I’ve had this for awhile & honestly kept pushing back this review until I had ample time to test the shades. I actually picked this up from the Victoria’s Secret store as opposed to online…since there was absolutely no information online about it. WTF VS! Clearly this goes along with the whole neutral palette trend but this one is a bit different! I think you guys will really appreciate it so do keep reading!
So this comes in just a plain plastic sleeve with the price in the corner….meh. I DO like that it is clear so you can see the exterior packaging (which I also like…it’s pretty!) but mine was all scratched up. Inside was a card with the shades + their names (the only place the names are shown) & on the other side it has 2 separate looks. They’re pretty & simple.
The packaging is impressive, much nicer than their usual black plastic packaging with plain lettering. Win for Victoria’s Secret. This palette has a magnetic closure that just curves closed. The exterior has a big metal plate on top that says “The Nakeds” & Victoria’s Secret. The rest of the outer packaging is a textured metallic champagne shade. I love that it wipes clean!
There is a mirror inside that it about the width of a credit card but about an inch longer. Mine was clearly cracked but it was the last one & I didn’t open it before buying it. Whatever. I’m just leaving the plastic on it. If I desperately need it, it’ll work. Inside its a black plastic housing the shadows & tools but it doesn’t look cheap. It isn’t all that noticeable at all.
Along with the 10 shades, you get a black pencil eyeliner & a double ended brush. The brush is…one of the most awful like ever. Maybe I’m horribly spoiled by the Anastasia of Beverly Hills brushes, but this one is cheap, stiff, & the SAME on both ends. WTF? I digress I digress.
So before you swatch any of the shades, they all appear shimmery. They definitely all have that “shimmer cast” that you often get with blushes. What I mean by that is that SOME of these aren’t as shimmery as they appear. They mostly are though haha.
The texture of these shadows are seriously smooth. Love it actually! They aren’t as cream to powder as their eyeshadow singles, but they are really soft & creamy. Two shades stand out in particular for the shimmer quality that buffs away: Brown Sable & Charcoal Black. Brown Sable looked shimmery but after you remove that light top layer it is actually a really soft metallic, not shimmer at all. Charcoal Black is a nearly matte but feels super creamy. I love this black!
Now let’s dive into the shades! I swatched them by the top & bottom row. That’s also how I swatched them for convenience sake.
Top Row left to right:
Barely Pink: Super fair shimmering pink, perfect highlight!
Copper Sand: A warm light peach with gold shimmer/sheen. So pretty, my favorite light shade in the palette.
Graystone: An icy light blue toned gray. Perfect with the blacks for a quick & simple smoky eye. Very pretty, especially when wet.
Brown Sable: Cool toned taupe-y brown. Light on its own, even better wet. Love these types of shades.
Sparkling Black: Such a pretty shade! This is a dark charcoal but it has slightly blue toned silver shimmers. Unfortunately, this swatches super sheer. I recommend using this one wet or just to darken another shade. The shimmer DOES remain though! It is an interesting shade although definitely flawed because it comes off so sheer. Totally with working with if you’re going to use this palette though.
Bottom Row left to right:
Warm Vanilla: Perfection!Love this shade, its a warm white with a slightly yellow tone. Great for your browbone, inner corners, even a touch on the cheeks or cupid’s bow. This one does have some shimmers that it leaves behind even when buffed so keep that in mind!
Tawny Pink: Kind of a mauvey/peachy far pink. It swatches sheer which is fine with me. I don’t do pinks are a main shade. I love this as a highlight which puts it a safe distance from my eyes as well.
Smoky Lilac: A greyed out lilac with a hint of pink warmth. This one swatches a bit sheer, but it sure is pretty!
Sparkling Brown: This is a cool toned greyed brown with bronze microshimmer. Applies beautifully & evenly. This one is more of a metallic when swatched & is kind of a neutral. The warm shimmer with the cool base. Lovely color. I think it would look good one everyone because of its versatility. The combo comes off kind of khaki toned.
Charcoal Black: I actually wouldn’t even call this Charcoal…just black! I’m so impressed! This one is so soft too. It may look like there’s a bit of tiny shimmers in there, but it is absolutely not visible on the eye. I call this one a matte leaning satin.
All of these were taken WITHOUT primer…clearly it is more pigmented over primer but these are really pretty on their own! The stripe down the middle is the liner that came with the palette which is labeled as just a VS Eyeliner in Extreme Black.
Overall, I’m impressed with this palette. Way better than expected. If you aren’t into deeper shades, you’ll love it. So many more options for daytime looks. With the 2 highlight shades & even a few that can be sheered into a highlight, this also has more options for lighter looks. Love the black obviously & both the Charcoal Black & the Sparkling Black can take any of the looks from day to night in a hurry. They’re rather soft so pay attention to that by using a dense brush if you want a lot of color. I found that applying the lighter shades as a base with my finger was super easy. I kind of treat them like cream shades.
