Wayne Goss Imperial Topaz Luxury Eye Palette + Kohl Pencils for July 30th
Release Date + About the Launch
This palette brings vibrancy, intelligence and blend-ability into refined pigments for brighter more lifted eyes. The formulas are refined. Elegant. And offer superior blending abilities, melting into each other without muddying. The blackest black offers the ability to contour, tightline, smoke and smudge any shade to give a smokey look regardless of the colour chosen.
The stunning kohl pencils offer a true kohl feeling but with a softer richer pay off. Soft, smudgy. Designed for the both inside and outside the eye. They offer a beautiful base or enhanced drama.
July 30th, 10AM PT
Products in the Launch
Imperial Topaz Luxury Eye Palette, $55.00
- Shade 01 Light champagne with satin finish
- Shade 02 Soft bronze with satin finish
- Shade 03 Rich black with matte finish
- Shade 04 Copper rose with satin finish
- Shade 05 Warm brown with matte finish
- Shade 06 Sparkling champagne with shimmer finish
Kohl Pencil, $14.00
- Obsidian Black
- Precious Opal Black brown
- Rich Hazel Brown
Yes, I was definitely expecting a palette going off the sneak peeks on IG and elsewhere. However, I was also expecting something more interesting looking. Something with more artistry and panache. This looks a bit like my very old MUFE Nudes You Need but warmer. Very basic and “boring”. So, unless these review exceptionally well, I’m out.
Agreed!! Wish it was a cool toned palette, not another warm one. I love Wayne but will pass on this one.
Ditto. If Christine reviews it, it will have scads of dupes. To me, it’s as exciting as a metal spoon. Sorry, fantasy son. The price point as well as the color story are very Wayne. High end product without a huge price tag.
I agree with you wholeheartedly.
This seems very in keeping with Wayne’s style.
I love Wayne — and eye shadow palettes! — and anticipated purchasing this. Then I saw the pictures and although I was disappointed with the decidedly warm color story, I still considered purchasing it to support Wayne — until I saw the price. Unless it gets rave reviews, I’m going to have to pass on a $55 palettes of six basic eye shadows. But I hope it does well for Wayne who seems like a genuinely lovely human being.
I’m excited Wayne Goss is launching an eyeshadow palette but I’m surprised that I already have a few bones to pick with this one–quite rare for me! Firstly, the name of the palette: using “imperial” is at best tacky–especially with everything going on globally in the last few weeks. Imperialism and subjugation lie too closely together. I think deleting that word will go a long way. “Topaz luxury” and the price point will be plenty enough to indicate this is an upscale product (not to discount the fact that gems and luxury have their own politically sensitive minefields but at least cosmetics are already lumped into vanity cost–“imperial” just borrows trouble).
Secondly, why are the shadow pans aligned against each other so closely? Unless the pans are removable and/or completely not dusty/powdery (so the colors won’t get into other wells) it doesn’t make sense to me. And I feel like there HAS to be a reason especially considering Wayne Goss had handled A LOT of shadow palettes.
He mentioned in one of his videos ages ago how he hated all the wasted space in palettes. I think he wants to feel like you are getting a good amount of product for your money.
Thank you Cameron for taking the time to answer my question bc I was really scratching my head: I knew it was deliberate but I didn’t get it. Your answer is definitely in line with what I remember of him mentioning product value and maximizing space: definitely MUA kit concerns.
Imperial topaz is the name of a specific type of topaz, which I imagine was his inspiration. He’s also been working on this long before the current political situation.
Thank you Emily for your insight: it makes way more sense than randomly slapping on the word “imperial” next to “topaz”. Knowing this tidbit will save me from frowning every time I pick up his brushes. Current events aside, I’ve never been able to stomach that word in marketing after understanding its definition but at least my makeup application experience remains enjoyable.
I have nothing on my beauty radar and this certainly is not going to ignite my fire. Sorry Wayne. Pass.
I am looking at the promo swatches and perhaps I am being hasty and I may actually rethink this one. I’ve been wearing a lot of shades like this these days (Natasha Denona Biba) so… If the formula is ultra blendable and the quality is there, I may pick it up. It’s always nice to have shades that are ultra easy to blend for days where you don’t want to spend 1/2 hour blending eye makeup. I have hoods and texture and yes, sometimes it takes a major feat.
