What I'm Not Buying: Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry Palette

Yesterday, on my Instagram stories, I asked readers to pick my next anti-haul blog post. I received a tremendous response (thank you!), and while there is certainly interest in an anti-haul post for all of the products I mentioned (stay tuned...) there was one product that stood out from the rest that was either a great source of temptation or anger: Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry.

Sultry, which is the newest eyeshadow palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills, is a completely neutral palette that we have seen dozens of times over the past seven years. But this time, it has an added coral shade. 

And I won't be buying. 

Does anyone else remember the Anastasia Beverly Hills of the Modern Renaissance days? When every other brand was teasing consumers for months on end about a new product—as though it was a new season of highly anticipated television show—ABH just released Modern Renaissance one day after it was announced. And when all the other brands were trying to outdo each other in terms of recreating the gold, bronze, and brown color scheme better, ABH came out with a palette with some orange and red shades. 

Despite the fact that I have a complicated history with Modern Renaissance (I caved into hype and pressure from a salesperson, hated the palette, accepted that the formula was hard to work with and not my favorite, realized that I already owned all the colors already, and returned it), I liked the way that the brand conducted themselves during the launch, and I've had my eye on them ever since. 

Since then, however, ABH has failed to impress me. The Master Palette by Mario was, in my opinion, really boring and fueled entirely by fear of missing out and a fascination with celebrity culture; Subculture was a PR nightmare as the shadows were so powdery and difficult to work with; and now Soft Glam, Norvina, and Sultry have all been churned out in record time and feel like very boring similar color stories. 

When it felt like all the other brands were coming out with a new palette every month, I liked that ABH only came out with one, maybe two, a year. It made me appreciate the brand more because they weren't saturating the market. But that has since changed, and now ABH—like so many other brands—is looking uninspired and lazy. They know they have a loyal (and, at times, rabid) fanbase, and can therefore release a version of a palette most people already own and throw in one "pop of color" shade and have it be a success. 

Which brings us to Sultry:

When I look at this palette, I feel like it is 2012. Because it reminds me so much of Urban Decay Naked 2:

I can still remember being at work when I learned that the Naked 2 palette released, and I told my coworker (who shared my love of makeup) that we both had to buy it right then and there because it was going to sell out. We didn't have time to think about it; we had to make a decision. So we each bought it. And the palette sold out. And we both felt so lucky that we were able to snag it. 

We didn't really think about the fact that the Naked 2 palette wasn't all that different from the Naked palette. The original was warm-toned! The new one is cool-toned! They are totally different!

I also didn't think about this when I bought the Too Faced Chocolate Bar:

 Or the Make Up For Ever Artist 1 palette:

Or the Lorac Pro 2:

To name just a few. 

I spent so many years and so much money buying the same things over and again. But now I'm older, I've decluttered almost every single neutral palette from my collection, and I write a blog about smart consumerism and recognizing marketing tactics geared at making you buy what you already own. And—somehow—Anastasia Beverly Hills thinks that they can get me to buy the Naked 2 palette all over again? Because they threw in a matte coral and a matte mustard?

Oh, I don't think so. 

Let's look at the shadows in Sultry as just pigments:

When I look at this line of crushed pigments, do you know what I see? Colors that are so nondescript that they can only be called neutrals, plus one coral shade and a mustard. 

Let's look at the swatches:

If you cover up the coral shade in the above photo, I actually think the color scheme of this palette is  pretty and smoky. It's unoriginal and stale, but pretty. But the inclusion of the coral feels out of place and like the palette doesn't understand its own color scheme. To me, the coral seems to almost clash with the rest of the colors, which makes the entire thing feel less like this was an intentional ABH color story and more like ABH wanted to throw in one bright color to disorient people from thinking they already own this exact palette. 

Taking away the coral, Sultry looks just like every other neutral palette. 

It looks like the Viseart Theory palettes in Cashmere:

And Chroma:

It also looks like Lorac Pro:

Tartelette Toasted:

Colourpop I Think I Love You:

Juvia's Place Warrior:

And Makeup Geek In the Nude:

But Sultry also looks like so many other palettes from Anastasia Beverly Hills. Like the Master Palette by Mario:

Norvina (if you cover up the one shimmery purple and matte periwinkle): 

And Soft Glam:

It's no surprise to learn that brands want consumers to buy the same thing endlessly. Once brands saw the success Urban Decay had with serializing the Naked palettes, they all started either serializing their own products (i.e. Chocolate Bars, Lorac Pros, Tartelettes, etc.) or making them collectible in some other way, like ABH has with their velvet packaging. 

