Yes.
That’s right.
I’ll give you a minute…
If your body is ready now, this is THE Natasha Denona 28 Eyeshadow Palette in Purple Blue ($239), and it’s about to sell out on Beautylish as we speak!
The hype around this product is very real for many reasons, the first one being the price (!), the second being the colors, and the third being the formula.
First…
The price
For $239, this single item is one of the most expensive eyeshadow palettes on the market. The pans work out to roughly $8.50, and you’re getting 28 of them. If you only collect Natasha Denona eyeshadows, this is a great value.
But if you’re like me and collect eyeshadows from almost every brand, this is a question mark (?) for sure. Buying 28 Makeup Geek or MAC eyeshadows (like the $6 refill pans) would actually save you money!
These are presented as “pro-quality” and “ultra-pigmented,” and they’re packaged in a VERY smartly designed, sleek, and surprisingly small palette. I really appreciate the wide variety of different colors and finishes.
The colors
The colors speak for themselves. Beautiful and subtle, but loud and incredibly nuanced at the same time. As the “Purple-Blue” palette, you get an incredible range with some added pinks, silvers, and taupes. I would say that I’m a neutral lover with an appreciation for color, and I find that this palette is very wearable, save for three or four of the colors. I think the range of colors rounds out the palette for color lovers and neutral lovers alike.
The Purple Blue palette contains:
28V electric violet, 82V nina’s orchid, 51M rosewood, 80M piggy, 40M lavender gray, 11M metallic steel blue, 11V steel blue, 38M gray-brown, 24V aubergine, 22M maroon, 60M golden rose, 63M oxide, 84V powder blue, 09M quick silver, 32P deep slate gray, 75P satin skin, 52M golden beige, 70P cool plum, 92M petroleum blue, 89V koh tao, 03V deep pacific, 12M glaze, 23P smoky plum, 49M vintage, 05M calypso blue, 65V smoke, 04M chromatic, 01V navyParaben-free.
70 g / 2.5 oz.
The formula
This is one of the harder aspects to write about because I have mixed opinions on the very stark difference between the mattes and the shimmers.
The shimmers feel gel-like and thick to me, adhering to my lids like a cream. They behave more like pressed pigments than any eyeshadow I’ve used. In contrast, overall, the mattes are tricky to work with. They’re dry, leave some fallout, and don’t apply as smoothly as I’d like. I have to work quickly and carefully to avoid making a mess.
As for the purple, pink, and turquoise mattes, they blend out a little better — as you can see in my look below — but I still have to use skin-toned eyeshadows to blend away the edges.
A few of my favorite looks…
- 28V Electric Violet all over the lid
- 82V Nina’s Orchid blended to the edges of 28V Electric Violet
- 68M Golden Rose in the center of my lid
- 80M Piggy in the inner corner
- Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette for warm matte blending shades throughout
Also wearing: MAC Lipglass in Pure Fiction, Becca Luminous Aqua Foundation in Fair, Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Rose Gold, Chosungah 22 Brow Maker in Black-Brown
- 63M Oxide concentrated on the lid
- 1V Navy and 65V Smoke right in the crease and the outer crease. Was almost unable to make the blue look smooth…but I kept going!
- 5m Calypso Blue along the entire bottom waterline
- 60M Golden Rose patted onto the front part of the waterline
- Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette for warm blending shades throughout
Also wearing: MAC Mineralize Rich Lipstick in Touch the Earth, Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in N120, Estee Lauder Bronzing Powder in Medium.
I forgot to do my brows, eek!
If you’re a hardcore eyeshadow lover like I am, I think you’ll love the beautiful colors and convenience of this palette, and while the dark mattes aren’t my favorite, I’m willing to work around them because I can’t live without some of these shimmers.
This is truly a guilty pleasure palette, and I hope I can do it justice with some more colorful looks in the future!
If you’re game for it, the $239 Natasha Denona Eyeshadow Palette 28 is available now at Beautylish.
See you in the next,
Anna
Joyce Law says
March 28th, 2016 at 2:18 pmI didn’t notice your “naked” brows until you mentioned it, was too distracted by your lovely eye makeup. =)
Joyce Law recently posted … Swatches + Review: Burberry Cashmere Foundation + Guerlain Tenue de Perfection Foundation
Anna Oh says
March 29th, 2016 at 7:50 amHAHA! Yep I was so caught up in the eyeshadows I forgot my eyebrows entirely xDDD
Alison M says
March 28th, 2016 at 2:48 pmWow…these are incredible! I adore the looks you put together and your lip color choices balances the eyeshadows perfectly. I am feeling inspired to add color to my eyes this week <3
Alison M recently posted … NARS Spring 2016 Review, Swatches, and Look
Anna Oh says
March 28th, 2016 at 3:13 pmThank you Alison 🙂 By the time I got around to picking a lip color, I was pooped! So simple and nude options it was. Color eyeshadows feel very fresh right now ^_~
Erin says
March 28th, 2016 at 3:28 pmIf I had the money it’s the only one of her’s I’d get for sure!
