What I'm Not Buying: Kat Von D Metal Matte palette

Kat Von D's offerings seem to be the most coveted every holiday season. Last year's Mi Vida Loca Remix palette was a huge success and garnered largely positive reviews. It seems this year's Metal Matte platte will also be a hit.

But, I won't be buying it.

Generally speaking, I'm a fan of Kat Von D shadows. The Shade and Light Eye is one of my favorite matte palettes. The shadows have great color payoff, have some substance to them, and play well with some of my favorite shimmer shadows.

I also really enjoy Kat Von D's metal crush eyeshadows. Thunderstruck has been a favorite of mine for a while.

So, a palette made up of her metal and matte shadows? Perfection.

But I don't need it.

What I like about this palette is that it doesn't look like everything else we've already seen ten times over and certainly doesn't look like other holiday palettes offered this year. It also appears to flatter a multitude of skin tones and will look especially beautiful on people of color. I appreciate that Kat Von D's two latest palette releases seem to carefully consider more than light skin tones.

The biggest reason why I'm skipping out on the Metal Matte palette is because I don't think I would personally get a ton of use out of it. My skin tone is warm olive, and this palette leans a little too cool overall for me.

I already own the Viseart Dark Matte palette, so I don't have any need for dark matte colorful shades. And even then, that is one of my least used palettes because I don't make a dark colorful look very often. So, the dark half of the palette wouldn't get much use. And in order for this to be a "complete" palette for me, I would want different light matte shades. A warm peach or tan shadow is my favorite to blend most colors, so I would have to pull from other palettes to get a look I really like. And the light half of the matte shades would also go largely unused.

The shimmer shadows are beautiful, but I wouldn't regularly wear half of them (the blues and teals) and already have colors similar to the other half.

The only concern that I have with this palette is that Kat Von D as a brand traditionally has had quality control issues. When the Serpentina palette was released, there was not consistency in the shadows or across palette batches. Many people found Serpentina to be patchy and difficult to work with.

But, assuming that there are no quality control issues, I can see this being the "winning" release of holiday 2016. It's different, has colorful and neutral shades, has a mix of beautiful finishes, and looks as though it will flatter most skin tones.

There is certainly a lot to love in this palette if you will get use out of it. And that becomes the real decider on this one. I personally wouldn't get much use out of it. And as much as my gut tells me, "It's pretty! I need it!" I don't actually need it.

I give Kat Von D credit for making a really interesting palette. But I won't be buying.

What I'm Not Buying: Too Faced The Chocolate Shop Holiday 2016

For me, arguably the most disappointing holiday releases come each year from Too Faced. And this year's "Christmas in New York" Chocolate Shop collection is no different.

I won't be buying.

Unpopular opinion alert: I don't think I really like Too Faced shadows. Hear me out.

I've been a makeup (and specifically eyeshadow) enthusiast for going on seven years now. I am embarrassed and a little ashamed to admit that I have owned nearly every major eyeshadow palette that has released during that time.

From Too Faced, I have owned: the Chocolate Bar, Chocolate Bon Bons, Boudoir Eyes, Natural Matte Eye, and Peanut Butter and Jelly palettes.  Of those, the only ones I have not decluttered are Chocolate Bon Bons and Peanut Butter and Jelly, and I'm really close to decluttering PB&J.

When compared to my favorite shadows (Viseart, Tarte, Make Up For Ever, Kat Von D, MAC), Too Faced shadows aren't up to par for me. I found the Chocolate Bar to be very dry, and the mattes weren't the easiest to work with. It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I didn't like it because it was such a beloved palette. It's only been in recent months that more people have been outspoken about how the Chocolate Bar doesn't work for them either.

Too Faced seems to be a brand that can drum up hype to an unparalleled degree. Nearly every single palette they launch will sell out of stock immediately and leave consumers salivating until the next restock. Part of this, I think, is purely smoke and mirrors. It's the packaging, the cute esthetic, and the gimmicky scents. It's smart marketing, but I don't personally feel the quality lives up to some of my other shadows.

As a result, I've never been wowed by a Too Faced holiday or limited edition release. And that's for two reasons:

1. They all look the same. 
2. The quality is not on par with their permanent line. 

Let's address point one first. Here is the Chocolate Shop palette for holiday 2016:

Here is Too Faced's release for holiday 2015:

Photo: Temptalia

Here is Too Faced's release for holiday 2014:

Here is Too Faced's limited edition Stardust palette with Vegas Nay:

And here is Too Faced's most recent limited edition palette, The Power of Makeup by Nikkietutorials:

To me, ALL of these palettes look like variations of the same thing with minor differences. As many reviewers have said, "If you have one Too Faced holiday or limited edition palette, you don't need another." 

That is what's funny to me about Too Faced. They are seen as leaders in innovation and being on top of/setting trends, but then their holiday releases are so lackluster. And it seems to me that they place more importance, creative energy, and innovation on the packaging than they do the product. 

Which brings me to point two. The quality. 

At this point, it is pretty well documented that Too Faced holiday palettes are not up to par quality-wise with their permanent range. Many shimmer shades feel gritty and are full of glitter and no pigment, and matte shades swatch with barely any pigmentation. 