Mel Thompson did a good demo with it, making a more natural and a smokey look. You might want to check it out. The quality did look really nice, and that black looked pretty incredible. This is from me, who’s not a big fan of black eyeshadow.
I broke up laughing when I read this, Rachel. I did catch Mel’s post and that black look swayed the tides. I am typically not a fan of black e/s either, but that look is incredible!
I like it on other people, but with my deep set eyes, I look like I have empty eye sockets when I wear a lot of black. lol
I would never be able to rock that Mel look either. Black for me is a push brush shadow at best. I can use micro amounts of it only and just on my very outer corners. I do like a black shadow better than a liquid liner, but the size of the Wayne pan would never see me put a dent in it ?
He mentioned in his YT introduction that all of his palettes are going to have a black shadow. He thinks this will make the shadows more versatile for darker skin tones and also, he just loves that 90’s look. Unfortunately I have aged out of that style so while I might try the black-brown pencil, the palette isn’t for me. And if he comes out with more palettes, it’s going to be a lot of black shadow to own.
If that’s true about adding a black shadow in every palette, then I doubt that I’d buy any of his palettes. A black is so unnecessary and way too harsh. I’d rather see a dark matte such as brown or plum than black. His adding a black shadow in every palette is as bad as PM adding a gold shadow in every palette–nobody needs it!
I wonder if he is thinking that people would only select one of his palettes to buy, or people will buy them all regardless of having the same black? It’s an unusual decision, I wonder why he chose that. I’m sure black will be OK for some skin tones, but for me it is too harsh and I’d rather use a dark brown to deepen things.
Cameron, I think the idea that people will only buy one palette is probably why he will put in a black shadow in each of his and PM puts a gold in hers. Except I think most people who spend that much per palette already have other palettes and singles that could be used for the black or gold. So for the consumer market for this palette, including a black or gold in every one is like a putting in a throwaway shade, similar to how brush sets sometimes include at least one useless brush like a lash brush.
Usually the problem with black eye shadow is not that it is too harsh, but the fact that we believe it to be too harsh judging on how opaque the colour looks in the pan. (And perhaps from a couple of failed attempts where we have ended up looking like a ghost with a black mess all over our faces…;)) The truth is though that the colour black contains everything from subtle grey to opaque black depending on how you use it. And what is more important is that with the help of black you can shift and deepen all of the other colours without making them loose their original colour. Wayne has talked about the use of black eye shadow ever since the beginning of his YouTube channel and he always stresses the need to learn how to use black for all people and all skin tones. So I would have been extremely surprised if he had not put a black in his palette. He is talking about the reasons also in the new reveal video. So if there is anything that is Wayne Goss legacy to Make-up it is to make also non make up artists discover the versatility of the black eye shadow. He is not alone in that idea either. The idea of putting one full size black in every future palette however might be a little rich since you get so much and black can always be used sparingly. Natasha Denona has chosen the other way around and sells a big black eye shadow on the side that she recommends for all her palettes.
But my guess is Wayne really wants people to learn this ultimate base knowledge about eye shadow application, so I can only reflect that at least he has put the proof in the pudding…!
Now hopefully he has managed to create a really good blendable one, since black pigment is hard to make smooth and blendable… From the look of Mel Thompson’s video it looked a little dry even though the end result was really good. But she is also very skilled in the blending department… 🙂 But I will keep my hopes up!
These look so yummy. I was just trying tio talk myself into decreasing my shopping. Oh well, it’s my birthday next week.
Easy pass for me.. shimmers do look pretty but I’m on palette burnout right now. I like Wayne but I didn’t buy his lip stuff either.. I have so many lip products which now I can wear only when driving or sitting at home. Those wooden brushes didn’t interest me but I wish him the best and hope he has better control over the financial aspect now.
Let me start by saying I think Wayne Goss is great. I enjoy his brushes and use them nearly everyday. I fell for the hype on the lipsticks, which tbh most of the ones I got looked to be slight variations of the same peachy shade. Which would be great if I liked that tone one me, but I wanted to support him. Now for this palette. In the reveal video, Wayne was very excited, as one would be if they created a palette. But if I took a shot every time he said the words “beautiful” or “gorgeous”, I’d be dead. I feel like it was over hyping a very underwhelming product. And I’m not falling for it again. I have neutral shadows for years! They are a classic staple, I get it. But six shades and only two of them are matte? It just didn’t do it for me. I’m 43, so I’m right in that demographic he was aiming for, but it missed the mark for me unfortunately. I wanted to like it, I was excited for the reveal, I just expected more from Wayne.
