Violet Voss – PRO Eyeshadow Palette (HG)

Online Description:

What it is:
A warm, cranberry eyeshadow palette that can be used for both day and night.

What it does:
The 20 beautiful shades in this eyeshadow palette are highly pigmented, made with jojoba oil, and easy to blend. This versatile palette lets you go for a subtle daytime look, and easily transition to a sultry nighttime smoky eye. It is the perfect go-to for creating a flawless, sexy look for any occasion.

My Thoughts:

Okay, so where has this palette been all my life?! It’s because of products like this that I’m reminded monthly how grateful I am for my Boxycharm subscription. This palette features colors that I lean towards on a daily basis with my makeup looks and the looks that most of my clients request for their special occasions. Each pan seems to have plenty of product, which means more bang for your buck! Overall, this product is amazing and I’m kicking myself for seeing this brand on Sephora’s website and not investing in it sooner. There isn’t a scent to the products, which make it great to work on various clients because I don’t have to worry about it triggering headaches or migraines for anyone.

I love the color theme and how well all the colors work so synergistically with each other. Every color in this palette can work with every other color in some way, which kind of gives me a hint of anxiety when I use this palette. I open this beautiful object and love all the colors and want to use all of them, then kind of get sad because I only have so much room on my face to work with, so I have to reel it back and select only a handful for each daily look. I know, first world problems, but please don’t judge me.

Performance/Wear:                                  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5

I’ve noticed products where mica is the primary ingredient, there tends to be more fallout, compared to talc being the first ingredient used. Mica tends to blend easier, in my experience, compared to talc, but that main trade-off is the fallout is more apparent. To me, that’s not a deal-breaker, considering I prefer to apply my eye looks first, then, follow with the face makeup, but that’s merely my preference. I love that there is a good mix of shimmers and mattes in this palette to create so many variations of looks, and lots of the colors double as luminizers, bronzers, and brow powders. I know, some may frown upon that because that isn’t what the palette is marketed for, but I’m the kind of person that tries the make the most of any product I get, especially if it is on the pricier side of purchases.

All the colors are incredibly pigmented, whether you apply them with a brush, sponge, or finger. The intense pigmentation in each color increases the value of each color because a little goes a long way, so I don’t feel as bad when I spend more money on one palette, when I could spend the same amount of money on a few products from the drugstore. I know each color is formulated differently because each color requires different ratios of ingredients due to each color being different, but every single eyeshadow is so soft and buttery, making blending so easy and gentle on the skin. Formulas like this are ideal for those of us with sensitive skin because it doesn’t require excessive blending to achieve the same results as formulas that aren’t as rich, saving the already-delicate skin on our eyes from excessive blending that causes micro-tears. What? Micro-tears? Yes, when you use either products with cheaper ingredients that aren’t gentle on the skin or brushes with rough bristles, the blending process can create micro-tears on the skin. How would I know that? Oh, well, because I had the miserable experience of that happening and thinking it was some allergic reaction, went to see my doctor. My doctor looked at my skin under an intimidating microscope, which probably was just a large magnifying glass, but I’m not a scientist so I am not sure what the equipment was actually called, only to tell me that my eye skin was pretty much just rubbed raw. Since the body’s usual response to trauma is inflammation, she said it was normal that I assumed it was an allergic reaction, but I was in the clear, all I needed to do was refrain from makeup for about a week or two so my skin could heal properly. Eh-hem?! I know for many people that would seem like no big deal, but for someone like me that uses makeup as part of a daily routine to not only channel creativity, but to help battle depression, that was a big deal. But I don’t want to clog up this review on that topic that could be explained in its own post.

I’ve tried these colors with a couple different eyeshadow primers, and ended up with all of them having the same flawless result: creaseless eye looks that look just as good as they did after I first finished them earlier that day.

Row 01: Crystal, Ploof, Thanks a Latte, Transition, & Hashtag

• Crystal:
  • Shimmer
  • Creamy pearl
  • Doubles as a face luminizer
  • My go-to for highlight areas in eye looks, especially “no-makeup” looks

• Ploof:
  • Shimmer
  • Neutral pink
  • My go-to for eye highlight areas for glam looks
  • Doubles as a face luminizer

• Thanks A Latte:
  • Matte
  • Vanilla beige
  • My go-to color to set eyeshadow primer for an even base

• Transition:
  • Matte
  • Soft warm brown
  • The name says it all: great transition color
  • Doubles as a bronzer
  • Doubles as a brow powder

• Hashtag:
  • Matte
  • Muted orange
  • If used lightly, can double as a blush
  • Great crease or lower transition color

Row 02: Awesome Sauce, Bestie, Toffee, Chill, & How U Doin:

• Awesome Sauce:
  • Shimmer
  • Muted copper
  • If used lightly, can double as a face luminizer

• Bestie:
  • Matte
  • Fawn
  • Doubles as a bronzer
  • Doubles as a brow powder
  • Great transition color, especially for natural looks

• Toffee:
  • Shimmer
  • Warm copper
  • One of my favorite colors in the palette just because it is so vibrant and glittery