For the Chocolate Shop, the matte shadows seem to be the worst offenders according to the reviews I've seen thus far. So while the shimmers might be nice, that's at least half the palette that isn't very good. 

But more than anything, the reason I don't need this palette is because I already have more than enough basic natural shades, and in far better quality than what the Chocolate Shop offers. I have champagnes, silvers, bronzes, coppers, golds, and a plethora of matte browns that span the cool- and warm-color spectrums. I have a ton of matte brow bone shades and shimmery inner corner highlights. 

This palette offers nothing for me other than cute packing of a pink box with a vague connection to New York. And that's something else I don't really understand. It seems Too Faced is going for two themes with this palette: "Christmas in New York" and "The Chocolate Shop."

As someone who lives in New York City, I don't at all feel a connection with the city and this palette. I feel the connection is stronger with "the Chocolate Shop" seeing as the shadows are chocolate scented and are various shades of chocolate or chocolate foil wrapping. I've heard people say they will buy this palette simply for the New York connection, and that, to me, is just silly. Because it doesn't seem like that connection is really present here. 

This is just another lackluster holiday release from Too Faced that we have seen year after year. It's boring, the quality is lacking, and it's all packaging and chocolate-scented smoke and mirrors. 

And I'm not gonna buy it. 

What I'm Not Buying: Lorac Mega Pro 3

I figured I'd get a head start on this one as the palette isn't launching until October. (That's one positive I'll give Lorac--that they are releasing their holiday palette a little closer to the actual holiday season than the majority of cosmetics brands.)

The Lorac Mega Pro 3 will be a hit, I'm sure. Tons of people will run out and buy it, and we will be swamped with hyped review after hyped review. Part of this, I feel, is residual hype left over from the original Mega Pro release that most people were unable to get. Since they missed out on that one, people will make damned sure they get this one. 

When I first saw the teaser images Lorac released of the Mega Pro 3, I'll admit I had an immediate reaction of "MUST BUY!" But then I let my rational side come out. And I won't be buying this palette. 

There's no denying it. The Lorac Mega Pro 3 looks beautiful. As I have mentioned before, gold, bronze, copper, cranberry, peach, and mauve are my favorite shades, and all those are present here. So, of course, when I first saw it I wanted it. Of course. But will it fill any void in my collection? Absolutely not. 

That's the thing about having more than a minimal collection. You are likely to already have most colors in new palettes. And if you have a minimal collection, you probably already know what you like and don't want to add to it. 

When I look at the Mega Pro 3, I see a beautiful assortment of colors... that I already own. There is not a single color in the above picture that I don't already have a least one, if not five or more, in my collection that look exactly like it. 

I know the Lorac Pro formula is a favorite of many, but I'm not one of them. I purchased the Lorac Pro 2 earlier this year to try out the formula. I really enjoyed the shimmer shades, but I think shimmers are pretty easy to make and most brands have nice shimmers. I wasn't a fan of the matte formula. I've said it before, but mattes are the workhorses and unsung heroes of all of my eyeshadow looks. And the Lorac Pro matte formula wasn't that great to me. I found they were very powdery with a lot of kickup. The formula was light and airy, but didn't feel substantial to me. I tried look after look using the Lorac Pro 2, and each time I found the matte shades to look muddy on me. The formula reminded me a lot of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette, which I also sadly didn't like. I like my matte shadows to have some substance and weight to really cling onto my skin and then blend creamy and seamlessly with other colors. I didn't feel like the Lorac Pro matte shades were able to do that. 

Since I don't like the Lorac Pro matte formula, that's half of this palette that I wouldn't really enjoy using. That, right there, is reason enough not to buy. 

Let's look at the other two Lorac Mega Pro palettes: 

Lorac Mega Pro (original)

Lorac Mega Pro 2

When I compare the first two Mega Pro palettes to the third, I feel there is not much new going on. If anything, it is slightly reminiscent of the first Mega Pro, but even then, if given the choice, I would pick the first one over the third. 

Something else to consider is how much use you'll get out of one of these palettes. I've heard from countless reviewers that they hardly ever use either of their Lorac Mega Pro palettes because the palettes are so big that they are inconvenient. Or that the palettes have too many options and are overwhelming. 

I've also seen these palettes make an appearance in a lot of eyeshadow palette declutter videos. What's interesting is that the person decluttering will mention that they hardly ever use the Mega Pro palettes, but also can't bring themselves to part with them because they were so hard to get. 

More than anything, I think people need to get off the hype train with these palettes. If you're not going to use them, there is no point in buying them. And really, no one in the real world is ever going to know what eyeshadows are on your eyes, or know the difference between the Lorac Mega Pro 3 or shadows from Too Faced or Urban Decay. 

Most people will likely lose interest in this once the next big release happens, and they you will have a giant, unused palette. 