I watched a declutter video recently where someone acknowledged that she did not like the ABH formula, but had collected all of the palettes with the velvet packaging and wasn't ready to let that collection go. And this is exactly what ABH and every other brand is counting on when they make these similar-looking products. They want people to feel like these products are collector's items, and they want you to buy them all. 

And, frankly, Sultry just isn't a palette that anyone asked for or needs. When you look at the gaping holes in the makeup industry or necessary areas of improvement, I don't think anyone is under the impression that we need more neutral palettes. We need inclusive products. And while Sultry looks to be more inclusive than a typical neutral palette with a cream brow bone shade and light brown transition shade, this palette still feels like it leans closer to the light end of the spectrum than the dark. And when there are quite literally countless options of neutral eyeshadow palettes geared toward light skin tones, there is just zero reasoning for brands to continue producing them. 

I have purchased some version of Sultry more times than I care to remember. Over the many years of being a makeup lover, a member of the beauty community, and finally someone who had a shopping/makeup addiction, I continued to buy the same items, never really learning that they were all the same or that I didn't need to buy them just because they were new and the "influencers" were talking about them. 

And now, a few years into my shifted perspective on consumerism, I can say without hesitation that I have every shade in Sultry, and I have zero need to add the Anastasia Beverly Hills version of it. This palette would add nothing to my collection other than another palette that would eventually be decluttered. 

If you are lusting after Sultry and have been thinking about trying to dupe a palette from singles in your collection or shades that you have depotted, I think this would a great palette to start with. Chances are, if you find yourself drawn to this palette, you likely already pwn shimmery whites, champagnes, golds, bronzes, and taupes, and duping this palette from your own collection could be quite easy. 

Even though ABH has never been my personal favorite brand, I have always found them intriguing and have been excited to see what new product or color scheme they were going to bring to the makeup industry. And it would be disappointing for ABH go down the same path as brands like Too Faced and Tarte, where the main objective is to pump out new, typically non-inclusive releases as quickly as possible that are just repackaged versions of something we have already seen.  

But, it seems like ABH may be heading in this direction. With the releases of Soft Glam, Norvina, and now Sultry, it seems like ABH cares less about the color story and inspiration and more about an easy color scheme they know will sell. And as a consumer, that is a major turnoff for me. 

I have zero need for a palette like this, and more than that, I have zero want for it. So I won't be buying. 

* * *

In my next post, I will write an anti-haul on the product that received the second-most votes on my Instagram stories. Stay tuned. 

For notifications on my latest posts and to vote on future posts, follow me on Instagram: @antihaulblog

I No Longer Support Kat Von D Beauty

This is a different kind of post, and it will be short. Yesterday, I learned that Kat Von D, creator and owner of Kat Von D Beauty, announced that she does not support vaccines and will not be vaccinating her child.

She has spread dangerous and unfounded propaganda about vaccines, and as a result, I can no longer support her or her brand. 

Vaccines benefit not only the vaccinated individual, but also the public at large. Without getting too much into the personal details of my health, I am vaccinated, but my immune system is weaker toward a few illnesses for which there are vaccines. Despite having these vaccinations, I still caught two very devastating illnesses as a child, and I was quarantined both times. 

One of these times, my pediatrician's office closed down the ENTIRE office during a normal business day and rerouted all of their patients to a different office just so that I could be seen. They obviously did not want me infecting all of the children too young to be vaccinated, and they took extreme precautions and measures so that I could been seen, including sterilizing the entire office before and after my visit. During my appointment, every single physician on staff observed me because they had not seen an active case of that particular illness throughout their careers. 

Now, as an adult, I am susceptible to these same illnesses if there is an outbreak caused by a non-vaccinated person. Choosing to not vaccinate a child is not only putting that child at extreme risk of devastating, debilitating, and deadly illnesses, but it is also unnecessarily compromising the health and safety of the public at large. People like me are at risk, as are those with compromised immune systems, as are children too young to receive vaccinations. 

The entire anti-vaccination "movement" was created by a false claim that vaccines cause autism, and there is zero evidence over countless scientific research studies to support this claim. Furthermore, as a person who has autistic family members, friends, and other beloved people in my life, I find it appalling that someone would rather put their child at risk of debilitating illnesses or even death for fear that they would be like these beloved people in my life. 

