Kat Von D Serpentina Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
Serpentina
Kat Von D Serpentina Eyeshadow Palette ($45.00 for 0.37 oz.) includes eight eyeshadows and one loose eyeshadow. I think everything comes together decently on the lid, but there are four weaker shades in the palette, which is nearly half. The sheerer, more dusty nature of Bloodmilk and Venom seemed problematic when swatched, but they actually applied and built-up better in practice than I expected (particularly Venom), which is partially due to my lids being more normal in skin type, while my arm is dry. I was surprised that Hieroglyph was weak at all, because it’s rare that a brand misses on a copper-hued shade. In a way, these are replicated in the Metal Crush range, though not the same in formula or fully dupes, but they share the more jewel-toned nature of the Metal Crush range. I would spend my money there, rather than this palette, if you really want richly pigmented, long-wearing, and blendable eyeshadow.
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Serpentina
LELimited Edition. $45.00.
Bloodmilk
Bloodmilk is a muted, medium-dark red with subtle, warm undertones and a matte finish. The consistency was drier, a little grainy (which is something that occurs with redder eyeshadows on occasion), so the color tended to apply more sheerly. It was blendable, and it was buildable on the eye for me, but I would recommend primer or a white base to really make the color true-to-pan. The color lasted for eight hours on me.
Top Dupes
- MAC Haute Sauce (P, $17.00) is lighter, warmer (95% similar).
- Marc Jacobs Beauty O Mercy (P, $29.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- Pat McGrath Auburn Allure (LE, $25.00) is cooler (95% similar).
- Huda Beauty Warm Browns #1 (PiP, ) is darker (95% similar).
- Melt Cosmetics Nueva Vida (LE, ) is cooler (95% similar).
- Urban Decay Relish (DC, $19.00) is cooler (95% similar).
- Marc Jacobs Beauty Bull's Eye (LE, ) is cooler (95% similar).
- Tarte Mod (PiP, ) is cooler (95% similar).
- ColourPop Missy (LE, $4.50) is lighter (90% similar).
- Anastasia C4 (Norvina Vol. 3) (LE, ) is lighter (90% similar).
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Bloodmilk
LELimited Edition.
Medusa
Medusa is a muted, medium-dark antique gold with olive undertones and a pearly sheen. It had good pigmentation, was slightly denser and firmer in the pan, but easy enough to work with on the eye. The color wore well for eight hours.
Top Dupes
- Chanel Mediterraneen #4 (LE, ) is darker (95% similar).
- Inglot #433 (P, $7.00) is darker (90% similar).
- Maybelline Bold Gold (P, $6.99) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Sydney Grace The Scoop (P, $8.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Stila Vivid Smoky Quartz (P, $24.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Huda Beauty Dubai (Remastered) (PiP, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Sydney Grace The Scoop (DC, $8.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Lisa Eldridge Titania (P, $27.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Tarte Martini (P, $22.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Dose of Colors Dirty Money (LE, ) is more shimmery, warmer (85% similar).
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Medusa
LELimited Edition.
Ankh
Ankh is a blackened brown with bronze micro-shimmer over a mostly matte finish. The texture was dusty and harder to build-up beyond semi-opaque coverage; it will help darken and works if you prefer a more buildable contrast shade than an in-your-face black eyeshadow. It started to fade after seven and a half hours of wear.
Top Dupes
- Anastasia Black Diamond (PiP, $12.00) is warmer (95% similar).
- MAC Gilded Night #1 (LE, $21.00) is cooler (95% similar).
- Guerlain Metal Butterfly #1 (PiP, ) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Too Faced Cup of Joe (LE, $16.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Marc Jacobs Beauty As Well (PiP, ) is cooler (95% similar).
- MAC Night Whisper (LE, $17.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Marc Jacobs Beauty Everywhere (PiP, ) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Clarins Nude #4 (PiP, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Too Faced Lava Cake (LE, $16.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- YSL Fetiche #3 (LE, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
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Ankh
LELimited Edition.
Queen
Queen is a muted, medium-dark burgundy with warm undertones and a pearly finish. It had mostly opaque coverage, but it was thinner and a little drier in consistency. I found it fairly easy to apply and blend out, and the color wore well for eight hours before creasing.
Top Dupes
- Anastasia Pink Sapphire (LE, $12.00) is cooler (95% similar).