Finally, something that worries me about the Mega Pro 3 is quality. It was widely noted during the release of the Lorac Pro 3 that the formula that most people loved had been changed, and not for the better. The Pro 3 is also the only palette of the Pro line to receive a good amount of negative reviews. I worry if Lorac has changed the Pro formula to something cheaper (while also increasing prices). And as I've mentioned before, I also wonder if Lorac will source this product out to a cheaper lab, which will also cause a discrepancy in formula. 

Had the release of the Lorac Pro 3 been highly positive, I don't know if I would be worried so much about quality. But since it wasn't reviewed well and it is a permanent item, I wonder if there is a definite change in Lorac Pro quality. 

For me, I didn't care for the matte formula anyway, so it doesn't really affect me, but it would be highly disappointing for people who love the formula if it has been changed. 

Either way, despite it being a beautiful palette, and despite knowing that in a month most people will be raving about this product and the hype will be insane, I've got to say no to the Lorac Mega Pro 3. I won't be purchasing. 

What I'm Not Buying: Tarte Bush Palette Color Wheel

So, as per usual, Tarte has come out with a holiday blush palette. Their Amazonian Clay blush formula has been incredibly popular for years, so the ability to nab a palette full of these pretty shades for the cost of about two full-sized blushes is very appealing. 

But, I'm not gonna buy this. 

This blush palette, with ten (ten!) shades comes off the heels of Tarte releasing and selling out of the Big Blush Book 2, which helped perpetuate the hysteria that if one does not sit in front of their computer frantically refreshing cosmetic pages that they will miss out of the latest hyped release. 

That's just not my style. 

The biggest positive that I can give the Color Wheel is the packaging. It's a smallish round disk that opens to reveal ten shades. 

I think this design is ten times better than that of the Big Blush Book 2, which was enormous and very flimsy with a sliding lid and no clasp. 

The Color Wheel palette is a little less than half the size of the Big Blush Book 2, which makes it compact, easy to store, and potentially good for traveling.

Traditionally Tarte's holiday blush palettes come in square, clutch-style packing: 

And I like the design of the Color Wheel better as it allows for twice the amount of shades.

But, and here's the thing. No one needs ten blushes. And that's the biggest reason why I won't be purchasing the Color Wheel. 

Really, the palette looks to be about eight blushes and two highlight shades. And even though there are eight individual blush shades, I know they would not look markedly different on my skin. And my guess it that they won't look all that different on most skin tones. 

That's the thing about blush. We don't pack it on like we do eyeshadow, and we always sheer it out. We want it to look natural, and when sheered out, most colors look pretty similar. 

For my warm olive skin, these are the blush shades I want:

• A rose
• A mauve
• A warm pink
• A coral 
• A mauve/brown 

That's it. That's all I want. And really, the rose, mauve, and mauve/brown shades all look pretty similar as is. 

If I had cool-toned skin, I would want a cool pink instead of a warm pink and maybe a lavender instead of a coral. But really, I don't see most skin tones wanting/needing more than five blush colors ever. 

I look at Tarte's Color Wheel and I ask myself: 

Will all the colors look markedly different on me? No. 

Will all the colors flatter my skin? No. 

Does the entirety of this palette offer me something I don't already have? No. 

Will I use this over my current collection of blushes? No. 

So, what's the appeal of this palette? Is it the color selection? The packaging? The value? 

I suspect the latter. See, that's how this entire holiday shopping season works. If you compare how much it would cost you to buy each individual blush at full size, this seems like a steal. BUT. You likely wouldn't buy every single one of these colors full-sized if you had to. And I think that's something a lot of people (myself included) forget. If I wouldn't buy them full-sized, why should I get them in a value set?

The last thing I want to address is quality. Year after year I am always SO disappointed in the quality of holiday products compared to their permanent counterparts. I have one Tarte Amazonian Clay blush, and it was made in the USA. The Color Wheel was made in China. I know this can be a controversial topic, but it's important to see that Tarte uses a different factory when making holiday palettes because it cuts a lot of the cost to them. But this also means that the quality is not the same. Sure, the formula could be similar, but since it is made at a different lab, the quality will inherently be different. 

And if you look at it from the business perspective, of course it makes sense to use a cheaper factory and to cut costs. But really, does the product become a value to the consumer? If it was the exact same as the original product, of course it would be, but when corners are cut, I personally don't think the value is there. 

From my personal experience, when companies change labs for limited edition products, the quality is just not up to par. And I won't purchase. Some reviewers will say that they notice no difference between the quality of Tarte's permanent blushes and the value sets. But that is not my personal experience. 

So, frankly, I don't need this palette. I don't need this many blushes in general. And I'm not going to buy it. 

What I'm Not Buying: Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette

For the holiday season (as apparently September now marks the beginning of the cosmetics marketing holiday season), Urban Decay has released its Ultimate Basics palette.

So, let's address the obvious (and gorgeous) elephant in the room. The packaging. Holy cow, that's some pretty packaging. I've always prided myself on not being a packaging person. I have read so many reviews of products from people who bought it "just for the packaging." 

I'm sorry, what?

That's just not something I understand. And I especially find it confusing when people mention how great and pretty the packaging is on the box that a product comes in. Again... what?

