theBalm Nude'tude Eyeshadow Palette

Can a girl have too many neutrals? Certainly - and with this being the third palette I'm reviewing for my "alternatives to Urban Decay's Naked palettes" series,  I think I may be reaching that saturation point. I'm a little desperate for something hot pink. Or teal. (Bare Minerals Remix collection, I'm eyeballing you.)

But if you are in the market for a neutral palette, the Nude'tude from theBalm is a lovely one to consider.

Much like Lorac, theBalm is one of those brands that seems to squeak by a little under the radar, through absolutely no fault of its own. The formulations are generally excellent, the packaging is super-cute, and the price point is very reasonable for a mid-range brand. (Extra points for being frequently featured on discount sites like Hautelook.)

I have several items from the line, and have been impressed with each one. If there's a stinker lurking about, I have yet to encounter it. While the Nude'tude is not quite as amazing as the three Shady Lady palettes I have, it is more excellent than not.

The packaging is right in line with the brand's tongue-in-cheek, vintage vibe. (If you're not particularly keen on staring at barely covered derrières, it is also available in a "clean" version.) Like the Lorac Pro palette, the packaging is slim and sleek, making this incredibly easy to toss into a purse or weekend bag, and the large mirror is a nice bonus.

With flash.

Left side.

Right side.

The shade range is not quite as varied as that in the Laura Mercier and Lorac palettes (and tends towards the warmer end) but it's more than adequate - four highlighters, four mid-tones, four crease/liner shades. 

The pigmentation and texture is not the same across the board. Sassy, Stubborn, Selfish, Snobby, Sultry, Sophisticated and Seductive have the signature pigmentation and smooth, rich texture that I associate with theBalm eyeshadows. They are soft to the touch, apply with great pay-off, and blend perfectly, without thinning out. They are an absolute dream to work with. (Stubborn on the lid and Sultry in the crease is a perfect no-fuss day look, by the way. Exactly the right balance of shimmer to brighten the eye and depth to add definition.)

Stand-offish is a teeny bit harder to work with. It comes on sheerer, and the shimmer verges on glitter, with some fall-down. 

As for Sexy, Serious, and Sleek - the pigmentation is less intense with these, so if you want to do a strong smoky eye, you will need to build these up. Their texture is drier than that of the other shades, which makes for less intense swatches.

In terms of application, however, the softer payoff and drier texture means that they are in some ways easier to work with, if what you want to do is to add depth to your eye look. They pick up easily on a brush, without excess powder, and they blend well. Smoking out the corner of your eye is as simple as a little wiggle and a couple of small sweeps. (A super intense black is amazing for creating a rich, smoky eye. It can be more bang than you need when all you want to do is take your eye makeup from workday to dinner out.) On their own, however, they tend to look faded and a little dull.

Silly is the one shade that I found actually problematic. Like a lot of matte-with-microglitter type shades, the glitter ended up migrating everywhere. If you're keen on the finish, a sticky base is essential.

Wear time was 8 hours, easy, over primer. Closer to 5-6 on bare eyes, with the lighter shades being the most vulnerable to fading.

Left side: Sassy, Stubborn, Selfish, Snobby, Stand-offish and Sultry.
Natural light.

Left side: Sassy, Stubborn, Selfish, Snobby, Stand-offish and Sultry.
Sunlight.

Right side: Sophisticated, Sexy, Serious, Seductive, Silly and Sleek.
Natural light.

Right side: Sophisticated, Sexy, Serious, Seductive, Silly and Sleek.
Sunlight.

Availability: At Nordstrom, currently sold out on theBalm website. Occasionally available from Hautelook. At some select Jean Coutu locations in Quebec. Price is 36$ USD.

Pros: Good range of light to dark shades, preponderance of superb textures, very easy to use, comparably inexpensive and a great value.

Cons: Skews to the warm end of the spectrum, the darker shades require building up for intensity, can look faded and dull when used on their own. A couple of the shades have glitter fall out.

