I took a long break from the Natasha Denona brand (since December 2022), but after purchasing the Yucca palette for half off, I wanted to continue my series of ranking all the eyeshadows from the brands whose palettes I own the most of in my collection. I’ve covered Pat Mcgrath Palettes, Huda Beauty Palettes, Oden’s Eye Palettes, and Viseart Palettes so far. Just like with Viseart, I’ve rearranged most of the palettes with removable eyeshadow pans. However, I’m familiar enough with them to be able to remember what they were like and rank them as they were originally intended.
Ranking List of All the Natasha Denona Palettes I Ever Owned:
Before we get into the rankings, I wanted to show the eyeshadow singles I got as gift-with-purchase freebies I got from Sephora. I wish they weren’t glued down so I could put them in a custom magnetic palette to save some space when I moved. Because I couldn’t without using my Z-Potter, I left them behind.
I didn’t own any of these shades already because they all come from palettes I was uninterested in buying.
Mini Gold Palette
This is very much my type of color story! The beige shade doesn’t show very well on my skin tone, but I still use it along the brow bone. This palette is cohesive and the look I created in the photo above is my default combination for daytime. For night-time, I use a lot more of the deep brown. For so few shades in this small palette, I don’t feel limited by the available choices. They all still perform beautifully, even though this is five years old. The mattes blend well, Dark Sepia and Antheia are very smooth, and D’or pumps up the intensity from satin to sparkly when added to the look. I don’t need to apply any of them with a damp brush. The Natasha Denona formula has gone through its changes over the years, and the ones used in this palette is my favorite performing type from the brand. I also love that it’s small because it makes me feel like I could actually use this up one day. It doesn’t take up much space and is easy to travel with, which I have done several times. Other than making Lodge slightly lighter, the fact that I wouldn’t want to change this palette is why it’s number one!
Metropolis Palette
The first picture has all the Metropolis shades, just not in the right order. The second picture is how I keep this palette with Metropolis and Bronze palette colors.
Other than Mini Gold, this is my next favorite color story from the brand. I have so many options, but I do end up with my favorite go-to looks as well. Although I replaced six of the shadows with ones from the Bronze palette, all that really did was give myself deeper orange and red shades. I essentially turned the Metropolis palette into something better suited for my skin tone.
This was the palette that ND seemed to have perfected the cream-to-powder shadows and my love for them really took off. They’re a few months short of five years old and still haven’t fully dried out. My lighter green and a brown shade require me to use my finger to get them out of the pan since they don’t pick up as well on most of my brushes, and one of the blues is nearly dry, but I still love this formula. I love the way it blends and looks on the eyes. It has a satin effect from sheen and not shimmer. The mattes and shimmers are perfect performers for my style. They’re pigmented, but still blendable. They’re smooth and nearly buttery feeling. They layer well on each other. The shimmers are impactful. They last all day. I don’t have creasing issues. To me, this is Natasha Denona’s best performing palette. The fact that I replaced some shades, and it doesn’t have something like Dark Sepia and Antheia (two of my all-time favorite colors from the brand), are the only reasons this ranks number 2. Realistically, it’s tied for the top spot.
Glam Face Palette
Even though this isn’t strictly an eyeshadow palette, I had to include this in the rankings because I really enjoy these eyeshadows. The only reason I left this behind in the US, which I regret, is the fact that the pans are glued in so I couldn’t have the eyeshadows without the blush and highlighter. I don’t mind the blush, but I hate that highlighter, and I kept forgetting to use this because I didn’t keep this palette with the rest of my eyeshadows. If the eyeshadows were in their own separate palette, it would probably look as used as Mini Gold considering how much more often I’m reaching for neutral eyeshadows.
The formula of these is good, but different from Metropolis and Mini Gold. There are no cream to powders. The shimmers are intense, but slightly less smooth with larger size shimmer particles. They’ve got more slip, so I get a little bit of creasing, but not too much. The mattes are pigmented, but a little less easy to blend. They don’t require a lot of effort, just more than their best performing ones. The end result though is gorgeous, which is why I still consider this a favorite.
Gold Palette
The shades I kept with me from the Gold palette are Dijon, Varis, Log, Lime Chrome, and Brass. I liked more colors from the Gold palette, but I had similar enough yellows, golds, and browns from other ND palettes that they felt less necessary to bring along. Lime Chrome is another of my absolute favorite shades from Natasha Denona, Log was used on my wedding day, plus Dijon and Varis are shadows I use at least once a month. So, it’s not surprising that I hold the Gold palette in high regard. The brand’s new Golden Palette is meant to replace this one and has 9 repeat shades, yet only Varis and Log out of the ones I saved are in there. I clearly didn’t mind going without the blues, but Lime Chrome was the single most important shade for me in that palette and it’s not in the new one. So, even if I hadn’t pumped the brakes on buying new things from the brand, I would have skipped getting it (even though it’s admittedly pretty to look at).
I believe Python, the deep blue, was the brand’s first creamy-matte or cream to powder eyeshadow. It still needed some work, as I felt it remained too wet. It didn’t blend as easily or smoothly either. The ones from Metropolis were such a step up.
The Gold Palette colors were a bit repetitive, but condensing it down to favorites made it worth having in my collection.
Bronze Palette
I was using this palette quite a bit, until I decided to swap around six shadows into the Metropolis palette. I feel like my changes still improved upon the Bronze palette, but it could have benefited from being condensed down. Unlike purples and greens which I could own plenty of in a single palette and be content with the various nuances, the subtleties of bronze and oranges and everything in-between couldn’t hold my attention. This palette is so visually appealing that I couldn’t bear to leave it behind, but I don’t love it enough to actually use it as often as I should.
The mattes are less creamy/buttery and more along the lines of smooth, soft, and powdery. I like the cream to powder, though the slight purplish color of it is an interesting choice. The shimmers are impactful, smooth, and opaque though, just how I like them. So, the quality overall isn’t perfect, but quite good.
My Dream Palette
Shortly after I bought this palette, I went on my brand strike. So, I didn’t have the chance to review it. Considering I took 8 of the 15 shades with me, one could assume I really love this palette. However, I mostly just wanted to be able to continue testing the palette with shades I might actually reach for when doing my makeup.
What drew me to this palette in the first place were the additional cream to powders, the purple heavy color story, Vision as a multichrome, and Invention as the stunning fiery orange. I like having smoky options like Blackest Black and Familia, although I left Familia behind since I was taking Log. Some of the colors I abandoned were because even though they looked different in the pan, they looked too similar to each other on my skin. The mattes performed similarly to Bronze’s mattes (so good, but not the ultimate from ND), and the shimmers were either the same or in some cases even more sparkly. Vision is pretty, but doesn’t has as strong of a color shift as I’m used to from indie brands. Blackest Black takes a bit more effort to avoid overapplying or not sticking to the skin well enough and looking patchy. Invention also didn’t look the way on my eyes that I envisioned. This doesn’t count against it, but I have to point out that the misspelling of spontaneous as Spontaneuos is a bit comical.
The pros for this palette put it slightly ahead of Bronze, put the cons count slightly more against this palette as well. The overall performance is most important, and because of slightly more technical flaws, this palette got nudged out of the top five.
Love Palette
The palette has a cohesive color story, but I took my top favorite shades with me, and unfortunately that combination doesn’t look nice together all in one look. The cream to powder in this one is on the drier side now, which is interesting since it’s one of the second to last ND palettes I bought. It’s always been on the sheerer side, but getting product out is tougher now. The mattes feel similar to the ones from the Bronze palette. The shimmers are beautiful as always. Based on the amount of eyeshadows I saved and how much I liked the Love palette as a whole, I couldn’t put this palette any lower. However, I have a lot of pink and purple palettes I prefer over this one (from other brands). Some of those were custom palettes I made myself using individual eyeshadow singles from other brands. So, I couldn’t put this higher either. Considering how pink and red heavy this palette is, it’s shocking enough that I decided to place it above Natasha’s other purple palettes. Purples are among my favorite eyeshadow colors, but the quality differences were too big to overlook.
My disinterest in most pink palettes is the reason I am not planning to buy the Roxa palette. I would love to try the new matte formula in that one, but there are too many light shades and pinks for my taste. The palette would have to go on sale for nearly 50% off for it to be worth it for me to purchase (beyond financial reasons is the lack of space in my home and not wanting to be wasteful).
Yucca Palette
My first thought when I saw this palette was that the color story was pretty, but I didn’t need it since I still owned the Colored Raine Safari palette (which is honestly even prettier). I also said if I ever was to buy it, it should not be at full price since I was unsure how much this could bring to the table over Metropolis, which I assert has a better color story and formula, over this one.
At some point the mattes from Natasha Denona strayed further away from the creamy ones I loved, to a silky drier one. It’s similar to the mattes in the Bronze, Love, and My Dream palettes except these don’t spread as easily. If we look back at my past posts, ND’s eyeshadows used to go on and on in a long pigmented opaque swatch. These mattes are still pigmented, but when I was trying to swatch them, they kept having gaps of no color. I had to swipe at least three times for all of them to get a complete line to show across my arm from left to right. Willow still looks terrible. The swatches don’t look that great in general even though I built them up a lot more than usual. Of course, swatches don’t tell the whole story, and it’s more important how the performance is on the eyes. Honestly, they blended fine, but it was far from effortless. They’re not bad, but something is just off in comparison to the quality from the brand I’m used to.
There are two cream-powder mattes in here. For some reason, Fushi is thicker in texture and Calathea has more slip. I prefer Fushi because it’s much easier to get the product onto my brush and smoothed onto my eyes. Calathea required more packing and effort. It’s also a different color on my skin than I expected by looking at it in the pan. I wanted a deeper and less muted shade, but I admittedly already have that in the Metropolis palette. So, I understand the brand wanting to offer something different.
The shimmers are the best aspects of this palette, aside from Fushi. They give impact. They have sparkle to them. They don’t fade. They have minimal fallout and don’t require being applied dampened. However, I noticed that these are sheerer than I’m also used to. I can see my skin underneath, which makes them not look the same way as I envisioned. For example, Plantasia looks like an orange-reddish-bronze in the pan, but I see more golden-yellow on my lids. In order to get a warmer tone, I have to fake it by putting an orange matte underneath so that color is what shows instead of the brown of my skin. The same goes for Makia that I expected to be antique gold-olive, but looks more lemon-lime. For more green, I have to put a green shadow underneath. Those two were the shadows I was most excited to have, besides the cream-powder ones, so I was admittedly a bit disappointed.
A surprise favorite ended up being Camu Camu for its near neon brightness. On the flip side, one of the biggest disappointments was Flax because it just isn’t deep enough to give me the depth level I require for my skin tone.
Despite this palette consisting of colors I typically enjoy, this ranked much lower because it’s as I feared. It doesn’t give me much different than I could get from Metropolis, plus the formula is less to my liking. It’s further away from my preference, which doesn’t make it necessarily a bad palette. Or at least, it wouldn’t be considered that bad if the blending time wasn’t longer.
I expect to continue using Ixia (it’s a wonderful orange), Fushi, Makia, Citrine, Camu Camu, Plantasia, and perhaps even Calathea. That’s slightly less than half of the palette, so the 24 Euros I paid via Selfridges is still alright with me.
Lila Palette
From this point and onward, I don’t have any of the palettes with me.
I thought for certain that this was going to be my most beloved palette. The shades on my skin didn’t look how I expected them to though, which is ultimately when I had the idea to swap some colors around. That unfortunately didn’t cause me to use this palette any more often because the matte quality was not as great back then. The older ND formula had some that blended quite well, some that were slow builders, and some that were straight up duds. They were rougher in texture too. The shimmers were more like satins because they weren’t as reflective as I prefer. I think this was more of a makeup artist driven formula than consumer-friendly one where shadows were easier to blend with color stories that were more intuitive for putting together.
This palette holds a place in my heart for nostalgic reasons and appealing to my purple lover side, but it wasn’t the brand’s best by far.
28 Purple Blue Palette
This palette is also nostalgic because I got it in one of Beautylish’s Lucky Bags. The euphoric feeling I got from taking the chance on spending a lot of money and “winning big” on such an expensive palette was quite the rush. The reality is that I’m really not a fan of blues, so this palette was half wasted on me. Influencers really hyped up this palette when the brand first came to Sephora US, and it was very good at the time, but not $200+ good. The mattes had that stiffer formula I mentioned in the Lila section. They were pigmented and required some effort to blend, though they were still fairly good. The shimmers were crazy pigmented, but didn’t have the sparkle intensity I love. It wasn’t bad, just not to my preference. I basically turned this into the “discard” palette of all the larger pan Natasha Denona eyeshadows I would never use (mainly cool tones, blues, and unneeded browns). By the time I decided I should probably sell it or give it away, the shadow quality just wasn’t good enough. So, I only kept it for nostalgia reasons.
Mini Lila Palette
I got this in August 2018. It’s definitely one of the weakest performing ND palettes of all time compared to the rest of the brand’s eyeshadows. However, it was still a decent performing palette compared to everything on the market. Even when I felt like I outgrew the palette, I couldn’t fathom giving it up because of that Blue Dahlia shade, which was such an uncommon color at the time. I have to give this brand credit for having specific colors that stand out to the point that I know them by name. Even among my favorites out of my entire eyeshadow collection, I have some palettes I love for the quality and color combinations available. Some of my favorites I still reach for a Clionadh shadow to add something special on top. However, Natasha Denona’s brand does have some special shades within their palettes.
For quality reasons and the one direction this palette can take me, it’s nearly at the bottom of this ranking.
04 Five Pan Palette
This was my first ever Natasha Denona palette, back in February 2016. I don’t know how many people even remember when she used to put her large sized eyeshadows in these 5-pan palettes for nearly $50. This was so similar to Viseart’s Minx palette, but Viseart did it better which is why I ended up selling mine on Mercari. I basically just wanted to try the formula and see what the hype was about. The only matte shade in here was an absolute dud. In fact, it was supposed to be a satin like the others, but mine had not a single bit of shimmer in there and trying to get it on a brush and get it to not look patchy was too great a task. The other colors performed the way all her older shimmers did, which was nice, but not my cup of tea. I think the brand made a much smarter choice when they switched to minis. People could talk about crushed pearls and diamond powder all they wanted, but if the customer isn’t over the moon about the end result, the price tag still won’t be worth it.
So, that is every palette I owned from Natasha Denona ranked! The way it currently is today, I consider this brand a maker of one of my favorite formulas for both mattes (older formula and cream powder ones) and shimmers, which is not something I can say often about the brands I use. Metropolis and Mini Gold would for sure in the top 20 eyeshadow palettes in my collection (if a list were to exist) out of the several hundred I’ve owned.
Welcome, lovers of Japanese makeup brushes! If this is your first time visiting, I’d like you to know that I have a page with every Fude post linked, as well as a description of the topics discussed in those posts and a list of which brushes are in which posts. I recently changed the format to make it easier to type and find specific brushes. If this is not your first time here, welcome back!
Regarding my measurements, “hair width” is measured from the widest part, regardless of the overall brush shape. I don’t measure thickness. Anything with an asterisk indicates that I had to measure that one myself as those numbers were not listed on the website. All figures listed in inches are converted estimates.
With costs of materials ever increasing and supply of certain hair types being harder to acquire, brush prices also increase. So, the prices I’ve listed might not reflect what is current, though I will do my best to keep them updated.
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BISYODO
Bisyodo B-F-05 Perfect Fit Brush
Full Length: 168mm / 6.6 in
Hair Length: 40mm / 1.57 in
Hair Width: *56mm / 2.2 in
Bristle Type: Fox and Saikoho Goat
Handle: African Rose Wood (Bubinga)
Ferrule: 24KG Plated Brass
In my Fude Part 7 post, I talked about my number one favorite powder bronzer brush being tied between the Sonia G Jumbo Bronzer and something else. This brush is that “something else.”