I do not buy products for the packaging. But I've noticed since I've gotten older and tried my fair share of makeup products that bad or ugly packaging will absolutely keep me from buying a product. So I guess packaging does matter to me.

But, as far as this palette goes, the packaging and the idea of it are all I'm really interested in. And for that, I won't be buying it. 

*   *   *

This palette marks the third installment of of the Naked Basics series. And I'll just be frank here: the color selection of all the Naked Basics palettes, this one included, is incredibly disappointing. Especially with the first two, I feel the colors only work with very fair cool-toned skin. That leaves out a ton of people. 

I owned the original Naked Basics palette, because I got sucked into the hype of everyone raving that it was an essential item. This was the first popular all-matte palette that I can remember, and so I jumped onto it. I hated it. 

For reference, I have light to medium skin with a warm olive undertone.

Venus was too white and shimmery for me. It was too shimmery for under my brow and too white to be used as an all over lid shade. 

Foxy, WOS, and Naked 2 all didn't show up on my skin. At all. They were essentially interchangeable for me. I would put each in my crease and it would look like nothing. If anything, it made my eye looks all a little ashy. 

Faint was muddy on me, as I prefer a more warm-toned brown. 

Crave broke for no reason whatsoever (I never dropped it, didn't travel around with it) and continually crumbled for months before I finally gave up and removed the shade from the palette. 

After several unsuccessful months of trying to make this product work, I finally accepted defeat and gave it away to someone I hope was able to get use out of it. 

Then Urban Decay released a second iteration. 

I laughed when I saw it. What? How is that any different than the first one other than being even more cool-toned? And I get it. There are subtle differences, but that's it. They're subtle at best. On the eye, I highly doubt the colors in this palette will look any different than those of the original Naked Basics. 

None of these colors would really work for me, and I have a hard time imagining how they would work for those with medium to deep skin tones. And for Urban Decay to come out with two matte palettes that really only work for very fair skin is highly disappointing. 

So that brings us to the Naked Ultimate Basics palette, which was supposed to be an answer to people's complaints about the color selection in the other Naked Basics palettes. 

I had the same reaction to this that I had to the Naked 2 Basics. WHAT? The first five shades on the top row and the first shade on the bottom row all look like subtle variations of the same color. That's HALF the palette! I highly doubt that any of these colors will look that different from each other when on the lid, so for me, this is more like a six- or seven-shade palette, not twelve. 

And if that's not enough, this palette--again--seems to cater to fair skin. There are certainly shades in this palette that will work with deeper skin tones, but not as many as will work on fair skin tones. The exclusion within the Urban Decay Naked Basics range is really troubling. 

Moving away from those issues, at first glance, there are some shades in this palette that I could see myself liking and wanting to use. Though I love a shimmery lid shade nearly every day, some of my all-time favorite palettes are those entirely made up of matte shades. The shimmers are the stars of my eye looks, but the mattes are the unsung heroes. My favorite mattes are shades of peach, orange, tan, and mauve. And this palette kind of has those. 

But, the palettes I already have (Kat Von D Shade and Light, Tartelette in Bloom) fit my needs better than the Ultimate Basics. Not to mention that I already have a very similar palette that I think trumps the Ultimate Basics in shade selection, quality, and quantity: the limited edition (boo) MAC Nordstrom C'est Chic palette. 

Photo: Temptalia 

This is my absolute favorite matte palette. And since I already own and love this palette, I would have little use for the Naked Ultimate Basics palette other than to look at the packaging. 

I think Urban Decay could have done better with their holiday offering. If they would have put as much attention toward the color selection as they did the packaging design, this could have been a lot better. 

Sorry, hype train. I won't be buying. 

What I'm Not Buying: Kat Von D Serpentina Palette

The latest eyeshadow palette from Kat Von D Beauty--Serpentina--has been teased for months. I have to say, this marketing strategy is exceptionally unappealing to me, and I won't be purchasing.

I mentioned this in my post about the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette, but I find it exhausting when brands talk about their upcoming projects months in advance and tease customers with filtered images just to drum up hype.

I get that cosmetics is a business and that engaging in this kind of marketing is clearly in the best interest of the company, but that's why it is so important to be an informed consumer and ignore the hype.

I don't have the best relationship with Kat Von D as a brand. I find that they often have quality control issues (the Shade + Light blushes that were pulled from shelves and the three different batches of Lolita liquid lipstick are just two examples) and are frequently out of stock in most Sephora stores. I have never seen another brand at Sephora with as many stock issues as Kat Von D.

As far as products, I own the Monarch palette. I really loved it when I first bought it because some of the colors are astounding, but the more I used it, the more I hated having to deal with the immense fallout and glitter that would rain down my face. I also bought the Shade + Light eyeshadow palette, but found it very difficult to work with. The colors had so much intense pigmentation that I found they were difficult to blend out and look nice. I much preferred the performance of my Viseart Neutral Mattes palette, so I returned the Shade + Light. I also own the Metal Crush eyeshadow in Thunderstruck, and really love the uniqueness.