This is an ignorant, selfish, and irresponsible decision by Kat Von D, and sharing this choice on such a huge public platform is incredibly dangerous.

I am writing this blog post because, until yesterday, I was a fan of Kat Von D Beauty. I have written a ton of posts on new Kat Von D products, and I own several products from the brand as well. I even purchased Pastel Goth because Kat Von D posted "No mi presidente" on her Instagram and the comments were flooded with trolls saying that they would never purchase from her brand again. I do not support the current US administration or any of their actions, and I wanted to show my support for Kat Von D for posting such a strong statement.

But I can no longer support Kat Von D or her brand. To be anti-vaccine is to put the public's health in danger because you are uninformed and don't want to believe scholarly, scientific facts. Putting that ignorant mindset on public display could have incredibly dangerous ramifications.

I have yet to decide what I am going to do with the Kat Von D Beauty products that I already own, but I will no longer be purchasing from Kat Von D Beauty, recommending any products from Kat Von D Beauty, or showcasing any products from Kat Von D Beauty that I have previously purchased on this blog.

What I'm Not Buying: Lunar Beauty Life's a Drag Palette

YouTube personality MannyMUA has created his own brand, Lunar Beauty, and the brand recently launched it's first (and as of now only) product, Life's a Drag. 

And I won't be buying. 

I wasn't planning on writing a post on this palette because I don't typically write about brands that emerge from YouTube personalities, for the exception of Makeup Geek, which has been an established brand for several years. I didn't write about Laura Lee's Cat's Pajamas palette or Tati's "vitamins," and there have been dozens of YouTube collaborations that I have passed over as well. But I do feel there's a bit to talk about with this product, so here we are. 

I should also establish upfront for new readers that this is an anti-haul blog. It is a blog that is meant to encourage smart consumerism and critical thinking as relates to makeup purchases. If you're a diehard Manny fan hoping that I'm going to gush about this palette and not be critical, you're in the wrong place. 

Life's a Drag costs $45 for 14 eyeshadows. The brand is online only, so you won't be able to test products in-store, and the only return policy is for products that arrive broken. This means that if you purchase this palette, not having been able to test it first, and you don't like it or think the quality is poor, you will not be able to return it. There is no shipping information available on Lunar Beauty's website, which leads me to believe that there is no free shipping. I am also not sure if Lunar Beauty ships internationally as this information is also not included on the website. So, with what I assume shipping costs will be plus tax, I imagine that the true cost of this palette will be between $50 and $55.

Let's look at it:

Something that I found odd when looking at Lunar Beauty's website is that there is no actual picture of this palette. There are only pictures of broken shadow pans:

but no actual picture of the palette. And I find that exceptionally odd. 

Before I delve into all the reasons that I personally will not be buying this palette, I do want to talk about some of the palette's positives features. 

I really love that this palette is called "Life's a Drag" and that is celebrates drag culture. I think a drag queen would have perhaps been a better ambassador for this message, but I think that Manny has done a lot for men who wear makeup in terms of having a platform and large following and showcasing his love of makeup and skillset.  

I also like that the palette is somewhat inclusive. I say "somewhat" because I do feel the neutral colors cater toward light skin tones, and I feel some of the beige tones could have been replaced for shades that work well for deeper skin tones. But in the "About" section of Lunar Beauty's website, it says, "Lunar Beauty is a cosmetics line for men, women, and everyone in between." I appreciate the inclusivity among genders, though I don't know if stating "men" first was potentially the right move (I'll talk more on this later in the post). 

Finally, I like that Manny included six colorful shadows in this palette and didn't make the entire thing a basic neutral palette the way that most people do when they start a brand and feel they need to play it somewhat safe. And when you consider Manny's palette when he collaborated with Makeup Geek:

I think the inclusion of colorful shadows was a smart choice (we will get into this more later in the post).

Let's look at the shadows as pigments:

When you consider that the inspiration behind this palette is drag makeup, it makes sense to include neutral and colorful shades. However, I think any new brand (and even existing brands) have to consider that their audience likely has neutral shadows at this point. And I think the challenge then becomes how to create a new product that is not a "complete" palette and isn't giving people more of what they already own. 

And when I look at these shadows as pigments, I'm really only interested in the colorful ones. And even then, it's the yellow and green. The rest of the palette just looks so incredibly boring to me, and it's the majority of the palette. I don't need yet another matte black or white, and I certainly don't need that many brown shades that don't look very different once blended on the eye. 