The mix of fox and saikoho goat hair makes it feel ultra soft, plush on the skin, and it has a bit of bounce/spring to it. Product gets picked up along the longest hairs in the center while the rest of the hair acts to simultaneously buff product while it’s being applied. The same things I love about Sonia’s brush holds true to this one: the large surface area covers the face in bronzer quickly, but also semi-precisely due to the shape. It tucks into hollows well and glides smoothly around the perimeter. This brush feels firmer and denser than Sonia’s, which is why it’s fantastic when I want to use a bronzer that’s on the sheerer side and don’t want to spend as much time building it up. It still applies in a slightly dispersed way so that I don’t get any harsh lines. By the same token, if my bronzer is highly pigmented, I switch to the Sonia brush instead. Most of the time I want a diffused natural looking bronze to my face. In the uncommon times when I want a more chiseled look, I can sharpen the edge with concealer or use a different bronzer/contour brush entirely. So, even though this Bisyodo brush is very similar to Sonia’s, it can’t replace it. I have need for both in my collection.
Sonia G’s brush is beautiful and I like the blue lacquer. For my preferences, the Bisyodo brush is even more beautiful with the color of the bristles, the gold ferrule, and the beautiful lacquer covered wood. Plus, as soft as the Jumbo Bronzer brush is, the Perfect Fit brush is without a doubt softer. The brushes were the same price until Bisyodo raised theirs a few weeks ago. Sonia has mentioned price increases for her line coming soon, so they might become closer in price again sometime in the future. Having this Bisyodo brush is why I’m content to skip getting the Sonia G Niji Pro. I highly recommend trying this one! If I lost this brush, I would replace it without hesitation. My wish is that Bisyodo will one day make a fully round and dense blush brush using this same hair combination. If they did, I would buy it too!
I bought my brush for 14091 YEN, but it’s 18500 YEN now, and available HERE.
Bisyodo B-FD-01 Foundation Brush
Full Length: 155mm / 6.1 in
Hair Length: 28mm / 1.1 in
Hair Width: 38mm / 1.5 in
Bristle Type: Saikoho Goat
Handle: African Rose Wood (Bubinga)
Ferrule: 24KG Plated Brass
This brush is super soft and very dense. It’s a Fu-Pa style brush intended for foundation use, but shapes like these can be nice with contour or brontour too. For foundation, it soaks a lot of product, but the smooth even blend on the face is very nice. I never use up foundation entirely before it goes bad, so I don’t mind wasted product. However, the bristles start to gunk up at least twice as fast as other natural hair foundation brushes, which isn’t good because of needing to wash it more frequently. The brush is more prone to losing hair or snapping tips when it’s too coated in product. So, longevity long term may be an issue with continued liquid and cream use. I didn’t start using this brush until early 2024, so I’m not in a position to say how it will fare after a year or two, but so far so good for me. I try not to use this brush with liquids more than five times between washes. The photo below shows the brush after a single use.
I mentioned contour or using bronzer-as-contour as possible uses because the shape lends itself to that kind of task, but the density of the brush is going to give a more concentrated application. Someone that likes a diffused and airbrushed look would be better off using a brush with a bit more splay and airiness. This brush doesn’t have much bend or movement, which is why it’s so effective for foundation. I’ve used this brush with blush a couple of times, and while it applies the product well, it requires more buffing than I want to bother with when I could have just switched to a less dense brush. Even though it’s not my main foundation brush, I still like it and am glad I added it to my arsenal.
I paid 11,000 YEN for this brush, it’s currently 14300 YEN and available HERE.
Bisyodo G-P-01 Powder Brush
Full Length: 180mm / 7.1 in
Hair Length: 48mm / 1.89 in
Hair Width: *30mm (prewash) / 1.18 in
Bristle Type: Gray Squirrel
Handle: Ebony
Ferrule: 24k gold-plated
This brush is super airy. It’s intuitively better for powder, but can also be used with blush and bronzer. It’s best used for loose or lightly pressed products because these hairs are even more delicate and soft among gray squirrels, so it doesn’t have the best pickup. The long hairs give an interesting feel on the skin between the pressure and movement, especially when trying to apply blush. It’s definitely not intended as a workhorse type of brush. I can buff very lightly with it, but it’s more for building up of light washes of color and producing an airbrush affect rather than creating a full on pigmented look. I would say this is ideal for natural and simplistic makeup lovers. Those with sensitive skin and/or dry skin that want the minimum amount of powder needed for their face will very likely love this brush too.
This is part of Bisyodo’s Grand Series, which I think can be considered the crème de la crème of their lines the way the Homare Series was supposed to be for Chikuhodo or the Vermillion series is for Hakuhodo. Taking into account what Bisyodo considers is the use of premium quality gray squirrel, the weighty ebony handle, and the ferrule plating, the price is a little more justified than I originally gave credit for prior to holding it in my hands. I’ve come to realize that I consider a lacquer handle more luxurious than matte ebony (though I like Eihodo’s ebony handle brush), so I still prefer the handles of Bisyodo’s Long Series. However, it all comes down to tastes and I’m sure there are plenty of people who love the aesthetic of the Grand Series.
I reviewed these together with Wayne’s Non-Fude brushes HERE. I decided to keep the photos for the Fundamentals in this post anyway, for those expecting natural hair brushes to only be within this Fude Collection Series.
In the post that’s linked, I also mentioned that I have a hunch that WG brushes have a new producer. The batch of hairs in his relaunch feel softer than the older goat hair brushes. A certain OEM has bumped up their prices so dramatically and are mixing most of their goat brushes with synthetic fibers, so I’m not sure how likely it would be for the WG line to have these brushes at these prices if they we made by who I assume they were made by. Regardless, whoever makes them are doing a good job (mostly).
Wayne Goss F2
Full Length: *165mm / 6.5 in
Hair Length: 30mm / 1.18 in
Hair Width: *22mm / 0.86 in
Bristle Type: Saikoho
TLDR: Super soft. Common Shape. Sheds like crazy, just like the previous #13 Brush.
Wayne Goss F3
Full Length: *172mm / 6.77 in
Hair Length: 40mm / 1.57 in
Hair Width: *30mm / 1.18 in
Bristle Type: Saikoho
TLDR: Even softer than previous Wayne Goss goat brushes. Good for building up products. Airy, yet precise.
I would love to be able to review the whole set, but I don’t have access to the other two brushes anymore.
I find this combination of hair extremely visually appealing , and thought the set was well priced, so I bought it from Fude Japan. The blush brush is similar to the J5545 that I reviewed in Fude Collection Part 6. The main difference is that the pink handle version is a bit fuller with a more defined angle. This makes it even better suited for fitting in the hollows and angles of the face for bronzing and contouring, so long as it’s not a hard pressed product.
This brush is somewhere between light and medium denseness. I can pick up a decent amount of product by pressing the whole angled side into the makeup pan and sliding it, but it’s not intended for heavy makeup applications. I mostly use this to sweep on blush and apply the angled section precisely where I want more concentrated color, then pounce what’s left on the brush around the edges for a diffused look that doesn’t require much more blending than that. There’s enough goat in this mix to allow minor buffing only, but buffing doesn’t seem necessary to me when I’m able to get the results I want super easily just by using the patting/pressing technique.
KOYUDO
Koyudo Yoshiki Silver fox Cheek Brush Y-SFC
Full Length: 163mm / 6.41 in
Hair Length: 38mm / 1.5 in
Hair Width: *28mm / 1.1 in
Bristle Type: Silver Fox
What a beauty! I always wanted one of the silver handle Yoshiki brushes, and fox is my favorite hair type, so this was a bucket list purchase. It’s also described on CDJapan’s website as having a 3D shape, and I mentioned in Fude 7 that Koyudo’s 3D brushes always entice me.
The hair feels super silky like premium silver fox. I really like salt-and-pepper brushes (mix of grey squirrel and high grade goat hair), but this brush feels even better than those! This gives a soft application of bronzer and blush, and serves to help one build up the color if desired or keep it looking sheer. The brush head puffs a little more after being washed, and feels even nicer as it bends in and around the curves of the face while it diffuses product. The tips fit nicely into highlighter pans and can apply a beautiful thin layer with no harsh edges.
When a brush is this expensive, I expect it to be large so that I feel like I’m getting my money’s worth. This has a long handle, but the head is medium sized for a cheek brush. However, this size is perfect to handle my face features, so it’s for the best that it isn’t bigger.
This brush costs 21000 YEN and was available HERE. I imagine part of that cost takes into account that it comes in a shredded paper-filled paulownia box that is lightweight yet beautiful. Plus, the handle is stunning!
Koyudo Blush Brush round flat Black
Full Length: 132mm / 5.2 in
Hair Length: 38mm / 1.5 in
Hair Width: *33mm / 1.3 in
Bristle Type: Gray Squirrel and Goat
I included a photo of this next to the Koyudo Blush Brush [No Logo] because I expected them to be similarly sized and was disappointed that they were not. They were listed at the same price, had similar looking ferrules and handles without a logo, and have the same hair type. I thought this would be the same brush with a different head shape, but I should have paid attention to the size dimensions. That’s my own mistake.
This reminds me of the Hakuhodo G110A Blush Brush, reviewed higher up, because it has the same hair type and similar shape, but it’s larger and fuller. Plus, this brush feels like it has a greater ratio of gray squirrel compared to goat. At the very least, it’s bundled in a way that the squirrel hair is longer/higher than the goat, which accounts for it feeling softer.
Just like the Hakuhodo brush, it’s easier to use with products that aren’t that hard pressed. I has light-medium denseness and picks up an average amount of product along the angles towards the tips. I mostly use this to sweep on blush, but one could use it with bronzer as well. The reason I don’t is just because I have my bronzer favorites already. This one does the job perfectly fine though. Besides the hair composition, this brush gives a somewhat gentle application because of the length of the hairs and shape of the head in the way that it bends when pressure is applied.
This brush costs 13300 YEN and was available HERE.
Koyudo Pine Squirrel Eyeshadow Brush 17mm Black and Red
Full Length: 142mm / 5.6 in
Hair Length: 17mm / 0.67 in
Hair Width: *15mm / 0.6 in
Bristle Type: Pine Squirrel
Koyudo may change the hair type or handles, but they often sell this shape of brush head (and the 11mm version). I can’t blame them for wanting to keep this style around because it’s a nice classic brush. I consider this in-between a medium and large sized packing brush. I can cover my eye space with one eyeshadow quickly and easily. It picks up the right amount of powder and gently deposits it, whether it’s a matte or shimmer. It bends well into corners and, when turned on its side, can be used for more detailed work. I use it most to lay down shades and crease work with eyeshadows that don’t need much blending.
If you’re a fan of brushes in this shape, size, and hair type, you’ll like this brush.
Full price for these brushes is 4000 YEN. The red handle version is available HERE and the black version is HERE.
Koyudo Pine Squirrel Eyeshadow Brush 11mm Black
Full Length: 135mm / 5.3 in
Hair Length: 11mm / 0.43 in
Hair Width: *9mm / 0.35 in
Bristle Type: Pine Squirrel
This is a small sized packing brush that I use in smaller corners of my eyes and for more detailed work. It picks up the right amount of mattes and shimmer eyeshadows, though I tend to not use this brush with shimmers if it’s in a formula that requires I wear a glitter primer with it or to dampen my brush. This also makes a fantastic liner brush.
The handle looks solid black in photos, but it actually has dark green sparkles too! It’s so beautiful!
The photo below shows the size difference between the 11mm and 17mm brushes from Koyudo.
I paid 3500 YEN for this brush and it’s available HERE.
TANSEIDO
Tanseido Bamboo Series AQ17TAKE Small Cheek Brush
Full Length: 205mm / 8.07 in
Hair Length: 35mm / 1.38 in
Hair Width: *27mm / 1.06 in
Bristle Type: Red Squirrel
This is my first ever Tanseido brush. The length is huge!
The main appeal for me looking into the brand, besides positive reviews, is that they offer more red squirrel brushes than any other Japanese Fude maker, as far as I am aware. Whenever other companies produce a red squirrel brush, they increase the special factor by adding maki-e handles or some other touches that make them even more costly. I wanted a brush that would have enough enough hair to feel and experience what red squirrel is like, considering it’s supposed to be one of the rarest squirrel types to procure, but would also not break the bank. I also wanted a different handle than the classic Tanseido red or blue. Then, Fude Beauty released this brush, a different handle version of Tanseido’s YAQ17! On their website, there are two different options to choose from, but I didn’t notice the drop down menu above the wishlist and cart buttons. So, I ended up with Style: Japaneses Bamboo by default. The spotted version is called Shina-take and would have been the version I picked if I’d seen that’s where the option to choose was.
This brush can be used to diffuse highly pigmented products to targeted areas. It’s extremely soft, delicate, and not for the heavy-handed (though I put myself in that category). It’s ideal for someone that doesn’t want heavy makeup. This means that the only realistic use I have for it is for highlighting. Brushes of this size and shape are commonly used to set specific areas with powder. I personally wouldn’t want to set my wet concealers with it, so I have only tried using this brush this way twice. Not every brush needs to be a jack-of-all-trades, and so I am content to use this to get a thin layer of highlighter on my face. A whisper of product! I think anyone that prefers a sheer application of highlighter will really like this brush.
The closest size comparison I have for this brush is to the Wayne Goss Air Brush.
In terms of construction, the handle is super lightweight! I wasn’t expecting it to feel like a hollow jumbo pencil. I didn’t like this fact initially, but I realized that being surprised by its lightness every time I picked it up was a reminder that I needed to handle the brush with care. I was using it more carefully and gently than my other brushes. Since the hair is delicate, this is a good thing. My hope is that by the time I stop being surprised, I will continue to use it gently automatically.
As a side note, I just wanted to say that there are a few red squirrels I see regularly in the yard. Their fur is so beautiful to look at! Is it strange to say that seeing them makes me wish to have another, thicker, red squirrel brush? Maybe that’s weird.
MURAGISHI SANGYO
MS-3 Mai Sakura Liquid Foundation Brush
Full Length: 150mm / 5.9 in
Hair Length: 25mm / 0.98 in
Hair Width: *26mm / 1.02 in
Bristle Type: Sokoho Goat
I wouldn’t recommend buying this brush with the intent to apply foundation all over the face. I think it was made for people that only want to apply foundation to areas that it’s needed most. The ones who use the technique of starting at the center of the face and working outwards. This brush would also work well for someone who likes to use concealer as foundation, and only cover specific spots. The downside to using it with liquid foundation is that a lot of product gets trapped between the hair, so it will need to be washed more frequently. I also recommend washing it in advance before using it for the first time. It had a major shedding problem, as seen in the photo below, until after the first wash. It still loses more hair, when I use it with liquids or creams, than when I use this very dense cute brush with powder products.
I don’t prefer using this with cream products, because I don’t think it smooths products well enough. However, it’s lovely with liquid blush. I also like it with powder bronzers because it applies product precisely and in just the right amount I want, but it’s not always airy enough for my desired powder blush application. With most of my blushes, it’s fine, but I would definitely not use it with my very pigmented ones. Essentially, the thinner the product, the better the results will be with this brush.
I bought it for 3900 YEN, it’s 4100 YEN now, and it’s available HERE.
CHIKUHODO
Chikuhodo x BoBo Cheek Brush
Post-wash photos above.
Full Length: *160mm / 6.3 in
Hair Length: *41mm / 1.61 in
Hair Width: *30mm / 1.18 in
Bristle Type: Grey Squirrel and Saikoho Goat Mix
This was my first ever purchase from the Fude BoBo (BoBo Do) website! I was a bit hesitant at first, seeing as how it was a website I hadn’t heard of before, but the ordering experience was very similar to Fude Japan. It came with a small free extra. The way that Toshiya is the face of Fude Japan, so is BoBo (aka baiyutang11 on Instagram). Just like Toshiya has a collaboration brush line, BoBo has also created brushes with various brushmakers alongside running a retail website. Considering she’s started working with influencers, like Alicia Archer, I foresee the site growing even more in popularity as time goes on. Personally, I’m more interested in the site for the exclusive brushes rather than buying the other brushes I can get elsewhere.
I don’t know if this particular brush will return, but I believe the Chikuhodo/BoBo Nebulae Collection CH-1 brush has a nearly identical brush head. The handles in the Nebulae collection remind me of Sonia G brush handles (which is mentioned on the website that she is an inspiration for the brand owner in trying to learn more about brushes and travel to Kumano personally to meet with the artisans there). The similarity is why I’m happier to have the gorgeous Moon and Rabbit handle instead. Between the holographic moon, shimmering particles on the deep blue background for the gold and silver bunnies, pale gold ferrule, and beautiful salt and pepper color brush head, I am in love!
