Alamar Cosmetics – Eyeshadow Palette (Reina del Caribe: Vol. 1)

Online Description:

This palette features 8 highly opaque shades, reminiscent of the beauty and culture of Cuba. Dive into the pigments and pearls found in the intense metallics, or ground your look with the warm richness of the creamy mattes. For a more intense application, refer to the shade names that feature a water droplet, these shades can be used with a wet brush—the sun symbol represents the shades that should be used with a dry brush.

My Thoughts:

This little palette came to be a fun addition to my makeup collection via my Boxycharm subscription and I LOVE it! Normally, I don’t wear such colorful shades because I’m more comfortable with neutral looks because they’re more versatile between work and going out. This palette inspires me every time I see it and as soon as I open it, it reminds me of a perfect beach day, with the relaxing colors of the ocean and the rich shades of the sunset watching it over the California coastline.

I know this palette was made from inspiration from Cuba’s beauty, but isn’t it all subjective? Or maybe that’s just my uncultured way of trying to make it work for my perspective since I’ve never been out of my country. Either way, I think every MUA, whether beginner or advanced, would love and feel so inspired by this palette. There is a faint chemical scent in the eyeshadows, but it is barely noticeable and dissipates shortly after I apply it, either that, or I just become nose-blind to it. The main point is that it isn’t some heavily-scented product that can trigger a migraine for me, which plays a huge factor when it comes to my choice on repurchasing this when the pans run empty.

Packaging:                                                  ★★★★/5

I’m digging the book aspect of the design and the beachy details used in the décor. The book part kind of feels like the creator of the palette is trying to tell a story with the colors on her memories of Cuba. Despite it’s lighter weight in comparison to other popular palette with 8 eyeshadows, it feels really sturdy and I’d feel safe traveling with it knowing I’m less likely to open it and find shattered powders than flimsier palettes. I appreciate the names being below the palettes, unlike some the only have them on the box or none at all. The droplet addition is a great help to guide which colors are designed to be applied wet or dry for more intense shimmer.

My only disappointment with this palette is that there wasn’t a mirror inside, which means I’d have to also pack a mirror if I take this on a trip with me. Other than that, I genuinely love this palette.

Performance/Wear:                                  ★★★★★/5

For all that I’ve already raved about this product, I’m sure you can guess that it performs as pretty as the colors sit in the palette. Whether you’re blending the mattes or the shimmers, they all blend like butter and they’re so soft and gentle on the skin, which is a huge factor for those of us with sensitive skin. I’ve tried many products that ended up feeling like blending dirt on my skin, only to cause irritation and micro-tears that kept me from wearing makeup for a few days while my skin healed.

The pigments are true to what you see in the pan, so start small when picking up powder and build up. I know some products you can pick up a bunch on your brush, blend it out, and it ends up looking fine after a while, but not this stuff. If you grab too much, you could blend for 30 minutes and irritate your skin, and the pigment isn’t going to fade like one would hope it would. You’ll be left having to start over, so just start out with a little bit, until you get into the groove of using the formulas.

The matte colors work best when blended with a brush, but the shimmers that can work wet or dry, can be applied with brushes or your fingers and still look amazing. Just remember to use a gentle touch when using your fingers to avoid tugging at the already thin and sensitive skin that makes up our eyelids. I’ve tested the wear-ability from the morning to the end of the night, when the bars close, and my looks held up as still looked as good as when I first applied it. For those brave souls who wear makeup when they work out, this even hold up through sweat, ONLY if you don’t touch your eyes. So, if you wipe off sweat as it rolls down, but get it before it hits your eyes, you’re in the clear, but if you try rubbing your eyes after sweat got on them, that’s it. That being said, this also holds up on people with oily eyelids. I’ve tried this on a couple friends and clients to test out if it would crease or smudge and as long as you wear primer under the colors, you’re good throughout the day.

• La Costa:
  • High shine shimmer
  • Pearly champagne with pink highlights
  • Doubles as a face luminizer

• El Malecon:
  • Extreme high shine metallic
  • True gold with rich olive undertones
  • Has a bit of fallout due to its chunky texture
  • Can be used as an INTENSE face luminizer
  • One of my favorite colors in the palette

• Varadero:
  • Extreme high shine metallic
  • Stunning deep royal blue/teal
  • Holy mother of VIBRANT!
  • One of my favorite colors in the palette
  • Using a brush, pull off some product and tap onto a flat surface that you can add water or makeup setting spray to, and can use as a liquid eyeliner
  • Makes eye color pop for people with green eyes
  • A bit f fallout due to a bit of chunky texture

• Celia:
  • High shine shimmer
  • Vivid turquoise with gold reflects
  • Looks amazing on people with hazel eyes
  • Using a brush, pull off some product and tap onto a flat surface that you can add water or makeup setting spray to, and can use as a liquid eyeliner

• Coco-taxi:
  • Velvet matte
  • Yellow toned bright orange
  • There seems to be a faint hint of shimmer in the color
  • My go-to upper transition color in this palette

• Tropico:
  • Velvet Matte
  • Intense burnt orange
  • My go-to lower transition color in the palette

• Guantanamera:
  • Velvet Matte
  • Deep raspberry/burgundy
  • If used LIGHTLY (can’t stress that enough), it can double as a blush
  • Great crease color for added depth
  • Apply with a dense, flat brush along upper lash line to create the look of denser lashes

• Cafecito:
  • Velvet Matte
  • Deep Coffee
  • Apply with a dense, flat brush along upper lash line to create the look of denser lashes
  • If used LIGHTLY (can’t stress that enough), can double as a bronzer
  • Doubles as a prow powder

Price:                                                           ★★★★★/5

If you’re used to drugstore prices, yes, this seems steep, but I promise your skin will thank you if you take the plunge. Even if you’re not one to normally use vibrant colors in your regular looks, I think this would make a great addition to anyone makeup collection. The price for the overall quality can’t be beat.

Ingredients:

Aluminum Dimyristate, Boron Nitride, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Behenate, Hexylene Glycol, Mica, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Poloxamer 338, PTFE, Silica, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sorbic Acid, Talc, Tin Oxide, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Zinc Stearate. Aluminum Powder CI 77000, Bronze Powder CI 77400, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide CI 77510, Ferric Ferrocyanide CI 77510, Iron Oxides CI 77491, Iron Oxides CI 77492, Iron Oxides CI 77499, Manganese, Violet CI 77742, Mica CI 77019, Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Chromium Hydroxide Green CI 77289, Manganese Violet CI 77742, Carmine CI 75470, Blue 1 Lake CI 42090

Pros:

• INTENSE pigment
• Buttery soft formula
• Dual-purpose colors
• No heavy scent
• Sturdy packaging
• Cool, beachy design
• Not much fallout

Cons:

• No mirror

Texture:                                        Pressed powders

Scent:                                            Faint chemical

Recommend?                               Yes

Repurchase?                                 Yes

Retail:                                            $28.00

Size:                                               0.40 oz.

Want to try this for yourself?

• Alamar Cosmetics

I’d love to hear about your experience with this in the comments!! 😊