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Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette ($46.00 for 0.73 oz.) is a warm-toned eyeshadow palette that features twelve shades ranging from warm beiges to dark black to gold to brown. There is a variety of finishes as well, so there’s a lot of versatility in combinations within the palette. The larger eyeshadows are 0.095 oz. each, while the smaller eyeshadows are 0.049 oz. each, which brings the cost of the eyeshadows to $63.36/oz. The 8-pan eyeshadow palettes are $36.00 for 0.40 oz. (also includes a mini Autograph eyeliner, though, which would add 0.028 oz.), which is a cost of $90/oz. It’s a good quality palette overall, though Kat Von D’s eyeshadow formula tends to be particularly soft, which makes for easier blending, but some shades can sheer out a bit, and the texture can also be powdery at times. If you use an eyeshadow primer, some of the powderiness is minimized and will not be as noticeable. The eyeshadows wore well from eight to nine hours, depending on the shade (wear time noted by each shade below). The palette is on the larger size (physically), though it’s slim and its cardboard packaging will absorb impact, so it should still work for travel.

Entomology is described as a “matte cream.” It’s a light, yellowed beige with a satin-matte finish. It had good color payoff, while the texture was soft, finely-milled, and blendable without being too powdery. It wore well for eight and a half hours. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Wrath is described as a “deep pearl orange.” It’s a medium-dark, copper-brown with a satin-matte finish. It had nice pigmentation, and the texture was soft and blendable. It lasted well for nine hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Papilio is described as a “pearl chocolate.” It’s a medium-dark, bronzy brown with warm undertones and a frosted finish. It had excellent color payoff with a soft, buttery texture that was easy to work with and wore well for eight and a half hours. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Summerfly is described as a “glitter gold.” It’s a warm-toned, coppery-gold with a sparkly finish. The base had really good pigmentation, but the texture was a little gritty from the glitter/sparkle. The color itself stayed on for a solid eight and a half hours, but there was noticeable fall out. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Telepathy is described as a “pearl gold.” It’s a dirty golden beige with warm undertones and a frosted, metallic finish. The texture was creamy, buttery, and dense, while the color payoff was very good. It wore well for eight and a half hours when I tested it. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Killing Jar is described as a “pearl copper.” It’s a light-medium, peachy-orange with warm undertones and a gold, frosted finish. It had great color payoff, and while the texture was blendable and soft, it was a smidgen powdery. This shade didn’t show signs of fading until after eight and a half hours of wear. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Delaney is described as a “pearl silver.” It’s a warm-toned, pewter with bronzy tones and a frosted, metallic sheen. It had nice pigmentation, and the texture was soft and smooth without being powdery. The color lasted for just over eight ours on me before starting to fade. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Vanish is described as a “matte taupe.” It’s a medium, warm-toned caramel-taupe with a matte finish. The texture was soft, finely-milled, and velvety without being powdery, and the resulting color payoff was excellent. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Tiny Death is described as a “glitter cream.” It’s a light, yellow-toned beige with white sparkle over a matte base. The actual eyeshadow base wears for eight hours and is soft without being too powdery, but the glitter/sparkle doesn’t stick, so it just goes off on its own. Most of it gets trapped in the brush, so you don’t see it translate onto the lid (which also means that there’s not much fall out). See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Disintegration is described as a “pearl brown.” It’s a murky, olive-brown with warm undertones and a golden bronze shimmer. It had great pigmentation, and the texture was blendable and finely-milled, though slightly powdery. The color wore well for eight hours when I tested it. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Shadow Box is described as a “matte chocolate.” It’s a deep, dark brown with warm, red undertones and a matte finish. It had good color payoff, and the texture was finely-milled, velvety, and soft. It wasn’t powdery, but it seemed a little thin. This shade managed to last for eight and a half hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Deadhead is described as a “matte black.” It’s a medium-dark black with a matte finish. The texture was somewhat powdery and dry, so it had decent to good color payoff, but it wasn’t fully opaque. It was buildable, though, so you could definitely get it to be truer-to-pan if desired. It wore well for eight and a half hours. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Monarch