The performance is extremely similar to the Koyudo Yoshiki Silver brush mentioned here today. This brush just has a longer slant and wider splay. It puffs out a bit more after being washed, which increases the airiness. This gives a sheer application of bronzer and blush, which is why I use it mostly for blush since I prefer a brush to pick up a bit more product with bronzer than this is capable of doing at one time. This is certainly not a brush for heavy-makeup wearers. I can turn the brush onto the tips and pick up highlighter with it to get a lovely sheer wash along the high points of my face. It works well with up to medium-firm pressed products. I wouldn’t bother trying to use it with hard pressed makeup.
I admittedly struggle between wanting to use this brush, because it’s so pretty and I enjoy the feel of pouncing it on my face, but also not wanting to damage or ruin it in any way. So, sometimes it gets put in rotation, but not for long periods of time.
I did buy one more exclusive brush, but it will discussed in Fude 9 because it was delivered to the US. I haven’t seen it in person yet!
EIHODO
On my Fude Collection index page, I wrote that I have a question about Eihodo handles. That’s in the Eihodo No.142 section, for those specifically wanting to read about that.
Eihodo Cheek Brush + Cap
Full Length: 155mm / 6.1 in
Hair Length: 37mm / 1.46 in
Hair Width: *27mm / 1.06 in
Bristle Type: Gray Squirrel
This brush was 7200 Yen at Fude Beauty and came with a SWS-2 brush cap to be stored in. As far as I am aware, CDJapan hasn’t released this brush (as of the time I’m working on this post). The most similar one I could find on the website is the Eihodo No. 170 Outlet Blush Brush with the same listed specifications and both the shape of the head and handle look quite similar. It’s listed at 7500 but was sold at the reduced price of 4125. The most similar one I can think of to compare is a brush I bought far more recently, the Eihodo No.399 Blush Brush. The main difference is the handle being round and matte black instead of pointed and shiny red. The outlet brush is also slightly bigger because it has some sokoho goat used to fill it in. It’s not a pure gray squirrel brush, even though it still feels very soft. On my face, I can feel the tiniest bit more friction, but that’s it. I wouldn’t classify it as rougher, but I also don’t have sensitive skin.
This brush feels extra silky, even for gray squirrel. The middle section is semi-dense, but the tips splay quite a bit wider around the edges while the center has less movement while being swirled on the face, giving it an airy quality. This brush is good for diffusing highly pigmented products for a softer look. It can be for used for blush, targeted powdering, and bronzing. Since round brushes in this size are my preference for blush, I only use it for that.
The brush cap is fine. I keep this brush stored in it, but I have another one from Eihodo. These are better at not squishing the bristles of non-symmetrical shaped brush heads than a standard brush guard. However, I don’t use guards or caps all that often, so I stopped buying them.
There isn’t much else to say about this brush. It isn’t a unique shape. It performs exactly as one would expect of a gray squirrel blush brush. Considering the prices of brushes these days, I’m surprised it wasn’t above 8000 YEN!
Ever since my Blendiful ripped towards the beginning of the year, I have been mainly using this brush for foundation (alongside other foundation brushes that needed to be tested or my Smashbox Full Coverage Foundation brush). I still used it throughout 2023, but I’ve had it in rotation consistently in 2024. My foundation goes on so smoothly with this brush! I get an occasional loose hair, but even less frequently than other large fully round brushes that I own. I’d also like to note that this is the only fully natural hair brush I’ve ever loved using with foundation. Some I have liked, but none enough to use regularly, other than this one. I should note that this has dyed bristles and brands don’t recommend using dyed goat hair with creams and liquids. However, I continue to do so with no issues that I can see. For anyone wanting to use white undyed hair, that version can be found HERE.
I am so impressed that this is a Sokoho brush because there’s no scratchiness on the skin. It is an absolute joy to buff or glide it across my face. Purely because of its large surface area, I don’t use it for bronzing or blush application. It is fantastic at picking up stiff pressed powders and depositing a nice even layer, regardless of it being a powder foundation, setting or finishing powder. The Chikuhodo FO-2 is a holy grail brush that I use with another holy grail product, the Dior Powder No-Powder. This would be an easy replacement brush if the FO-2 needed washing, especially since this puff brush is bigger and covers my face even more quickly. However, since I’m always using it with foundation, it needs washing more frequently than the Chikuhodo brush. So, it’s always occupied. I’m tempted to make a switch though!
*In the last two months I did make the switch and I’m just as happy!
I paid 9000 YEN for it, it’s 10000 YEN now, and it’s available HERE.
This is essentially the same brush I just reviewed above. The differences are the handle designs and dyed versus undyed goat hair. The only relevant new information to provide is that the white hair is silkier feeling because it hasn’t been put through the dye process. I am keeping this for collector purposes and will continue to use the black hair version, though perhaps I should consider using the black one with finishing powder and reserve this one for foundation.
This brush is currently 10000 YEN and it’s available HERE.
Eihodo No.49 Blush Brush [Outlet]
Full Length: 148mm / 5.8 in
Hair Length: 38mm / 1.5 in
Hair Width: *28mm / 1.1 in
Bristle Type: Gray Squirrel and Sokoho Goat
I find it super interesting how similar the Eihodo 49 looks compared to the Houkodou Nagi Series N-F1. The handles and ferrule are practically identical, minus the symbol. I wonder if the handles are made by a different company other than Eihodo/Chikuhodo or Houkodou? I never really thought about who makes Fude handles before, and just assumed all the OEMs make their own. In any case, the hair is the same mix too (though I think my Eihodo one has slightly more goat, but I can’t tell a difference on my cheeks). Anyway, I’m thrilled to basically have an accidental backup of the N-F1!
Now that I’m more used to how soft Eihodo’s sokoho feels, I can tell this brush has a mix of hairs, but they did an amazing job blending them together so that one could almost forget it doesn’t solely contain gray squirrel hair. This brush is slightly less soft than that one due to the suspected increase in the Sokoho part of the mixture, but it feels like full squirrel hair to the touch. It looks nice and full for a medium-sized blush brush and has a substantial amount of hair, but it’s bundled in a way that it doesn’t seem very dense. It has about medium firmness with a wispy feel at the tips. I like to swirl and buff it on the cheek in a circular motion. Just like many other cheek brushes, it can be used for other purposes, but I prefer to stick to blush.
How fortuitous! I found myself another brush that’s similar to the Houkodou N-F1! Good thing I enjoy it so much!
The way this differs from the other two is that it has gray squirrel hair exclusively. It’s smaller than the others in a way that I consider would be the equivalent of just removing the sokoho hair from the other two. The handle the makers chose is also significantly shorter. The hair type makes it feel like the airiest of all three and also the least dense, though it’s not a floppy brush by any means. It performs similarly to the others and has the same usages, though I’m even more inclined to only use it with blush due to the size and light application.
This had the reduced cost of 3850 YEN and was available HERE. I hope it’ll one day return in stock because that was quite the deal regarding the price!
Eihodo No.82 Powder Brush [Outlet]
Full Length: 160mm / 6.3 in
Hair Length: 45mm / 1.77 in
Hair Width: *36mm / 1.41 in
Bristle Type: Goat
I’m not sure if it’s just the shape of this brush that makes it feel a little less soft than Sokoho from Eihodo usually feels. It’s not prickly. The hairs just feel a little drier and less smooth.
Picking up product from the tips doesn’t coat the brush as evenly as I like. I lay it along the length into powder compacts to pick up product from the wider side. This works for sweeping on a nice application of blush and face powder. I can’t lay the brush the same way when applying bronzer, so I have to use the tips, and never like the finished outcome.
For these reasons, I can’t recommend this one. However, if someone is curious to try it anyway, it cost me 2200 YEN and was available HERE.
Eihodo No.88 Blush/Powder Brush [Outlet]
Full Length: 155mm / 6.1 in
Hair Length: 40mm / 1.57 in
Hair Width: *34mm / 1.33 in
Bristle Type: Sokoho Goat
This brush looks quite different after being washed. I thought it had the tiniest slant of an angle, but it does not. It’s like a chubby fan shaped brush from the front, but is rounded enough at the top to be swirled around.
It can be used with blush, bronzer, and contour. It has a lot of hair in the bundle, but the way it’s puffed out leads to gentler applications than I’d expect from a sokoho hair brush. The lower half of the head has average firmness, but from the middle where it begins to taper up, it’s airier. It doesn’t pick up as much product as I expected either.
I have other brushes similar to this in my collection that are made from a higher grade of goat hair, so I’m less likely to keep using this one when I have those to choose from. I admittedly bought this for the handle anyway. It looked so intriguing!
This is made with a soft hair type, but it’s bundled so firmly that it can still feel stiff when used in sensitive spots like the inner corner and lower lash line. There is not much bristle movement, except around the very tips in the upper third of the brush head. This allows one to steadily line the eyes, but get a light amount of pigment or pass over the spot a few times for a medium application. This doesn’t pick up a lot of product, even if the brush is swirled several times in the pan in the attempt to coat it. So, it’s better suited for someone who likes soft eye looks. With mattes and loosely packed shimmers, the look can be built up to a certain extent. However, trying to build up a thicker shimmer is time consuming.
This brush can be used for soft liner and highlighting spots around the eyes.
I’ll include a comparison photo between this brush (post wash) and the next one.
Eihodo No.141 Shadow Liner Brush [Outlet]
Full Length: 180mm / 7.1 in
Hair Length: 7mm / 0.27 in
Hair Width: *4mm / 0.16 in
Bristle Type: Weasel
I only need a few angled eye brushes in my collection, and I misplaced the one I brought with me, so I decided to get this brush. Since it was technically a purchase I shouldn’t have had to make, I didn’t want to spend much for it. I was considering getting the Chikuhodo GSN-11 that this resembles a lot: the gold colored ferrule crimped the same way, similar size overall brush dimensions, weasel hair, pearly white pointed tip handle.
Despite this hair type, it doesn’t feel pokey when lining the eyes. It gives decent color payoff with eyeshadows and feels semi-firm, but not too stiff, around the inner corners, lower lash line, under the brow arch, nor the brows when used to fill them in. I’ve used this with powders, cream, and liquid products, and it does a good job. It’s great for precision detail eye work, cleaning up the outer corner of the eye with concealer, and spot concealing on the face. I haven’t tried it with lip products, but it theoretically should make for a good lip brush pencil as well. I consider this a solid purchase!
This brush I bought before the Chikuhodo x BoBo brush, but I didn’t start using them until around the same time. That’s when I realized they were practically the same brush! This is the kind of thing that confuses me because Chikuhodo lists on their website (or at least used to) that they produce brushes for Eihodo, and Eihodo is listed under label/distributor for this brush. Since this is an “outlet” brush that’s supposed to have some sort of technical flaw, I’ve always been confused as to how or why these are listed for Eihodo instead of Chikuhodo outlet. Perhaps it’s to avoid possible brand devaluation.
I am also unaware of a line/series from Chikuhodo or Eihodo that has this type of brush head beyond the BoBo collab. It makes me wonder if this outlet brush came about while trying to produce the collab version. In any case, I consider this a backup!
Pre-wash comparisons are seen above.
Everything I said about the Chikuhodo x Bobo brush holds true here. It gives a sheer application of blush, bronzer, contour, and highlighter. It’s an airy brush that’s not dense. Pouncing or swiping styles of application is more intuitive for the shaping of this brush. I decided to leave it in the US so I can keep using it there whenever I visit. I kept the collaboration brush with me instead.
I bought this because the shape reminded me of my holy grail Bisyodo brush. I had no idea this would become another of my favorite brushes in my collection! It is perfect to use with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit palettes because of the size, softness, and amount of product that gets picked up on the brush. It’s small enough for strategic placement, but the widest portion gives a slight airiness to the application when moved in circular motions or swiped back and forth. It is easy to use in any direction.
It’s uncommon to have such long handles on brushes, but I really like this. It feels substantial in the hand, but not too heavy on the wrist. I have enjoyed it equally with bronzer, contour, blush, and highlighter. I usually have a preference for usage with multi-purpose brushes, but the outcomes are all so good that I like this in every way! I’ve taken this brush traveling, along with a microfiber cloth, and only felt the need to bring extra eye brushes and a face powder brush, since this one could do so much. I think it’s also extremely well priced. I highly recommend giving this a try, particularly if you have small face product pans and struggle to put a brush in it.
This is supposed to be an Eihodo outlet brush, but I was very confused when I saw an extremely similar brush on the Fude Bobo (Bobo Do) website that even had the number 11 printed on it, but is from “Number Eight produced by H.” The handles remind me of Hakuhodo G series brushes, but why would this be called an Eihodo brush? This has remained a mystery since my purchase of it in September 2023.
In any case, it cost 4400 YEN and I purchased mine from CDJapan.
Eihodo No.161 Highlighting Brush [Outlet]
Full Length: 145mm / 5.7 in
Hair Length: 30mm / 1.18 in
Hair Width: *19mm / 0.75 in
Bristle Type: Sokoho Goat
This brush looked like (and had similar specifications to) the Chikuhodo Passion Series PS-3, including having a similar ferrule color. They’re listed for the same retail price too, which felt like I could save 45% on the brush by getting this outlet one. I also think the grain on the wood is stunning, so I wasn’t about to pass it up! I have no idea what type it is, but in the photo below, it’s next to two granadillo handles (Chikuhodo ZEN series and Kazan Homare series).
This brush can be used for powdering under the eyes, nose contour, and technically as a huge eyeshadow brush. The Sokoho hair is soft enough to not feel prickly around sensitive areas like around the eyes, but due to its large shape I prefer to use it as a highlighter brush only. A small amount gets picked up with just one swipe into a highlighter pan, so I can get a sheer even application if desired or build up the concentration.
Honestly though, I just wanted this brush for the handle and ferrule. It makes me happy to look at it and have it. It’s perfectly functional, but I already have my highlighter brush favorites.
At the time, I paid 1760 YEN for this brush that is now listed as 3200 YEN, and it was available HERE.
Eihodo No.165 Blush Brush [Outlet]
Full Length: 150mm / 5.9 in
Hair Length: 40mm / 1.57 in
Hair Width: *30mm / 1.18 in
Bristle Type: Pine Squirrel and Horse
What appealed to me about this brush is that it looked so similar to another outlet brush, the Eihodo Makie Blush Brush Kozakura listed at the reduced price HERE of 4400. They are nearly the same length, but the makie brush was made of all pine squirrel and that keeps it looking puffier post-wash. I was also intrigued by this brush because of the unique shade of slate-blue ferrule I’ve never seen before, plus the pointed handle.
This brush is softer than if it had horse hair alone, with the advantage of having more blending strength than if this was made solely with pine squirrel hair. That being said, this is by no means a buff brush. It’s got a nice range of movement, and applies a medium amount of product to the face. I would still consider it a brush for someone who wants to build up makeup, but there’s not enough buffing power if the powders are overapplied and need to be blended out. I treat this as the sweeping brush that it is.
I like this with blush the most. It’s okay with bronzer and can be used with highlighter if applied via the tips. This brush has a ton of competition as a blush brush, so I don’t know if I’ll use this brush that much. I’m still glad to have it though.
After washing this brush, it gets puffier, but goes flatter with a wider splay when pressure is applied. It performs sufficiently for foundation, but I don’t like that the application is uneven where the outer parts of the brush are less dense and would normally diffuse while the center part gives a strong application. That’s why I like flat top brushes in the first place in order to get mostly the same coverage across the whole surface area. I feel the same way when using face powder because even though diffusing is good, I don’t want a combination of sheer and light layers that I would have to spend more time buffing parts out.
This works the best with bronzer, though the splay makes it apply product to a wide area, so it’s less precise. Using it with blush does an adequate job as well. This isn’t my favorite brush, in part because I prefer the Eihodo puff shape. I also like it less than the Sonia G Smooth Buffer and Chikuhodo FO-2, although those are way more expensive.
In fact, I don’t think I have an inexpensive flat top in my collection, so that might be a good alternative option for someone, plus the ferrule and handle look beautiful and this is an Eihodo brush, who have some of the softest Sokoho around.
