Natasha Denona Mini Lila Eyeshadow Palette - review

Greetings!

If you haven’t read my other reviews, then... Hello, I’m a beauty junkie!

And even though I’m trying to be restrained and not to splurge on everything that I see from beauty shops, I still sometimes get carried away and buy something.

 

I didn’t have a chance to meet the Natasha Denona products before. I know that she is one of the most famous makeup artists in the USA. Each time looking through the Sephora’s catalog, I was impressed with the price tags for her cosmetics, like $130-240 for an eyeshadow palette, or $89 for a blush and a highlight duo, $99-290 for a set of makeup brushes…

Yes, there are some items which are rather reasonably priced, but I was always drawn to eyeshadow palettes. And each time I have magically switched to some other eyeshadows palettes like Tarte, Too Faced, Urban Decay, etc.

 

But last week I saw a review here, on this website of the Natasha Denona Lila Eyeshadow Palette and it literally rocked my socks off.

However, I couldn’t let myself splurge $130 for that palette, that’s why I opted for a smaller babe, which is Natasha Denona Mini Lila Palette for a more “affordable” $25.

The palette claims to be an extension of the existing Lila Palette, featuring five brand-new shades.

 

!The formula is paraben- and talc-free.

!The brand doesn’t test on animals.

!Weight - 4g (5 x 0,

!Made in Italy

 

Most of all I was impressed with the blueish-lilac duochrome shade Blue Dahlia, which will melt the heart of every beauty junkie.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from this palette, but of course, I was dreaming of having perfect eyeshadows which will pop out of the palette themselves, blending into ideal smokey eyes, making me look the most beautiful in the Universe.

 

The very first day I bought this palette, I was having dinner in a restaurant with my husband, so I didn’t have enough time to take professional shots of the palette before use.

 

✅ Outer appearance

The design of the palette is the simplest.

White glossy plastic is actually a compact. The transparent plastic top has the Natasha Denona logo on it.

Even the Tarte palettes look more sophisticated, in my book.

Well, we aren’t supposed to pay for the outer design, but for the contents, right? We all want the inner part to be decent.

The back of the palette offers all the numbers and names of the shades: Poison Berry, Blue Dahlia, Raisin, Line, Flint.

The product is unscented, which is a pro for those people with sensitive noses or eyes.

 

✅ Shades

So now, let’s have a thorough look at each shade. From the left to the right:

 

180CM Poison Berry - This is a hybrid of a lilac and fuchsia shades with cool-toned blue undertones. It’s completely matte and silky by touch. When I apply it on my skin, it looks patchy and I always have to pack it to get more or less even and smooth coverage. It’s easy to blend out completely, so this very shade always requires a lot of time for application.

 

 

181DC Blue Dahlia - This one is a stunning blue-purple duochrome shimmer shade. It’s unbelievably beautiful, though too whimsy. It feels like butter to the touch. It is possible to pick it up with a brush, though it’s still a little bit difficult and time-consuming. It’s better to apply this color with your fingertip and only after that work out with a brush. You can also pack it to get the maximum foiled effects on your eyes.

 

182CM Raisin - Matte burgundy shade. Characteristics-wise, it really reminds me of the Poison Berry hue. It’s so good for the crease.

 

183M Linen - The color of the splash of champagne with the tiniest shimmer bits to it. This one is also buttery by touch, like the Blue Dahlia, but it’s also a tricky one to apply.

I like applying it to my brow bone and inner corners. And I can also wear it sometimes as a highlighter.

 

184CM Flint - Matte beige sand. The characteristics are the same as of those two previous matte shades, with the only difference that this one doesn’t apply with patches. Or maybe it’s just impossible to see with the naked eye, because the color is really light. The hue will flatter mono-shade makeup, as well as for darkening of the crease.

 

I liked the color selection of the palette visually. And yeah, I was a little bit confused with the warm-toned champagne shade here, because in general, the palette screams “cool-toned”. But still, I have managed to fit it right into my makeup, so I can’t list it as a disadvantage.

 

I can’t help but compare the actual shades with what they show on the official website. (The upper row is applied with a brush and the lower row is done with a finger. No primer used)

 

✅ The products in action

I used this palette the very first day I bought it. I was too quick to think that this palette would let me do my makeup within 5-10 minutes. No way! Patting, dabbing and packing the took me 3 times longer than if I were using my fave palette from Tarte or any other.

 

FYI, I never wear my eyeshadows without a primer, because my eyes are hooded. Besides my eye skin is oily, so a primer is a must for me.

The very first day I used my NARS eyeshadow primer with these products. I don’t use it often, so when I saw that my eyeshadows creased within a couple of hours of application, I thought that it was the primer to blame. Even though I didn't notice any makeup boo-boos with it before.

 

The next day I used another primer from a Korean brand. I applied my makeup and headed to work. That day was one of the craziest and I didn’t have any time to check my makeup. But when I got back home I discovered that all my eyeshadows were creased and looked like a dirty spot on me.

That was the moment when I started to think that it wasn’t a primer to blame. After that, I tried wearing these eyeshadows with every primer that I have in my stash.

 

But each time the results were the same: the eyeshadows looked great and stayed on well only for the first hour or so. And later they started creasing.

 

I could have forgiven such performance to a $5 palette, but not $25…

 

✅ Overall

On the one hand, I love the color selection here. All the shades are 100% mine. I adore mauve-lilac shades in my makeup. The blue-lilac hue is awesome and there isn’t a swap for it in my collection.

But at the same time, the longevity is only for 2 hours - that’s crap, guys. By the way, I’m not a newbie in the world of cosmetics and I know how to tame products. But here I can’t do anything about these eyeshadows. I don’t know the reason behind their shitty setting, maybe that’s due to their silky-creamy texture. But it’s time to face the music - this palette isn’t for those with oily eye skin types.

 

I don’t know if the bigger palette has the same formula or not, but, honestly, now I don’t even have a desire to find out. I’ll find a way to spend $130 wisely. And yeah, I could have returned this palette to the shop, but I’m too lazy and I guess $25 isn’t worth it. I’ll try to wear the shades over the NYX cream eyeshadow.

 

You see, for the same money I could have bought a palette from some other brand with many more shades and avoid all that mumbo-jumbo that I have to experience with this palette.

 

2 solid stars for you, Natasha Denona Mini Lila palette: 1 for the gorgeous blue-lilac shade and 1 for the hypoallergenic formula and non-falling out during application pigments.

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It’s up to you to decide whether to buy this palette or not, but from me, this babe gets a big thumb down.

 

Thanks for your attention and see you in my next reviews!