application without a lightly tacky base underneath to manage the fallout. When I used the eyeshadow with a dampened brush, this helped to keep a lot of the sparkles intact and transfer onto the lid, though I still had some fallout during wear. Alone (and dry), it wore well for eight hours with moderate fallout within six hours of wear.

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Quartz

Quartz is a medium copper with a sparkling, glittery finish. This was the most glittery of all the shades in the palette, and this is the only one that I felt was extremely difficult to wear without an adhesive base, as it was more glitter than base product so it just did not stick well without something to hold it in place. I was able to get it to work without using an adhesive base by using a dampened brush and packing it on two to three times, which helped to smooth it out and made it opaque (which I did not expect!), but it was just not workable dry, even patted over another shade with my fingertip (or the brand’s new Glimmer Effect Eye Brush). I just had moderate fallout within three and a half hours and creasing within six hours.

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