... Inspired by the movie: Dark Shadows ...
I had no idea what this movie was when I bought this beautiful palette by NYX so I was purely going of the fact that I had bought the True Blood palette by Tarte last year and ended up loving it. So far I am 2 for 2 buying palettes inspired by something in Hollywood!
I purchased this kit from my local Ulta store for $24.99. Now considering my Tarte for True Blood palette was considerably higher priced than this, I honestly didn't expect much. This palette, however, has turned me into an NYX fan for life! (In addition to this palette, I also purchased 4 more NYX products that day, all 4 of which I'm pleased with as well!) The pictures above show the palette from the front and back. It has a magnet snap closure which is strong so it stays together really well.
When you open the palette, it has 2 sections. The first section is shown above with 24 very pigmented eye shadows, 4 eye shadow applicators and on the right, a mirror. For the following photos, I will show swatches of the eye shadows going row by row from left to right, top to bottom.
Row 1: This row consists of a matte black, a satin finish cream/flesh color, a purple shimmer and a satin finish almost "burnt orange" color, or copper.
Row 2: This row consists of a shimmer finish lilac color, a matte sage green, a satin finish cream color (this is a tad bit darker than the satin cream in row 1 and is less pink in tone), and a shimmer navy color.
Row 3: This row consists of a very light shimmered royal blue, a shimmery forest green, a shimmery chocolate brown, and a satin finish warm purple color.
Row 4: This row consists of your base neutral/highlight colors. First is a matte cream color, then a matte light brown/taupe, then a matte taupe/even lighter brown, and a satin finish egg shell white.
Row 5: This row consists of a light brown with a very light satin finish, a matte dark brown, a satin finish light pink, and a matte charcoal gray.
Row 6: This row consists of a satin finish pink/light lilac, a satin finish taupe, a shimmer brown and a satin finish light yellow/gold.
With all of the above polishes, I've gotten the best results when using an eyelid primer. Another great surprise is that I have experienced very little fall out so it's nice to finish your eye makeup without having a huge mess to clean up on the rest of your face. Luckily the palette name isn't literal! HAHA!
Now, we turn the "page" to view the rest of the palette. On the left, they give you an example of 3 looks from the movie from Josette, Dr. Hoffman and Angelique. The looks are described but there is no instruction like there was in the True Blood palette by Tarte. On one hand, I appreciate when instructions are included because I like to be able to recreate looks exactly as they were in the move. On the other hand, I think by NOT including instructions, NYX has inspired me to become creative... I feel free to create any look and not just included ones.
First up in this part of the palette are the HD High Definition Shadow Base and the NYX Liquid Eyeliner that are included with your palette. On the right, I have swatched both of them for you with the base on the top and the eyeliner on the bottom.
Typically I do not like a liquid liner, just because I have a hard time having a steady enough hand to use a liquid liner when the line is so harsh. I have found, however, that I enjoy putting the liner on and smudging it a little with a precision brush. I love the smoky look it creates.
I LOVE the shadow base! It is very creamy and has a moisturizing feel which is great because for me, my eye area tends to get very dry. I also can testify to the long lasting quality of this base. My shadows have lasted for hours which is great as a busy mom because I just don't have time to stop and touch up my makeup with 4 kids running around!
Next up is the highlight and blushes. Here I have swatched the highlight on the top followed by all 5 blushes from top to bottom.
The highlight is a decent product. I'm not really accustomed to using highlights on a regular basis, but I do really like this one on the bridge of my nose and on my cupid's bow to help my lips look fuller.
I also am not one to apply blush on a regular basis because my face naturally has a "blushed" look and often times will still show through what ever foundation I am using. The blushes included in this kit, however, are very pretty. First you have a matte pink/peach blush. Next you have a much more vivid color in almost a raspberry pink matte. Then you have a shimmery peach color, followed by a pink shimmer. The largest of the blushes is at the bottom and that is a light almost mauve pink.
Lastly, we have 4 lip gloss products which are really more pigmented than I expected making them almost like lipsticks. From left to right we have almost a neutral light mauve color. Then we have a very bright blue-toned pink. Next is a very true light pink color. Finally we come to a color I expected to be more red, is actually a hot raspberry pink color.
So... That's it for the collection! I have a few looks that I have enjoyed doing with this palette so I will try to get those done and posted for you as soon as I can! If you have any questions about this palette that I have not answered here, please let me know!
--Yours-- Jessica