DCDiscontinued. $46.00.
A
A
9.5
Product
9.5
Pigmentation
9.5
Texture
9
Longevity
4.5
Application
93%
Total

Entomology

DCDiscontinued.
A
A
9.5
Product
9.5
Pigmentation
9
Texture
9
Longevity
5
Application
93%
Total

Disintegration

DCDiscontinued.
A-
A-
9
Product
10
Pigmentation
9
Texture
9
Longevity
4.5
Application
92%
Total

Shadow Box

DCDiscontinued.
A-
A-
9
Product
9
Pigmentation
9
Texture
9
Longevity
5
Application
91%
Total

Deadhead

DCDiscontinued.
B
B
8
Product
8.5
Pigmentation
8
Texture
8.5
Longevity
4.5
Application
83%
Total

Wrath

DCDiscontinued.
A
A
9.5
Product
10
Pigmentation
9.5
Texture
9.5
Longevity
5
Application
97%
Total

Papilio

DCDiscontinued.
A
A
10
Product
10
Pigmentation
10
Texture
9
Longevity
5
Application
98%
Total

Summerfly

DCDiscontinued.
B+
B+
9
Product
9.5
Pigmentation
8.5
Texture
8
Longevity
4.5
Application
88%
Total

Telepathy

DCDiscontinued.
A
A
9.5
Product
9.5
Pigmentation
10
Texture
9
Longevity
5
Application
96%
Total

Killing Jar

DCDiscontinued.
A
A
9.5
Product
10
Pigmentation
9.5
Texture
9
Longevity
5
Application
96%
Total

Delaney

DCDiscontinued.
A
A
9.5
Product
9.5
Pigmentation
10
Texture
8.5
Longevity
5
Application
94%
Total

Vanish

DCDiscontinued.
A
A
10
Product
10
Pigmentation
10
Texture
9
Longevity
5
Application
98%
Total

Tiny Death

DCDiscontinued.
A-
A-
9
Product
9
Pigmentation
9
Texture
9
Longevity
4.5
Application
90%
Total

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Entomology Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Entomology Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Wrath Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Wrath Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Papilio Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Papilio Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Summerfly Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Summerfly Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Telepathy Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Telepathy Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Killing Jar Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Killing Jar Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Delaney Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Delaney Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Vanish Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Vanish Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Tiny Death Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Tiny Death Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Disintegration Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Disintegration Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Shadow Box Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Shadow Box Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Deadhead Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Deadhead Eyeshadow

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Eyeshadow: Tiny Death (inner lid), Vanish (middle), Disintegration (outer lid), Deadhead (crease)

Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
Kat Von D Eyeshadow: Tiny Death (inner lid), Vanish (middle), Disintegration (outer lid), Deadhead (crease)

65 Comments

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Zia Avatar

Nice to see some quality products being reviewed here!! I love seeing the Temptalia Recommends tag too, I’ve always LOOOVED anything I’ve bought from that list!! I like this palette, seems like it would be a good neutral palette for someone to pick up. I know the Naked (original) palette gets a lot of attention, but perhaps for someone not wanting as much shimmer this would be good. Personally I find Kat Von D eyeshadows easier to work with than UD too.

tzwiggy Avatar

I wish the middle four shades were released as a quad, I want them so, so bad! The rest of the shades are way too warm for me so I won’t be getting this palette. I ordered the other cooler toned palette yesterday, though. It will be my first Kat Von D palette, so I’m kinda excited.

kjh Avatar

Exactly what I was thinking! Was wishing they were removable/decantable (sp.) into a carrying compact! I’d keep the middle + gift the others. Wrath is pretty awesome, though.

Mee Avatar

Is this totally different from the LORAC unzipped palette as well as Naked 3? I think I have my answer. I just want you to say so I could checkout at Sephora. LOL

Veronica Avatar

I’m always baffled by how often cool-toned palettes are more troubling quality-wise than warmer toned ones. Something to do with the pigments, maybe? This is a nice palette over all; save for a few shades, it’a not so overwhelmingly warm that somebody who was on the more neutral side of cool could get use out of it.

