[Review] L’Oreal Paris La Palette in Nude & Rose

Today I am going to review my very first L’Oreal eye shadow product (surprise!) One of the reasons why I don’t invest in drugstore eye shadows is because most come in mono or duo colors. I have a strong preference for palettes that house many colors so I that can see and pick my shades at one glance without having to go through different products. When they do come in a quad, I often get turned off, as 2 or more shades will swatch too similar to each other.

Lo and behold, I think L’Oreal heard my thoughts: P The new L’Oreal Paris La Palette in Nude and Rose house 10 very different swatches of colors, with Nude holding mainly cooler tones and Rose packed with warmer tone shadows. As the base tone of the palettes are the same, all colors in the palette can be picked and matched blindfolded – how thoughtful! This is a great palette for beginners and that morning work rush.

Packaging

At first sight, the colors in the Nude version reminded me of the famous Urban Decay Naked palette while the Rose version reminded me of Lancôme’s limited edition 2015 Christmas eye shadow palette. Cased in sleek black plastic, its minimalistic aesthetics combined with good quality material resembles mid-level brands. Both palettes stood out effortlessly on the drugstore shelves. There is even a gorgeous star and shell embossing on one of the colors – an elegant touch in my opinion.

Both palettes come with a duo end brush – one sponge applicator and one brush. If you have a habit of trashing in-palette brushes, hold that urge! Albeit small, I was pleasantly surprised to find the brush applicator pretty soft, well rounded and great for precise application of colors and under-eye shading. Blending can take some time though; but the soft bristles do a decent job. The sponge side is firm and of high quality, great for patting on shades and intensifying colors. All these raised my expectation of the product swatch– so let’s dip in!

L’Oreal Paris La Palette in Nude

As seen from the swatches, the color payout is awesome. All 10 shadows have a nice and smooth consistency. Most are soft and easy to pick up, save for the first 2 colors which needed a tad more swirling into the palette to pick up a good swatch and the last / darkest shade which I find had a little fallout issue. The fallouts are most likely due to the finely milled powder, just remember to tap off the excess product before application.

There is a perfect mix of shimmery colors to semi-shimmery and matte colors, a all-in-one palette for the to-go make up pouch. Though the 8th shade may look a little metallic, it appears just shimmery when transferred to the eye. There are neither intense metallic nor chunky glitters in this number, so natural look babes can rejoice. The powders are surprisingly dry, so be sure to moisturize well or use an eye shadow primer if you do not want to risk your eye area looking cakey. It is also a good practice to always use a primer anyway. This prevents color pigments from transferring to the skin around your eye area.

5 light colors and 5 dark colors means that this palette can easily bring you from a day fresh look to a super sexy smokey eye look. If you are into multi-tasking your palette, the 2nd last and 4th last shade are good eyebrow colors, just remember to use a brow gel (or a eye shadow primer if you are a hardcore multi-tasker) to fix the colors and strokes in place. The first color, a matte white, can also be used as a brow highlighter so you are all covered!

The look

For this palette, I have created a muted smokey eye look – great for night functions and events without looking too gothic. Start off with the third shade on the palette and apply it as the base color. With the 6th shade, apply it along your eye crease area to give it a more deep set look and counter that fatty Asian eyelid. For this look, I went ahead with the eyeliner and mascara first. Then, using the small and precise in-palette brush, I applied the last shade on top of the eyeliner to blur it out for a little smokey effect. Using the same color, I intensified the outer corners of my eyes.

You can choose to stop here for a wide eye muted smokey look, OR, add a soft silver eyeliner pencil for a wearable edgy look. Remember to add under-eye shadows to balance out the heavy make up on the upper lids. I used a mix of 7th and 8th color in the palette for the lower lid. For this look, I used L’Oreal Super Liner GelMATIC eyeliner in 04 Silver and L’Oreal Color Riche Moist Satin in Beige Sienna for my lips.

L’oreal Paris La Palette in Rose

Once again all 10 shadows have a nice and smooth consistency. Most are soft and easy to pick up, although the more skin-toned colors require a little more patience and build up to get the color out. With this palette, while powders are also finely milled, I didn’t experience any fallout. I must also point out that that last shade is an absolutely gorgeous burgundy red that tingles my weak spot!

We also see an equal number of matte and shimmer shades. It may not look like the case in the first swatch image, that’s because the shimmer colors are not as shimmery and vibrant compared to the Nude palette. The inclusion of lovely colors such as a rare rose gold (2nd shade, slightly shimmery) and bright peach (5th shade, also slightly shimmery) makes this palette a versatile one.

There are more light colors in this number so if you are one who loves light eye-colors or prefer a girl-next-door look, this is the palette for you. Housing a good number of transition shades, blending will be a breeze. There is still a dark grey shade (2nd last color) if the occasion calls for a more intense look.

The look

For this palette, I have created an everyday eye makeup suitable for office ladies. Starting off with the second shade on the palette, I applied it as the base color. The rose gold shade as a base will give the eye a glowy look from within. In fact, you can multi-task this shade as a subtle highlighter on the highs of your cheek to achieve a dewy look! With the last shade (burgundy red) and the brush provided, apply it to the outer half of your eyelid and along your eye crease area. This helps to make the eye look more deep set. Then, using the 5th shade (bright peach) and the sponge applicator, dab it on at the inner half and middle part of the eye. It creates an aura-like glow and makes the eyes pop! If needed, go back to the brush to blend the colors and intensify the burgundy shade. Then, apply eyeliner and mascara.

You can choose to stop here or give the look an edgy touch by lining gold eyeliner on top and along the eyeliner and waterline. Remember to add under-eye shadows first to balance out the heavy make up on the upper lids. I used the burgundy red for the outer half and rose gold (second shade) for the inner half. For this look, I used L’Oreal Super Liner GelMATIC eyeliner in 03 Gold and L’Oreal Color Riche Moist Satin in Beige Sienna for my lips.

Can I also add that the L’Oreal Color Riche Moist Satin Beige Sienna is a really pretty nude pink? I always run away from nudes because it makes me look dull and sickly so this is a prized find!

This is the first time I am doing a step-by-step eye shadow application guide and I hope you like the looks I have created!

Would I recommend readers to purchase the palettes?

At $29.90, it may look seem like a pricey drugstore eye shadow. However, if you do your math, each shade comes down to only $3. The quality of the eye shadows and the in-palette brush also justifies the price and this is definitely one of the better drugstore palettes I have came across. What’s more, some of the colors are dupes for the more expensive Urban Decay Naked. I find this a very exciting product as this breakthrough palette might mean that drugstore eye shadows now have to up their game for a good fight!

So if you haven’t already own a good palette, I’d say you should give the L’Oreal Paris La Palettes a go. ?

 

Tags: Beauty, Loreal (Brand), Makeup & Beauty, Makeup Look