- MAC Plummed (LE, $17.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Chanel Seduction #1 (LE, ) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Makeup Geek Enchanted (P, $12.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Cranberry (P, $17.00) is warmer (95% similar).
- Gucci Beauty Autumn Fire #3 (DC, ) is darker (95% similar).
- KVD Beauty Rewind (LE, ) is darker (95% similar).
- theBalm #28 (P, $6.50) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Sydney Grace Forever Enough (P, $6.25) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Pink Glow #3 (LE, ) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
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Queen
LELimited Edition.
Hieroglyph
Hieroglyph is a medium, orange-copper with warm undertones and a metallic finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation, but it had a much firmer consistency where the majority of the color portion was harder to get coverage out of, while the shimmer separated more readily from the pan. This shade started to fade after seven hours on me.
Top Dupes
- NARS Belle-Ile (P, $28.00) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Huda Beauty Trust Fund (Remastered) (PiP, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Too Faced Jingle All the Way Eyeshadow #7 (LE, $16.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- City Color Cheers to Life (P, $6.99) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- ColourPop Stacks (LE, $4.50) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- MAC A Glimmer of Gold #3 (PiP, $21.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Volcanic (LE, $19.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Viseart Cindi (PiP, ) is darker (90% similar).
- Becca Sandstone (LE, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Maybelline Breaking Bronze (P, $6.99) is more shimmery (90% similar).
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Hieroglyph
LELimited Edition.
Nile
Nile is a muted, medium-dark blue with strong, cool undertones and a satiny sheen. It had good pigmentation that applied well, blended out easily, and lasted for eight hours before creasing faintly.
Top Dupes
- MAC Weirdly Wonderful (LE, $17.00) is more shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- MAC In the Shadows (P, $17.00) is darker (95% similar).
- NYX Kiss in Casablanca (P, $4.50) is darker, more muted, warmer (95% similar).
- Giorgio Armani Spring-Summer '17 (LE, $39.00) is darker (95% similar).
- Buxom Bulldog (P, $18.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Make Up For Ever ME216 Electric Blue (DC, $21.00) is lighter, brighter (90% similar).
- Glaminatrix Sapphire (P, $8.04) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- KKW Beauty Libra (LE, ) is lighter (90% similar).
- MAC Switch to Blue (LE, $22.00) is darker (90% similar).
- ColourPop Two Piece (P, $4.50) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
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Nile
LELimited Edition.
Scarab
Scarab is a medium-dark green with cooler undertones and a frosted finish. This shade was richly pigmented, smooth, and very blendable. It was one of the better shades in the palette. On me, it wore well for a solid eight hours.
Top Dupes
- Coloured Raine Grandeur (LE, $6.99) is warmer (95% similar).
- Stila Vivid Jade (P, $24.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Morphe Diva (LE, ) is darker (95% similar).
- ColourPop Donna (LE, $6.00) is less shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- Dose of Colors Palma (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- Too Faced Central Perk (LE, $16.00) is warmer (95% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury The Rebel #4 (DC, ) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Graffiti (LE, $19.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Wing Tip (LE, $4.50) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Chanel Verderame (824) (P, $36.00) is less shimmery, lighter, more muted (90% similar).
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Scarab
LELimited Edition.
Venom
Venom is a muted, medium-dark purple with a matte finish. It had a thinner, dustier consistency that was prone to sheering out and harder to apply evenly. It was a shade that worked well to blend out the edge of another color in the crease, but it was really hard to work with as a lid shade, as it was just too uneven and sheer. The color lasted for six and a half hours before fading.
Top Dupes
- Urban Decay Faded (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Makeup Geek Curfew (DC, $6.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop New Realm (LE, $4.50) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Bobbi Brown Mulberry (LE, $22.00) is darker (90% similar).
- Viseart Cool Mattes 2 #8 (PiP, ) is lighter (90% similar).
- Natasha Denona Redox (347CM) (LE, ) is lighter (85% similar).
- Anastasia Violet (P, $12.00) is darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Huda Beauty Purple Haze #3 (PiP, ) is darker, warmer (85% similar).
- Urban Decay Neo (LE, $19.00) is warmer (85% similar).
- Viseart Debauched (PiP, ) is lighter, cooler (85% similar).
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Venom
LELimited Edition.
