Saturday, January 30, 2016

Review and Swatches ::: Natasha Denona Eyeshadow 5-pan Palette #04!!!

Beautylish is launching Natasha Denona Eyeshadow Palettes very soon! This makeup line is originally from Egypt and has suddenly become very, very popular among makeup lovers! Internationally famed Makeup Artist Natasha Denona established this line some time back but because it ships from Egypt it was not quite readily accessible to consumers in USA. But don’t worry, like many other niche brands that Beautylish has facilitated to set up shop here in USA, Natasha Denona is also coming to an e-store near you :-) Sign up here for early access!


This line has quite an extensive range of products but it is most loved for the metallic eyeshadows. There are 28-pan palettes, 10-pan palettes, 5-pan palettes and also a wide range of single shades. She has a total of 13 different 5-pan palettes! Today I am talking about her Eyeshadow Palette 5 Number 04

Before digging deeper, let’s talk about the price. Apart from the quality they are also “infamous” for the price range! These are some of the “costlier” eyeshadows in the market! Regular single pan eyeshadow costs $27 to $29 for 0.08 oz. of products! This palette has 5 full size shadows (which are also available as single pan) at a cost of $48. So, there is almost 100 bucks of savings right there!! I got this palette in this year’s Lucky Bag from Beautylish so I did not exactly pay $48, you check the breakdown here. Let’s compare the price with some of the shadows that I think are a bit similar in style for, e.g. Makeup Geek Foiled shadows! They are $10 each, so if you are hunting for just one shade, then it’s definitely much more affordable. But if you happen to get 5 or more shades it will cost you more than the Natasha Denona palette. Bottom line – these are rather pricy products but when you buy the palette the price is much “easier-to-justify”! My advice is- “do your math before buying!”

Packaging-wise I do think they have a lot to improve! It looks quite cheap to be honest; I would have liked a sturdy, more elegant looking palette. It is compact which is good for travelling or to carry in your kit but the material is just plastic with a very clear and somewhat flimsy lid. I am afraid that there are risks of breakage if you travel a lot with this. There is no mirror as well. At this price point I don’t expect this type of packaging!


Now on to the fun and exciting part! This palette as 5 shades all in metallic finish and in neutral warm fall-ish shades! They are very strongly pigmented shadows! I believe they are pressed pigments (don’t count me on that!); so these are quite creamy in formula. When I swatch them with my finger, they feel a little bit stiff and not as soft as some of the other metallic shades I have from different brands. But I don’t feel this rigidity or hardness when applied on the eyes. They blend very easily and very quickly! They can also be easily layered over each other! Like I said, these are very creamy in formula so without any primer underneath they started to crease within 4-5 hrs; I expected that. With primer, it lasts the 7-8 hrs. if I am in an indoor environment. The other day, I had a light layer of “oxide” over Mac Paint Pot and spent at least 5-6 hrs. running around in a refinery, so it creased a little bit and the pigmented got deposited on the middle of my lid! But it was not horrible at all. I would definitely prefer a bit stronger wear time but overall I do love the quality of these. 



Here are the shades –
25 M (aura): it’s very light yellow-y beige metallic shade! It almost looks glittery but with very fine micro glitter. It’s a little too light for me to use as an over-all lid shade but if you have lighter skin tone than me, this will be beautiful. I use it just at the center of the lid to create a “halo” effect.

31M (cool bronze): I don’t understand why it is called “cool bronze”. It’s definitely bronze but no way it’s cool! It is a very, very warm golden type bronze. Personally I believe these types of shade are very flattering on me :-) I mostly wear all over my lid; I specially love to wear a light layer for everyday wear-to-work look!

63M (oxide): Another favorite shade; actually this might be my most favorite. It’s a very warm coppery-maroon. I love this shade. This is the color I automatically grab to apply whenever I am using this palette.

70P (cool plum): This is one or two shades darker and browner than 63M. Even though it is mentioned as “metallic” like the others I feel this has less glitter and is less metallic in finish; I actually enjoy that! It’s also much softer to touch. I love using it on my outer-v, works great on the lower lash line and because it is not as metallic as the others it can be used on the crease as well. Overall, this is the most useful shade in this palette for me!

59M (moonstone): This has the same formula and texture like 25M. It’s a peachy coral apricot type of shade. It shows up a little lighter on the eyes than when swatched on the hand. 


Overall, I love this palette. I also like the fact that every skin tone can use all of these shades in some way or the other. The only thing I am still struggling with is to come up with different looks! I love vibrant colors and all these shades being monochromatic I always end up wearing the same type of look. I guess I have to try harder.


Overall, I am really enjoying the palette. For me it was worth the investment! :-) If you love metallic shades and are a big fan of neutral warm shades you will definitely enjoy this palette. I just received number #1 palette today and that’s much more versatile in shade range. I am really excited to play with that :-)

Love,
~Arrru

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