Kylie Cosmetics has released the latest in her rapidly growing makeup line: the Kyshaodw Holiday Palette. And like everything released by Kylie Cosmetics, the palette is likely to be a huge success.
But I won't be buying.
The one thing I can always credit Kylie Cosmetics with is that their color selection for eyeshadow palettes is always really pretty. Unfortunately, they are not unique or of the highest quality, especially considering the price.
I've mentioned this in my other two posts about Kyshadow palettes, but I feel it always merits a mention. This palette costs $42 plus $9 for shipping within the US and $15 for international shipping. That makes this basic, easily replicated nine-shadow palette a minimum of $51.
I mention this price every time, and every time I am still astonished by it. It absolutely, without doubt does not cost $9 to package and ship a small eyeshadow palette. It costs a fraction of that. So the only reason Kylie Cosmetics charges so much for shipping is to make more money off of each sale. The shipping cost is so high that it actually feels extortionate.
I've mentioned before how turned-off I am by hype-driven marketing tactics. Though I wasn't the biggest fan of the Modern Renaissance palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills, I loved how the brand handled the release of it. The first time consumers learned of the palette was the day before it launched. Anastasia Beverly Hills released good quality, color corrected images, provided the price, and said the palette would be released the following day. There is no question that Modern Renaissance is a good quality product that most people love, and Anastasia Beverly Hills relied on the quality of the product rather than hype tactics.
Kylie Cosmetics could not take a more different approach to marketing. These are typically the first images released of a new Kyshadow palette:
I can't even articulate how enraged these images make me. It's almost to the point where if I see a brand releases images with a black and white filter, I not only don't want to buy the product, but it is a major turnoff on the brand in general.
These images tell us nothing. Just that the brand has a product in the works and that the product can be swatched heavily on an arm. That's it.
This kind of marketing is very frustrating because, as I've mentioned countless times, releasing "teasers" of products without any helpful information begs for the consumers to make a premature decision on whether they will purchase based on their own created idea of what the product will be. And then when the actual product is shown, along with the helpful information of price and release date, consumers are more likely to purchase because they've already had it set in their mind that they would. And the reality is that this kind of marketing is unnecessary if the product is good. Modern Renaissance is the most popular palette I've seen in a while, and the brand relied fully on the quality of the product and word of mouth.
Like the other two Kyshadow palettes, the most interesting thing about the Holiday Palette is the packaging:
As I've mentioned before, I like the look of the soft-drawn eyes, and while the drips aren't necessarily my preferred aesthetic, I like how they show the colors within the palette.
Let's take a closer look at the colors:
Here are some swatches:
In typical Kylie Cosmetics fashion, the swatches are clearly applied heavily and are finger swatches. Finger swatches will always show the colors more brilliantly than what they will be when applied with a brush. And these swatches specifically look as though they were applied heavily with at least two applications.
And I'll admit that the Kyshadow Holiday Palette has a pretty color scheme. It gives the illusion of being somewhat unique since it doesn't look like most of the warm-toned neutral palettes flooding the market recently, but when you look at the colors as pigments away from the packaging:
You can see that this is an overpriced, run-of-the-mill jewel-toned palette with some matte shades thrown in. This palette is so unoriginal, in fact, that I've come up with several palettes that have an incredibly similar color scheme.
There's Urban Decay Smoked ($49):
Lorac Pro Metal ($28):
Zoeva Mixed Metals ($26.50 plus shipping):
Zoeva Cool Spectrum ($40 plus shipping):
Estee Edit Gritty and Glow ($58, includes blush/highlight palette):
Photo: Temptalia
And Viseart Bijoux Royal ($80):
Photo: Temptalia
Admittedly, I don't have personal experience with a Kyshadow palette. I have, however, seen and read multiple reviews, and I find the most trustworthy reviewers are all in agreement: the quality is similar to Costal Scents, BH Cosmetics, and Morphe. The price tag, however, especially for nine shadows, is incredibly inflated considering the quality. I have owned palettes from Urban Decay, Lorac, Zoeva, and Viseart, and I can say that buying any of the above palettes would be a much better purchase than the Kyshadow palette.
The only palettes listed above that would cost more than the Kyshadow palette are Zoeva Cool Spectrum (once shipping is counted), which includes 15 shadows; Estee Edit Gritty and Glow, which has enormous pan sizes, a ton of product, and includes a blush/highlight palette; and Viseart Bijoux Royal, which is of incredible quality and has 12 shadows.
The palettes that are less expensive than the Kyshadow are Urban Decay Smoked, which has 10 shadows; Lorac Pro Metal, which has eight shadows but is less than $20 cheaper; and Zoeva Mixed Metals, which has 10 shadows. So, the palettes that are more expensive than the Kyshadow palette have significantly more to offer, and the palettes that are less expensive either also have more to offer or are substantial cheaper. When looking at the Kyshadow palette through this lens, it's really apparent how overpriced it is.
Personally, out of all of these options, I would go with the Viseart Bijoux Royal palette. It wasn't marketed as a holiday palette, was released months ago, and isn't limited edition. And while it absolutely can be used any time of year, it also reminds me of the holidays in the best way. I think it's a gorgeous palette, and the reason I passed on it when it was first released was because of the inclusion of colors. At the time, I wasn't interested in much outside of gold and bronze, but now it is absolutely something that has caught my attention. I certainly don't need it, however, and will likely not purchase it. But it sure is pretty.
Though limited edition and marketed as a holiday palette, the color scheme of the Kyshadow palette can be found in multiple permanent options. The limited edition "holiday" nature of this release is just another marketing tactic, making this palette feel as though it is seasonal and if you don't purchase it now, you won't have the perfect eyeshadow for the holiday season. But there is nothing innovative or exclusively holiday about jewel-toned shadows. And the Kyshadow palette is just an overpriced, mediocre quality jewel tone palette. I've mentioned before that arguably the biggest pull for consumers to the Kylie Cosmetics brand is the person behind it. And for young fans, it won't matter how overpriced or low quality an item is, if their favorite celebrity puts their name on a product, they will find a way to buy it. And as I've said, that's specifically why I am so annoyed at Kylie Cosmetics prices, specifically shipping costs. I imagine there are many young fans out there begging their parents for this palette, putting it on their holiday list, or saving up all their money to buy it. And for that effort and fan support, the palette should be amazing quality. Charging an exorbitant shipping fee on an already overpriced palette is therefore a really low, crappy move. It's taking advantage of mainly young fans, and I think that's pretty awful. Though pretty, the Kyshadow Holiday Palette is really nothing special. And I won't be buying.
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