I left the 177 behind because I knew I was going to get a super similar looking brush in the 226. However, it’s possible they are slightly different because I remember liking the 177 a lot more. Then again, I wasn’t using the puff brush at such a steadfast frequency, so it’s possible my enjoyment for the puff brush made me like this one a little less. It’s still a decent brush though, just not over-the-top stellar.
There is the 177 and the 226 that I bought, plus the 212 option for 2520 YEN. For the same price, there is also the 104 that looks to have a similar head as the others, but is listed at 27mm hair length instead of 25mm.
That’s everything!
If this is your first time visiting my blog, thank you for reading! If you’re one of the awesome people that visit regularly, thank you for your patience with how long it took to get this post completed. I am finally nearing the point of completing all pending brush reviews and finally having shown my entire Fude Collection! It might take until the middle of 2025 to complete, due to me rescheduling my return visit to the US. As I mentioned at the beginning, I also reformatted the Fude list so it’s easier for everyone to use CTRL + f keys on the computer to type and search for specific brushes.
In my previous review of YSL Quads, I mentioned I’m willing to pay full price for these if they’re going to be color stories I love, though I always recommend trying to get a deal if possible. For this holiday order, I paid full price, but the brand offered a gift with purchase option where customers could choose one of twelve different bags/pouches, choose one of two travel size fragrances, and the mini shower gel came with it. I also had the option to choose two out of six samples, which comes with every order directly from YSL’s website. I only like their Black Opium line, so I gave the larger freebies to my husband.
At the time I started writing the first draft of this review, one month after the initial launch, the official website was the only place that sold the palette in Germany. I was not patient enough to wait for a potential monetary deal and the 10% off welcome discount code did not apply to new items.
YSL Couture Mini Clutch in 024 Golden Lace
I think these colors are gorgeous! They aren’t unique, as I’m sure I could find dupes in my collection (perhaps from Natasha Denona’s Gold or Bronze palettes). The shades are extremely close to YSL’s own Over Doré quad. Fedaro_Beauty on Instagram has fantastic comparisons between both palettes. She was kind enough to allow me to share her example photos here, but her post has additional photos, including eye looks and the lipstick for those interested in seeing more.
To see her YouTube short of these two items in high quality video format, click HERE. I recommend subscribing to the Fedaro Beauty YouTube channel as well as following on Instagram. She has very insightful and in-depth reviews that have helped me be a better informed consumer and make smarter purchasing decisions. It was actually due to reviews from Fedaro Beauty that I realized Over Doré’s darkest shade didn’t look like it would be deep enough for my liking, and why I skipped buying that quad. Now, I am especially happy that I decided not to buy it because Golden Lace is slightly better suited for my preferences, making it the better purchase for me.
With Golden Lace, the darkest color adds depth, but I have to build it up so much that I sometimes get it higher above my crease than I want, and using a smaller brush takes too much time. One of the biggest selling points for me is that I can create pretty looks very quickly with YSL quads because they are so easy to blend. Building up Shade 4 and not having a lighter shade to help blend out the edges is only a problem for review purposes. In everyday life, I just use a lighter matte from the other quads or use this shade in the crease and deepen the outer corner with the black color from Over Noir. It’s not so bad dipping into other quads if it only takes half the usual blending time as eyeshadows from other brands would require.
Above is a demonstration of a more dramatic look built up to the max. The shimmers were applied damp to intensify the shine. Below is an example of a toned down look with shimmers applied by finger and a dry brush. I also blended out the edge with Shade 2 from Over Brun.
I don’t notice any quality differences between this limited edition palette and the permanent line, which is a relief since many brands unfortunately use cheaper formulations for their holiday launches. I get no creasing or fading issues. There isn’t much fallout, particularly if I apply them wet. I’ve tested the quad on three different primers/bases and had no performance problems. The eyeshadows blend well, though I did mention needing to build up the darkest shade a lot and having to wet the shimmers to get the level of opacity and depth I want for my skin tone. This is unlikely to be a problem for those with lighter skin.
Although the colors in Golden Lace don’t scream holidays to me, the packaging and beautiful winter flower imprint on the shades fulfill that vibe. I’m quite happy to have purchased this! I have to add that Over Brun is still my favorite of the bunch!
One other thing to add is that I was curious to see if Shade 3 could be used as a highlighter. In the swatches, it blends in so well with my skin tone. I can confirm that the color makes for a great highlighter and although the shimmer particles are a bit more apparent than what I usually go for, I’d feel comfortable enough to wear it for festive occasions. There are actual highlighters I’ve removed from my collection for being way more sparkly than this eyeshadow looks on my cheeks. I don’t think anyone would be able to tell, just by looking at me, that it was an eyeshadow I was using and not a traditional highlighter. I was inspired to use Shade 3 from Over Brun as well and that works too, although Over Brun’s shadow is a little more reflective.
YSL Loveshine Lipstick Collector in Shade 209 Pink Desire
The swatch for this is further above in the eyeshadow section. In that picture, the magenta or pinky-purple sparkles are easier to see than I was able to capture in lip swatches. This version of Pink Desire is too vibrant for my taste and not the best suited for my warm undertone, but it’s such a fun color that I would just use it on particular occasions.
I’ve tried pairing it with a lip liner and it while it helps a little, I don’t see a significant difference. It’s still bold. As for the Loveshine formula, which is a first for me as I only had YSL Volupté lippies prior to this, I do like it. It feels comfortable and moisturizing on the lips, gives good color payoff, and has a yummy fruity-candy scent. I have not gone an entire day wearing this shade though. I apologize, but I can’t do a full day wear test with this one. I don’t have the confidence to rock it in normal everyday situations where everyone is able to see me. I ordered another Loveshine from the permanent range and intend to give that a proper test before updating this post 3-4 weeks from now.*
*NOVEMBER 7th 2024 UPDATE: As promised, I just want to update about the fact that this particular formula of Loveshine with shimmer differs from the feel of the other Loveshine High-Shine Caring Lipsticks. This one was balmier, but the normal range is more emollient. It feels moisturizing and nice, but by the end of the day, I still suffer a bit of dryness. I will be releasing a dedicated YSL lippie post in the future, so I will go more in-depth there. In summation though, “I have such picky lips that if I wanted to use it as a caring lip treatment type of product, this wouldn’t be worth the price (unlike on other people with less lip sensitivities who would have zero issues with this). However, as a makeup product and just wanting to have something comfortable enough to wear in a pretty color and with packaging that feels luxurious and indulgent, this succeeds in that.”
Below are more photos with the eyeshadow quad used on my eyes and Pink Desire on my lips (the photo with liner is on the right). Even after taking these pictures, I removed the lipstick and put a different shade on instead to finish out the rest of my day. This color isn’t for me, but I’ve seen it look beautiful on other people. There are two additional lip colors available in the limited edition tubes, but I believe they might be too light for my taste.
That’s everything I have to share! Thank you for reading and I hope this has been helpful!
This is a review I felt compelled to make, but I did not look forward to it. I’m always rooting for and hoping for Fenty’s continued success, but of everything I’ve tried, their only standout products that can compete with my favorites from other brands are the Liquid Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint and Gloss Bombs. There are a few things I disliked (all previous foundations, cream gloss bombs, and their eyeshadows), but everything else has just been okay. The only other makeup I used to really enjoy and recommend were the brand’s cream blushes, but I stopped liking them a year ago when other brands’ formulas were just so much better suited to my wants.
Fenty Cheeks Suede Powder Blushes in Sundress Szn and Lolly Poppy
I’d been waiting years for a proper powder blush from Fenty, and I went through a range of opinions since using them. I heard so many ladies with tan skin and darker saying all the shades were ashy except Daiquiri Dip. So, I was excited just to have mine show up on my skin. Then, I realized that the mica particles hitting the light was making them look ashy on me. My excitement dropped.
I know the brand listed Sundress Szn as being suitable for fair and light skin, but the pigment level and tone (as it appeared in marketing images) is what I wanted. It looked like a pink-brown or nude-brown. Most of Fenty’s colors are near to being primary and I was excited to have a more skin-natural shade. I thought I could just mix it with Lolly Poppy to deepen the color, but that doesn’t help. And in person, Sundress Szn just looks light pink.
Lolly Poppy is quite vibrant and not a color I want to wear on its own. I decided to try putting on a brown blush and adding Lolly Poppy just to the apples of my cheek. That combination turned out beautifully! I tried doing that with Sundress Szn and thought it worked, but when I realized how it looked outdoors versus indoors, I changed my mind about it. Sundress Szn just doesn’t look as flattering on my skin tone purely because of the sheen. As for Lolly Poppy, it’s more of an “I can make it work” situation when combining it with other products and using the barest amount. If I build it up, I realized it still gives me a similar problem as Sundress Szn where the reflect looks too white against my warm undertone. What a shame!
In terms of blendability, it’s a little above average. It does look soft and not drying on the skin. It does look more like suede than being powdery. After the third use, a weird film looks like it starts to form on the surface, but not necessarily hard pan. It might just be the reflection of the sheen. Still, I recommend trying to avoid swatching it too often as I think oils touching the powder could be a problem over time. The photo shows its current state having been worn at least ten times for Lolly Poppy and six for Sundress Szn. Every time Lolly Poppy starts to look the way of Sundress Szn, the next use smooths it back out. Very strange!
Two of my favorite blush colors exist from Fenty (favorites in shade not formula) which are Rose Latte and Strawberry Drip, but the brand chose not to make them in powder form. Even if they expand this range, I would not buy more in this formula. I would love to hope that Fenty would listen to customer feedback and reformulate, but they never admit to faults, flaws, or flops. They keep it on the shelves and just release a new version. So, I will have to wait and hear if Fenty comes out with a line of “Silk Powder Blushes” for example instead of Suede, and hope those will be better. Theoretically, these should still work fine for someone with medium and lighter skin, but I can’t recommend them.
The final thing of note is that these have claims of being waterproof. I have not tested that on my face, but I can say the color lasts all day on my cheeks. That isn’t especially impressive since nearly every powder blush I wear has no longevity issues. The most I did was put it on the back of my hand and then ran water over it to see if the color would bleed and wash away. It passed that test, so perhaps if they’re really waterproof, that will be important to a specific group of people.
If you’re still here after that glum but necessary report, I thank you for reading. I am still in the testing phase of Fenty’s two newest lip products, but I will say I’ve been enjoying the brand’s new Gloss Balm Stix. I will do an official post in the future, though it’s unlikely to be posted any earlier than six weeks from now.
The title of today’s post refers to me reviewing a product from Givenchy, Guerlain, and Gucci! They’re three G-named luxury beauty brands with products I tend to like when I try them. Rather than reviewing them separately, I decided to combine them into a single post.
Let’s begin!
Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Glow Foundation in W385
The Givenchy Prisme Libre concealers are in my top five favorites, so my interest in the glow version of the foundation began from there. When I saw this shade available for half price, I jumped at the chance to try it!
I’m sure it seems strange that I chose a foundation shade that’s lighter than the concealers I use, but my face color comprises of multiple shades: mainly the lightest sections (cheek area, chin, parts of my nose, and center of my forehead), medium section (forehead and perimeter of my face), and the darkest parts (dark under eye circles, dark spots, scars, and hyperpigmentation). Most of my foundations are either a middle ground shade between the lightest and medium colors on my face, or matching the medium color alone. Because of my severely dark under eyes, using a concealer that’s around my skintone depth (instead of brightening) looks best. It’s a long way to say that N390 is close enough to my skin tone depth, so I figured W385 might work. It’s not the best match for me, but it’s hard to be able to tell since the coverage is so sheer.
This foundation is supposed to be “buildable,” but it only goes as high as medium coverage with 4 full pumps for the whole face. It’s typical for me to use 1 or 2 pumps of any foundation at most. I used 1 full pump for one half of my face in the photo below, yet got hardly any coverage. Because I don’t enjoy the feeling of having too many layers of product on my face, I wouldn’t surpass three pumps. After a point, adding more doesn’t increase the coverage and it hinders the foundation’s ability to dry down on the skin. Using more drops also increases the ease of transfer.
Other than the foundation on one side, both sides have a little concealer around the eyes and mouth.
The Givenchy Prisme Libre foundation sets without needing powder, as long as I’m not heavy on the emollient skincare and stick to using no more than 2 pumps of foundation. Powdering, to me, would defeat the purpose of having a luminous foundation.
This has about the same amount of glow as the Chanel No. 1 Foundation in the beginning, but by midday and onward, the Chanel foundation gives more glow.
The dispenser part of my bottle top arrived broken. It spins around 360 degrees. If I don’t remember to hold it steady when pressing down the pump, it’ll spray everywhere. I don’t have the best memory, so I’ve made that mistake three times already since June. Since I bought this at such a high discount, I didn’t bother contacting customer service.
The darker and warmer color is the Armani foundation, but the squirts all around is the Givenchy foundation when I planned to wear them mixed them together.
As a side note, the Douglas retail website is wild! I’ve never seen prices fluctuate so much on a website before! When I checked again, some shades of this foundation dropped to 16 Euros, whereas other shades (including mine) went back up in price!
I find more use for this product as a mixer to sheer out foundations that are on the thicker side while getting a little more natural finish and coverage. For example, the Armani Luminous Silk foundation is one that never reaches luminous level and I can get a natural finish at best. The Givenchy product mixed with it improves it on every front. So, even though I don’t like this as a standalone product, it’s still useful for me.
*I’d just like to add that all photos were taken early in Summer, so I’m darker now. Definitely too dark to wear this foundation alone now.
Guerlain Terracotta Blush in 03 Deep Nude
I admittedly don’t feel like I can fully appreciate this because I bought it at the same time as the Chanel trio, and they’re basically the same color. It’s not as “nude” of a shade as I thought either. It’s basically just dark pink and I wish it had more brown. Color aside, I also wish it wasn’t so matte. I would have loved for there to be a sheen in this. This is why I didn’t get more shades, even though they were at least 33% off on websites I came across (I bought mine from Parfümerie Pieper).
I’ve had no issues with longevity. I can’t speak for the whole line, but this particular shade is pigmented. I try not to load up too much product on my brush. It’s better to build it up because it’s hard to try and buff it away. If I apply too much, I have to tone it down with a finishing powder or foundation. In a sheer amount, it looks pretty. The powder quality is nice, but not worth full price to me. What I paid is more in line, in my opinion, with what it should have been at the start.
As for the packaging, I think I remember reading some complaints about Guerlain’s Terracotta compacts looking boring and people wanting the blush components to be different, but I like it. I’m more concerned with the formula. I think the quality is decent, but I fail to see anything special about it that would make it stand out from other brands. For a similar price, the Armani Luminous Silk Glow Blushes, which are also matte, are ones I like better.
Gucci Poudre De Beauté Matte Compact Powder (refill) in 10
This is a very smooth finely milled powder. Although I opted to buy the refill so that I could keep the cost low, the intended component is just as luxe as the bronzer packaging and in a pretty shade of pink. Between the formula and compact, I can understand the price tag. For anyone wanting to do what I did and house it in an empty magnetic palette, just know that the pan itself isn’t magnetic. I had to add a metal sticker to the bottom. The sticker I purchased from Amazon and the powder I bought from Selfridges.
The shade I bought is perfect for me. It doesn’t darken when put on top of wet skin. I can see how this is dry skin friendly, but it’s a bit too weak. It tones down shine, but can’t hold at bay an actual dewy product. Also, despite what the product description says on the website, I don’t notice any blurring.
If you don’t like perfume in makeup, just know that every product I reviewed today has it listed in the ingredients. I don’t find the smell of any of them to be alluring, but none are bad either.
This is what the 3 G’s look like when used all together on my face! I tried to use as many “G” branded products as possible to fit the theme! The Gucci powder was all over the face, but the Givenchy powder was under the eyes.
I’d like to take this time to correct my feelings towards the Gucci Bronzer. In my ranking post, I put it in the category of “nice but not a standout formula, in a shade that wasn’t perfect for me.” It’s amazing how a different undertone can really change things! I got my hands on Shade 4 and liked it so much better! It’s still not in my top 10 formulas, but it’s better than I initially felt. With Shade 4, I can get it to blend into my skin better and have it look more natural. I can finally see that it’s smoother than I originally gave it credit for, especially considering how I was still able to make Shade 5 work despite being so off.