Lauren Avatar

I swatched this a bit today when I was in Sephora and I couldn’t get over how smooth the matte shades were! I’m glad this is permanent because I definitely want to buy it but I’m trying to hold off on buying any palettes for a little while.

Mariella Avatar

I really want about 1/3 of these colours. Okay, maybe 2/3! Or I just wish MAC would repromote Modern Pewter or I could get my mitts on BM The Finer Things (wasn’t available in Canada! Who needs universal health care when you can’t get an amazing eye shadow palette. Okay, that was a joke, really). So I may just need to get this palette for the 1/3 I really need and the other 1/3 I really like anyway even though I don’t need them.

Mariella Avatar

Okay….I just called my local Sephora and guess what is on hold for me? I am SO weak! (but I was stopping in anyway to get a full size of the Alterna Caviar CC Cream for hair so I figure I’m saving on gas by getting both products rather than agonizing for another day or 2 and making a separate trip).

Lincy Avatar

I was skeptical when I first tried some Kat Von D makeup but I have to say, it lives up to the hype! The colors are beautiful and all highly pigmented, making it well worth every dollar spent. I haven’t tried this palate yet but it may have to be my next purchase!

Brittany Avatar

Gorgeous! I need this in my life OMG! When it first came out, I asked a worker at Sephora about it and she and her coworkers informed me it was limited edition, though you indicate otherwise… Oh well, I’ll probably buy it anyways. Though I have been trying to decide between this, the LORAC Pro palette, and the Too Faced Natural Eye palette, do you have a preference? Also what are you wearing on your bottom lash line in the photos? Thank you!! 🙂

Christine Avatar

Sephora doesn’t list it as LE, which is really all the info I actually have on it personally! This palette is a lot warmer/more red/orange compared to either LORAC or Too Faced. I’d go through each palette and tally up shades you’d use a lot – see which palette has the most!

I don’t remember the eyeliner unfortunately!

Kelly Avatar

I wish killing jar and wrath were available as single shadows. I was convinced with my warm, pale coloring I’d like monarch more than chrysalis… But I can’t justify those two colors for the price tag. I’ve never gotten kat von d before, so I’m picking up chrysalis and ladybird.

sheryl Avatar

Like another reader, I also wish the center 4 colors would be released as a quad because the rest are just way too warm toned for me. I did buy the chryalis palette and I love it, especially the pewter color. It looks just amazing on the lid and after cleaning up the fallout from application, it lasted all day without further fallout. I’m so impressed because glittery shadow like that usually ends up all over my face by day’s end! It”s my first real experience with Kat Von D and I’m pleasantly surprised by the quality. Just curious, are you still planning on reviewing the Sephora/Pantone Femme Artistry Set? I’m looking forward to your thoughts.

Lydia Avatar

These are all the colors that make my heart race in one place. I keep telling myself I have plenty of neutral palettes but I don’t know if I’ll have the willpower to resist!!

Mariella Avatar

GOT IT!!! Love it. Played with it a bit when I got home and I’m going to wear the left hand shades (quite a change for me…orange??? But I figure “What the heck”. Such a lovely palette (and I looked at the TF Melted Ruby and it’s gorgeous but I was already on my way out of the store after paying when I remembered to look at it – simply because it was right by the exit! So next time….)

Gen Avatar

This is so beautiful. It catches the eye! I think it looks more diverse and interesting than Naked (especially naked 2 and 3!) I recently bought Smashbox Full Exposure, and although I love it… this one just looks so so pretty.

Lotus Avatar

I’m Not purchasing either of these palettes, but I must say I find it beautifully clever to house “Monarch” in the container as it is, with shades all found naturally in the epic Monarch Butterfly. I just wish that sales would go to help the Monarch Butterfly population! I’d totally purchase this ASAP! It is chromatically rich and immensely expressive of that which it is named. <3 🙂 I'm keeping open to it.

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