I can therefore say that while I like Thunderstruck, the KVD Beauty eyeshadow formula is not my favorite. However, I think KVD Beauty always has a really interesting shade selection, and when Serpentina was first teased, I was a little intrigued.

That all went away, however, when the first "official" image of the palette was released and it had a black and white filter over it.

This is just annoying. I honestly don't see the point in it, other than to get people to go crazy over hype wondering what it will look like. I saw this filtered photo and was so disgusted by this new trend of marketing that I decided that unless the palette was so perfect, so me, so everything I've always wanted but somehow didn't have, I would be passing on it.

Some of you may say it's silly to pass on an item over its marketing, but it is important to me to not support brands that feed off and promote the hype and fear of missing out mentality.

Anastasia Beverly Hills recently released the Modern Renaissance palette, which I personally believe is the best release of the season (review coming soon). The company released the first mention and image of the palette the day before it was available for purchase. That, in my opinion, is an appropriate way to do marketing. The palette is also extremely high quality, and reviews have all been positive. Because of its quality, the palette is selling extremely well, and the brand didn't need to rely on hype and craze.

It's worth mentioning, however, that the ABH palette is permanent while the Serpentina palette is limited edition. Created hype is so much more significant when the palette is limited edition. With the hype in place, hoards of people will likely buy this palette immediately, having been teased about it for so long, sites will crash, and the hype marketing will have worked. That also is not for me.

When actual images of Serpentina were released, the colors were indeed beautiful, but again an easy pass for me. I simply don't wear such intense purple, green, blue, or red shades on my eyes. This also is not a complete palette, though it doesn't seem like it's trying to be one. There are no transition shades, crease colors, or highlight shades.

It is worth noting that this palette would look incredible on people of color, and it would have been nice to see some darker transition and highlight shades to make a complete palette.

I think Serpentina would probably be a welcome and refreshing addition to a lot of people's collections who like color and jewel tones and don't mind pulling other palettes or shadows in to make a complete look. Personally, I don't have a ton of use for it, and the marketing was a major turn-off, so I won't be purchasing.

What I'm Not Buying: Tarte x Grav3yardgirl Swamp Queen Palette

Tarte and YouTube personality Grav3yardgirl collaborated to make the Swamp Queen palette. I don't personally watch Grav3yardgirl's channel, so I don't know much about her or the significance of the shade names or palette aesthetics, but I will say that contrary to many other collaborations, it looks like Bunny put a ton of thought into this palette.

The palette looks kinda perfect to me. So perfect, in fact, that I already have all of the shades in it.

I really love the packaging and read that the antique look was inspired by Bunny's love for antique items and going to Uncommon Objects in Austin. I used to live in Austin, so this is a really lovely touch to me. Even without that personal connection, I find it to be a very unique look and I think it's interesting.

I don't have a single face palette in my collection. They're not for me. I also don't have any eyeshadow palettes that have face products included. It has never been an aesthetic that I've enjoyed or something that I felt I needed. So, immediately upon seeing this palette, I felt it could be an easy pass.

But then I started looking at the eyeshadows. And they are really all my favorite kind of shades. A gold, burnt orange, taupe purple--I love them. I also really liked the color of the bronzer, but I would use it as an eyeshadow instead. All things considered, I really wanted to purchase this palette, but in the end, I'm not going to.

I saw and read several reviews that talked about the glitter fallout in some of the shades, specifically the highlight shade (gator wings) and the dark brown with glitter eyeshadow (sippy sippy). Sippy sippy reminds me a lot of shades like NARS Galapagos, where they are absolutely stunning in the pan, but don't translate whatsoever on the eye.

In Allura Beauty's live swatches video, once Sippy sippy is applied, she lightly blows over the shade, and all the glitter falls away, leaving a matte brown shadow. What makes the shade interesting and pretty is the glitter infusion, so I was disappointed that it would all essentially fall out over my face.

I also heard that while the highlight shade (gator wings) is gorgeous, the glitter fallout is very intense, and that is not something I would want for a face highlight or an eyeshadow.

As far as the eyeshadow, the top two rows are easily duped with my Zoeva Cocoa Blend palette, and the bottom row is duped in my Morphe 35T and Tartelette palettes.

The blush is pretty, but not terribly unique. On my skin, it would likely look like any other peachy-pink blush.

With a critical eye, I certainly don't need this palette. I still think it is lovely and one of the best YouTube collaborations I have seen, but I can't justify adding it to my collection.

What I'm Not Buying: Lorac Pro 3 Palette

Photo: Temptalia

The Lorac Pro palettes have always intrigued me. When the first Pro launched, I wanted it desperately, but could not find it in store anywhere. I called store after store, and after a few months, I finally gave up and moved on to other things. 

The Lorac Pro 2 came out, but almost all reviews claimed that it was a cool-toned palette (it's not), so I chose not to buy for a while. I recently purchased the Pro 2, however, and really love the quality. The shadows are soft and blend well, much like the ABH Modern Renaissance. 

When I saw the first images for the Pro 3, I was immediately intrigued, but wondered if it would have the same problems as the Mega Pro 2. That palette, to me, had way too many light shades that I feared would look exactly the same when applied to the lid. Though there were some interesting shades in the Mega Pro 2, the redundant light shades kept me from purchasing.

