L'oreal La Palette Nude 2 Review
One major thing the drugstore beauty companies need to improve on is creating good quality eyeshadow palettes. The main options available are trios or quads with a couple palettes here and there. Maybelline came out with their version of a palette about a year ago and have since released two others. However, the quality is very poor in those so I don’t even see it as an option. L’oreal also released two palettes earlier this year with a couple other new items and people went absolutely crazy. L’oreal does usually have better quality products in the drugstore, so it actually was something to get excited about!
The difference between the two palettes is that one is mainly browns and the other has purple shades. I decided to go with the purple since I have a million different browns in my collection already. These palettes are on the pricey side ($20 each) as far as drugstore products are concerned and even though you get a lot of product, I would still wait for a sale or use a coupon. That’s usually my advice anyway when purchasing drugstore products.
Honestly, I am so impressed with these eyeshadows! I can’t even believe the quality on these, they seriously feel like very luxury high-end products! They swatch absolutely beautifully and blend out like a charm. They’re smooth, creamy, and highly pigmented without being chalky or powdery at all. You get more matte shades in this palette than you do in the brown one. Also, the brush that comes with it is actually really nice. There’s a standard sponge applicator on one end and nice, soft, small bristles on the other.
There are ten eyeshadows total in the palette and the first five are swatched above. One thing about this palette is that the shades aren’t named, but that’s pretty typical of any drugstore palette. You can see that they all swatch with a lot of pigmentation, with the exception of the first shade which is a little on the lighter side. The third and fourth shades are matte and the other three have a nice satin shimmer.
Here are the last five shades, which are mostly on the darker side and all very beautiful. The second shade in the picture is the only shade that isn’t matte out of these five. The third shade is noticeably lighter, but actually has a lot of pigmentation for being a matte light shade. Not many companies do that very well. One thing you’ll notice in the swatches is that it’s not all purple shades only, there are also cool-toned and warm-toned browns in there as well which makes for more looks that you’ll be able to create out of it.
While there’s many options that this palette offers, what I did for the pictures above was take shade #2 and buffed it lightly in the crease and outer corner of the lid for some shadow with a Morphe MB23 brush. Then I went directly on top of that with shade #9 and a Sephora #29 Classic Blending Eye Brush. Once I had the pigmentation I wanted, I mixed shades 3 and 8 together with the brush side of the one in the palette and gently blended that right above #9 in the crease to give a more diffused look between the colors. That brush is really good for precise blending! I took my Wet N Wild Brulee shadow with a Sonia Kashuk #109 blending brush and blended it out with a light hand, as I do with every look. Then I mixed shades 4 and 6 together and applied it to the very outer corner of my lid with an Ulta Crease brush. Blended it out again with the Sonia Kashuk brush, this time with no product on it. I used Covergirl’s Champagne eyeshadow on the inner half of my lid to brighten it up and add sparkle. I applied it with my finger first and then blended it into the crease with a Morphe M153 brush. I used the provided sponge applicator to put shade #1 on the inner corner for highlight. And finally, I completed the look with a thin line of black eyeliner and some mascara.
These eyeshadows last for a good amount of time on the lid before they crease. They will begin to fade away and blend together after about 6 hours, so I would definitely recommend setting it with a setting spray. Some people complain about palettes not having a dark shade to use for eyeliner, but if you’re going for a lighter look I think shades 6 and 10 would be dark enough to give some definition on the lash line.
Overall, I think this is a really good palette and I do recommend it. I’m excited to see what the drugstore companies do next and I’m hoping they’ll use this palette for inspiration on quality. If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them and would love to see the looks you created with this palette. Have a beautiful day!
