Review: Palladio Crushed Metallic Shadows

If there's two things I love it's high-quality, pigmented eyeshadows, and a bargain. So when Charlene from GeeWhiskers posted a few snaps on SnapChat about how great the Crushed Metallic eyeshadows from Palladio are, I perked up.

Palladio is stocked at Dischem and these eyeshadows cos R99 each. Now at R99 per shadow it doesn't seem like a bargain, but wait until you experience the colour, the pigmentation, and the longevity. To sweeten the deal, Dischem regularly has Palladio cosmetics on 3-for-2, which means that for R200 you get three high-quality eyeshadows.

What makes these eyeshadows so special is the fact that they are botanical and vitamin infused: it contains Aloe, Chamomile, Safflower, Camellia, Gingko Biloba, and Ginseng. These shadows are so intensely pigmented and, although called eyeshadows, they are referred to as "pressed pigments" on the Palladio website. Like I said, R99 might seem like much, but have you seen any other high-quality, affordable foil pigments at the drugstore? I didn't think so.

I have five of the shades (I think there are about 12) and they are, from left to right, top to bottom: "Light year", "Stellar", "Meteor", "Supernova", and "Eclipse". "Light year" is a pale rose gold, while "Stellar" is a cool-toned bronzy-taupe. "Meteor" is a full-on copper and is, in my personal opinion, quite a bold colour to wear! I would only wear this at night. The same goes for "Supernova" which is a rich plum. On the skin it looks a bit more coppery than full-on purple, but it's a stunning colour. Lastly is "Eclipse" which is a rich gold. Being the neutral-lover that I am, my favourites are "Light year" and "Stellar", but all of these stunning shades are getting a lot of time on my lids!

Below you can see some swatches. The first photo is taken in natural light, the second in direct sunlight, and the third with a flash. You can see that in all the photos the shadows look absolutely amazing! "Light year" seem to be less pigmented than the rest of the shadows, but I think that has a lot to do with the way I photographed the swatches. Best is to go swatch for yourself!

These shadows are a very good option if you have oily eyelids. I have oily eyelids and these shadows do not budge, with or without a primer, for a good six hours. I apply them with my fingers as I find they make my brushes very dirty, very quickly, and then the bristles tend to clump together, making it very difficult to use them again without a good wash. I use my fingers to apply the shadow to my entire eyelid, and then I blend out the edges with a fluffy brush. Usually I will go in for a second "coat", just to make sure there aren't any patchy areas, and to really make the colour pop.

Have you ever tried these shadows? Which shade is your favourite? Let me know in the comments section!

Until next time!

Hildegarde

xoxo