Lunar Beauty included this photo in their promotional images:

And while I think it's an odd choice as I personally don't find this photo all that pleasing and it doesn't make me want to buy the product, I do think it's interesting that in the front, there are all these individual colors, and in the back, it's just a sea of brown. 

Lunar Beauty also does not include any swatches of this palette on their website, which I again think is a rather odd choice, and the only somewhat "official" swatches I could find were from Manny's YouTube channel:

When I look at these swatches, it feels like Life's a Drag is a combination of Manny's collaboration with Makeup Geek:

and Huda Beauty's Electric Obsessions palette:

(Or Bad Habit's dupe of this palette, After Shock):

And it is absolutely worth stating at this point that if you already own the Manny and Makeup Geek collaboration palette, you already own the majority of Life's a Drag. It makes sense, of course, because a person is always going to be drawn to their favorite shades, especially if they are trying to create a "complete" palette, which it seems like Manny is trying to do. But, when you own a brand, it's a disservice to your customers to keep selling the same shades over and over again and expect your customers to buy them. This is not just an issue with Manny—many brands do this, even (especially?) those that are very established, like Too Faced, Tarte, Urban Decay, and now Colourpop. Hell, Too Faced recently came out with the THIRD version of their "Natural Eyes" palette, and Huda Beauty just lightly tweaked their Rose Gold palette and rereleased it like it was an entirely new product. 

This is something that happens all the time. And that is where we need to step in as the consumer, recognize this tactic, and not buy into it. It is very, very likely that the target demographic for Life's a Drag is the same as the Makeup Geek palette: Manny's fanbase. I don't say that to insult Manny or his fans, but I don't think the average makeup consumer looking for a predominately neutral palette with a few pops of color, or even someone wanting to do drag makeup, is going to go to Lunar Beauty instead of all of the other well-established brands. The people who are going to be drawn to this palette are other YouTube personalities who want to either "support" Manny (and therefore not be critical of the palette) or who want the buy the palette simply to increase their own engagement. And, of course, Manny's fanbase.  

And if these fans are so diehard that they will buy anything that Manny releases, chances are they already bought the majority of this palette already with the Makeup Geek palette. 

Life's a Drag also reminds me of Dose of Colors Eyescrean:

BH Cosmetics Festival:

Juvia's Place Festival:

Juvia's Place Zulu:

And Juvia's Place Douce:

While all of the above palettes reminded me a bit of Life's a Drag, I have to admit that I find the color schemes of all of them more interesting. And, for the exception of the Dose of Colors palette, all of the palettes are considerably less expensive than Life's a Drag. 

If you're drawn to the color scheme of Life's a Drag and not just to the person who created it, chances are you already have all of the neutral shadows in your collection and you could just buy one of these other palettes or eyeshadow singles from brands like Sugarpill, Make Up For Ever, Makeup Geek (their new pressed pigments), Coloured Raine, etc. 

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't state why I personally don't want to support Manny or his brand. A year and a half ago (and, yes, I do acknowledge that this happened a little bit ago), Manny said in this video:

"There is no denying the fact that Morphe has good shadows, like, there's no denying it. I know a lot of people try to talk shit about Morphe and say, like, 'It's chalk and doesn't even work.' At the end of the day you can literally swatch it, put it on your eyes, and you'll see that they work. If you know what you're doing, they work. No tea, no shade to other shit-talkers that can't use Morphe shadows. Maybe if you knew how to do makeup, you could use them."

Meanwhile, Manny has an affiliate code with Morphe in the description box of that video.

Shortly after those comments were made, I posted this anti-haul post on the Morphe X KathleenLights palette. And regarding Manny's comments, I wrote:

"Makeup on the whole is a tool to be used for enjoyment and to make people feel good about themselves. It is a tool that every gender utilizes, but statistics have shown that the vast majority of cosmetic consumers are women. So having a man tell his audience that is primary made up of young women that if they don't like a, frankly, mediocre eyeshadow formula then they are bad at eyeshadow is disgusting and is another example of men systematically putting women down. His language was elitist and gross, and is especially unsettling because women are the main users and consumers of makeup. He is a man speaking to a primarily female audience in a female-dominated industry/hobby, and he is still putting women down. So having MannyMUA be a loud, obnoxious mouthpiece shill for Morphe does not make me ever want to support Morphe. They should be denouncing his comments, not celebrating them. If MannyMUA is the kind of spokesperson Morphe wants for their brand, then they are not a company I want to support."