Prophet
Prophet is a medium-dark, green-tinged gold with a metallic finish. It applied well both wet and dry with opaque coverage that remained blendable and wore for eight hours; the major difference is the base color is deeper and the finish more metallic when it is applied damp.
Top Dupes
- ColourPop Telepathy (PiP, $6.00) is more shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- Sephora Sage (PiP, ) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Goldmine (LE, $19.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Sephora David (LE, ) is darker, more muted (90% similar).
- Sydney Grace Be the Sunshine (PiP, $6.25) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Viseart Bijoux Royal #3 (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- ColourPop The Game (LE, $4.50) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Lisa Eldridge Titania (P, $27.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- NABLA Cosmetics Citron (P, $8.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Dose of Colors Dirty Money (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
At first I was like naw, but then I say your eye looks and hot damn! They are gorgeous!!!
Thank you!
My thoughts exactly!
It seems these swatch more poorly than they actually perform on the lids- which I don’t care how they look on my arm! I will give these a try and hope that this is the case.
I love the last look you created. That purple makes me sad.
Thank you, Courtney! 🙂
I’m thinking that if they’d gone for a shimmery purple, it would have turned out nice but that the matte formula is the “problem”.
They have such good mattes too so even a satin purple formula would have worked if they wanted to keep it less shimmery.
I know purples are hard to get right… but way to dry/sheer.
Mine arrived on Friday, so I’ve been playing with it a bit and I think Medusa may be my new favorite eye shadow. It’s just so pretty on, and so versatile. I wore Medusa and Scarab together over UD primer and it was still looking pretty good after 14.5 hours when I finally took it off and went to bed.
Glad you enjoyed it, Sophia!
I was excited for this to come out, but the quality of the mattes is so bad that I’m skipping. I just can’t pay this much for a palette and have the purple be crap. When there are only 9 shadows, you want them all to be good. It makes me sad, because I really like the color selection and the packaging.
I totally understand, Rachel! 🙁
I’m right there with you, Rachel! The ratio of good to poor shades in this palette just doesn’t seem like a good deal. I feel like it’s all style, very little substance.
Glad she put the shadow names on the top of the palette this time. I feared that the purple shadow would be dreadful and, sadly, it is. And all the shades I liked best (with the exception of the loose pigment) are ones for which I have dupes in multiples because I just keep falling down that rabbit hole of buying the same sorts of colours over and over again (I had to reign myself in at the Inglot store as so many of the colours on my “wish list” are virtually identical to shades I already have…and that’s just within the Inglot collection!)
It is nice when the names are next to the actual pans – so much easier to read!
Venom, Ankh and Hieroglyph really seem to have brought the whole palette way down, quality and grade wise. I do understand that matte purple is super difficult to get just right, but my MAC Indian Ink applies a thousand times better than Venom. What a shame, because the good shades are really great!
There are some real misses in this one!
If you’re looking for bold jewel tones, my advice is to skip this over-hyped $45 KVD palette. Instead pick up UD Spectrum on sale ( $29 for 15 shades), and 2 City Color Shimmer Shadows on sale ($12 for 2 shades), and for about $41 total, you will end up with 17 super high quality shadows vs. 9 hit-or- miss ones.
Good recommendation, Katherine!
BTW, I LOVE that red and gold eye look you did! Come fall/winter, I’m going to give it a try
Hi, Katherine. I also left this comment on our previous exchange, but I wasn’t sure if you would see it. Anyway, I got all six colors of the new Armani matte eye tints, and they are horrible. Don’t waste your money! Like Lea said, they are all muddy. They are ugly browns, too, in my opinion, with weird tinges of maroon or gray or khaki. That makes them sound cool, but don’t be fooled. The only usable color was Nude Smoke, which was pretty decent, and might be useful for a base or transition color. They don’t blend well, unless you want to do an editorial-style smoky eye. I tried Nude and Leather. As the day went on, they felt uncomfortably dry on my eyelids. I already returned them. Anyway, that’s my conclusion. Ymmv, of course. Hope that helps! 🙂
Pteetsa, thanks so much for letting me know! I didn’t get your original response, but if you submit to a more recent thread, Christine is pretty good about posting it, or you can always post under the next Free Haul for Friday. Yikes!!! They sound horrible, can’t be any worse than a dry, muddy mess on lids, but I will definitely check out Nude Smoke to use as a base. My lids are very oily, so it might not be too drying on me. It’s actually very hard to find matte cream shadows that perform well, especially in a skintone color, most of them are very shimmery. So glad you were able to return those! Thanks again Pteetsa 🙂
Good call.