I saw swatches of the Pro 3, and I have to say that I'm not impressed. Several of the colors look like they have minimal differences, and this is especially not a versatile palette for darker skin tones, which is highly disappointing. If you don't have a very large eyeshadow collection, like really light neutral colors, and aren't looking for a ton of variety, this might be worth looking into IF the quality was the same as the other Pro palettes.

The appeal of this palette seems to be the rosy shades, but I have plenty of those shades that I already enjoy. There's L'Oreal Amber Rush, Makeup Geek Grandstand, Rose from Lorac Pro 2, several shades from the Morphe 35T, and the Lorac Unzipped. 

With all of those colors in my collection, there is no need for this palette. Added to that, several reviews I've read/seen recently have commented that the texture of the Pro 3 shades does not seem to be the same as the other Pro palettes. This is something that seems to be happening often in the cosmetics industry, and it is really disappointing. It also feels deceptive, whether intentional or not, to lure customers in with an outstanding formula and then use the trusted name with a lesser formula for the same price. 

It's exciting that brands like Anastasia Beverley Hills have improved their shadow formula, so it's especially disappointing to see brands decline in quality. With all things considered, I won't be purchasing the Pro 3. 

What I'm Not Buying: Jeffree Star Beauty Killer Palette

Jeffree Star Cosmetics, known largely for liquid lipsticks, has recently launched an eyeshadow palette. I won't be buying it. 

Upon first glance, there are definitely several shades I would be interested in, specifically Princess, Violence, Rich Bitch, Courtney, and Confession. I could also get use out of Vanity, China White, and Black Rainbow. That leaves only two shades--the hot pink and shimmery blue--that I wouldn't use, at least not regularly. 

When I first saw the palette, I considered buying it. Knowing I could use the vast majority of shades was appealing to me, but I was mainly interested in Courtney, the matte transition/crease color. However, I was able to talk myself out of purchasing because I have all of those colors somewhere in my collection. 

Princess, a light lilac, looks pretty similar to my Makeup Geek shade in Phantom (which I love). 

Violence, a fuchsia purple, looks like shades in my Natasha Denona palette and Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly palette. 

Rich Bitch, a gold, looks like a shade in my Kat Von D Monarch palette as well as shades in my Morphe 35T palette.

Courtney, a warm matte transition color, looks like shades in my Viseart Neutral Mattes palette, Ciate London Pretty Palette, theBalm Meet Matte(Trimony) palette, and Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette. 

Confession, a burgundy shimmer, looks like shades in my Viseart Paris Nudes and Sultry Muse palettes. 

Violence, a blackened brown, looks like shades in the Tartelette or Tartelette in Bloom. 

China White, a matte white, is duped in nearly every single palette I own. 

Black Rainbow is the only color that I don't really have an exact dupe, however, I highly doubt that the rainbow glitter will adhere to the eye without a glitter glue or when blended out. In that event, it looks like every other matte black shade that I have. 

When reviews of the palette started coming out, the few people who I trusted, who didn't seem to have an agenda or want to please Jeffree, said that the mattes were difficult to blend and that Rich Bitch was very patchy. 

If you're interested in a more thorough review, I recommend Tarababyz and Stephanie Nicole. 

There are definitely some pretty shades in this palette, but there is nothing that I don't already have and want. This palette also doesn't have the "perfect" shade selection for me to want in one palette to merit purchasing shades I already have. 

The shade selection, plus the mediocre reviews, makes this an easy pass for me. 

Morphe 35T Palette Review and Swatches

Before I start this review, because of my own thoughts about this brand and their marketing tactics, it is important for me to say that I paid for this palette with my own money.

I say that because it was incredibly difficult for me to find any reviews that were not sponsored, did not have linked affiliate codes, or consist of PR samples. Because of that, I really couldn't (and didn't) trust the majority of reviews on this brand.

Morphe piqued my interest a few times, especially when there was mania surrounding the 35O palette, but the main palette that always intrigued me was the 35T. The shades, supposedly various shades of taupe, looked right up my alley.

However, I will say that Morphe looked to me to be the exact same cheap, mass-produced shadows as BH Cosmetics and Costal Scents, and I found it odd that nearly all reviews were raves. Then I saw that Stephanie Nicole did a fantastic brand review of Morphe where she surmised that they are likely private labeled Crown Brushes products. This, with the addition of shilling that was rampant across reviews, left much to be desired for me.

However, I was shopping in Ricky's NYC one day and saw some Morphe palettes. They had the 35T. Out of utter curiosity I swatched a few shades and honestly could not believe how beautiful they were. I knew then, without hesitation, that I needed to buy it and review for myself.

Morphe 35T

As an entire, cohesive palette, this is absolutely not a winner. But there are definitely a lot of gorgeous winner shades.

The best shades are the shimmers, though not all shimmers are great. The mattes, on the whole, are passes for me as I have significantly better mattes in my collection.