(I purchased this item from Hautelook.)

Lorac Pro Palette

Let me start this review by saying that I love Lorac palettes. I mean, LOVE THEM. When I worked at Sephora, I was notorious for trying to convert my co-workers to the wonder that is the Lorac palette - buttery-dense textures, great pigmentation, gorgeous neutrals. I've come to expect a lot from Lorac.

So how does the Pro Palette fare in comparison to the top-notch Snake Charmer and Croc palettes?

Comes with Behind the Scenes eye primer.

For the most part, the Pro Palette comes close to my expectations. I do think it has more in common with the holiday-release palettes rather than the the regular versions, though.

The palette has eight matte shades and eight shimmer shades, with a fair balance of highlight, medium and crease/liner appropriate colours. I think the tones are slightly more warm than cool, though very few that skew heavily in either direction. I think this is generally a very wearable palette that should suit a large number of complexions, and is actually more versatile than the Urban Decay Naked palettes - at least in theory. In practice, a couple of the shades are troublesome enough that they detract a bit from the versatility.

With flash.

Left side of palette.

Right side of palette.

The matte shades are a bit on the thin side, though still soft and pigmented. They actually apply very nicely and easily to the eyelid, but can sweep away a little easily so a light blending hand is advised. The lighter shades (White, Cream, Light Pink) are the ones that are potentially problematic for me, as they come across powdery and need to be blended in order to lose that dry quality. Unfortunately, because of that thin texture, blending tends to sheer them out, making them best for use as a highlight.

The shimmer shades have a smoother, denser feel and generally great pigmentation. They have a similar tendency to overblend, so the same care is required. The only remotely problematic shade for me was Champagne, which has glitter that can fall down. Gold, Pewter, Garnet and Deep Purple are my favourite shades, with intense payoff.

The wear time was really good. I had no problem with fading or creasing when I wore them over a primer, going through a full 10 hours before removing my makeup. Without primer, I got 7-8 hours before I noticed fading.

Top row, matte shades: White, Cream, Taupe, Lt. Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black.
Mix of indirect natural and artificial light.

Top row, matte shades: White, Cream, Taupe, Lt. Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black.
Mix of sunlight and artificial light.

Bottom row, shimmer shades: Nude, Champagne, Gold, Lt. Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple, Slate.
Mix of indirect natural and artificial light.

Bottom row, shimmer shades: Nude, Champagne, Gold, Lt. Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple, Slate.
Mix of sunlight and artificial light.

Availability: Online from Sephora, for 55$ CAD, and from Beauty.com for 42$ USD.

Pros: Really great range of colours, overall solid pigmentation, long-wearing, super-blendable. Works as either a starter set or as a base neutral palette.

Cons: Thinner texture  one some shades can tend toward over-blending, which can both sheer the colour out and create an indistinct look - best to pat the pigment on and gently blend the edges.

(I purchased this from Beauty.com.)

Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes

Wow. I was writing this review and checking the usual sites for availability and...the Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes was nowhere to be found. Like, NOWHERE. It had poofed right out of existence. I debated whether it was worth putting this up at all, considering, but it is an excellent palette and seems like one of those sleeper hits that ends being stalked on eBay in a few months. A few extra swatches out there for reference can't hurt, right? (If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you know I had planned on making this review one of three for alternatives to the Urban Decay Naked palette family. Ah well. Best laid plans.)

EDIT: Ah! Just called the Holt Renfrew in Montreal, and they still have it in stock. VICTORY. I know the Sephora in Pointe-Claire still had it as of last week. This is one that requires some in-person retailing if you want to track it down.

The Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes features twelve neutral-ish eyeshadows, half of them matte, the other half with shimmer. This is actually my first experience with Laura Mercier powder eyeshadows, and if it's indicative of the quality, then count me in for checking out future offerings.

I have to say, I really like the exterior packaging. It's fun and sophisticated, and not entirely what I think of when I think Laura Mercier, which tends to evoke more staid associations. Like Bobbi Brown, but more neutral. (I don't know why, since the only other LM item I have reviewed so far was the anything-but-yawn-worthy Caviar Stick.)