This is gorgeous-I know I’ll pick it up..and two of the 3 eye pencils for sure, too.
Especially if they’re as soft and silky as Wayne described them. I like how he tests this out on mature eyes… I have a lot of lid space but do have mature eyes.
This is reminiscent to me of Tom Ford’s discontinued Cognac Sable.
I so agree! I’m a huge fan of Wayne, and a huge fan of neutrals. I love the whole light/dark influence on the features of the face. Most important to me is wearability and versatility, and this fits the bill for me. It might not be “colorful” or “unique”, but it looks to be very simple and elegant, much like a little black dress. That’s what I want. I want MY look to be enhanced, not to have makeup be what people notice about me. I love this and will be buying it.
The shades themselves aren’t anything we haven’t seen before, but I hope the formula is outstanding.
I think these are the shades that would prove to be quite versatile for everyday kind of looks. One of my beefs is the inclusion of the black matte…surely a satin grey would be more useful.
Genevieve, you hit the nail on the head! Satin grey would have been so much easier than black. It’s really pretty but the black ruins it for me. It looks too harsh.
Excited about the new Wayne Goss palette. He does such great makeup tutorials online and his brushes are wonderful.
I’ll be waiting to see the review of the bronze pencil, but like others here have said, I’m not seeing anything really exciting here.
I was intrigued but this reveal was incredibly underwhelming. The first palette that came to mind when I saw the color story was the NARS Loaded palette. These colors aren’t that unique and the price tag is certainly not helping it either.
Sigh. I do so love Wayne Goss, and I purchased a full set of everything he puts out, holiday brushes, lip products, etc, but this WARM palette is a NO GO. No warm palettes for this fair, cool-toned gal. I’ve had it with building up and giving away a hundred or so warm-toned palettes. No.More.Warm.Palettes! (said in my best Joan Crawford voice). Sorry, Wayne, I love that you are supporting women of my age, but come out with something cool-toned STAT.
I can not agree more! Can someone out there, anyone, please create good quality cool-neutral palette that’s not ALL gray and blue? Warm/orange colors make me look ill.
Marg,
I travel between NOLA and NYC a lot, so when I get somewhere, I’m stuck with a palette. My favorites have been Marc Jacobs’ Steeleto, a ColourPop Fame, and my first Jeffree Starr palette that arrived broken that I haven’t been able to use, but thought it had some nice, cool-toned creams, and the perfunctory cool-toned palette colors, but I liked it. That palette is called Cremated. I’ve never bought anything from Jeffree Starr before, but I love his videos and I adore him. It’s just the first thing that worked for me. I don’t use ColourPop, but someone listed that palette in a “dupe” video and I had a good time working with it in NYC. Let me know if the name of it isn’t “Fame” or you can’t fine it, and I’ll go searching into the abyss of my makeup for it. Those are three that I can recommend that you just take a look at and see if it might work for you. I’m definitely not recommending that you invest in any of the three, because two of the three are in the pricier price point. Let me know if you’ve had any luck with any. I’m striking out with the hundred or so that I’ve bought. I do have all of Pat McGrath’s Mothership and smaller palettes and like those. I have several of Charlotte Tilbury’s quad’s, but Vamp is the only one that I’ve had success with, so far. All of the shadows and lip products that I’ve bought of hers have worked lovely. Surrautt’s lip product (can’t remember, but it’s in a stick) in shade Hevyn is heavenly! I LOVE it. Sorry for the long list. I’ve got so many more recommendations, but those are the palettes, since that’s what this post is about.
Hi, thank you for the suggestions. I’m in Canada, so when it comes to ColourPop and some other brands, I have limited or no access, but I’ll check them out to see if I can find something suitable. Incidentally, I got the Cremated palette, because on screen and in the reviews, it looked like the ultimate dream neutral, cool-toned selection. I was excited about the more brownish ones, some lighter grays, etc., but on the lids they all end up looking like the same shade of gray (other people noticed that, too). It’s very good in quality, works for my skin tone, has just the right amount of lighter and mid-tone shades, but I just wish they varied more on the lids. When it comes Charlotte Tilbury’s shadows and lipsticks, they all turn quite orange on me.