Anyway, that’s all for today! Thank you for reading!
Choosing the right foundation shade online can be difficult, especially when photos of swatches differ from how the shades look on the models. On the Huda Beauty website, I bought 3 minis of the Easy Blur Foundation: 440G Cinnamon, 450G Chocolate Mousse, and 500G Mocha.
The minis are ordinarily €16 each, but buying three dropped the price in the online shopping cart to €30. Each mini has 10ml of product, whereas the full size is 30ml for €37. This was the best option for me considering I rarely use up foundations and I’ve gotten gradually darker towards the end of summer. It isn’t the worst thing to have various colors in small sizes to mix with foundations to tailor my shade.
SHADE CHOICE
I was surprised to see the lightest of the three I chose was the best fit for me, especially because I look significantly darker than the model for shade 440 Cinnamon. In addition, my concealer shade 7.1 Crumble is recommended to be paired with the 450 Chocolate Mousse foundation. I tried 450, which can technically work too in the barest amounts, but the more that color is built up, the easier it is to see that it’s darker than my current skin color. 500 was obviously too dark.
My recommendation when choosing a shade is to pick based on the arm swatches on the website. Those seem most accurate to me, within the Deep Tan spectrum of shades at least.
COVERAGE
One of the best aspects of this foundation is how much coverage I get from using the barest amounts and how lightweight it feels on the skin. Using a synthetic brush worked better for me in trying to get a light-medium amount of coverage. I could not get less than that with a brush, but the brand states that this gives “medium to buildable” anyway. I like high medium coverage, but in my opinion, less is more with this foundation. It’s supposed to be “blurring,” but it can look heavier than it feels because of the coverage level even with so little product used. The ability to easily spread it across the face evenly and lightly is important to how the final outcome will look. So, I start small with as little product as possible all over the face, and then only add more to the areas of discoloration.
FINISH/LONGEVITY
Testing this throughout September was interesting because the weather here had various conditions that were sunny enough for me to get sweaty, it was often rainy and windy, as well as cloudy and cold. I prefer using this in warm weather because it has a natural finish that gets glowier throughout the day. It can look borderline oily in some spots, but it still looks pretty at the end of the day and without touch ups. As it got colder this month, I produced even less oil and the finish was a bit more matte than I want. It took so many hours just to get a little glow. On colder days, it was nice combining this with my N1 de Chanel foundation, keeping the Easy Blur in the outskirts that I want soft matte but having the glow from Chanel in the center. Another thing I like about this foundation is the transfer resistance, though I don’t know how it holds up on people with other skin types.
USE WITH POWDER
Although I don’t need it, I figured I should test this a few times with powder to be able to report on the results. Using finishing powders and my weaker setting powders didn’t change the performance at all. It still got glowy in the warm weather. However, I used the Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Powder on a day that was warm all day, but got cold at night. The powder kept me looking way more matte all day and I could see the blurring action. I personally didn’t like it because I want the glow, but for someone looking for full coverage and a matte finish, combining the foundation with the powder is the way to go. In the photo demonstration, the powder side is slightly lighter because I was wearing the darker foundation shade (450 G) with the Blondie powder instead of Kunufa. Blondie was just easier within reach.
USE WITH PRIMER
I tried this foundation with my typical skincare underneath and nothing else. I’ve also used this with skincare plus the Benefit Porefessional Hydate Primer. I know Huda has an Easy Blur primer, but I did not purchase it. All I can say is that I actually prefer the results when I’m not using primer with this foundation. The Benefit one acted a bit as a barrier and I didn’t have as many “glowy” spots. However, I felt like it sat more on top of the skin and didn’t look as natural.
The brand recommends using the primer, foundation, and powder all together. That might be necessary for those who want to look poreless, flawless, and filtered. For my needs and what I’m looking for in makeup, the foundation alone is enough.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Now that we’re moving towards winter, I’m less happy using this foundation alone. At the best of times, in summer, this reminds me of the Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation and N1 de Chanel. I still prefer those two over this foundation (because of the glowier finish and being more forgiving of texture on the skin during that glow phase), but considering this is €20 and €40 Euros cheaper, this is a fantastic alternative for someone who doesn’t want to pay luxury prices, yet have a similar performance. I continue to really like the Huda Beauty brand, and I appreciate the fact that they made minis not just for a few colors, but literally all 29 shades! I can’t think of a brand besides Huda and Fenty that has done that (in a range with over 15 shades). I don’t know if this option will be available to other retailers, but I recommend giving this foundation a try, especially if you have access to a mini.
That’s all for today! I hope you’ll click follow and return next week!
My collection of Chanel products has grown since moving to the EU and having access to the products at reduced prices via the retailer Parfümerie Pieper. If I was still in the US, I would have tried to redeem them with reward points via Ulta.
*DISCLOSURE: Non-highlighted links in bold blue font (Example) are standard non-affiliate links. Links marked in bold black font with a light blue background (Example) are affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to get a commission if purchases are made directly using my link. The only affiliate links in this post are brush related. I have no ties to Chanel. All products were purchased by me and my opinions are my own.
The Tarot of Chanel Matte Powder Blush in Blood Orange
My desire to buy this partly stems from my fascination with the occult (from the fantasy sense and not actually taking it seriously), and partly from my desire to have an easier-to-apply orange blush from Chanel. Last year, I purchased Beige et Corail, but it wasn’t easy to wear between not being pigmented enough and the firmness in which it was pressed.
The color surprised me, because on my skin tone it looks more like a peach than a blood orange. It at least appears slightly darker on my cheeks. I’ve had this for over a month and honestly haven’t used it much outside of testing purposes. I am still glad to have an easier shade to wear, but I think I’m all set on blushes within the orange family from the brand.
Regarding the quality, it is nice. I like it much better than the blush in the Les Beiges trio containing a blush, bronzer, and highlighter. The powder is much softer and easier to pick up with any of my brushes. It’s blendable and buildable with a soft matte finish.
The quality is there, but I would not have been missing much if I skipped on this one, though it is a limited edition collection item. Chanel tends to be out of my budget, but for anyone that considers their products to be worth the price, as long as it’s the “good Chanel quality,” then I don’t think they’d be disappointed.
Since I nearly accidentally threw out the brush, I should note that Chanel does include a brush with this blush. It doesn’t fit inside the compact, and is instead housed in its own velvet pouch that is inside the unicarton/box. The blush comes in a pouch as well and seems to be fragrance free.
Chanel Joues Contraste Intense Cream-to-Powder Blush in Rouge Franc
I’ve heard that is one is a permanent edition to the Chanel line. Out of the five colors, I was drawn to Rouge Franc (purely for its eye-catching vibrance), Rose Radiant (the type of warm pink I like), and Grenat Profond as a gorgeous deep berry. I think the latter would have been too cool for my skin tone, and Rose Radiant didn’t look pigmented enough to be able to appear true to color on my cheeks. So, I only purchased Rouge Franc.
I bought this at the beginning of the month. In contrast to the Tarot blush, I’ve used this one surprisingly more than I expected. I can achieve a somewhat sunburned or flushed look to my face. At times, it looks more orange-red. Other times, perhaps when paired with cooler makeup or pink tones, it looks deep reddish-pink. In any case, I like the color more than I expected.
In the first series of photos, it’s applied over Huda Beauty’s Easy Blur in 440G. With the green tank top, I’m wearing the N1 de Chanel Foundation in BD91 mixed with some of the 440 Easy Blur on the outskirts of my face. In the last photo, I’m using the HB Easy Blur in 450G. I wore it during different times of day with varying amounts of sunlight. This product can look way more punchy in person than how it looks on camera when I tried to build up the blush in the last two photos. However, I enjoy when it looks more subtle, so how it’s depicted in the first two photos is the look I try to achieve each time. The point is that for such a strong color, it can be sheered out. The formula is also not as “intense” as the name suggests. There’s pigment, but it’s not opaque as one blends it into the cheeks.
When I watched reviews to decide if I wanted to get this product, I heard that it’s best to use a synthetic brush and to watch out for the intense rose fragrance added to the formula. Regarding the scent, I weirdly mostly smell it from the outside of the compact. If I put my nose directly up to the powder, it’s not any more intense than when it’s further from my face. It has also lessened over time, but parfum is listed high in on the ingredient list, so those that avoid it should be warned. As for the brush situation, I haven’t had problems using the Bisyodo CF-FD Brush (Sokoho goat hair) nor the Sonia G Mini Base (a mix of synthetic and natural). In fact, the denseness of the Bisyodo brush really helps to pick up enough product and sheer it out to a thin even veil. I think the important thing to note if you’re not using a synthetic brush is to make sure the brush is a densely packed goat, fox, or perhaps even kolinsky. I wouldn’t try it with a squirrel brush or even a goat one if it has too much bend or give to it.
This is a cream to powder formula. Although I agree with others that the closest comparison is to the Armani Neo Nude Melting Colour Balms, these are still different enough that I would not call them dupes. The Chanel blush is more solid in texture than a cream, and if I press down hard enough I can leave an imprint. However, it’s not as squishy as the MAC Glow Plays either. Product can be picked up much easier onto the fingers or a brush than the Armani and MAC blushes. Also, if I don’t clean my brush enough between uses, I start to see some of my foundation come onto the surface of the blush the way it does with the MAC Glow Plays too.
I like the way cream blushes keep my dry skin looking hydrated, but I hate when they don’t set down on the skin. Using this Chanel formula avoids that problem as it doesn’t feel wet or oily on my cheeks. It also is marked to last for at least 18 months after opening, which is longer than a lot of cream or liquid products. The color fades a bit, but will still be visible all day, as long as I am wearing a foundation that is transfer resistant.
If Chanel expands the range, I know I will want to buy more. However, the colors would need to be different enough from what I already have from Armani, MAC, and Suqqu (discontinued Melting Powder Blush formula). The blushes from those three are the most similar to the look I get on the cheeks. Chanel’s formula is the easiest to apply of them all, but the price difference for the ease of use doesn’t completely even out. It would have to be the most perfect color ever for me to get another. However, I’d still recommend it to luxury lovers.
That’s everything for this week! Thank you for reading!
It’s that time of year again! The holiday makeup launches have started rolling out and this is the first of them that I’ve purchased! Let’s get right into the review, and I’ll save my overall thoughts, suggestions, and discuss my ordering experience towards the end.
*DISCLOSURE: Non-highlighted links in bold blue font (Example) are standard non-affiliate links. Links marked in bold black font with a light blue background (Example) are affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to get a commission if purchases are made directly using my link. The only affiliate links in this post are brush related. I have no ties to Hourglass. All products were purchased by me and my opinions are my own.
I am including some demonstration photos. In the photos with the black shirt, I’m wearing the Huda Beauty Easy Blur Foundation in shade 440 G Cinnamon. I used Eternal Light to set the concealer under my eyes. In the photos with the dark gray shirt, I’m wearing the Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation in Shade 14. In these pictures, I’m wearing Eternal Light all over the face, so the pictures with the blush (and no highlighter added) still look a bit highlighted due to the use of that finishing powder. I’ve gotten a little darker this summer, so I wanted to show how the products look on different foundations and with lighting coming in from different times of the day.
GILDED STROBE LIGHT – Hooray! Hurrah! Finally, the right highlighter color for me from Hourglass! I had said that Divine Strobe Light from the Tiger palette was “perfect,” but I don’t wear that depth of highlighter anymore, and prefer for it to basically be a shimmery version of my skin tone. Prismatic Strobe Light from the Volume III trio was too dark, so I’ve been hoping for the brand to release something in-between. I’m so glad that day is finally here! That being said, this strobe line is beautifully reflective, but it enhances texture more than I’d like. The powder is ultra smooth with fine shimmer, but the shine effect can be a bit much for me if I’m not careful and over apply. However, I’m still happy to have this. I have ways to tone down highlighters and I could always just use it to bump up the intensity of other highlighters if I want.
DESERT FLUSH – A dark medium muted option! Hurray! Thank goodness this blush is one solid color combining “deep beige” with “peach”, because this is already on the cusp of what should be included in this palette in terms of depth (not in terms of color because a peach was absolutely needed in the line). It’s a buildable shade that shows up on me, but I have to use my dense brushes to pack on the color so I can wear it on its own. One such brush is the Sonia G Cheek Pro. In winter-spring, this color should be easier to wear. In any case, I find this shade useful to tone down or pair with Red 0. I am sometimes in the mood for a light blush, but this is pushing the limits of what I’d feel comfortable wearing in public by itself. I foresee myself combining this with other blushes from other brands.
ETERNAL LIGHT – I’m going to repeat what I said about Eternal Light from a previous review. This finishing powder is a golden brown color that matches my face perfectly! It gives a subtle luminous sheen, but also has a few flecks of gold glitter throughout. The difference this time, in the Lotus Palette, is that the larger gold specks seem to be way smaller than they are in the Volume III trio palette. In the past, the specks forced me to use it as either a mixer shade with bronzer or as a barely there highlighter. I’m thrilled I can actually use this shade as a setting powder now! I don’t know if it’s just my palette, or if all Eternal Light shades are now made with more refined shimmer.
As mentioned earlier, I set the concealer under my eyes with Eternal Light in the photos with the black lace shirt, and used it all over my face in the photos with the dark grey shirt. The matte blushes can look a bit flat on my dry skin, but using the finishing powder all over imparts some glow and makes them look more flattering.
RADIANT ROSE STROBE LIGHT – I normally don’t like pink highlighters, but this is actually pretty! It pairs so beautifully with the Red 0 blush. When used sparingly, this looks a bit gold too (or at least golden copper). I had to actually build up the color in my face demo photo for the rose tone to be clearly visible, which of course increased the emphasis on texture. Contrary to how it appears in my photos below, the reflectivity of this shade isn’t as strong as Gilded Strobe Light when used in smaller amounts. I like that part about it.
I used all the shades from the palette on my eyes in this photo above.
RED 0 – I’m honestly shocked that this shade is in this palette because Red 0 is such a special color for Hourglass. It’s their “exclusive pigment replacement for carmine.” They’d been working on the formulation of this color for years, first introducing it in their lipsticks. I would have expected them to pull the same stunt as Butterfly and put it in Dragon, but they didn’t. I give major kudos for that.
The description calls this a brick red, but I don’t agree. It’s a deep reddish/pink or deep rose. How it appears on my skin can be affected by my undertone, but it doesn’t look brick red in color when eyeballing it in the palette either. This shade is ultra pigmented, and I have to use a light hand and airy brushes to wear it subtly, the way I prefer. For example, with the Chikuhodo REN-7. I also want to note, regarding the color, that this is quite similar to a lot of blushes I’ve gotten recently (Chanel’s Deep Rose from the trio and Guerlain’s Deep Nude), but the tone is the slightest bit different. It makes me like it that tiniest bit more.
Of all the shades in this palette, I think this has the most potential to be added to the permanent blush line. If they do, I’d recommend swatching it in stores because it wouldn’t surprise me if they alter it to make it less pigmented, so that it’s easier for a wider range of people to be able to wear it. It’s already intense on me if I use even an airy goat brush and apply two light layers instead of a single one with squirrel or fox.
BRONZE HEAT – This is the darkest bronzer created by Hourglass thus far. It’s slightly darker than the Transcendent Light finishing powder, but it’s more of an undertone difference than depth difference. Transcendent Light looks deep brown – pink on me. Bronze Heat is neutral brown with a splash of red. Even though I prefer yellow/golden bronzers, I think Bronze Heat still looks good. I’ve gotten some sun this summer though, so the tones in my face have some red to it right now, which is probably helping it to match. I’m curious to see if I’ll still like it when I’m back to my normal skin tone. Solar Bronze, though lighter, is still my favorite bronzer from Hourglass so far. I’d love a deeper version though. In general, I’d still love to see a truly rich bronzer option, but the tweak to this year’s color is enough that people I follow that are a little darker than me that couldn’t wear last year’s bronzer have reported being able to use this year’s. So, even a small change made a difference. I can’t discredit that.
