Jouer Cosmetics has released the Essential Matte and Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette, which has 12 "essential" shadows.
And I won't be buying.
To be honest, I have not heard of Jouer Cosmetics outside of YouTube, and there has never been a product from this brand that has been so hyped, so raved about, or so unique as to pique my interest. And this same goes with this bland, basic, overdone palette.
The Essential Matte and Shimmer palette is $40 and contains 0.59 ounces of product. This is a pretty standard pice for a mid-range palette of this size, however, as I've mentioned before, part of that charge is for the convenience of looking at a product and being able to test it in-store. There are a few retailers that sell Jouer, but they are smaller boutiques or salons and are not as readily accessible as Sephora, Ulta, or department stores.
The palette contains five shimmer and seven matte shadows. Jouer individual shadows are $22 each, which is why many people are praising the price of the Essential Matte and Shimmer palette, but the singles are also 0.077 ounces a piece. Each shadow in the Essential Matte and Shimmer palette is 0.049 ounces.
Looking at the shadows as pigments without presentation or packaging shows that the palette is nothing special:
These are the most basic of basic champagnes and browns with a random orange thrown in.
This palette looks like it was absolutely made with fair skin tones only in mind, and it doesn't seem as though it would be a diverse palette for really any skin tone.
Looking at the promotional swatch photos, I was not impressed.
I always appreciate when a brand releases promotional swatch photos with several different skin tones represented, but these photos also show the limitations of the light color scheme.
Frankly I'm surprised there has been much of any buzz about this palette, but then the buzz I have seen has largely been created by people who were sent PR packages. And that doesn't surprise me. But this palette is not only boring, it is so overdone. Jouer is several years too late on releasing a palette like this.
That is not to say that some people won't like this color scheme. I'm sure plenty of people would like a palette that gives them several very natural looks with a few deeper shades if they want to be a little more daring and bold. But there are many other options at this point that are easily accessible that I can't see the people who want this kind of palette and don't already own several alternatives buying it from Jouer's site.
This palette looks like Stila Eyes Are the Window to the Mind:
Stila In the Know:
Lorac Nude Necessities:
And the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics:
The swatches I have seen of the Essential Matte and Shimmer palette from reviewers (not the Jouer promo pictures) have not been the best. The swatches either looked like several layers of product had been applied to the skin to make it look even or they looked powdery and patchy. This palette is just too expensive for average shadow quality and low accessibility.
Honestly, this was an incredibly easy pass for me. There is just truly nothing here that interests me even a little. I could certainly see this palette appealing to those who are new to makeup and don't have very basic shadows, but as I said, there are so many alternatives to this palette within the same price range that I don't see why this palette would be very desirable.
From my personal collection, I much prefer the Ciate London Pretty Palette for solid neutrals with a twist of something interesting:
Overall, I don't think the Essential Matte and Shimmer palette is worth its price tag, and I don't think the palette value is as high as people are claiming. For me, this palette would be a wasteful purchase that I would hardly every use. I would have much preferred if Jouer came out with an innovative collection of colors or at least a palette that follows the current trends of rosy, berry, and red shades. The Essential Matte and Shimmer palette might contain shades that are "essential" to certain skin tones, but they are so "essential" that most people already own them. I certainly don't need another natural palette with nothing all that interesting going on, and I won't be buying.
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