I could be persuaded. I love a kohl pencil. I will need to see Christine’s swatches to know if the palette is too warm for me.
I like the non-photoshopped images and the age range. Waiting for reviews, I wish him the best!
Wayne said this palette was tested on women from age 40 to their 60s, and that how it worked for them was important to him. It’s a nice thing that he cares so much about older women, which I guess explains why the colors are so boring. He also said that EVERY one of his palettes will contain a black shade. Uh…why? Who can use so much black eye shadow?
I bought into his lipsticks and gloss, which were OK, but nothing to write home about. This palette is even less exciting. Love Wayne, love his brushes, but the makeup so far is distinctly underwhelming (although he gets points for not ignoring older women.)
I like Wayne, but this is a bit… disappointing. For me, this is yet another warm toned palette, with too many sparkly shadows, and not enough value range for my skin tone. I’m fair skinned, and I need light colors. In this palette, the lightest one would be my lid color – the rest (if they were all matte and minus black) would be my crease. Can someone actually create a good quality cool-neutral palette that’s not gray/blue? Anyone?
All I can think of off the top of my head is ColourPop Flutter By and ColourPop Making Mauves. They are cooler and not grey.
Hi, I appreciate the suggestion. Incidentally, I have something that looks quite similar to the FlutterBy – Dior’s Backstage palette in Cool. It still pulls very warm for me.
Marc Jacobs Steeletto is exactly this, a neutral cool palette where the mattes do not pull blue. It is the first truly cooler toned palette I have actually liked in a long time (since I have the same issue of anything that is remotely gray pulling blue on me).
I have several thoughts about this palette. Pro’s – it is gorgeous with work horse colors and I’m sure the quality is very good/excellent. Also you do get a massive amount of shadow, so the value is there.
Con’s – the colors are very basic, this reminds me of Viseart Neutral Matte palette with some shimmers thrown in. As someone really into makeup I own ALL these colors and finishes multiple times over. I think the palette would have been easier to use if he added two other colors and cut down the individual pan size. Yes the black my be super blendable but many people will find deepening a color with black too stark and or too much work. I think the addition of a darker, cooler brown would help bridge the sizable tonal gap between the brown and the black. The other shade could be a matte brow bone colour or maybe another celestial shade, or even a midtone grey.
The last con for me is the price – this palette is almost $90 CAD after duty and tax. That’s A LOT for 6 colors. The value is probably there but as someone who has tons of palettes I would prefer less product for a lesser price, even if that mean the price per gram was higher (within reason of course.)
So I’m on the fence. I would be interested to buy it because I like the colors but when I think about the multiple other items so could buy with $90 I’m less motivated.
I love that there is no wasted space in the palette and the colors are all very classic Wayne Goss as are the eye pencils. It follows closely with the techniques he often demonstrates and loves. That said, I know that I have a lot of these colors in my own very large collection. I would have loved to see slight tweaks in the satin and shimmer shades that would make them more interesting and harder to dupe. I think back to when the UD Naked Palette was released and how much I loved (and still love) colors like Virgin, Half Baked, Toasted that felt special to me.
I like Wayne and I would like to support him but cornstarch in makeup is a big no-no for me, so I’ll pass. The lipstick I purchased with his lip launch arrived broken and is now sold out, but the color was really pretty. So far, I’m feeling letdown by recent cosmetic launches. I’m sitting on my hands until Lisa Eldridge launches new lipsticks this fall.
I am super excited and can’t wait to pick this up. I love the 90’s model-esque color scheme and the looks, elegance meets simplicity and understated luxury. I lalso love the fact that not only is Wayne Goss is a true make up artist, but he is also inclusive of all race, ages, gender and absolutely drama free. Unlike those mediocre influestars with their abusive, ill-mannered ringleader, Ye Olde Voldemort face; who should’ve been cancelled a decade ago with his ‘crypt-keeper meets crayola’ palettes.
I seem to be getting Cognac Sable meets Mirage vibes from online swatches, but am patiently (breaths into paper bag) holding my breath for the full review here. : )
Does anyone know if this will be a limited edition palette release or part of a permanent collection?
It sounded like it was part of the core line-up!
I love this, but I think a dupe would be the Maybelline City mini palette in Rooftop Bronze