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Helen says
March 28th, 2016 at 5:00 pmYou are breathtakingly beautiful! Great review, this is the first time I’m actually tempted by this palette. Great illustration too, btw!
Anna Oh says
March 29th, 2016 at 7:51 amThank you Helen <3
Agata says
March 28th, 2016 at 5:19 pmThe look you created is really beautiful. The palette itself is gorgeous too. I wish the eye shadows were available individually though
I can’t see myself spending $230 dollars on makeup at one time.
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Anna Oh says
March 29th, 2016 at 7:52 amThank you Agata! These shadows do come in 5-pan varieties as well for around $48 that I’ve heard great things about (they are mostly shimmers).
Kiss & Make-up says
March 28th, 2016 at 5:30 pmBeautiful illustration! And woah, what a gorgeous palette. Love, love, LOVE purple on your eyes! Looking stunning as always.
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Kwmechelle says
March 28th, 2016 at 5:34 pmThat first look is STUNNING!!! And once again, you can do no wrong. The hype around these palettes is so. Real. But for some reason, none of them have ever appealed to me because I can get shadows with high quality, like MUFE, for a lot cheaper. Plus, I’ve been waiting for the hype to go down a bit. I appreciate your honest review because I’ve questioned if they all had the same consistency. And your eye look is incredibly inspiring. As is the illustration. Another job well done!
Anna Oh says
March 29th, 2016 at 7:55 amThank you AS ALWAYS KWMechelle 🙂 MUFE makes my favorite eyeshadows as well (and certain UD colors are undeniably perfect too) so I had some high expectations for this palette.
Lulle says
March 28th, 2016 at 5:58 pmThe looks you did with this palette are very beautiful, but to be honest, I don’t see myself forking almost $250 for a palette with poorly performing mattes!
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Rachel R. says
March 28th, 2016 at 8:23 pmThe metallics are stunning! I thought the matte purples and blues looked kind of patchy in the swatches, but the purple look you did on your eyes is beautiful. I think I would pass on this because I’m very picky about my purples, but you did a great job creating lovely eye looks.
Anna Oh says
March 29th, 2016 at 8:10 amThanks Rachel, doing my best 🙂 It’s interesting that the most vibrant purples in this palette are matte!
Eesha says
March 28th, 2016 at 9:23 pmThese are incredible shadows and I loved the looks you pulled together from the palette, especially the purple one is gorgeous 🙂
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Ankita Srivastava says
March 28th, 2016 at 11:47 pmI LOVE the looks you’ve done here Anna, especially the first one. I don’t think I’d be splurging on this palette but some of those shimmer shades are gorgeous!
Ankita Srivastava recently posted … FOTD : Dewy Skin, Matte Red Lips
Anna Oh says
March 29th, 2016 at 8:11 amThank you Ankita 🙂
Fran says
March 29th, 2016 at 6:59 amThanks for the gorgeous swatches! I love the shimmery blues, silvers, and greys in this palette, but the mattes would be really difficult for me to wear, and most of the purples are too pink/red to be used near my eyes, so I’m afraid I have to pass at this price! Now a smaller palette, with just the colors I like, I would jump at.
Jessica Revitte says
March 29th, 2016 at 7:23 amAnna this is such a comprehensive review, thank you! The looks you’ve created are stunning (as are you).
I’ve been really fascinated by the hype around these shadows, but as far as the shimmering shades go it does seem worth it. The looks you’ve created could sell me alone! If only I could justify the price …
Jessica
Anna Oh says
March 29th, 2016 at 8:26 amThank you Jessica! I know it’s a hefty up-front price for 1 brand. I know I’ve spent way more than that on my eyeshadow collection alone HAHA but I was able to choose every single one of those!
Jessica Revitte says
March 29th, 2016 at 8:28 amI do like that Natasha Denona also has five pan palettes, although the price is still a bit steep. It’s more edited. I may give those a shot first before I consider making the plunge (dangerously, Beautylish allows you to pay in three installments so if I really lose my mind I can pretend it only cost me $80 ha).
Jessica
Carolina Braina says
March 29th, 2016 at 9:07 amAs always, I love the looks you created with this palette!
I really like the shade selection, but I think I’d pass on it even if I had the money because of the mattes.
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denise S says
March 29th, 2016 at 12:07 pmI’ve been watching these palettes since the hype began. I think they are beautiful and expensive and most reviewers seem to enjoy them. I love the looks you did! I was thinking about buying the green brown palette but changed my mind, so expensive and some of the colors aren’t perfect enough to justify the price tag.But who knows I might just take the plunge eventually!!
brooke says
March 30th, 2016 at 3:59 pmyou have beautiful skin!