Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette ($46.00 for 0.60 oz.) is most notable as being a more cool-toned palette in what feels like a neverending sea of warm-toned palettes. It’s decent to good, but a few shades were troublesome to wear on bare skin as they didn’t adhere as well and tended to look faded and uneven. Some shades wore for six hours, others wore for a full eight. The texture of the eyeshadows, on the whole, was soft, finely-milled, and smooth. There were a couple that were a little powdery, but some were really easy to work with. For me, it was a bit of a mixed bag, and that always leaves me feeling lukewarm. I think if you use a white base or a good primer, it has potential, but it was a lot like Chrysalis in terms of how it felt and applied. I would have loved to see less mid-tone browns in this palette (perhaps a cool beige as one and a deeper brown).
Just a little note, that though the size seems like the Monarch/Chrysalis palettes (I checked, they seem exactly the same size from width to thickness), the amount in this one is actually a bit less, with the size going from 0.73 oz. to 0.60 oz. Price has stayed the same.
Gravitron is a cool-toned, iridescent pink-white with lilac shimmer. It was soft and silky with decent to good color payoff, though it tended to sheer out more easily when applied to the skin. It lasted for seven and a half hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Vast is a muted, medium taupe brown with a subtle, gray tint and a soft, frosted finish. It’s more of a neutral brown than one that leans really warm or cool-toned. It had nice pigmentation and a soft, smooth, blendable consistency. This shade wore well for eight hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Lycan is a bright, yellow-toned, creamy white with a matte finish. The texture felt silky and was a smidgen powdery, so I’d use a lighter touch with it in the pan to prevent excessive dustiness on the eye (just gets everywhere, particularly lashes). It had good color payoff and lasted for seven hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Night Crawler is a cool-toned, taupe with strong gray tones and a satin finish. It had excellent pigmentation, and it went on really smoothly and evenly. The color started to crease after seven hours of wear. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Dios is a muted, silver-shimmered dark gray with bluish tones and a soft, satiny finish. It was powdery and a little dry to me, and this was one that I found difficult to apply to bare skin. It looked uneven and patchy when I used it, and it seemed even more faded after six hours of wear. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Lunacy is a medium-dark, cool-toned purple with a frosted sheen. It had fairly good color payoff, though the texture ran drier, it adhered better to the skin and was easier to use than I expected. It lasted for seven and a half hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Astrological is a brightened lavender with a subtle golden sheen. It was soft but powdery, and prone to sheering out when you applied it, so it always looked a little faded. It lasted for seven hours before fading even more. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Darkstar is a deepened, gray taupe with a metallic sheen. It had fantastic pigmentation, and the texture was smooth and almost creamy. This was the best one in the palette, even with wear that lasted eight hours. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Orion is a medium-dark brown with subtle, warm undertones and a satin finish. It was somewhat powdery, though very silky and finely-milled. I wish this had been darker and cooler in tone to fit the palette better. The color looked worn after seven hours of wear. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
3AM is a brightened, light-medium warm taupe brown with a frosted, metallic finish. It had great color payoff, but it’s a shade that’s so soft that it easily turns powdery. If you know in advance, it seems controllable to the point where it doesn’t feel or act powdery when you apply it. It wore well for eight hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Moonshine is a brightened silver with a metallic sheen. It had semi-opaque pigmentation, and the texture was smooth and fairly rich without being powdery. This shade creased after seven and a half hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Killing Moon is a deep black with a matte finish and neutral undertones. The texture is a little dry, but it doesn’t seem powdery, just drier. It may take a little extra patience to blend out on the lid, depending on how much you use. It lasted for eight hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Innerstellar
LELimited Edition. $46.00.
Gravitron
LELimited Edition.
3AM
LELimited Edition.
Moonshine
LELimited Edition.
Killing Moon
LELimited Edition.
Vast
LELimited Edition.
Lycan
LELimited Edition.
Night Crawler
LELimited Edition.
Dios
LELimited Edition.
Lunacy
LELimited Edition.
Astrological
LELimited Edition.
Darkstar
LELimited Edition.
Orion
LELimited Edition.
Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Innerstellar Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Gravitron Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Gravitron Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Vast Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Vast Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Lycan Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Lycan Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Night Crawler Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Night Crawler Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Dios Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Dios Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Lunacy Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Lunacy Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Astrological Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Astrological Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Darkstar Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Darkstar Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Orion Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Orion Eyeshadow
Kat Von D 3AM Eyeshadow
Kat Von D 3AM Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Moonshine Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Moonshine Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Killing Moon Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Killing Moon Eyeshadow
3AM (inner lid), Vast (middle of lid), Night Crawler (outer lid), Orion (crease), L’Oreal True Teal Eyeliner
3AM (inner lid), Vast (middle of lid), Night Crawler (outer lid), Orion (crease), L’Oreal True Teal Eyeliner
I think I’ll pass…The pigmentation and colors just don’t wow me.. But I love my monarch palette!