• Chill:
  • Shimmer
  • Bronze
  • Doubles as a face luminizer
  • Great for applying in outer lid and blending in crease for a natural look

• How U Doin:
  • Shimmer
  • Subtle pinky coral
  • Every time I use this color, it makes me feel a little sassy

Row 03: Bat My Eyes, Cool Beans, R U Kitten Me, So Jelly, & On Fleek:

• Bat My Eyes:
  • Shimmer
  • Taupe brown
  • Ideal color for a soft glam neutral look

• Cool Beans:
  • Shimmer
  • Cool muted taupe
  • If used lightly, can double as a face luminizer

• R U Kitten Me:
  • Matte
  • Soft peachy brown
  • Doubles as a bronzer
  • Doubles as a brow powder
  • Great for crease or lower transition colors for light or soft glam looks

• So Jelly:
  • Shimmer
  • Pinky coral
  • If used lightly, can double as a face luminizer

• On Fleek:
  • Shimmer
  • Burnt warm copper
  • If used lightly, can double as a blush

Row 04: Brownie Points, Teddy Bear, Glamping, Cranberry Splash, & Wine N Dine:

• Brownie Points:
  • Matte
  • Red brown
  • Doubles as a bronzer
  • Doubles as a brow powder
  • Great crease color for soft glam looks

• Teddy Bear:
  • Matte
  • Brown
  • Doubles as a brow powder
  • Great crease color for glam looks
  • Apply tightly to upper lash line to create look of denser lash line

• Glamping:
  • Shimmer
  • Rustic brown
  • Looks like “Sultry” from the ABH Soft Glam palette
  • Apply tightly to upper lashline to create the look of denser lash line for lighter makeup looks

• Cranberry Splash:
  • Shimmer
  • Antique red rust
  • Can make you look like you have pink-eye

• Wine N Dine:
  • Matte
  • Cranberry
  • If used very lightly, can double as a blush for light complexions
  • If used lightly, can double as a blush for dark complexions

Packaging:                                                  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5

I’ve read many negative reviews about how heavy the packaging is, but I’m actually a fan of it. It isn’t helpful when it comes to traveling via plane, but it is great when you drive to site locations to work on clients when things get knocked over, dropped, etc. Personally, I am a natural klutz, which causes me to drop stuff all the time, so, having this palette feel as sturdy as it does, gives me added peace of mind that I won’t open it find the colors shattered. There are a couple of minor aesthetic flaws that I noticed and seeing them made sense why they sent these palettes to Boxycharm in their boxes that are half the price of the retail value of this palette. What I mean by that is, the mirror is a bit lopsided, which tells me that they rounded up all the ones they were going to toss out for quality control simply for packaging errors and gave them to Boxycharm, not because of quality control issues with the formulas.

Also, I LOVE that they included a mirror in this palette, and not a small mirror, either. The clear film included makes it easy to keep the mirror clean, while also minimizing the bacteria exposure in between picking up colors, while still being able to use the mirror for application. I’m a fan of the company putting the shade names directly below the colors, because it is a peeve of mine when I see companies put the names on the clear film, box, or back of the palette. When they make that lazy decision, they screw over any person who doesn’t keep the box or loses the clear film. Speaking of shade names, can we take a moment to admire the fun names they used for this palette? How U Doin and R U Kitten Me?! Omg, I love them and every time I open this palette, it makes me smile because I feel like I can relate to the company more when they have a light-hearted sense of humor like that.

The magnet also gives a sense of added security because it’s pretty strong and doesn’t pop open when I drop it. The overall design lets the product quality speak for itself, while still maintaining sophistication in its appearance.

Price:                                                           ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5

Considering how well each color is formulated and its overall performance, that alone validates the cost of this palette. The mirror and sturdy packaging are just a bonus after that. I know it’s a bit steep compared to drugstore prices, but if you treat yourself to this palette, your skin will definitely thank you.

Ingredients:

Mica, Mineral Talc, Jojoba Oil, Kaolin Clay, Magnesium Stearate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Tridecyl Trime-llitate, Phenoxyethanol. May contain: Mica and Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides, Chromium Hydroxide Green (Ci 77288), Chromium-Oxide Greens (Ci 77288), Manganese,Violet (Ci 77742), Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Ferric Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510), FD&C Red 40 Al Lake (Ci 16035), FD&C Yellow 5 Al Lake (Ci 19140), FD&C Blue 1 Al Lake (Ci 42090).

Pros:

• Intense pigmentation
• Sturdy packaging
• Strong magnet
• Large mirror inside
• Buttery formulation
• Great color theme
• No scent
• Shade names under each pan

Cons:

• Slightly wonky mirror placement

Texture:                                        Pressed powders

Scent:                                            None

Recommend?                               Yes

Repurchase?                                 Yes

Retail:                                            $45.00

Size:                                               – 20 x 0.06 oz/ 1.8 g Eyeshadows

Want to try this for yourself?

• Violet Voss
• JCPenney

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