In these photos though, I had to pack on the product to get it to show. My favorite brush to use with these Ambient Lighting Edit Palettes, ever since I got it, is the Eihodo No. 153 which I used in the left picture. For the right picture, I switched to the much more dense Chikuhodo FO-2. They both fit so well into the size of these relatively small face powders.
Overall, I’ve noticed no differences in quality between the powders in these palettes and the ones in the past. The matte ones can look a bit too matte, which is when pairing them with the finishing powder helps. They’re all so smooth with the benefits that come from being a baked powder. I have no longevity issues. These continue to be lovely powder products! The consistent performance of these products year to year is how I’m able to confidently post this review after having used it for barely more than a week, instead of my longer testing process.
COMPARISONS
I don’t have access to my full Hourglass collection, so I could only compare things to my Tiger-Butterfly custom hybrid palette, the Snake palette (in Leopard packaging), and Lotus (in Dragon packaging). This year’s deep blushes are finally distinctly different from each other, and previous years. The highlighters and bronzers are super similar though, with just slight undertone differences.
The list of all my previous Hourglass reviews and rants (especially the Holiday palettes), can be found HERE.
HOW DID HOURGLASS DO THIS YEAR?
Before I can begin to answer this question, I wanted to point out some things I mentioned wanting over the years to see how Hourglass answered or ignored feedback from plenty of customers that shared the same thoughts as me.
2021 I hoped for less repeat shades, I believed there should be 3 palettes per year with one of those clearly designated as suitable for tan to deep skin tones (or darker, or for there to be at least a deeper extension of the permanent bronzer range). I also wanted more accurate representation of the shades in promotional images. 2022 I wanted a true bronzer for dark skin tones and not a translucent powder than could be used as bronzer. I didn’t mind if the brand released a mini or repeat of At Night in the deeper palette. I mentioned being willing to spend $100+ instead of $85 to make every shade in the palette customizable. I mentioned that it would be nice if they used their “miscelare technique” to mix two medium or darker colorful shades in a series of blushes instead of pale beige bases with a single color. 2023 I wanted a deeper bronzer option (since so far the depths are similar and the undertone is just changed), a dedicated true Deep/Rich palette option (even if it’s too much for someone like me), and some dark brown blush color options (less pinks and corals with the occasional orange). I hoped they would continue with palette cover customization, though choosing individual shades is still the ultimate dream. I also wished for a rabbit and/or panda cover art which would tie-in with the brand’s collaboration with the Nonhuman Rights Project.
So what did we get in 2024?
We got almost no repeat shades!
We have 3 palette options again with better designated colors per category (fair/light, light/medium, and tan-deep). Not being able to choose all 6 shades is okay if presets will continue to be good (ex: not having deep blushes in the fair palette like they did with Butterfly).
The brand decently represented the accuracy of shades in their website photos.
Hourglass gave us another dedicated deep bronzer, though it’s barely darker than Transcendent Light, and mostly another tone change.
They opted out of using the miscelare process, ensuring that every tan-deep palette will work the same for everyone instead of some people, who would normally be able to wear the shade, being unable to because their swirl had too much of the lighter color.
Hourglass gave everyone a peach and/or nude option. Everyone seems to love that. The Evil Eye colors had the typical Hourglass pinks and were too similar to each other in one palette. The Dragon and Lotus palettes were better at having distinctly different shades.
What are my hopes for 2025?
I would love if the brand would continue with adding more nude blush options (especially a deep skin friendly one with some brown along the lines of Chanel’s Brun Roussi Lumiere, MAC’s Coppertone, Format, and Burnt Pepper). All the reviews and comments I saw were positive regarding having less vibrant options. The only semi-negative part was Desert Flush not being deep enough to use alone for those with deeper skin tones, so ensuring they are at least dark medium in depth would be great.
I am still looking for Hourglass to make an ultra deep bronzer in at least the permanent collection, if not the Ambient Edit Palettes. I’m not that much darker right now, yet the bronzers are close to being too subtle on me, so this still isn’t dark enough for a ton of people.
I’d still be fine with Hourglass making At Night a repeat in the palette or for them to release a mini. Better yet, I would love the two colors within At Night to be mixed into one solid color and with an increase in pigmentation. That would be fantastic!
I would still love a rabbit and panda themed cover art.
That’s it! I really don’t have any major criticisms or requests. I think this is the best the brand has done so far. Back in 2021, I was worried that listening to customers was just performative and that we wouldn’t continue to see much work towards inclusion. I’m happy to say that someone over there seems to be putting in effort regarding this topic. It’s not even about wokeness. It makes financial sense to create products for customers when the demand is clearly there.
LOGISTICS
This was the first year I had to order my palette outside of the US. I’m happy to say it went smoothly. It cost €90 (VAT included). Influencer promo codes were able to be applied to the order. Shipping was free, but I added €5 for expedited shipping. I wanted to buy a gift box and gift bag in Dragon print, but they kept getting taken out of my cart on the payment page, so I assume they aren’t offered outside of the US. My package was delayed a few days, but that was due to the weather conditions in Germany at the time and not the fault of Hourglass.
If Hourglass continues with this upward trajectory, I will likely purchase next year’s iteration of holiday palettes too. Now that I have to spend even more than usual for these palettes, it’s that much more important for the brand to nail the colors and also offer shades different enough from previous launches.
That’s everything! Thank you for reading! Be sure to click the follow button if you’d love to be updated whenever a new post from me drops!
Today’s post is a discussion about which categories of makeup require splurging in order to get top tier quality products versus which ones are attainable at affordable prices. My opinion about this has changed over the years as formulations have improved. A decade ago, it was a common belief that high end makeup was guaranteed to be better than what could be found at a drugstore, but this concept is outdated.
I’m prefacing this by acknowledging everyone’s idea of “affordable” and the “worth/value” of a product will be different. When I use the term“drugstore,” it will be synonymous with inexpensive makeup pricing, just to give an all encompassing baseline term. I’m writing from the viewpoint of shopping within the US. There are some drugstore brands that are sold at much higher pricing internationally. For instance, the L’Oréal Infallible Full Wear Waterproof Concealer that I ordered from Ulta that is normally $14.99 is €25.99 on the Douglas website in Germany. There are also some products I reference that are not available overseas, which means in some countries there may not be any top tier inexpensive options to purchase.
Also, others might have personal experiences with makeup that contradict mine, but that doesn’t make either of us wrong. The industry is ever changing with new products being produced every day. An affordable brand could release a line tomorrow or a week from now that makes what I deemed “better quality only within the high end category” no longer true. So, this post is intended to be a fun generalized analysis of current times within the makeup world and not statements of fact for every person.
My hope is that this can be a guide for anyone who wants to buy products that are considered the best of the best while spending the minimum amount of money necessary to get them.
Foundation
Verdict: Drugstore unless you need something to last an extended amount of time, and unless you can’t find a shade match. For these reasons, I still need high end options.
Whether it’s a liquid, powder, or cream, it’s my experience that the drugstores have very good foundation options nowadays. It’s not surprising when we think about how major parent companies have labs that can share formulas with multiple brands under their umbrella. For example, many people say that L’Oréal foundations and mascaras are similar to Armani Beauty products (also owned by the L’Oréal Group/ L’Oréal Luxe Division). Another example is that I’ve seen some Bobbi Brown highlighters that perform similarly to some from MAC Cosmetics, and some from MAC reminded me of Tom Ford (all three being under the Estée Lauder Companies Inc). MAC’s Strobe Dewy Skin Tint is allegedly Becca Cosmetics’ Light Shifter Dewing Tint Tinted Moisturizer. It stands to reason that if there’s formula sharing among companies that have both drugstore and prestige products, then one can get a top tier foundation at the drugstore.
One outlier is that sometimes the drugstore is lacking shade options on the lightest and deepest ends of the spectrum, so even if there are amazing formulas out there at affordable prices, that doesn’t guarantee someone will be able to find their shade in order to wear it.
The other outlier is that some drugstore foundations don’t have the wear time that a more expensive foundation has. I’ve had drugstore base products that started breaking apart on my face in under eight hours. I’ve had some that transferred badly, which made my makeup look way more worn in than it was supposed to be. I’ve had some that changed in smell and performance quicker than the typical 1 year after opening date. So, these are some of the downsides to more affordable options and reasons why I end up purchasing foundations between the mid to luxury tiers. I usually don’t have any trouble with longevity when it’s a prestige foundation.
Recommendations: I know there are some good drugstore foundations in theory, but I don’t have any I want to vouch for. For some pricier options, I’ve been a long time fan of Nars foundations across the board. Newer ones I’ve been wearing more frequently have been from Chanel (No1 de Chanel Camelia) and Fenty (Eaze Drop Liquid).
Concealer
Verdict: Drugstore unless you need something full coverage in an extended shade range.
Since concealers are basically foundations, just in stronger concentration of pigments, it makes sense in theory that good ones exist at all price points. However, the L’Oréal Infallible concealer is the only drugstore option I’ve found that works for me. The trouble can be twofold: one issue being that there aren’t many drugstore concealers that are full coverage (and don’t fade or crease horribly on me), and/or that because there are typically less shades offered by brands in concealer ranges versus foundation ranges, the chances are higher that I won’t have a close enough match. It’s not uncommon for me to see that my closest matches are too light while the next shade up is too dark. This second issue can be true of every range no matter the cost. It’s just even harder for me to find a concealer in my depth and undertone that’s inexpensive. Ranges either aren’t deep enough or skip too far between shades to work for me even when I try to mix them and not have the products combine into a brown color with a greyish undertone. So, for those who don’t need more than medium coverage, don’t have mature/aging eyes, and are within the range of the most catered to skin tones, the drugstore will have high quality options.
Recommendations: My drugstore pick is the L’Oréal Infallible Full Wear Waterproof Concealer. My prestige recommendation is the KVD Good Apple Concealer. I did a concealer review/declutter/ranking post HERE.
Face Primer
Verdict: Drugstore
At the bare minimum, a face primer should just be able to smooth the canvas to make foundation apply better and stick better to the face, which in turn should improve the longevity. The ingredients used to accomplish this tend to have the secondary effect of either hydrating or mattifying the skin. All other claims of pore shrinking, skin blurring, color correcting, etc are extras and typically aren’t the best to accomplish in a primer form (with the exception of green ones to cancel out redness). So, when it comes to doing the basic requirements of a primer, the best ones can be found at affordable prices, and that has to do with the inexpensive raw ingredients. The most sought after primers on the market tend to have ingredient decks that are made up of mostly silicones, which are not difficult or expensive to get. Even I have purchased cyclopentasiloxane and various viscosities of dimethicone for my own DIY makeup projects. DIYers can easily have access to silicone gel too, and glycerin which is a super common ingredient as well. Some of the most well known primers come from Smashbox and most of theirs are silicone based, especially the original Photo Finish primer. There’s a reason E.L.F was able to create a dupe of the one from Smashbox, plus dupes of Tatcha’s liquid and balm Silk Canvas primers. Nyx is another brand with primers that perform nearly identically to what’s considered the top tier of primers. As for more hydrating formulas, it comes down to water and glycerin for lighter weight products and there are cheap oils and butters as options for the creamier ones. So, this is one category that isn’t necessary to overspend on.
Recommendations: I like the Nyx Marshmellow Smoothing Primer, but the last one I was using before I started skipping primer altogether was the Benefit Hydrating Porefessional.
Eyeshadow Primers and Glitter Primers/Glue
Verdict: Drugstore for Glitter Primers/Glue, but Prestige for regular Eyeshadow Primers
When dealing with eye primers, I personally have not had luck with cheap options, with the exception of the Coloured Raine Eye Base. It’s my theory that the difference between face and eye primers, which should function in the same way, is that there are multiple makeup layers that go down on the face before powder, so it’s not as easy for oils to break things down (especially if multiple products layered on each other claim to be mattifying). With an eye primer, there are less layers on top which allow oils to have an easier time breaking up eyeshadows, liners, etc. This is why it’s harder for me to find an effective eye primer in general, and my favorites are all within the mid to high end range.
I once owned a Juvia’s Place eye base that I did not even open yet, and within several months the formula separated completely in the tube. I had a Nyx primer that worked well, but started to smell within six months. When it comes to glitter primers or glitter glues though, the inexpensive options seem to work just as well as high end ones. That’s why I’ve constantly repurchased the Nyx Glitter Primer. The only downside is the terrible packaging in which the tops always bust open eventually, no matter how carefully and with low pressure I try to squeeze out product.
It’s very possible that there are high performing less expensive options that I just haven’t tried yet (for example, I’ve heard good things about eye primers from the Sephora Collection brand and Ulta’s brand even though the Ulta eye primer I tried was too emollient for me). This is admittedly not a category I’ve explored that extensively. I just stick to using and repurchasing the same ones that I know work for me.
Recommendations: The Coloured Raine Eye Base or MAC Paint Pot. The one I’m using the most currently is mid-range, but since I no longer support that brand I will not name them here and will not repurchase it.
Bronzer
Verdict: For powder bronzers, I recommend prestige for the ultimate smoothness and blendability. For creams and liquids, I think there are some great inexpensive options.
I haven’t tried many powder bronzers at the drugstore because for the longest time there were no deep or rich options. Considering the purpose of that product is to bronze the face or look sun-kissed, apparently the industry decided no one with dark skin needed or wanted something like that. So, the only five drugstore bronzers I can recall trying was the deepest shade of Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer (still not dark enough plus way too shimmery), Covergirl Trublend bronzer (lovely but went bad within exactly one year), the L’Oreal Infallible Powder Foundation that I used as a bronzer before they released their actual bronzer line (good but still bottom of my rankings), and two bronzers from Makeup Revolution/Revolution Beauty that were also nice but could not outrank all my high end ones. Technically Coloured Raine has affordable bronzers, but I consider them more of an indie brand. I liked their bronzers for a time, but they also rated among the bottom of my collection.
This all leads me to acknowledge that there are absolutely good decent bronzers at the drugstore, but since bronzer has become one of my makeup obsessions and favorite things, I want the best of the best in terms of finely milled powder that’s ultra smooth and practically blends itself. In the powder formula, I can’t say I’ve seen this accomplished by drugstore or even mid-range brands. I can tell too much of a difference with the powders. One might say I’m too picky, but that’s how I feel.
Regarding cream and liquid products, the Colourpop Super Shock Bronzers ranked third out of my whole collection! The consistency and performance started to change around the one year mark, so longevity is still a potential issue. I even liked their Sol Body cream bronzer formula, but just couldn’t find a good enough shade match. I’m not sure if Juvia’s Place can still be called affordable or drugstore, but their bronzer formula was also wonderful. Unfortunately, I decluttered it because of the too-obvious sparkles within it. I’ve heard high praise for ones from Milani and Elf too, so the drugstore has options across the board with bronzers. However, I’m extra picky about the powder formulas. If someone wants to splurge, I would say it’s more worth it to splurge on a powder bronzer over a cream/liquid bronzer.
Recommendations: Since there are so many I love, it would be easier to list my last two dedicated bronzer posts HERE and HERE. My current most used ones are from Charlotte Tilbury (cream) and Hermes (powder).
Blush
Verdict: Drugstore if performance is the only criteria, but high end and luxury if blush is one of your top favorite categories of makeup.
Blushes have come a long way over the years, and I’ve often said the drugstores have many good options. For example, the Covergirl Trublend blushes are quite blendable and refined. The Colourpop Super Shocks and Milani Cheek Kiss Cream blushes are of fantastic quality. If performance is the only criteria, there’s not as much need to spend extra on an expensive blush. However, blush is one of my top favorite categories of makeup, so I want my favorites to be housed in the cutest or most luxurious packaging. This is why I tend to still buy high end and luxury blushes. Plus, powder products that are costly tend to be milled the finest, which makes blending nearly effortless. Pricier ones usually have more refined shimmer as well. So there tends to be a correlation between spending more on a blush and the quality being higher. However, it could still be considered nitpicking with affordable options being great versus high end and up being superb. “Great” is going to be good enough for most people.
It should also be noted that many luxury blushes aren’t as pigmented and need to be built up, which can be a downside for those with deeper skin tones that need stronger pigmentation in order for things to show up. Medium to high end artistry brands tend to have blushes where the focus is on longevity and what looks best in photos or videos. So, their blushes might not be glowy enough for someone who wants a healthy shine and sheen to the cheeks. Someone’s personal taste will be the bigger factor as to whether they think affordable brands or more expensive ones will be better regarding blush.