When I was comparing the sizes of the two palettes, I went back and swatched the Monarch again, because that performed really well, and Chrysalis was decent but not as good. Still felt like Monarch out-performed, even on texture.
From the preview that you showed us I was expecting these ratings, so I’m not surprised. It’s a nice enough palette, definitely. I’m personally more into warm colors though.
I was sooo wanting it to be better!
Now this is very pretty and something I could see myself using.
Yayy!!
It actually really is… I ordered it and swatched it and it actually performs better (in my opinion) than the Monarch and Chrysalis, and I prefer the color curation, it’s more every day wearable.
Thanks for the review! Total skip for me. This, the new TooFaced and then Sephora’s pantone palette all in December? I just spent all my money for the year! Appreciate the reviews so I can pre-decide!!!
LOL!
Is the pantone coming in December too? I still have my VIB welcome discount thing. Im sooooo saving it for the pantone one.. colours look amazing!
The swatches don’t look too bad. I actually like the color scheme. It’s not too neutral or typical
I like the scheme, too! I think the browns could be more varied, though.
I got mine in the mail yesterday and it was actually very nice, IMO, and I thought it closest resembled the Naked 2 palette but it had a little more interest than the Naked 2. That being said, I thought the shades were buttery and creamy and made for really simple application and blending on my eyes (but I always use an eyeshadow base). I think it’s 100% better quality than the Star Studded palette.
I like the name of this palette and the shades in it, but thank you for letting us know of the quality! I will pass on this palette.
No problem, Jenny!
If I had to describe this palette in one word, it’d me “Meh.” I’m not feeling it.
It left me very sad inside 🙁
I used mine yesterday for the first time and the colors are a lot cooler than I thought they would be, but that’s good for people who were complaining that all the holiday palettes are too warm. I used mine over a Color Tattoo and it was still going strong nine hours later. I wish there were more shimmery colors in the palette, but the transition colors are great.
Glad it worked well over a Color Tattoo — I definitely think it needs that type of base to work well.
After using it again today, I’ve decided to return it. It just doesn’t wow me when I open it and the cool tones just aren’t my favorite. I think the performance is fine, but for that kind of money I want to be drooling at the possibilities and not wondering how I can make it work.
Bummer! I do agree that with a palette, you should see the combinations jump out at you! Sure, after you use it a dozen times, you start going, “Hmm… what else could I do…” but with this many shades, there should be at least a few that come to mind.
I know a lot of people have been wishing for a cool-toned neutral palette, so it is a shame this isn’t better quality. I personally prefer warmer shades generally, so this didn’t catch my eye. Hopefully someone will create something worthwhile for the cooler-toned gals soon!
One day, one day!!
Part of me wants to pick up one of these palettes that are Sephora VIB exclusives right now just because they are (KVD, Tarte Matte Palette, Too Faced Semi-Sweet), but honestly, I’m not totally drawn to any of them. Probably the Too Faced one more so as I don’t have the original Chocolate palette. 🙂
Skip if they don’t catch your fancy!
Meh.
Aw!
Looks better than I anticipated, but still a bit thin and dry for me personally. However, I eagerly await the day when we get more high-end cool-toned palettes. Ones that aren’t so mid-tone brown heavy as well (cool browns are not as hard to find as cool everything else in palettes to me and the browns here are more medium than cool anyway). I swear it’s not impossible to release an A-quality at least cool-toned palette, makeup industry! Please let us have some. With colors that are harder to dupe!
Yeah, if you don’t like thinner shadows, definitely not one for you, Celia.
Yeah, I generally dislike anything that I MUST use a primer with. Not that I mind priming, but unless the shadow is loose it should apply and wear well regardless of base product. This definitely looks too thin to use primer-free.
Hmm, this could definitely be better quality, but the uniqueness makes up for it a bit for me. My one gripe is that I wish that companies would stop releasing like every single palette ever with a matte black shade! I don’t use them nearly enough to warrant having so many, ha! I feel like a dark brown would’ve been a better choice here.
I’d love to have had a deeper brown in this palette – they could have even swapped out one of the more medium browns, IMO!
I’m sure someone else would love this, just not me. You’re right though. There needs to be more cool-toned palettes in the world.
They really do!
Darkstar is beautiful, but some of the other shades lack oomph (pigmentation), and I have dupes for many of the shades already. But I do appreciate Kat Von. D doing a cooler palette, as many of the recent holiday palettes have been warm.
