I wasn't sure if I was going to do a review of this palette as I didn't buy it. I always feel a bit awkward about that situation and even more as I've been a fan of Beautanica for a really long time, who happens to be one of the owners.
But then, I just said f*ck it!
I almost exclusively use indie make-up now as I find mainstream/commercial make-up incredibly boring! While indies can jump on trends over night, the big guys take months because of their vast distribution.
But enough about that, bet you didn't click your way here to hear me rant about the "big brands" and all that jazz I can rant about for actual days...
This is what it looks like inside.
There's a lot I like about this palette without going into the actual shadows themselves.
It's a sturdy package, it survived without any damage, shadows traveled safely and there was no loose pigment at all in it when it arrived to me here in Zambia. There was even a protective sheet over the shadows which I greatly appreciate as it keeps the mirror clean. The mirror, its an actual mirror which I use when I use this palette. That's a really rare thing. And bonus points for having the name shades both on under the shadows and on the back of the palette. The Collective Cosmetics is a cruelty free and vegan brand.
The Shadows:
As always I've swatched these using primers.
I used Notoriously Morbid's Glitter Adhesive for the shimmers and Darling Girl Cosmetics Primped & Primed balm primer for the mattes which is how I use shadows.
I want to see what's on the pan on my eyes, I'm not the kind that likes a "soft" wash of colour, if I wear make-up, you'll know!
Worth noting:
All the shadows from this brand are handmade so they might not always look the same/be identical. I don't know if Tune and Screaming in my palette was a fluke or not as I've seen nice payoff on others but mine are very hard and softer pigmented than the rest. I don't mind soft pigmentation personally as it's great for building shadows rather then having to blend pigment away and making a mess... Been there way too many times. But I wanted to share that as it might just be my palette.
Bright: This is perfection. I've used it as highlighter, topper and on it's own, always looks amazing.
Whispering: Glitter adhesive is a must or you'll miss the whole point of this shadow!
2010: Beautiful gold, can't go wrong with this one.
Screaming: Beautiful red, a true red that doesn't blend pink. Again, mine was a bit hard but totally fine for building.
Clone: Duo-chrome red base with green shift. Pretty but probably the only shade I don't care for.
Coup De Etat: Another star in this palette. Beautiful and easy to work with.
Quiet: A matte black. Very pigmented but can get patchy depending on your base but overall one of the better black shadows I've used.
Overall a beautiful palette.
The only disappointment was Clone but that's mainly because I have quite a collection of this type of shadows which I'm happy with. In would absolutely have wanted a satin pink or aubergine shade in its place. The shimmers preform well, no problems at all with any of the shadows if used over the appropriate kind of primer. I must confess that I have not used these shadows without primer but I just don't do that as my lids are oily and everything vanishes within the hour if I don't prime.
Favorites are definitely Bright, Memories and Tune, even with a hard texture pan it's a nice shade for my collection that I didn't have. I've used it a few times and while it is a softer pigmented shadow it delivers.
That will conclude this review.
Let me know in the comments if you've tried anything from this new indie brand! I'm really curious to hear about your experience with Tune and Screaming as well as knowing what single pans you'd recommend!
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