To my knowledge, Manny has never apologized for that statement, and as you can see, the video is still live, that part of the video is still included, and there is no edit in the description box to say that he is sorry for making such statements.

And this is also why I am mildly annoyed that Lunar Beauty says that it is a line for "men, women, and everyone in between." Now, I don't think that there was any conscious decision to put "men" first in this list. Manny is a man, so it makes sense that he would put "men" first, and he is also an ambassador for men who wear makeup. It is also so engrained in our culture to always put "men" first when discussing "men and women" that it also just seems like something pretty innocuous. But since, as I said in my post a year and a half ago, makeup is a primarily female-dominated industry/hobby, I think it could have gone a long way to place "women" at the top of the list of who this cosmetics line is for. And, yes, I see that it is a small, maybe even petty concern, but microagressions are real, and I think it's important to always be aware of them.

YouTube is rapidly shifting, and people aren't as easily able to make a ton of money off of making videos anymore. Video creators are now in a scramble of figuring out what to do, so many of them have placed a ton of ads on every single video and are begging for people to pay to let them to live a flexible lifestyle through platforms like Patreon. (I could write an entire post about Patreon, but largely I feel it's pretty insulting to ask audience members who have to work the "boring" jobs many of these creators don't want to then pay the creator each month out of their hard-earned paycheck. And only so that the creator can continue not working those "boring" jobs and getting to live their preferred lifestyle.) It seems like the YouTube cash bubble has indeed burst or is coming very close to bursting soon. And people are having to figure out what to do so that they can keep living their lavish lifestyles. Many of the creators with the largest followings have decided to create their own brands, but at this point, the market is already so saturated that unless they can bring something truly new to the table (new products or incredibly low prices), there just doesn't seem to be room for them.

The price of Life's a Drag, I feel, is frankly too high. It's a new brand with only one product; it's online only; and they don't allow returns. Ultimately, it's a palette that is not that unique. I can't speak to the quality of the shadows, but based on Manny's finger swatches, they look like have similar performance to shadows from Colourpop or Juvia's Place. I like both of those shadow formulas, so what I mean is that Lunar Beauty's shadows don't appear to be anything revolutionary. Essentially, the palette is made up of mostly basic neutrals and a few pops of color, and is a typical shadow formula. I don't need to pay upwards of $55 for that.

While I do think there are a few positive attributes to the Life's a Drag palette, especially when you compare it to products released by similar brands created by YouTube personalities, ultimately, there is just nothing all that unique, interesting, or special about this palette. So I won't be buying.

What I'm Not Buying: Colourpop X Karrueche She Palette

Colourpop is having a palette moment, and their latest release is a collaboration with Karrueche Tran.

And I won't be buying. 

As I've said, Colourpop is having a palette moment, and I have to say that I find it a little exciting. Several months ago, I wrote a post on why I no longer purchased from Colourpop. But that was before the launch of their pressed shadows. And I have to say, I have been pretty happy with all of the pressed shadows I've purchased from Colourpop, including their recent and very popular Yes, Please! palette. 

So when I heard they were releasing another palette, I admit that I was interested to see what it would look like. And I have to say, I'm just not all that inspired. This looks like a pink-toned palette with champagne, taupe, and berry shades. And yet, this palette is already sold out. 

Let's talk about that for a second. I recently purchased the Yes, Please! palette. I knew when it was going to be restocked, that time happened to work with my schedule that day, I got on the website when it became available, and purchased it. It was no biggie for me. But then I saw that the palette sold out in less than fifteen minutes. That's bonkers to me. And it feels very, very intentional on Colourpop's part. I went onto the Colourpop Instagram later that day and saw literally thousands of comments of people pleading with Colourpop to make the palette permanent, to restock again, or to have enough stock so that people didn't have to buy it within seconds of its release and plan their entire day (including their work schedule) around buying makeup. 

I absolutely believe that Colourpop, like so many other brands, orchestrated the hype around the release of the Yes, Please! palette. I believe they launched with intentionally low stock and then restocked with intentionally low stock. When something sells out in minutes, it gets people's attention. Even people who didn't have this palette on their radar will all of a sudden become interested when they know that the palette is so popular that it sold out that quickly. And then people who didn't even want the palette will not only want it, but they will have to have it. They will obsess over it and try to track it down until they have it. And that is exactly what Colourpop wants. 