Recommendations: There are far too many I love and am obsessed with. For the affordable ones, I recommend Covergirl Trublend (I used to really like the Covergirl True Match blush too back in the day) and Colourpop’s Super Shocks. I was even impressed with Essence “The blush” for such a low price. For low/mid range I recommend the LYS Cream Blushes, Rare Beauty Liquid Blushes, Glossier Cloud Paints, and Sephora Soft Matte Powder Duos. For mid/high end I recommend the One/Size Cheek Clappers, Bare Minerals Blonzers, Benefit Cosmetics Blushes, and every kind of blush from MAC. For high end and luxury I recommend Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes, Armani Neo Nude Colour Melting Balms, Suqqu Blushes, Chanel Blushes, and Dior Rosy Glow Blushes.
Highlighter
Verdict: For powder and liquid highlighters, the drugstore has decent options, unless you prefer subtle highlighters that gleam rather than sparkle (though high end brands sometimes intentionally choose large glitter particles). For cream highlighters, I think it’s even easier to find inexpensive options.
I pretty much said everything necessary in the verdict portion. Since brands of all pricepoints are capable of making the blinging highlighters and metallic shining ones that I don’t enjoy, what is considered a good quality or sophisticated highlighter is subjective. Those that like those types will not have any problems finding them at the drugstore. What is a little less common and harder to find are the subtle refined ones that blend easily without leaving behind a stripe across the face, ones that gleam or look wet on the skin without being oily if wet or patchy if dry. I have also noticed drugstore highlighters are more likely to fade and lose their luster as the day goes on, but that’s what differentiates the bad affordable ones versus the good ones. For cream formulas, I like the highlighters that set down on the skin with low transfer. For liquids, the best ones won’t disturb the other makeup underneath. In these cases, it’s more easy to find among the expensive brands, but isn’t exclusively in those categories.
I’ve heard great things about, though never tried myself, some of the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter dupes from ELF and Juvia’s Place. Tina did a great battle showdown of two expensive brands versus inexpensive ones, which I recommend watching if you’re interested in this topic specifically.
I think the reason lower priced brands are able to compete in performance with their higher priced counterparts is because of all the shimmering alternatives. Mica and “pearl powders” can be costly, but there are several synthetic options which are cheaper. A finer milled product also doesn’t matter as much to someone who likes easily noticeable highlighters. Sometimes drugstores have their highlighter products made in Italy, but more often than not it’s the PRC which cuts down on the production cost as well. So, personal tastes can effect how easily someone will find a fantastic highlighter at the drugstore.
Recommendations: In the affordable range, I recommend the Colourpop Super Shocks. I was once also impressed with the Essence Coffee to Glow Highlighter Beans. For mid-tier, I can vouch for the Nabla Skin Glazing Highlighters. In the high end and luxury sphere there are too many to name, but the non-sparkly highlighters from Charlotte Tilbury have been my most used in the past twelve months. I have a review of my top seven HERE.
Face Powder
Verdict: The best drugstore powders aren’t available for all skin tones nor all skin types, so spending more might be someone’s main option.
I have heard endlessly about the Airspun Coty Loose Face Powder and various Nyx Powders as fantastic drugstore options. I have no doubts that the drugstore has products that can rival more expensive ones. However, many inexpensive translucent powders have such a high amount of titanium dioxide that it can give those with dark skin flashback on camera. It can even look ashy in normal lighting situations. The brands that make colored powder options tend to not go very deep or have such huge gaps between shades that I would have to choose between ones that are way too light or way too dark. This is not a situation where mixing two products can fix things that well.
Another issue I have is that drugstore options tend to be focused on being oil-controlling or making customers look super matte. As someone with dry skin, this makes them unusable for me. If it wasn’t for the need to set my concealer under my eyes, I don’t think there would be any setting powders in my collection since they aren’t needed. I like having a finishing powder at most for areas that aren’t in the eye zone. So, even though there are inexpensive powders to choose from, they’re not going to be “the best” for everyone. What may be a nice alternative is getting a mini/travel size of high end powders. That brings the prices closer to drugstore level and I have yet to finish any of my travel size powders since I need so little of it for my skin. For those that go through powders easily, this won’t be a sustainable solution.
As for finishing powders, I’m unfamiliar with any popular ones from the drugstore.
Recommendations: For a setting powder, I recommend the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish or the Huda Beauty Easy Bake Powder in the loose form. For a finishing powder, I recommend the Dior Powder no Powder. From my recollection, the only affordable face powder I’ve liked has been Colourpop’s Pretty Fresh Face Powder. I had a small size of Ben Nye powder a very long time ago that I liked when the lines under my eyes were less deep, but prices have gone up so I’m not sure if this stage brand is considered affordable and several months ago the company filed for bankruptcy (so I’m not sure if they will go out of business or not).
Setting Spray
Verdict: Mid-Range and Affordable Options
I don’t have the most extensive setting spray collection, but I can say the Sephora Collection 16 Hour Setting Spray works just as well as the One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Spray. They both are great at being waterproof with the water just rolling down the face without disturbing the makeup, but neither lives up to the transfer-proof claims. It’s possible that for protection from both, a more expensive setting spray is required. However, the best performing sprays to really lock in makeup tend to be harsh on the skin. I don’t think this is really a category where you can have a sophisticated formula. The ingredients tend to be cheap and drying with various alcohols and often fragrance to try and cover up the strong scent. This is why some setting sprays have been compared to hair sprays, which also tend to get the job done at affordable prices. So, I think all that spending more really does is make a more pleasant experience due to the packaging’s better sprayer/mist mechanism and nicer perfume options.
Recommendations: As stated, I recommend the Sephora Collection Makeup Setting Spray or the classic Urban Decay All Nighter. Newly added to the list is the MAC Fix+ Stay Over Setting Spray.
All Liners: Eyes, Lips, Brows
Verdict: Drugstore
Makeup that has its origins from ancient times, like kohl, is going to be so perfected in current days that there is no reason drugstore brands wouldn’t have killer formulas for them. It is especially true that the ingredients used to make liners and brows involve primarily pigments and waxes, the latter being very inexpensive. A brand could tout that they have some special wax that’s more environmentally friendly or “safer” by clean beauty fear mongering rhetoric, but the ones chosen in these products will all pretty much perform the same way. Some formulas are intentionally stiffer or intentionally softer and that’s not an indicator of quality, just preferences. Some formulas are more budge-proof than others, but that comes with their own pros and cons. Some formulas go bad quicker than others because of less stable preservatives used, but that’s typically due to “clean beauty” reasons once again, not quality.
For me, liquid eyeliners are probably the harder of the liners to get in good quality, but not impossible. It can simply be a matter of the cheaper components leaking and/or not being airtight which can dry out the liquid and make them unusable faster.
So, for these reasons, I think it’s absolutely easy to find all kinds of liners at the drugstore and them being pretty much the same quality across the board. Packaging is the biggest distinguishing factor, no matter what the marketing tries to say. If anything, buying clean beauty leads to the biggest upcharges in both the drugstore and beyond.
I intentionally did not include brow pomades, brow gels, or brow powders in this list (just liners) because I can theoretically see there being a possibility of differences, but I haven’t tried enough of those forms to be able to comment on them.
Recommendations: My favorite lip liners are from Palladio, Coloured Raine, and Nyx. My favorite drugstore eyeliners in liquid and retractable pencil/pen form are from Nyx. I’ve always been partial to the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid liner, but Sephora’s waterproof liners are admittedly better and less expensive. I’ve tried a good number of mid through high end liners in the pencil and retractable forms and just don’t see a difference between them and drugstore ones. When it comes to brow products, I have used plenty of the top bestselling ones in the mid to high end sphere and yet I still recommend ELF’s Instant Lift Brow Pencil and Nyx Micro Brow Pencil. I’ve had the Elf Ultra Precise Brow Pencil snap on me, but I’ve had several high end ones dry out and break too. The reason I still go back to using the Benefit Precisely My Brow sometimes (my most repurchased brow products are from ELF, Benefit, and ABH) is purely because the liner is slightly softer than Nyx but firmer than the one from ELF and I can get them during Ulta’s 50% off Beauty Steals which drops the price to nearly drugstore range anyway.
Mascara
Verdict: Generally Drugstore
I’m always drawn in by the claims and marketing of prestige mascaras, but I’ve enjoyed so many drugstore mascaras over the years and been disappointed by enough mascaras at any price to say that the higher a mascara costs doesn’t equate to a rise in quality. Expensive mascaras aren’t guaranteed to be smudgeproof, non-flaking, and non-clumping. Although my current mascara favorites are the MAC Macstack and KVD Full Sleeve, I’ve had great success with multiple Essence mascaras and have repurchased the 18 hr Volume Stylist Lash Extension Mascara with Lengthening Fibers six times since 2019. I even used a waterproof Essence mascara for my wedding. Beyond that, I have a history of liking Maybelline and L’Oréal mascaras too. I recommend not splurging on mascara.
Recommendations: Essence Volume Stylist 18Hr Lash Extension Mascara plus the others mentioned already.
PowderEyeshadow
Verdict: Low to Mid-Range and up. I don’t recommend going for cheaper options. I personally like indie eyeshadows and high end, but not always luxury.
Besides a few rare exceptions like ELF Bite Sized Eyeshadows and Flower Beauty’s Jungle Lights Palette, I tend to not like drugstore eyeshadows. That isn’t to say that there aren’t good ones that are still relatively affordable such as Colourpop Eyeshadows, BH Cosmetics, etc. That also isn’t to say that high end brands can’t come out with duds either. There just tends to be a correlation that pricier eyeshadows are buildable, softer not chalky, easier to blend, better at layering, lasting longer on the eyes, less creasing for shimmers, more refined, the sparkly ones being more reflective, less chance of being patchy, etc. Eyeshadows need pigments or dyes, binders to hold it together, and hopefully preservatives and other ingredients for stability. It’s also nice to have additional ingredients that give the shadows a silkier feeling, help with adhesion, etc. These extras I call the “fillers” but sometimes adding even more titanium dioxide or other ingredients are intended to stretch out the formula and try to achieve a certain color without having to use as much of the actual pigment. This can lead to the shadows performing fine on someone with a light skintone because of the lack of contrast to the base powders used, but can give a chalky dusty look on someone with more melanin. So, what’s considered great for others could look off on someone else purely because of that issue.
Sometimes the higher cost can also be attributed to them using more expensive pigments like duochromes and multichromes. At a certain point though the upcharge is based on packaging and not formula. That’s how lower priced brands can still compete and have wonderfully performing eyeshadows when they save on having basic packaging that’s thin lightweight plastic or cardboard. More expensive brands can do a bit of both at a level of “good” or better.
I like pigmented yet easy to blend eyeshadows, and I find that my favorites come from the indie and high end sphere. Luxury priced eyeshadows tend to be more liked by people that prefer the smoothest and softest eyeshadows that aren’t meant to look intense on the eyes. The ones with the most refined particles where nothing looks harsh. So, in some ways people are paying for preferences because the ultra smooth satins aren’t offered as frequently by mid to high end brands. We’re more likely to see an all-matte palette or all-shimmer palette over one that is predominantly satin.
For some people, the inexpensive eyeshadows are good enough and spending more isn’t worth it. For some who are willing to spend a decent chunk more for nearly faultless quality aren’t going to be satisfied with what’s at the drugstore. I don’t recommend “cheap” quality like off-brands from places like Alibaba or those giant Coastal Scents palettes that literally smelled like chalk had flimsy packaging and no names on any of the shadows. Affordable shadows can be found. My favorites tend to cost more though.
Brands change formulas every so often, so it’s often the case that a brand I loved for eyeshadows will eventually change theirs and I won’t like it anymore. This could be due to trying to cut costs, make the shadows more emollient (which causes extra creasing), switching to a vegan formula, switching to a “clean” formula, etc. These are some of the reasons I stopped enjoying Coloured Raine, Glamlite, and Juvia’s Place eyeshadows as much. The same could be said somewhat of Urban Decay. So, with my recommendations below, they might not hold true later this year, next year, or in the future. Even brands like Pat Mcgrath and Natasha Denona like to experiment with different formulas. Some do it more successfully than others and sometimes it comes down to them changing something that used to be someone’s eyeshadow preference, but it no longer is.
Recommendations: Pat Mcgrath palettes, Oden’s Eye palettes, YSL Mini Couture Clutch Quads (from 2024), and Clionadh Cosmetics single eyeshadows. There are so many palettes and single eyeshadows from many more brands that I love, but I don’t consistently like everything they make, so it’s hard to vouch for them across the board. At some point in the future I intend to do more brand eyeshadow rankings and eventually an eyeshadow collection/declutter post.
Cream and Liquid Eyeshadow
Verdict: Drugstore
This isn’t my area of interest because I prefer powder shadows for the ease of blending and smoothing them out. As far as I can recall, the only liquid/cream eyeshadows I’ve tried that were affordable were from Sydney Grace, the Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo, and Colourpop Shadow Stix. There may have been more that I just don’t remember. The Sydney Grace ones, which are close to drugstore pricing, are pretty great and give me the confidence in saying affordable options are out there. My personal favorites though are the Lisa Eldridge Liquid Lurex ones because I have enough time to work with them, smooth them out, and they layer well on each other without cracking or creasing. The few additional pricier ones I’ve tried didn’t make me feel like they were that vastly different enough to warrant the upcharge. For instance, I like the Danessa Myricks Color Fixes, but they perform similarly to the ones from Sydney Grace.
Recommendations: While I mentioned several that I like already that cream and liquid eyeshadow lovers will probably enjoy, the only one with a formula that could make someone like me to find value in having some are the ones from Lisa Eldridge.
Lipstick
Verdict: Drugstore unless lipstick is one of your makeup favorites.
Rouge is one of those ancient inventions, and therefore can be expected to have a perfected formula in modern times. The important things to note when reviewing lipstick is the longevity, comfort level, the finish, and color which are things that don’t necessarily indicate quality. For example, a cream lipstick isn’t going to cling as long to the lips as a matte lipstick, so the wear time is much shorter. A brand could use more expensive pigments and “higher quality ingredients,” but they all perform pretty much the same way. If anything, perhaps drugstore matte lipsticks might be more drying than higher end ones, but that dry formula could be due to the focus on longevity and not necessarily due to being cheaper with cheaper ingredients. If a lipstick goes rancid, it’s more likely caused by the lack of preservatives due to the clean beauty movement rather than it being inexpensive. Lipsticks aren’t one of my points of interest when it comes to cosmetics, but I’ve tried enough of them to believe that when most people are looking for “the best lipstick” they mean the one that suits their preferences the most as a testament to their “quality.”
When I’m looking for my perfect lipstick, I’m searching for the opacity level I want, the comfort level I want, the shine (or no shine) level I want, the perfect color, an acceptable wear time, something without ingredients I’m adverse to, something that won’t dehydrate my lips past a certain level, something that won’t lead to feathering or too much smearing, etc. Even regarding scent, some people want to smell the makeup alone without added fragrance and some people want to have a sweet or perfumed smell. Brands of all price points are capable of doing both. I could buy a $100 lipstick and still not find one that matches all of those things I’m looking for. A brand could have 5 or more different lipstick formulas in their range and I could still not find a lipstick I like. There are brands people swear by and attest to their quality, but if it doesn’t tick most of the boxes, I won’t like it.
I love luxe packaging, so I do sometimes splurge on lipstick. When it comes to the formulas though, drugstore brands and up have all pretty much got it nailed. There isn’t a way to guarantee happiness with a lipstick based on the criteria of how much it cost to buy it.
Recommendations: I’m reluctant to list some because lipsticks are just too subjective. I can at least say the two I’ve been using the most lately have been Lisa Eldridge’s Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colour (because I like moisturizing lipsticks that are not fully opaque and have luxe packaging) and one from YSL because it was on sale and has stunning packaging that I was able to personalize. Seeing my name engraved on it made me happy enough to want to wear it more often. It’s not even logical. I also still vouch for the Propa Beauty lipsticks I was obsessed with for a time. However, I’m not sure if their website is still being kept up to date. I stopped hearing about the brand for a long time now.
