I've only recently embraced eye-shadows, but once you do there's no going back. In this post I want to do a quick low down for you all on a few cruelty free palettes which have earned themselves a permanent place in my make-up bag. Whether you want to save or splurge on your eye wear, check these out...
SAVE: BARRY M NATURAL GLOW AND STARRY EYED PALETTES at £6.49 each
These Barry M palettes are pretty neat. Each set comes with
six different shades including both shimmery and matte colours. I also love
that both palettes include a complimentary blush colour for the cheeks; a pale
pink in the Naturals palette and a bright pop of coral in the Starry Eyed. The Natural Glow Palette is a gorgeous collection of subtle 'barely there' shades that enhance your eyes without
screaming 'I'm wearing makeup' and are perfect for daytime wear. Starry Eyed is pretty much Natural Glow's evil alter ego, featuring intense, highly pigmented and colourful shades it literally dazzles in glittering blues, reds and golds that you can use to create striking evening looks. To see a subtle look I created using both of these palettes click here. One thing I would say is that the shimmery shades in both these palettes are quite subtle, don't expect a full on glitter overload as unfortunately that's not the case - but they are still great for a sultry shimmer.
The packaging is really lovely and looks cute in your make-up bag whilst the mirror on the inside is a god-send when you're re-touching out and about! Personally I'm not a massive fan of the sponge wands that are included in these palettes and prefer to use my own eye brushes - but for the price you can't complain! All in all, I think these palettes are excellent value for money and perform like a high end brand. The colours are all gorgeous and wearable and bought together, these palettes are a killer duo.
SPLURGE: URBAN DECAY ORIGINAL NAKED PALETTE at £37.00
When it comes to eye-shadow, Urban Decay has to be one of the biggest names going and to be honest it's hard to find a blogger that hasn't blogged about at least one of the Urban Decay Naked palettes for eyes. Having received one as a gift for Christmas this year, I have now finally found out what all the hype is about. Quite simply, these eye-shadows are really really (really) good. It's not just the beautiful packaging, the incredibly effective two-ended brush or the fact that you get four samples of their famous Eye primer potion (although this all helps of course), it's that no-one can deny the perfect combination of shades that Urban Decay has created in this palette.
You get twelve shades in the palette ranging from neutral pinks and champagnes through to smouldering golds and bronzes into velvety purples, blues and inky blacks. Trust me - you'll use all of these! My particular favourites at the moment - and I do love a shimmer - are the shades 'Sin', 'Virgin' and 'Half-Baked'. Half-Baked, I have to say is probably the ultimate of all pale gold shadows, I never thought I would obsess over an eye-shadow but this one really hits the mark for me. It's subtle enough for daytime on it's own, but pair it with 'Smog' or 'Toasted' and you immediately have the ingredients for a killer evening look. 'Sin' meanwhile, is the holy grail of all inner corner shadows, it's a pearl coloured shimmery shade with a hint of pink that reflects the light beautifully, recently I haven't left the house without using this to highlight under my brows and the inner corner of my eyes for a wide-awake look.
Now, on to that brush I mentioned. At £37 I think you'd be pretty peed off if the palette didn't come with some sort of tool but with this set you will not be disappointed. The one included with the palette is a double-ended crease and shadow brush, one end sports the traditional flat tightly packed bristles for applying colour evenly over the lid and the other end (my favourite) features a fluffy head that makes blending and applying colour to the crease of your lid a breeze! Overall, this palette is a gorgeous and classic piece to add to any make-up collection but at £37 I'd suggest trying out some cheaper palettes until you're sure you're a fan of wearing shadow!
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So there we are! Two lots of cruelty free eye-shadow palettes... one at the bargain end of the scale and one at the blow out but whichever one you plump for, I think they're both lovely! Out of the two, however, I would have to go for the Urban Decay Palette simply because I think it combines all the selling points of the Barry M palettes in one beautiful set with the bonus of an excellent brush. Don't forget to comment below if you enjoyed the post, have any tips or thoughts you'd like to share, or have tried any of these palettes and would like to have your say! :)