Before going in to buying that palette, I told myself that if the site crashed, I was out. It's simply not worth it for me to put up with that kind of mania for a makeup item. I also told myself that if I was unable to get the palette, that it would be totally okay. But, as I said, it was a relatively breezy experience for me, so I was pretty disappointed to see that the experience was not the same for so many people. 

And I think the mania surrounding Yes, Please! also helped Colourpop in the launch of the She palette. What's so funny to me about this is that so many people stalked the website for this launch and pounced on the release, and I don't think the colors are all that special. Additionally, apparently Colourpop released the palette an hour or more before other items in the collection were made available, so many people ended up placing multiple orders because they were afraid that if they didn't jump on the palette within seconds of it being released, they would miss out on it entirely. Shipping is free on orders over $30, but since the palette is $16, many people ended up paying the shipping fee on their multiple orders. Again, I don't think any of this is coincidental. 

And, look. I get it. I love that Coloupop offers good quality pressed shadows that are on trend for affordable prices. I think every other makeup brand should follow their lead. However, manufacturing hype to get more money out of people just feels so gross to me. And especially for the colors in this palette, I don't think it's worth it. 

Let's look at the palette again:

And swatches:

I admit that this color scheme is very pretty, and I am drawn to it. But it is absolutely nothing new. It has been around since the Naked 3:

And Lorac Unzipped:

In recent years, it looks like several palettes from Tarte, including Make Magic Happen:

Tartelette Tease Clay:

Dream Big:

Don't Quit Your Day Dream:

Tartelette in Bloom:

And Tarteist Pro:

It also looks a bit like Zoeva En Taupe:

There are many more palettes that have the same colors as in the She palette (like the new Sephora Pro Cool palette), but these were the ones I could think of that had the most similar color schemes. 

I mention my custom palettes a lot in these posts, but that's important because it's a good reminder for me to really look at how many similar colors I have in my collection. And in this palette:

I have all of the colors in the She palette and then some. 

Something I would like to point out as I wrap up this post is that the She palette costs $16, and I have been really happy with all of the Colourpop pressed shadows that I have purchased. So, if you are someone who does not have many eyeshadows and are really excited about the color scheme of the She palette, it is certainly the least expensive of any of the palettes I've mentioned above. And for good quality, I don't think you can really beat that price. But this anti-haul is for all those other makeup lovers who have all of these colors already in their collection, or who maybe even have one or more of the above palettes, who are being lured in by the hype and marketing tactics. If you already have all these colors, you don't need to add another palette, no matter how cheap it is. And if you are trying to justify buying this palette when you know you already have all the colors by saying you want to just try the Colourpop pressed shadows, why don't you pick out a few singles instead? They already have a ton of colors, so why don't you pick out a few that look gorgeous to you that you don't already have and then try out the formula? You don't need to add an entire palette to your collection with shades you already own because you are curious about a formula and are looking to justify the purchase and buying into the hype. 

Just let the hype pass. Soon Coloupop will come out with another palette that people will be going crazy for, and the hype around this one will be gone. And there are so many brands coming out with new palettes all the time that the intense hype seems to only last a few weeks before it passes. 

For me, I know I already have all these colors, so this palette is an easy pass for me. I wish that Colourpop would really calm down on the hype and hysteria tactics and just let their products speak for themselves. With that, they should significantly up their stock so that customers can have an enjoyable purchasing experience instead of a stressful one where if you don't hit the site within five minutes you won't get an item you want to buy. It shouldn't be so hard for a company to take your money. Just remember that. 

What I'm Not Buying: Too Faced Glitter Bomb

I honestly don't even know if this can be considered Too Faced's "newest" release because I frankly cannot (and don't want to) keep up with their insane release schedule. Nonetheless, Glitter Bomb is a fairly new Too Faced release. 

And I won't be buying. 

I'm sure if you look through my anti-haul blog posts, the majority are likely to be about Too Faced palettes. And that's because Too Faced has been cranking out releases like crazy. And with each new release, the packaging and gimmick has increased and the quality has seriously declined. 

Too Faced was never my favorite brand, but there was a period of time where I would get really excited to see what they would come out with next, and I usually thought their releases were pretty good. Now, Too Faced is easily one of my least favorite brands. I own 5 depotted shadows from the Chocolate Bon Bons palette, and that's it. And based on the way they have been going, it doesn't look like I will be buying anything from them anytime soon. 