Shame about this palette, I like the colour scheme and I thought it could be my first KVD purchase since we’re getting the line soon in the UK. I guess Tattoo Liner it is then!
The looks you did are beautiful though – you seem to able to make anything work.
Also, I’m surprised that the blue is actually among the better performing shades in the palette. I wonder if KVD is having quality control issues again.
Thanks, A!
Always appreciate your reviews, Christine!
Thanks for this!
No problem, Mandy!
Venom looks really bad! When I first saw the swatches it was pretty disappointing considering how much everyone loves other palettes from KVD.
Venom could use improvement!
LOVE the packaging but I think I will stick to the superior Metal Crush shadows!
Good call!
It’s seems like most brands have a hard time getting a matte purple eyeshadow to grade well?Seeing the grades on the dupes for Venom!
Very true!
These are not my kinds of shades, especially with several red-based colors, but the look you created with the palette is really beautiful. Too bad the purple is yet another mess and several shades are on the weaker side.
I was surprised that even some of the shimmers weren’t great!
I agree with you about the shades. I was excited for this palette until I saw what colours the shadows were going to be. I was already planning on passing, but knowing there are several duds makes it easier.
Christine, the looks you made are absolutely beautiful! The red and gold together are so stunning.
This is a disappointing grade given how much excitement there was surrounding the palette. I ordered one and will test it out when I get it, but if it’s truly B- material (and I trust your reviews) it’s going to be going back. Maybe she should have just done a Metal Crush palette?
A Metal Crush palette would have been awesome! It is actually odd to me to have such similar shades but use a different formula, but my guess is they’d have to charge more to use Metal Crush’s formula.
I read a while back there were supposed to be Metal Crush shadows, and mattes. Also, the palette design originally featured on her social media looked completely different. There were several round wells above several rectangular ones, and no space for the loose pigment. Based on what I read & saw, I assumed the MC would be in the round pans. There was aldo twice as many wells… I’m going to skip this one, as I would only use 4 of the shades, 3 if Venom didn’t work out. Bloodmilk & Queen are stunning, and I find it hard to resist red eyeshadow, but I can probably dupe both. Instead, I’m going for a few of the new MAC shadows…
I think you’re referring to a different palette altogether 🙂
I think it’s also a matter that many of the Metal Crush shadows are not vegan and it seems KVD really wanted Serpintina to be a vegan item.
What a shame the payoff isn’t there, they look so beautiful in the pan.
Agreed!
I recently read an article where KVD said that they changed her formulas to be completely vegan. That’s why there is a difference between these and her earlier eye shadows. I can respect that. I hope they can make additional formula improvements in the future.
Kat Von D has recent eyeshadows that are really good, so I don’t think it is that, personally, but I am not a chemist.
Just got mine and totally different experience! I found each color to be pigmented, smooth and easy to blend. I have all her palettes plus the metal shadows and found this one to be one of her best. Could yours have been a bum palette in the bunch? Lotsa mixed reviews on Sephora…just my two cents 🙂 love your site!
I don’t know – I purchased mine directly from Sephora. Not really sure what else I can do there! I don’t think it’s fair to have to purchase a few of the same item!
very true. it’s frustrating when batches are all over the place, some being great, others. just subpar….quality control, much? I’m loving the palette, blendability and pigmentation but I know others’ who are having chalkiness problems. smh
I was sooooo hoping this palette would perform better than it did now I’m not sure if I’m going to keep it or return it to Sephora?!?!? Decisions, decisions! There is another palette that I’ve had my eye on (Juvia’s Place Nubian 2 palette) that supposedly very similar to this one but they have larger pans and its sold at a cheaper price point. Now I’m wondering if I should just return this and purchase that palette?! I wish you did more reviews on the indie brands, Christine! But thanks, as always, for your in-depth reviews!!
Just about every indie I have ever attempted to review has caused drama, so I’m pretty much done with indies, unfortunately! 🙁
Completely agree! From the swatches and reviews I’ve seen, I think getting the Nubian 2 would be the right decision. Check the tags on Instagram, if you haven’t already, there is a user called angelamarytanner with side by side swatches.
