Grande Pro (Vol. 2)

Viseart Grande Pro (Vol. 2) Grande Pro Palette ($175.00 for 2.10 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette that's individually numbered (3,000 made) that features 30--whew!--shimmer shades that range from pearl to metallic to large glitter. The palette was designed for professional makeup artists first and foremost (in terms of the creation and development process), and as a shimmery complement to the original Grande Pro (Vol. 1) palette, which was all matte (and also designed for professional makeup artists). Each column represents a different type of finish, so depending on the finish, it may be more or less pigmented, more or less glittery. Columns two and six were the least user-friendly within the palette; the other four columns were similar to shimmery, powder-based eyeshadow formulas.

Columns two and six have larger glitter particles, and they are recommended to be used with a mixing medium to "set and seal glitter in place," and it is recommended to dampen the brush, pick up product, and apply with a "patting/pressing motion." Without the brand's more specific descriptions (which is what we want to see to help guide our expectations!), this palette would have rated lower, so I urge anyone interested in this to consider each of the finishes to ensure it will work with your application style and techniques and meet your needs, which I've described in detail below.

You have to either be a die-hard Viseart fan or love larger, chunky glitter as a traditional consumer to consider this palette; whether this is a go-to for professional makeup artists, I'll leave it up to those who practice to comment below with how it fits with their kit. I love some of the shades and finishes used within the palette, and I hope we'll see the shades offered as singles some day or incorporated in future palettes (preferably a smaller format!). I think if some of the jewel-toned shades catch your eye, but you're not into the glitter or have no need for a 30-shade palette, I highly recommend Bijoux Royal (or Ribbons Boheme for brighter, slightly more popping shades). I really enjoyed columns one, three, four, and five.

Column one is labeled "Crystalline Highlighters" that have "sheer satin coverage, crystal finish." I think they're being unsold, as one was sheer, another was semi-sheer, two were medium-full, and one was opaque. I swatched these five shades dry and wet (just using water). This finish was easy to use like any other shimmer eyeshadow; they applied well, blended out easily, and lasted for eight to nine hours on me.

Column two is labeled "Prismatic Metallics" that have "medium coverage, prismatic finish." If they had omitted the larger, chunkier shimmer, I would have found these easier to work with as there was still some fallout when I used a dampened brush as well as when I blended it out. The pigmentation was medium, as described, and they should be used with a mixing medium for the adhesive quality (to deal with the chunky glitter) and improve the coverage/payoff. With the exception of #6, they were a challenge to use dry as there was a ton of fallout. With a dampened brush, most of them improved, but shades like #7 had to be used with an adhesive base/mixing medium as there were too many glitters. Without an adhesive base, there was fallout throughout the day. In most of the lead-up material, only column six was marketed as truly requiring the mixing medium, not column two, so I rated based on being able to use it dry but also tested and gave details on using it with a mixing medium.

Column three is labeled "Chromatic Foils" that have "full coverage, foil finish." These are more like the types of shimmers one would expect from Viseart; they're pigmented, smooth, blendable, and easy to work with. They don't need to be applied with a dampened brush or fingertip to shine, but they can, of course, be intensified with a dampened brush like most shimmer/metallic powder eyeshadows.

Column four is labeled "Luxe Metallics" that have "full coverage, velvet finish." (They were initially described as "medium to full," which is why I swatched them dry and dampened with water.) This is another easy-to-use row of pigmented, blendable, and long-wearing shades. Some shades were slightly more "mostly opaque" rather than full coverage in a single layer, but in practice, I didn't notice as they adhered evenly and blended out nicely to the point where it didn't feel like they were under-pigmented.

Column five is labeled "Celestial Duo-Chromes" that have "sheer/medium coverage, dual reflective finish." I actually felt that they were undersold; they were more medium to full coverage with none of the five shades being genuinely sheer (or even semi-sheer). The textures were soft, smooth, and blendable without being too softly nor too firmly pressed in the pan. They applied well and lasted for eight to nine hours on me.

Column six is labeled "Glittering Toppers" that have "medium/full coverage, glitter finish" and need to be used with a "mixing medium for best result." I don't like these personally; they were finicky to work with as the glitter particle size is quite large so while it's drying down, there's a very short period of time one can work with it to apply and blend but once it's dry, if I went to blend, voila, fallout. I didn't get great dispersion of glitter when I tried to use it on my lid. I find that the smaller, more fleck-like glitter/sparkle that we find in eyeshadows is often more reflective and sparkly yet easier to work with and wear during the day. The glitter in some of these shades just seemed to sit on top of the base but were so large (and not concentrated enough) that they lacked the wow factor I'd expect from adding glitter onto anything. This was most apparent in shade #30.

A few were sheerer when used dry, but as soon as I used it with a mixing medium, they became quite opaque and rich that I'm not sure how they're working as "toppers" since they're covering up the color/finish of anything they're put on top of. However, using them dry was just a no; they had a lot of fallout during application and unsurprisingly, that larger glitter had nowhere to go but down during wear. The palette was designed for pros in mind, and Viseart has a long history of being a professional brand, so I'd definitely be curious to hear from makeup artists and how the "Glittering Toppers" are working for them in their kits. I tested these with and without the mixing medium but as they were marketed as to be used with mixing medium, the rating is based on application and wear with it (but I wanted to account for the base color and how it wore/applied, which is why I tested both ways).

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