I hope other brands will take note!
Ooooh these colours are gorgeous, i’ve been looking for another eyeshadow palette and these shades look perfect for the winter!
Yay!
This is probably the only “neutral” palette I’ll ever buy, haha. Cool tones, especially purplish based ones, work so well for my skin. I’ve been wearing this palette for the last 4 days!
Also I don’t have any problems with Dios being powdery or patchy. Maybe they’re still having quality control issues, I remember a lot of variance with the Studded Kiss lipsticks (my tube of Poe is really stiff!)
Happy to hear it! Do you use a primer or base with this Alice? Because all these brands insist that their eyeshadow formulas are ~the best~ I get to struggle with them without primer. KVD’s formula is one that really shouldn’t be used without (just too often powdery or thinner, so they don’t adhere as well to bare skin).
I don’t use primer or base on my eyes. It always ends up flaky!
Lukewarm is a great way to describe this. With packaging like that and a name like interstellar, I was expecting much more, how do you say, BAM!
I was hoping for more!
all these “meh”s .. honestly, i love this palette! i got it a few days ago from sephora.com and it’s gorgeous 🙂 i’m glad i skipped Chrysalis. this and Monarch are total must-haves!
Happy you’re liking yours, Jackie! Are you using a base? What would you recommend?
Well, not as good as I’d hoped, but still pretty decent. I do really like the colors. I don’t think this is a must-have for me, though.
I wish it was better!
I actually purchased this last week after I swore I’d never buy another Kat Von D item ever again (hangs my head in shame….). There really wasn’t anything that I wanted to buy with my Sephora coupon but I saw it and some of the colors looked funky so I took the dive and bought it. Now that I have it, I’m a bit meh on it. Maybe it can be saved with my MAC Paint Pot in Morning Frost?? I think it may be going back and I’ll be back to boycotting Kat stuff…
What shades have you worn so far, Karen? I think if you use a thicker, lighter base, it might work. Morning Frost might be too shimmery, but it’s worth a try!
I’ve worn Lunacy, Darkstar and Moonshine… I think it might be too… I’ll have to go through all of my paint pots to see if one of them works. Maybe nothing will, LOL!
Darkstar is definitely the winner, LOL. It’s even (to me) the most unique/interesting shade in the palette. I was hoping Luncay and Astrological would perform better, to be honest, but there’s my purple bias showing through again 😉
Darkstar is pretty!
It’s great to see that the brands are bringing out some cool toned palettes, but it is sad that the quality is lacking in this one. My favourite colours are darkstar and moonshine. Love your look Christine.
Thanks, Genevieve!
For me, I almost feel obligated to buy any cool toned palette because I’m cooler toned. You vote with your dollar you know. I like most of the colors besides the browns, they seem like an afterthought in this scheme. I really don’t have a major problem with some of the pigmentation issues like on Dios… I like that it’s not uber thick or more pigmented. I might not use it if it was because it might look too heavy. I think it would work well for a hazy blown out summer or spring eye.
That is very true!
Very fair review, Christine. I love purples but they seem really tough to get right!
They are harder to do for sure!
At least there isn’t a Gothica type shade in here…
True!
I really like several of the shadows in the palette and may well cave and buy myself this in a few weeks, when the Xmas insanity is over and if I can prove to myself that I will actually get use out of the THREE palettes I’ve bought recently (Vice3, Everything Nice and Naked on the Run).
You can do it, Mariella! I am curious how you willw ear Vice3 😉
I bought this on impulse to use my Sephora VIB gift card and I’m actually really liking it. I haven’t tried the Chrysalis & Monarch palettes but compared to KVD’s older palettes I was really impressed with the formula…so much less powder kickup. The only downside is I really wish Darkstar was in the larger size…it’s a gorgeous shade and I’m almost considering picking up a backup palette just for that one.
Happy to hear you’re digging it, Jessica! Are you wearing them alone or paired with a primer/base?
I’ve been testing out primers with it…so far it seems to do best with my UD primer which usually isn’t my favorite but I think its tackiness grabs on to the shadows a bit better. Haven’t experimented with bases yet, though!
Thank you!! 🙂
I’m so sad this didn’t perform better. It looks so beautiful, and I’m aching for more cool-toned palettes to better suit me. For now, I will stick with my Tartelette palette which I love. Thanks for another great review!
Happy to help! 🙂
I feel like i’d give it the same grade as you.. i don’t know what it is, i just miss her old eyeshadow formulas and the colors she would include! i like the palette, but i just don’t loooove it.
It’s just not the same 🙁
Christine, which do you prefer over this one or Chrysalis?
That’s tough. They’re both similar in terms of quality, but maybe Chrysalis…