Naya

Natasha Denona Pastel Palette, Review

cotton candy and blue sky

Foreword

I am fashionably late with my Pastel Palette review, but fear not! This one is going to be as insightful as a makeup review can be. After two months of playing with this palette, I am ready to share my thoughts with you guys.

Curious? Then please keep on scrolling

About the Product

Natasha Denona Pastel Palette (65 USD; Made in Italy) - is the brand's medium-sized palette that features various pastel hues and finishes (matte, powder-cream, metallic and sparkly). This is a limited edition release, although it is still available online and in stores.

Cruelty-Free 🐇

Packaging: true to Natasha Denona's style, this palette comes in a well-made sturdy plastic case with a magnetic closure and includes a large-sized mirror. You get 15 eyeshadow pans with a total net worth of 19.25g/ 0.67 oz. You can remove pans from the back and rearrange colors as you like. I would say, considering its weight and slim design, the Pastel Palette is travel-friendly.

Formula & Texture: there is a selection of different finishes and textures in the Pastel Palette. You get powder, powder-cream formulations as well as a few of the brand's famous sparkly metallics. For the most part, all shadows are equally smooth and creamy to the touch, with a varying degree of pigmentation.

Compared to the brand's other palettes, this one has more of a subdued level of opacity, allowing you to create more of an airy, watercolor effect rather than bold strokes of color. Some shades have a bit of a kick-up, yet they are not dry or crumbly. Duochromes are on the shy "grown up" side (not as punchy as something you would see from an indie brand per se).

Application: fingers or brushes - you are the artist and both methods work just fine. I would recommend using your fingers with some of the sparkly shades here; other than that a classic flat packing brush would do the job for you. From my experience flat brushes are best for layering shadow, so if you want more impact from your Pastel Palette use one of those. I did not experience shadow fallout with my palette, however, it can take some time to build opacity as most colors are sheer(ish).

Shadows appear more saturated than they apply, so if you want them to look like they do in the pan, have some patience and you will get there. These colors blend beautifully into each other. I do recommend using a light-colored shadow primer for ultimate results (think white or white-heavy hues).

Wear: once you have achieved the desired look, rest assured your Pastel Palette shadows won't move anywhere. It is quite a surprise just how well these pastels wear. Some mattes here can accentuate skin texture, but that is the nature of lighter matte shadows as a whole. With a good primer, these shadows stay bright and true to color for 5-6 hours before they begin to gradually lose vibrancy.

Swatches: below you will find my unedited swatches. These photos were taken during the daytime, so hopefully, natural light will help you see what these colors look like in real life. Swatched dry.

Colours: there is a nice mix of pastels in this palette. You can see distinct color families of blue, purple, pink, and yellow. In my opinion, it could use at least one neutral beige/brown transition/define shade which would make it more versatile. As much as I love these colors, the Pastel Palette is not a stand-alone product, so you will need to mix it with some other eyeshadows you already have and love to create depth in your looks. And that is something to consider, given the fact this is a pricey product.

Wearing some shades from the Pastel Palette in the photo above

If you ask me, I have a plethora of palettes in my possession, so I always mix and match them as I please. But I also do understand that sometimes all you want is that "one-and-done" palette, which the Pastel Palette is not. This makes it more of a personal preference product, rather than something that will work and suit everyone's style.

Verdict

Pastels are quite hard to formulate - more often than not they are chalky, dry, and crumbly. None of this can be applied to the Natasha Denona Pastel Palette. These shadows are as good as pastels can get and you can wear them lightly for a soft wash of color or layer to build up opacity. Knowing these were running on a sheer side, I was worried if I would be able to get a more saturated look out of these colors. Thankfully a packing brush and light-toned eye primer are your best friends here. The quality is lovely, yet for something you won't use daily, the price is a bit high. If you want it, I would recommend getting this palette during the sale. Otherwise, if you don't mind spending extra on makeup and you love pastels, I think you will enjoy this one. All in all, I am glad I own it and give it B.