Just looked at those, seems a better way to go. Maybe get the Nubian 1 &2 bundle. Nice to support a more indie, Miami based business.
Yeah, I just broke down and ordered the Nubian 2 palette. Serpentina is going back to Sephora tomorrow. Just don’t even feel like messing around with it. I trust Christine’s reviews and I’m hearing nothing but amazing things about the Nubian 2 and it saved me a couple of coins!!
It looks pretty, but also seems like the crushed metal shadows. More importantly I’m sick of these limited edition palettes applying pressure to buy without taking the time to decide if you really want it for fear of missing out.
Kind of in terms of color, but the formula is definitely inferior.
Hi Christine, what mascara are you using in these pictures? It looks great!
I don’t remember, sorry!
I really like the idea of this palette, but the execution of some of these colors could have been better- particularly Venom. I love the first eye look you created with it, though!
Thanks, Chris!
too bad that pigmentation on so many of these are so poor,
it otherwise could have been a good palette :^(
It’s a bummer!
Thanks for the swatches, Christine and your eye looks are beautiful! I was able to get this palette from Sephora and so far, so good. I’ll give myself a month of using it before reaching a final decision, as to whether or not to keep it(which is what I typically do).
No problem, Mary! 🙂 Happy to hear you’re enjoying your palette so far!
The colours are beautiful, just a shame they’re not all brilliant. I do love the golds with the dark colours, it does look stunning on the eye. I might just get the dupes for the golds as I don’t have those. I do have dupes for one or two of the colours.
I really wish they were better all-around!
There are quite a few hits and misses in this palette – which is a shame because when there is only several colours all of them have to work well. The purple lovers will be sadly disappointed.
Medusa and Scarab are the ones I like the best.
Beautiful eye looks Christine.
Thank you, Genevieve!
Everyone makes “fake” swatches (where they must’ve swept across MANY times and then clean up the edges with makeup remover) except you. Thank you for being you
My pleasure! 🙂
Bloodmilk is the perfect darker red that I hoped Morello Cherry would have been and to me the only shade that makes this palette special as the other colours seem very dupeable elsewhere. I would have thought Makeup Geek had a dupe with all their reddish shadows. I wish it was available in a single.
Maybe they’ll release more singles in the future!
Christine, if only you came with the palette….
I feel like shipping would run you sky high 😉
I just can’t justify this with the crazy amount of bad ratings no matter how awesome they look together 😛
I totally understand – there is a lot of inconsistency, which would make me wary of purchasing.
Well, I really like the looks you created. Based on the dupes, it seems no one does Venom or similar well. I have Spectrum so all set here. The colors are pretty though.
Thanks, Susan!
Slightly off-topic; but I love the new “eyeshadow palette” tag you have for these. So much easier to browse eyeshadow-only palettes.
Thanks a lot!
Not. In. Sub par. Disappointing.
I’m really surprised at just how inconsistent the palette seems to be for people – but I’m starting to wonder what it is about KVD’s manufacturing that has led to them to have such varied quality.
I think there may be some quality control issues here because mine was *so* bad. The shimmers just immediately crumbled and kicked up dust with a brush or fingers, and I couldn’t for the life of me get them to stick to a brush in order to apply them to my face. However the two mattes were fantastic and I’d love to purchase singles of them if they were all like that (which going by your swatches, they’re not). I’m super disappointed and ended up returning it today :/
That is what I am thinking, because I am seeing different shades being problematic from review to review – I think the only one that has been always problematic is Hieroglyph, and then it seems like the mattes are sheerer/more powdery at the very least. Some are reporting very crumbly shimmers, like you had.
man… i tried this today for the first time and was actually really disappointed. tried to do an eye with venom and nile. so much fall out and nile wouldn’t work well unless i used my fingers. had to top venom with queen and it looked better. queen reminds me of frankie from the gypsy palette, that used to be my all time favorite shadow
Wow! 🙁 That sounds awful, Amara. Do you think you’ll return it?
i most likely won’t, mainly because i’ve been collecting her makeup since she launched her brand, so i have every palette she’s put out. i have been playing more with it and have found that the shimmery ones work better for me using a synthetic brush and with one of my more sticky primers.
wow!.. your eyeshadow looks are gorgeous!!.. the purple and copper shades swatched a bit better for me though…. I haven’t used any of them on the eyelids though
Happy to hear they seem more promising for you, Jen! Keep us posted.