To be completely honest, when Glitter Bomb was announced, I just didn't even care. I knew I was't going to buy it, and it didn't even tempt me a little bit. And what's funny about that is that the concept of it should excite me. If you've read any of posts about my recent weekly and weekend looks, you'll know that I have been absolutely crazy for indie shadows, especially those that pack a metallic or glitter punch. I absolutely loathe glitter fallout, which is a constant concern with glitter shadows, but still. The very idea of a glitter-fused palette should excite me. But from Too Faced, it doesn't. 

Let's look at the palette:

The way this palette is supposed to work is that you apply either the white or black base shadows on the ends of the palette and then apply the glitter on top. I would also image that the Too Faced Glitter Glue would be required for these shadows to work, but a small sample of it is not included with the palette. (I just looked on the Sephora site, and, as expected, Sephora recommends using this palette with Too Faced Glitter Glue.)

I think the shadow colors are pretty, but to be completely honest, the most exciting thing to me about this palette is the packaging: 

And you better believe that Too Faced knows this as well. I normally find Too Faced packaging a little too kitschy and juvenile for me, but my inner girly girl cannot help but love the Las Vegas marquis nature of this packaging. But this is what Too Faced does. They think about what kind of packaging will lure people in, and they put all their efforts into that. And for the life of me I will never understand why they don't instead apply all that work into the formula and making sure that the product is incredible. 

The thing that really doesn't work for me about this palette is the general concept. This is a $45 palette, which is already not cheap, and it still requires a glitter glue or primer at least to make it work. On Reddit, I discovered a post by a user (makemeup_makeup) who swatched all but one of these shadows without primer or either of the base shadows. You can read that post here. These are those swatches:

(The blue swatch in the middle was swatched over the white base.)

As you can see, on their own, without one of the bases or a primer or glitter glue, these swatches are pretty mediocre. And, here's the thing. I have seen swatches of this palette over glitter glue and over bases. I've seen unrealistic swatches where the product is packed on to make it look as good as humanly possible. And even then, they look just okay. Just like normal shadows that I don't have to apply over a base and use with a sticky primer. And so, I guess I just don't really understand why I would pay $45 for the palette, pay an additional $20 for glitter glue, have to work with base colors and glitter top coats, all to achieve a look that I can get by applying one Makeup Geek foiled shadow. Or achieve a look that is less exquisite than something I can get with an indie shadow. 

The colors in this palette remind me a lot of the Urban Decay Afterdark palette:

As well as the Urban Decay Moondust palette:

And even the new Viseart Theory palettes in Amethyst:

And Nuance:

I do not own any of the above palettes, but they were each something that intrigued me for a while and are items I considered purchasing. And the reason I didn't purchase any of them is because I already have something suitable in my collection. In my anti-haul post on the Urban Decay Afterdark palette, I went through every single shadow in that palette and showed an exact (or close) duplicate that I had in my own collection. I just have all of these colors elsewhere in my collection, and I can guarantee that they are better quality than those in the Glitter Bomb palette. 

In terms of palettes in my collection, the only thing I have with a similar color scheme is the Coloured Raine Queen of Hearts palette:

And even then, I have an entire post about how I was able to find exact duplicate shadows for every single shade in that palette:

In all honesty, I think the concept of Glitter Bomb is nothing more than the latest gimmick from Too Faced. They have run the gamut for food-themed palettes with corresponding scents, are milking the Sweet Peach palette into an entire collection, and now are taking the approach inspired by the Kat Von D Alchemist palette and Pat McGrath Labs eyeshadow kits that looks should have many layers in the application process. And Kat Von D and Pat McGrath Labs, in my opinion, did it much better. 

The main appeal I can see for Glitter Bomb, especially when you consider other options available, is just to get the latest thing from Too Faced. And for me personally, that's no where near good enough to shell out $45 and add yet another palette to my collection. This palette is nothing new (Moondust is essentially the same concept), and it is just the next product in the line of disposable releases from Too Faced. I highly doubt anyone will be talking about this palette a month from now, and by then, Too Faced is guaranteed to have released several more items anyway. This palette (and every other palette) is disposable to Too Faced, so I don't see why it would be anything other for consumers. I don't think this is a great quality product, I think there are better and cheaper alternatives, and I won't be buying.