Lip Glosses, Oils, and Balms
Verdict: Drugstore unless there are lip sensitivities and issues that require more than basic formulas.
In the same vein that lipstick formulas have been perfected by now, it’s my belief that this category of lip products have as well. There are amazing lip glosses, lip oils, and lip balms at the drugstore. I’ve even made my own balms and lip oils before, so if I can do it there’s no way a drugstore brand wouldn’t be able to nail one either. Some that I used to repurchase a long time ago were the Burts Bees Lip Balms, Maybelline Baby Lips, and Nyx Butter Glosses.
In my case though, as it’s been for the last eight or more years, I have severely dry and sensitive lips as well as an allergy to lanolin. This means that what is normally great for people doesn’t do much for me. There are certain oils that don’t moisturize or hydrate my lips whereas some others work better. Lanolin is also a miracle worker for a lot of people, but it makes my lips start burning, splitting, and peeling because of my sensitivity to it. The damage usually takes about a week to recover and involves many reapplications switching between using Vaseline Lip Therapy and oils that work well for me like sunflower seed oil and sweet almond oil. Many people turn up their noses to mineral oil because it’s cheap or seen as harmful by the “clean beauty” lovers, but it works well for my lips too. So, quality is subjective and I believe most people would have no problems getting something good that’s affordable.
Because of my specific issues, the best I can find are all mid-range and up. They’re more likely to make their glosses not just pretty in finish but also nourishing/conditioning for the lips such as Suqqu’s Treatment Wrapping Lips and Lisa Eldridge’s Gloss Embrace Lip Glosses.
It may be just a coincidence, but even though I’ve liked plenty of drugstore lip glosses, my top tier favorites happen to be black founded and/or black owned brands: Ami Colé, Pat Mcgrath, Fenty Beauty, and certain gloss lines from Juvia’s Place.
Recommendations: I used to swear by the Nuxe Reve de Miel, but it’s my belief and suspicion (after four of mine went bad super quickly) that the brand uses less preservatives than they used to six or so years ago. They grew spotty in under the six month open jar/canister time frame. The Sara Happ balms are the next best balms for me. I’ve also really been enjoying the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embraces. The Too Faced Hangover Pillow Balms and Ami Colé Lip Treatment Oils/Glosses have reached holy grail status for me as well. The results of the Avene Lip Cream don’t last super long, but I still like it. On the inexpensive end, the best ones that semi-worked for my lips are from Colourpop (the lip balms, lip masks, Luxe Lip Oils, and So Glassy Lips). The Vaseline Lip Therapy I recommend if you need major lip repair and are willing to diligently keep reapplying it a few times a day and for the first few days.
I have a long unstable history with Viseart, but the bottom line is that I own a lot of their eyeshadows and I continue to keep an eye out for new launches. Over the years, I kept curating my collection, only keeping the shades I felt were the most useful to me. When I was preparing to go overseas, I needed to evaluate which ones would have to stay behind, which is where the idea for this post originated.
The eyeshadows in the top left gold rimmed palette are my older ones that are more fragile. I excluded them from the custom palette, in addition to the Neutral Mattes that already had several damaged shadows from when I depotted shades from the older packaging to the newer Slimpro empty palette.
Below are the two custom palettes I curated. I couldn’t make just one because of the different pan sizes. Viseart currently has three eyeshadow pan sizes they sell.
Viseart has a lot of nearly identical shades, and some colors don’t look the same on my skin as they do in the pan. So, I had to swatch everything and choose the ones I liked the most. The color story in the revised Grand Pro 1x palette looks very heavy on the midtone neutrals, but that’s because I realistically don’t use a lot of the lighter colors. If I have one or two, that’s generally enough. However, the nuances between those various browns and pinks were so nice I couldn’t decide between them and decided to just take them all.
Since I had to analyze my collection and think about the palettes they were part of, I’m in a better position to be able to rank them in their original forms, similarly to the way I discussed my Pat Mcgrath Palettes, Huda Beauty Palettes, and Oden’s Eye Palettes.
Omitted from the ranking portion are the individual eyeshadow singles I bought, since they came from palettes I didn’t own in their entirety.
Ranking List of All the Viseart Palettes I Ever Owned:
Each of the thirteen above are linked to their previous reviews, swatches, or discussions.
Dark Mattes (purchased in January 2016)
This is my number one Viseart palette based on the original formulation and not the current Dark Mattes Slimpro palette. Viseart’s eyeshadow formula was always simplistic, but the original ingredient list used to include Octyldodecanol, Myristyl Lactate, and Isononyl Isononanoate, which are all emollients. I haven’t tried the current version of this palette, so I don’t know if it feels or performs in the same way. However, there was a period of time that I felt Viseart’s quality went down, so they’re not impervious to production issues. I think it would be a safe bet to guess that the original and new ones look and feel the same, but perform a little differently. It could still be good, but I don’t know from firsthand knowledge.
I loved this palette so much because of the gorgeous color story and insane blendability. It was my go-to Fall palette for so many years. The bottom row of blues and greens were a little less pigmented and took longer to blend, but overall it was a great palette.
After about five years, some of the shades eventually became hard to use (it’s only promised to be good for two years). I tried to replace it with the Dark Edit palette. Ironically, the Dark Edit is at the bottom of this list. Yikes! More on that later.
The remaining shades I still own from the original Dark Mattes were working extremely well before I left, particularly the oranges. Viseart’s orange shades set the bar that I compare to other brands. It’s similar to the way I consider Oden’s Eye an authority on greens.
Petit Fours – Violetta
This is among Viseart’s relatively newer palettes. Whatever quality/production/formula issues they seemed to have between 2020 and 2021 (allegedly) might have been over with by the time this was produced. To me, this is the most interesting color story the brand has released, or at least among the quads. For starters, it has a duochrome which is not a common feature among the brand’s palettes. Seeing the shade Verrerie next to all the other shimmers in my custom palette, one can see that the finish of it is different and it’s evident how much it stands out from the pack. Viseart also tends to love including brow bone shades and other light eyeshadows. For the ratio to be this high of dark colors is another uncommon, but very welcome, attribute. This selection of colors allows the user to truly be able to take a look from daytime to nighttime. It can go from relatively light and ethereal to deep and dramatic. Each shade is distinctly different, yet they all pair well together. It was a holiday release that gives me Christmas vibes reimagined without the use of straightforward reds or greens.
In terms of performance, it’s their best shimmers yet. There’s no creasing, fading, or any other kind of longevity issue. The only reason this isn’t in the number one spot is because it’s the newer of the two. It hasn’t stood the test of time like the Dark Mattes palette, and there is less variety purely because of there being less shades. If you’ll allow me some leeway, we can consider this quad tied for first. The best part is the fact that what’s available online right now should still be the same quality as the one I own.
Bijouxette Étendu
This was another unusual release because of how colorful it is, and not being filled with a ton of light shades. There was a time when I loved having a neutral matte crease and outer corner paired with a shimmery lid shade. This palette is perfect for that style. Creating looks within the same color family is possible, but I think the second best style option is to go for pairing multiple colorful shades together. I love the combinations I showcased in my initial review for Bijouxette. Back then, I called it a jewel-toned rainbow palette, but I want to add that it also has a tropical flair.
The mattes are very pigmented, but blend and layer well. They’re buildable and long lasting around the eyes. The shimmer finishes are a mix of the semi-toned down ones Viseart is known for, combined with ones that are more impactful and intense like in Violetta. However, the level of smoothness makes these shimmers the best Viseart has done (out of the ones I’ve tried), tied with the Violetta shimmers. I’ve always been impressed that they are smooth without having a dimethicone slip to them that other creamy/buttery formulas often have, which means I don’t have to deal with creasing.
This palette is a little bolder than what I reach for most often, but it’s one I have no regrets buying and I’m still happy I purchased it.
Petit Pro: London Étoile
This is very much my type of color story, and the quality is great (though Brixton takes more effort to blend than the other mattes), so this was bound to be rated highly. It has a range of depths among the neutrals and sophisticated colorful shades. It doesn’t offer a ton of variety, but enough to keep things interesting. The colors in here can be duped by other shades in other palettes from Viseart, but it was nice to have it all curated in one place. This is why I didn’t include the shades in the small custom palette. I would rather bring the whole thing, in the pre-arranged colors, during the next wave of products I return with from the US. When I’m in a very specific mood fighting between my desire for something demure, but still wanting my eyes to be the star of my makeup look, this is when I want to use this palette the most.
Petit Pro: Soleil
The purple shade in this palette is a little rougher to the touch, drier, and takes a bit of blending, but it’s a pretty color. The thing is, Viseart has made so many shades that look identical to it or near enough to duping itself, that it’s not as special. While the shimmers were a little more unique to Viseart at the time it was released, I also have similar colors from other palettes of theirs. That just leaves the cream matte (very replaceable) called Patile and bold yellow called Pastis, which is hard to build up adequately on my eyes. Although this was a likeable palette at the time that I originally owned it, I don’t think it’s as interesting anymore, beyond being a handy supplemental palette for travel. The options give strong sunrise and sunset vibes, making me think even more about vacations when I look at the color story. In terms of quality, it’s quite good with the exception of the two laborious mattes.
Petit Fours: Peridot
I like the colors in this palette, but the matte barely shows on my eyes and the deep green doesn’t provide enough depth for me. So, I don’t think this is as successful as a quad. As a supplemental palette though, this has been more useful. At the time, this was a very good option, but I can name plenty of other green palettes by now that have more to offer. Even though the quality of this one is very good, other brands have matched theirs with the added benefit of other ingredients in their formula that make them feel smoother, softer, or creamier to the touch. This makes other brands’ shimmers a more pleasant experience since I tend to apply those with my fingers. For that reason, I feel that this palette should actually rank lower, but the quality prevents me from being able to do that.
Petites Shimmers Coy
I was so enamored by this color story because it represents the shimmering nature of fish scales, colorful koi fish, and whimsical spring time. These eyeshadows are thinner and sheerer than the brand’s usual shimmer shades, making them well suited for producing a watercolor effect on the eyes (which is not my usual preference) or like toppers because the sparkle level was turned up a notch on some of the shades. They are so beautiful to look at that I forgot the most important thing about a palette is to choose one with colors I would actually wear on my face. Nearly all of them are light colors, I’m not interested in the cool toned shades, and I have to spray them to get the opacity level I’m used to. Plus, there are no true mattes. This palette really isn’t for me, which is why it’s lower. However, the great quality is undeniable and the eyeshadows work in the way they were intended, and can even be used in other ways for those willing to put in the effort. So, this palette doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near the bottom.
Theory II Palette- Minx
I’ve shocked and surprised myself in numerous ways regarding this palette. For starters, I could have sworn I reviewed it, but I can’t find details of it anywhere. What I had instead was a review of Natasha Denona’s large 5 pan (#4), which was extremely similar to Viseart’s Minx. I purchased Minx a month after that review and felt that the quality was even better than Natasha’s. So, in 2017 I decided to sell my ND quint on Mercari (my first sale on the app). In those days, these palettes had too simple of a color story for my tastes and I didn’t need two near identical palettes. I still ended up selling Minx a month after selling Natasha’s. However, I have to say that based on my preferences now, I would have appreciated these colors a lot more today. The brand made it so simple for consumers and professionals alike giving a light, medium, and dark shade plus corresponding shimmers. This was still during the time when Viseart’s eyeshadow quality was so good. The blend and ability to layer the colors together was great. Viseart’s shimmer level was more in line with my past, as a former lover of satins, but they were still pigmented and nice. They reminded me of the shimmers from Melt Cosmetics. In fact, both brands are notoriously not complimented on their shimmers. However, whether I like them or not varies from palette to palette. This was a better palette than I’ve given the brand credit for in the past.
Neutral Mattes 01
This is where the rankings start to get really tricky. I purchased this from Boxycharm in the original square packaging, but I can’t confirm if it was made in the current formula or if it was the last of older stock. I don’t know if I’m remembering correctly that the Viseart shadows still had a packaging change within the square shapes before they were replaced by the SlimPro palettes. In any case, the quality is actually very good, so I’m going to guess it was in the original formula. My biggest gripe with this palette is that the colors look way too similar on my skin. The first row looked like white, two off-whites, and cream. The middle row had a brown that didn’t look as deep on me as it looked in the pan, an orange, an ashier brown that looked similar to the deep one, and another brown that swatched cool toned grey with a splash of brown. The final row had black, blue-grey, regular grey, and another brown grey that had more grey in it. This was supposed to be my ultimate neutral palette. Had the eyeshadows looked true to color on my skin, it would have been. However, this palette could be boiled down to five colors: a light color, brown, orange, grey, and black. I always used the same shades, so the remaining seven were pointless to have. The only reason this palette is still in my collection in its entirety is because they’re too fragile in their depotted state to be sold. Objectively, on people with different skin tones, perhaps this palette is true to color. In that case, I can see why it’s Viseart’s best selling palette of all time. It even looks normal on the dark arm photo on their website. However, this palette was too repetitive to be considered worth the price, had I paid full price for it.
Grande Pro 1x
The quality in this palette is inconsistent. I went extremely in-depth with the positives and the negatives in my original review. The short version is that many of the darker shades were stiffer and harder to blend. The light and mid-toned colors were thinner and worked better, but needed to be built up a bit. Columns 3-5 were perfect. The vibrant eyeshadows were the toughest to use and driest feeling, with the exception of the orange (Pumpkin). It’s no surprise because the brand really nails oranges. The performance being all over the place is why I couldn’t rank this higher. I appreciate that I get more variety in this palette than the Neutral Mattes and I can essentially replicate those colors by using the shades in this one. However, the better performance is why Neutral Mattes is higher.
Warm Mattes 10 SlimPro
I didn’t have this palette long enough to review it or even take a photo. I kept six shades and sold the remainder in a custom palette. I don’t know what I was thinking when I got it. It seemed like a good idea in theory because I like warm shades, but it was just too repetitive for how the colors looked on my skin. It was in the current formula and still good quality, but not as useful as I hoped. The Neutral Mattes had various depths from light to dark. In this palette, the darker options didn’t go as deep as I needed. Considering I could also recreate some of those looks from Warm Mattes using Grande Pro 1x colors, and at similar quality for those particular shades, this had to drop lower in the rankings.
Boheme Dream
I kept seven and sold five of the eyeshadows from this palette. It wasn’t a surprise though. The pinks, silver, and light blue were never of interest to me, which is why I held off on buying the palette for so long. So, I intentionally purchased it on sale with the plan to recoup some money by selling the ones (in unused condition) that I didn’t want. I had no issues with the quality of these eyeshadows. The reason this ranks lower is because the overall color story was less cohesive and more of a supplemental palette. In addition, the Viseart older shimmers are decent but make the palette even more lacking for me with the absence of mattes. Even though I kept one more shadow from this palette than the Warm Mattes, I think the matte formula is more impressive compared to many other brands than their shimmers are to other brands. So, by default, it took position number 12 on the list.
Dark Edit
The same issues I had from Grande Pro 1x regarding blending the dark shades and showing patchiness on camera rather than real life were happening with this palette too. The purples and black matte specifically were so annoying to try and look non-patchy, smooth, and stay adhered to my eye area, that it put me off buying Viseart palettes for a very long time. It is overall the worst performing palette from them I own, and the only one I would say is actually objectively bad. There’s something wrong with the way my batch was formulated. There were more duds than good ones. The bottom row of shimmers were the only ones I could call great or good. It’s such a shame because I think this selection of colors is even better than the Dark Mattes because it gets rid of the blues I didn’t use often and had the benefit of including shimmers, so I could make a complete look. However, I knew immediately when I made this post that Dark Edit would be at the very bottom.
That’s the end of this ranking! I hope it’s been helpful, though it’s admittedly tricky recommending things from Viseart when the old and new eyeshadow ingredients are not the same. Their eyeshadows are not one of my top 5 favorites anymore, but I’m still interested in seeing what they release and I continue to be curious about their launches. For those interested, but wary about the quality, I recommend trying to catch one of Viseart’s sales. Sometimes they have select palettes up to 60% off, though a 40% discount applies to more palettes during their sales. It’s how I ended up with so many from the brand.
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