The real magic is on the inside however, with a selection of perfectly edited shades to suit most of your everyday needs. This palette isn't flashy, but it is The Little Black Dress of palettes, a passe-partout that will take you from workday to cocktails, dinner out to weekend in-and-about.

And then there is African Violet, which is just a stunner. Lavender, with golden shimmer. Need I say more?

I have heard that LM eyeshadows can have sheerer pigmentation (which is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself), but I didn't find that was the case with these at all. All the shades applied with good to superb payoff. The shimmer shades are soft and buttery, not too dense, apply and blend very well.

The mattes are smooth and soft, which means they can kick up a bit of powder when you dip your brush in. It's better to go in with a light hand, blend and apply more as needed, or they can drop pigment down where you don't want it.

The wear on these was great: 8-10 hours easily over primer, some fading after 5 hours without primer, but no creasing.

Left side of the palette.

Right side of the palette.

Mix of natural and artificial light.
Left to right, the top-row shimmers: Chocolate, African Violet, Sable, Guava, Cameo, Sunlit.

Mix of natural and artificial light.
Left to right, the bottom-row mattes: Vanilla Nuts (not sheer, just exactly my skin tone), Plum Smoke, Cafe au Lait, Coffee Ground, Deep Night, Rich Coffee.

Availability: Couldn't find an online source anymore, but it is still available at some Holt Renfrew and Sephora locations. Price is 60$ CAD.

Pros: Exemplary range of neutral-ish shades and finishes, including excellent highlighters and liner options. Great pigmentation, easy to work with and blend. Truly a palette that answers most makeup needs.

Cons: Soft texture and pigmentation can lead to fallout on initial application, so a light hand is encouraged.

(I purchased this item from Sephora.)

Drew Barrymore's New Makeup Line - Flower

So Drew Barrymore is launching her own makeup line, which will be featured exclusively at Wal-Mart. Drew doesn't strike me as the average Wal-Mart shopper, but she is a supremely savvy businesswoman. I can't wait to see this in person, I have high hopes that they deliver on the promise of luxury content at mass-appeal prices. (Article at WWD.)

Image from WWD.

Estée Lauder Violet Underground Palette

Like the Lise Watier Millésime "Les Vins" palette I reviewed a little while back, the Violet Underground palette from Estée Lauder was a stunning fall piece that has segued seamless into the holiday season. It is probably my favorite from the Fall 2012 collections, not least of all because of its seasonal versatility.

It is absolutely gorgeous, and performs flawlessly.

I love that EL veered slightly from the usual gold packaging and went with the midnight exterior. The shades in the palette are so intense, gold would have pushed this uncomfortably close to the tacky side of the 80s, rather than the Jerry Hall, glam-tastic fabulousness that this palette totally owns.

The colors are so rich, vibrant and metallic in the pan, and they do not disappoint when applied.

Natural and artificial light.

Direct sunlight.

The formula is the Cyber Eyes tribrid that can be used wet or dry, and while the colors do go on more metallic and intense when used wet, I had no problem getting density and payoff when using these dry, and they last all day. It's even better than the Bronze Sands palette, and that's saying a lot.

Despite the scary fuchsia, this is a surprisingly versatile palette. The soft black and beautiful navy shade will, of course, make for a classic smoky eye, while the brown and cream shades work just as well for a more subdued daytime combination. There are no matte shades, so it's not an all-arounder that you can toss into your weekend bag, but it has a lot more range than would be immediately obvious.

Availaibility: Harder to locate now, but it is still available on the US Estée Lauder website, and my local Bay still had it in stock this week. Price is 48$ USD and 50$ CAD.

Pros: Sublime formula with great density and pigmentation. Fantastic overall aesthetic. Surprisingly wearable and versatile.

Cons: None that I can think of.

(I purchased this from Lord and Taylor in the States.)