Huda Beauty released a new eighteen pan eyeshadow palette November 1st. The brand has had an excellent year of new makeup releases ranging from concealers, baking powders, and new lip formulas. I immediately fell in love with the mauvy vibes from this palette and had to get my hands on it. The palette retails for $65 at Sephora and ShopHudaBeauty. Huda Beauty also released three new double-sided brushes/applicators that were specifically created for this palette. The brushes are sold separately and retail between $15-$18. I did not purchase any of the brushes but I will talk about one of them shortly.
This palette has five different eyeshadow textures including ten mattes shadows, four multi-reflective shadows, two pressed glitters, one pressed pearl, and one concealer base. Similar to the brand’s first eyeshadow palette, The Original Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette, there are a few different shadow formulas in this palette that require a unique technique of being applied. Below are the instructions on how to use each different type of formula from Sephora’s website.
HOW TO USE:
“Concealer Base:
-Prepare lids with the concealer base shade.
-Alternatively, apply on top of matte shades to create a cut crease or amplify shadows and glitters.
Matte Eyeshadows:
-Apply and blend onto lids with your favorite brush.
Multi-Reflective Shades:
-For a subtle light-diffusing look, blend into mattes.
-Apply over a base or bare lid for an understated, pearlescent glow.
-Apply with the Fender Blender (sold separately) or your finger, dipped in setting spray for maximum shine.
Glitter Formulas:
-Apply glitter with the Fender Blender (sold separately) or a flat, dense brush.
Pressed Pearl:
-Apply on top of matte formulas for a high-shimmer finish.”-Sephora.com
THE FENDER BLENDER:
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| This is the Fender Blender applicator. One side has a sponge tip and the other has a silicone tip. This applicator is perfect for the multi-reflective and glitter formulas. Here is the description of the applicator the ShopHudaBeauty website, “Hand-designed by Huda herself, the easy-to-use dual-ended Fender Blender combines a sponge applicator with a flexible silicone tip that are perfect for applying more challenging eyeshadows.” Again, I did not purchase any of the brushes/applicators. |
REVIEW: Since there is kind of a lot going on with this palette, I am going to break it down and review each shadow formula separately.
The Concealer Base – I first tried applying this on my eye in lieu of using an eyeshadow primer or a different concealer. I do not recommend using this technique because the formula is so thin and not very opaque on its own so it did not conceal my imperfections and looked ashy. I personally found this product worked best on top of an eyeshadow primer or concealer. I do think the shadows, in particular, the multi-reflective shadows, adhere and perform better when the concealer base is used. Huda did a YouTube video using this palette and she mentioned the concealer base went on ashy for her as well and recommended using it as a base rather than a concealer. In that video, she applied her matte shadows in the crease first and then applied the concealer base on her lid to prep for the multi-reflective and glitter shadows.
The Matte Eyeshadows – I really enjoy Huda Beauty’s matte eyeshadow formula. They are very buttery, super pigmented, and usually have very little to no fallout. The matte shadows in this palette are still consistent with my previous experience. I did notice the shades ‘Teddy’, ‘Raw’, and ‘Love Bite’ kicked up a little bit a powder when I dipped my brush into the pan, but they still performed very well and there was no fallout when I applied it to my eye.
The Multi-Reflective Shades – The formula of these shadows remind me of the textured shadows that came in the original Rose Gold palette. Like the textured shadows, the multi-reflective formula requires you to use your finger or Huda’s fender blender applicator that is sold separately, in order for this shadows to perform well. Personally, I hate the finger application method because I really hate when makeup gets on my hands. The shadows are very beautiful once applied, but I wish you could get the same results with a regular brush as you do with your finger.
The Glitter Formulas – To cut to the chase on the two glitters in this palette, I hate them! No matter which way I applied the glitters,(my finger or a dense brush), it always went on very chunky and fell onto my cheek. You really have to play with the glitters in order for them to look nice and somewhat opaque. I only used them on top of the pressed pearl and matte shades. I imagine if this were applied alone it would require a lot of patience and several layers. I also noticed when I used the glitters, my false lashes had a hard time adhering to my eye.
The Pressed Pearl – The pressed pearl is essentially a shimmer shade that applies beautifully with a brush and can be intensified with a setting spray. There is only one pressed pearl in this palette. I was a bit disappointed about this because this formula is the easiest to work with besides the matte shadows.
LOOKS:
Here are some of the looks I created throughout the week using the palette!
FINAL THOUGHTS: This palette is A LOT of work, and for $65 I should not be working this hard. The majority of the shades in this palette require some sort of special technique in order for them to perform well. I really wish the fender blender applicator came with the palette! I think it is kind of ridiculous of the brand to not include this applicator with the palette to help apply the shadows; especially because their consumers are already spending a pretty penny for the palette. The applicator they could have included did not even need to be full sized, but give us something to work with! I did not mention the other two brushes in this review because they are nothing special. The fender blender, however, is extremely unique and is a necessary tool in order to get the most out of this palette.
I really love the color theme of this palette but I think it is missing a dark matte brown shade. I found myself inadvertently doing the same look over and over because there was only so much depth I could add to my eye with the shades provided.
All in all, this product was disappointing and I cannot recommend this. I think the brand had an excellent concept but dropped the ball in several different areas on the final product. A palette this expensive should be able to be used effortlessly or come with the tools that are imperative. Do you have this palette? What are your thoughts?
Side note: I can’t believe I made it through the first week of my challenge! If you have no idea what I am talking about, check out this post. I love this new routine and I am so excited to try more of the products that are in the box. It was a little difficult and slightly strange to not pick up anything from Kylie’s new holiday collection but I am sure my bank account thanks me. Anywho, I hope everyone has a beautiful Thanksgiving!
