The Bomb of an Eye Shadow Palette

In an effort to ease my eye shadow experimentation, I've been trying to find a great palette instead of collecting singles. Usually, I either don't like all of the coordinated colors or not all of them actually suit me. The only one I love so far is NYX Trio in Guru. A few weeks ago, I finally found a high-end palette that does the trick - TheBalm's Shady Lady Eye Shadow Palette (limited edition).

This amazing palette has NINE eyeshadows/shadow liners (including 3 new ones) in an assortment of shades and formulas suited for almost any occasion or makeup mood. They are:

Caught in the Act Courtney (rich brown with gold sparkle)
Shameless Shana (tahitian bronze)
Luscious Lani (icy pink champagne)
Jealous Jordana (rich shimmering green)
Risque Renne (dark navy blue sheen)
Curvy Camy (plum shimmer with gold flecks)
Jet-Setting Jennifer (pale gold shimmer)
All About Alex (olive shimmer)
Easy Wheezie (gunmetal gray shimmer)

You see that there is a nice mix of deep jewel tones that double as eye liners, neutral shades, and metallics. And, of course, there is my requisite plum. All these shades work together in a number of different combinations, or can be used alone.

Best of all, I actually really like the quality of TheBalm's eye shadows (see experience with Mysterious Marissa). While clearly you have to be a bit more careful with the shimmer/sparkle and darker shadows, the lighter ones are a breeze to use. My favorite ones are Jet-Setting Jennifer, Easy Wheezie, and All About Alex. They work on just about everybody and are so easy to use, no experience is necessary.

The only "eh" factor with this palette - the leopard print cardboard packaging. Not exactly discreet or sophisticated. Like other TheBalm shadows, this is a large cardboard flip-top with a magnetized lid to for secure closure. Just to be on the safe side, I wish they had changed the packing for this product (and taken down the ugly factor a few notches).

As important as the versatility of this palette - the price. At $15 each, nine TheBalm shadows would normally cost you about $135. This palette is $38.00 and in my opinion, actually worth every cent. Limited Edition @ Sephora