Hi All,
I’ve finally started swatching all my make up for you so that you can get an idea of a) what I feel about them b) how they perform. Pretty standard really! I’ve tried to swatch them and photograph them in flash and no flash (or shade and light, as KVD would say!) I’ve got my own little rubric on how I will be rating this, so if it’s TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) for you as I go on, you can just use my little report card! I grade these on texture, pigment, longevity, product packaging, value for money, versatility (can it double as anything else?) and wearability. By wearability I mean can it perform in a diversity of occasions? Work, nights out, weddings, casual day etc. Of course this doesn’t stand if you’re a person who rocks a purple lip at work (also lucky you!)
THE LONG
The Shade+ Light Eye Palette has twelve eyeshadows that are broken down into warm, neutral and cool quads. I feel that the majority of these shades are on the warmer side though, so they’ll definitely work with Indian undertones. They are all matte and that itself makes it quite work appropriate. The quads are broken down by a highlight shade on the top, followed by three shades set below which are your contour, lid and crease shades. The majority of this palette is very finely-milled and extremely silky to the touch, but there are a few that can be quite chalky and powdery. When an eyeshadow is either chalky/powdery, it can often lead to the shadow to turn patchy on the lid or sheer out the more you blend. This can be a bad thing especially when you’re trying to build colour and intensify in a certain area, so you can use an eye primer of your choice to combat this. Another wonderful thing about this palette is that it is so multifaceted. I’ll explain as I go along, so first:
Texture
There’s really no way you can go wrong with the texture of these shadows. I rate the majority of them an A+ with a few Bs for the chalky ones (namely, Ludwin and Lucius. Damn it Malfoy, get it together!) They’re totally matte and buildable, and many of them are perfect transition shades especially if you want to use other single glitter eyeshadows and just need a warm palette on your side that’s not shimmery.
Pigment
Not too problematic. Blendable. Some are sheer (Liberatus) as you blend them out. All of this can be fixed with a primer.
Longevity
All of these last an average work day, provided you have air conditioning in the office and as long as you don’t work in a construction site. I’ve work these on nights out and they’ve still been there when I came back home 5-6 hours later.
Product Packaging
It’s Kat Von D. Can she possibly go wrong? If there’s an artist out there worth her salt, it would be her. I don’t think I’ve seen a single palette of hers that’s not been meticulously planned packaging-wise. She’s usually spot on with these and the Shade+ Light is no different.
Value For Money
It’s 46 USD (In INR currently that’s 3104) which I think is fine for a palette that’s this useful and has this kind of quality. The majority of the palettes out there are in the 1500-2000 range and the even higher-end brands go way above that. Frankly speaking, you get more shades, more product in the pan which will last you a long way, and better quality than any MAC palette so definitely buy it. It’s been one of my most useful palettes thus far, and I don’t think there’s a single all matte palette that is its equivalent in the Indian market. That being said, I recognise that’s quite steep for some people so whenever I find Indian dupes of certain shades I’ll just attach them to this post! You can also try the Maybelline The Nudes Palette. It doesn’t have all the shades in the the KVD palette but you can definitely dupe some.
Versatility
I’ve used these on my face and collar bones to highlight and contour so you really do get a lot of use out of this product. I even used it to darken a lip colour once.
Wearability
I’ve worked this palette at get togethers, regular days, work and nights out. You really can’t go wrong with a solid neutral/cool/warm palette.
Where can you buy this?
Right now I don’t think this product is available in India. You can buy it off instagram dealers online (just tweet me at DivijaMohan or tag me on instagram @divijamoh and i’ll send you the profiles of people I’ve bought from) and you can get it on Sephora and Ulta US. It’s a shame that we have Sephora in India but no Kat Von D. With the number of adoring women in India who love make up, I’m sure she’ll open up shop soon so don’t be disheartened!
That concludes the long portion of my review. I am going to include the photos and the report card below. Thanks for reading!
THE SHORT
Photo Credit: Sharanya Krishnan
Without Flash. Photo Credit: Sharanya Krishnan
With Flash Photo Credit: Sharanya Krishnan
Highlight Shades. With Flash. Photo Credit: Sharanya Krishnan
TL; DR Edition
Thanks for reading, if you liked my review please do me a solid follow me on my social media to get an update whenever I put up a new one.
Love,
Divija
P.S: My social media links
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theladywithquestions
Snapchat: divija
Instagram: @divijamoh
Twitter: @DivijaMohan
Youtube: Divija Mohan
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