I have really enjoyed the look of most of the shimmers on my eyelids, and I would compare the color payoff to MAC shadows. They blended easily (with a good, non-Morphe matte shadow) and lasted all day with a primer. The shimmers, however, did give a ton of texture to my eyelid in a way that most shadows don't. Up close, my eyelids looked very old and crepey. I honestly have never seen my eyelids look that bad before. From far away, however, things looked great.

The matte shades were stiff and had little color payoff. I found myself consistently needing to reach for other mattes in my collection to complete my looks.

The 35T also lacks a lot of basic shades, such as a brow bone highlight shade, warm brown transition shades, and dark matte shades.

All swatches are on bare skin without primer.

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Column 4

Column 5

Column 6

Column 7

As you can see, most of the shimmer shades swatch very nicely. And the ones that look nice in swatches perform very similarly on a lid when applied with a brush. The ones that look patchy, stiff, and dry also perform that way on the lid. 

This palette cost $23 in store. As I mentioned, as a full, cohesive palette, this one is not a winner in that the entire palette is not great. There are some great shades, though, and you may decided that there are enough good shades in the palette to justify the price. 

I was incredibly hesitant to try a Morphe product, but I was actually pleasantly surprised for the most part. This is a palette that I will keep in my collection, but it is a palette that I think of strictly for lid shades. 

For people expecting the top-notch quality promised by many reviewers out there, I think you will be disappointed. The quality of all the entire palette does not rival my mid-range shadows, but some shades do. 

I enjoy the shade selection in this palette, and I don't have many dupes for the shades. If you have dupes or are expecting the superior quality as promised, this is probably a pass. 

What I'm Not Buying: Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection

Becca teamed up once again with social media personality Jaclyn Hill to promote a champagne summer collection. Their first collaboration--the shimmering skin perfector Champagne Pop--was such a success that it is not surprising to see the two teaming up yet again.

I own several Becca products: Moonstone and Opal shimmering skin perfectors, Flowerchild and Wild Honey blushes, the backlight primer, and Ombre Rouge eyeshadow palette. It's fair to say that I have a pretty wide selection of Becca products and that I am also--clearly--a fan of this brand.

I absolutely love my Ombre Rouge palette, and when I first heard that this collection was going to include an eyeshadow palette, I'll admit I figured I would cave and purchase it. When I learned that the palette was going to include shimmer shades, I was gone. I had to have it.

But then I saw the swatches and was highly disappointed. Not only do I have a dude for every single shade, but I have multiple dupes of every single shade. Even then, I thought that with the Becca quality, I could justify it.

I read Temptalia's review and was surprised to see that the palette got a poor rating. Because I already had dupes of every shade, and with disappointing performance, I decided against purchasing and moved on.

But then Rita B. on YouTube (who I've been subscribed to for a while) made a pretty amazing video. As an even bigger fan of Becca eyeshadows, Rita was so incredibly disappointed by this palette that she did some digging and found that the palette had been produced in China (instead of the US, where all their previous eyeshadow palettes were made) and used a different, cheaper formula than their normal shadows. MrKongsMom also made a video that echoed similar sentiments.

I have a lot of feelings about this. First, and most obviously, this totally sucks. My best speculation (and this is purely speculation) is that in a collaboration, the company has to split its profits. Had they produced this eyeshadow palette with the same formula as their normal palettes, they would not see as much of a return because Jaclyn would get a share of the profits. So they cut costs by producing the palette with a significantly cheaper formula, but keep the price of the palette the same. They therefore don't spend as much money on manufacturing costs to be lost to Jaclyn.

I think that's a very likely scenario, but I don't have any concrete evidence to support this. I've read that Jaclyn made a statement and said that due to the demand and time constraints on making the palette, Becca outsourced to China and unbeknownst to all of them, the product was processed with cheaper ingredients. Do I believe this? Absolutely not.

While this all infuriates me, I have to say that I am happy that Becca pulled the palette and has offered refunds to everyone who purchased it. But it feels slightly too little, too late.

It's disappointing though that it took someone (or multiple people) "exposing" the situation for Becca to take any responsibility. The palette should have never been manufactured in China, and then it should have never been put on shelves for the same price as their high-quality palettes.

I am further disappointed that so many people who were sent PR samples raved about it. This is something that really grinds my gears. It is absolutely okay to give a negative review of a product. In fact, it makes consumers more trusting of a reviewer who gives honest criticisms. I'm not sure if it was because people wanted to be in good graces with Jaclyn or just didn't want to give a negative review to such a hyped product, but I think they would be embarrassed to have raved about a sub-par product that was then pulled from the shelves.

I've never purchased a collaboration product, but now I am extremely wary of them. I'm glad that there are some reviewers who will do the research and who are not afraid to speak truths about bad products, but they are very unfortunately few and far between.

So, I will not be purchasing anything from this collection. I didn't need it anyway, and knowing the quality is sub-par is disappointing to say the least.

Why You Should NOT Buy the Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette

... Or care if you haven't been able to get your hands on it.

If you have found my blog that talks about the over-saturation of the beauty market and rampant, unnecessary consumerism, you must be a person who likes makeup. Welcome.

Too Faced's Sweet Peach palette was the cherry on top of everything that I personally feel is wrong with the beauty industry right now, and it inspired me to start this blog, to encourage other people to be more sensible with their purchase choices and to step away from mindless hype.

Why was the Sweet Peach palette so coveted? It wasn't, really. And that is where Too Faced was smart with their bottom line in mind but crappy when it comes to customer service and satisfaction.

Too Faced is just one company in a long line that has released "teaser" images of upcoming products to create hype and a "need" for a palette. It's no different than a teaser movie trailer before the official trailer. It's marketing--anything to help their profit.

People loved the idea of a peach palette. They speculated for weeks on what it would look like and started drooling over these imaginary shades of complex peach. An entire palette of warm, peachy shades, people thought. So many variations of tone and depth and PEACH.

It then came as a major shock and disappointment to many when the official photos of the palette were released, and lo and behold, there were two peach shades. Two. In an eighteen-pan palette. How? people asked. How is this the peach palette we've all been drooling over? 

Many people, myself included, decided to pass on the palette. For me, the idea of an entire peach palette was absolutely appealing to me. I didn't don't need another eyeshadow palette, but the idea I created in my head of what this palette could be seemed genuinely unique. In such an oversaturated market, a unique product could be worth picking up. When I saw the official images, however, it was just like any other neutral palette. There were two peach colors. That was it. Not entirely surprising when you think of profitable palettes, but disappointing nonetheless.

Too Faced, however, made a crucial marketing decision--create hysteria by having a limited quantity of palettes.

This is purely my own personal opinion, but I don't think Too Faced had any intentions of having the Sweet Peach palette actually be limited edition. If so, it wouldn't be in the larger size that their most popular product--the Chocolate Bar--is in. I think it was always intended to be a permanent item, but they wanted to have the hottest, most sought-after product of the season. So they didn't manufacture very many of them.

When the palette launched, the bloggers went to purchase it, as well as the few people who genuinely wanted it despite its lack of peachiness. And then all hell broke loose. Because there was such limited quantities, stock ran out immediately. (This seems to be a tactic Too Faced borrowed from many popular social media brands.) The site crashed. (Another seemingly borrowed tactic.)

Now, as anyone involved in the beauty community understands far too well, once you can't get a makeup item because everyone else wanted it, you immediately HAVE TO HAVE IT. So then Ulta online got the palette, and their site crashed as hoards of people tried to get it. Then Sephora. Then stores got the palette in stock, but their quantities were laughable--fifteen to twenty per store--and the sales associates were purchasing them first.

And there you have it. A palette that disappointed most people became the hottest product of the season. Simply because people had a fear of missing out. Even when reviews started coming out, and people said, "This isn't that great," people didn't care. They wanted to get their hands on the two peach shades in a neutral palette and smell the artificial peach scent. Because obviously makeup should smell like peach candy (sarcasm).

I didn't fall into the trap. I have enough eyeshadow palettes of incredible quality that I didn't need one of mediocre quality with nothing special about it except an artificial peach scent. Nothing about the palette appealed to me except the hysteria around it. I'll admit for a moment there, I honestly wondered if there was something I was missing. How are so many people losing their minds over an uninteresting neutral palette? Should I buy it just to find out?

NO. I shouldn't. And neither should you.

I get that many people get annoyed with product releases that fail to live up to their expectations. Another neutral palette? people say. But we have SO many of these. Where is something interesting? But here's the deal: the vast majority of consumers aren't like me--or us. They don't have a hoard of makeup and just want to play with the newest thing. Most people have one eyeshadow palette--maybe two. And they are more likely to buy something neutral and versatile. They will need a matte highlight shade, transition colors, and a matte black. So while those of us who have ten or more palettes likely have ten or more matte black shadows, the person who buys only one palette will only have one matte black, and they will probably want that shade. So, yeah. A lot of these neutral palettes are "boring" and "repetitive" and everyone's favorite description: "dupable." But that's because it's what the normal consumer wants.

So I get why Too Faced made a natural palette. But if it truly was meant to be limited edition, and if they're going to call it "Sweet Peach," it shouldn't be marketed to the normal consumer. It should be marketed toward the people who have and love too much makeup and are excited by themed releases. It should be made up of peach shades! But, if the plan was for it to be permanent all along, it makes sense to make it marketable to the vast majority of people. And then, if enough hysteria surrounded it, when it returns, they can claim it is makeup's number-one selling palette.

So, why shouldn't you buy it? If you really love it and want it, of course go for it. But if you're struggling with what to do, don't. It's just another neutral palette that smells weird and has two low performing peach shades in it. If you already have any Chocolate Bar palette, you probably already have most of the shadows. Throw in one or two peach eyeshadows (or even blushes!) from your collection, and there you have the Sweet Peach palette.

It's nothing special, and it certainly isn't worth the hysteria that Too Faced created. Businesses are after one thing: your money. But as consumers, we should be smart about what we buy and where we give that money. I fully expect to see this palette turn up in people's "Products I Regret Buying" videos or declutter piles in a short time after the hype has died down.