Review: Huda Beauty Rose Gold Edition Eyeshadow Palette

I have a confession: I have an addiction to eyeshadow. Of all of the many products that fall under the big, beautiful umbrella of makeup, eyeshadow has always been the most appealing to me. Throw a bunch of said eyeshadows into one collective palette, and ding, ding, ding, you have my attention!

That's right - I am a self-diagnosed palette junkie, and love to hear about new releases, which, let's be serious, is basically every other week. Most of them end up seeming like more of the same to me ("What's that? Another brand releasing another neutral palette? How riveting."), but sometimes, guys, sometimes, a certain palette comes out that I truly feel is a game changer. The Huda Beauty Palette is one of these rockstar palettes. 

When I first heard that Huda was launching her very own palette, I was waiting, brushes in hand. I was not head-over-heels for the Lip Countours she released earlier in the year (read my review here), but the Liquid Matte lipsticks that followed were a huge home run for me, and have quickly become my number 1 favorite liquid lipstick. As such, I was excited to see what the eyeshadow palette would hold, as every new product release seemed to be getting more and more amazing.

The palette was said to launch on Sept. 28, but due to some major server issues, not only did the palette not go live, but the whole shophudabeauty.com website was deactivated for a period of time. The next day, I saw the site was back up and running, and with a strong internet connection, some patience, and about 100 screen refreshes, I was able to get my hands on the palette!

This was my second time ordering from the website, and while this second time was a lot more work to actually get the order processed, both experiences have been phenomenal in terms of shipping. My first order of the liquid mattes (in July) came via FedEx, and the palette came via DHL. Both times, I received the product within 2-3 business days. Read: Dubai to the USA in 2-3 business days. I have had domestic orders from US-based companies take much longer than that!

Here's the gorgeous prize for all of those screen refreshes: 

The color selection alone makes this palette a perfect palette for me. It has literally everything I would want for any occasion - soft daytime looks, smokey, dramatic night time looks, high impact sparkly looks, mattes, shimmers, transition shades; seriously, this is everything I would ever want in one palette. This will likely be the one palette I take with me when traveling, because everything I'd need is housed nicely in just one sleek palette.

Here's a closer look at the shades:

Huda Beauty Rose Gold Edition Eyeshadow Palette

Huda Beauty Rose Gold Edition Eyeshadow Palette - Left side of the palette

The main selling point of this palette is the introduction of what Huda is calling "3-d pigments", which are the first 5 shades in the palette: Dubai, Fling, 24k, Rose Gold, and Trust Fund. These are high shine and high impact pressed pigments which are supposed to give the eye a dimensional foiled look. Angelic and #Blessed are pearls, and the rest of the palette is matte. 

I used this palette exclusively this week, and here are some of the looks I came up with:

Sandalwood and a touch of Maneater in the crease, Coco in the outer corner, Rose Gold pigment on the lid.

Sandalwood in the crease, Henna in the outer corner, Trust Fund pigment on the lid

Flamingo in the crease, Maneater in the outer corner, Angelic on the lid.

PROS

• As I mentioned earlier, this palette is a complete package for me - I could easily use this palette exclusively for weeks, and not feel as though I am missing anything. The shade range is a huge plus for this palette.
  
• The mattes in this palette are the truest matte shadows I have ever used. As such, they feel particularly dry (more on that in the cons), but once applied, they are so, so beautifully matte that they look unlike any other matte shadows I have. I am a huge fan of matte shadows, and hate when something is advertised as "matte" but ends up being more of a satin.
  
• All of the shadows blend together beautifully, both in the palette on and on the eye. Overall, it's just a very cohesive palette, and it shows in every look that results from this arragement.
  
• The pigments do. not. crease. AT ALL. I was shocked to see that the pressed pigments lasted literally all day, and until I removed them. I have tried foiled shadows, Paint Pots by Mac, ColourPop metallic shadows, metallic shadow sticks, and no matter what, the product always creases on me. The pigments in this palette do not budge whatsoever, until I remove them.
  
• The pigments truly are something special. I have never used any eyeshadow that is as eye-catching and shiny as these.
  
• Not only are the pigments long-lasting, but the mattes are, too! Every look I have done has looked perfect until I have removed it at the end of the day.
  
• The mattes have almost zero fallout. I was shocked to see that the product barely moved when I dipped my brush in, and I had no fallout during blending, either.

CONS:

• The packaging of this palette leaves so, so much to be desired. I was genuinely disappointed when I held it for the first time because it feels extremely light and flimsy. It's a cardboard casing with a clear, plastic top. I am fine with the see-through top and even the fact that it's cardboard, but honestly, there's other cardboard palettes out there that still feel sturdy and substantial (Hi, Kat Von D!). I don't even care that there is no mirror, as I never use palette mirrors, but honestly, the packaging is so light and flimsy, that it takes a lot away from the $65 price tag. Because the material is so light, my palette arrived with slightly scrunched up corners, which, again, for $65, should not be happening. I have NYX palettes that cost a fraction of this Rose Gold Edition Palette, and their packaging blows this one out of the water.
  
• The  pigments took up a lot of my pros list above, but they're also not perfect. The main issue with them is that they are best applied with fingers; brushes do them zero justice. Huda made this point clear before the launch, and the instructions on the box also indicate as such. For me, that's not a huge issue, but the main problem comes when you really want to blend them into the crease or inner corner--can't do that well or neatly with fingers. As such, I have to apply it roughly where I want it, and blend the edges out with a matte shade.
  
• The pigments leave a toooon of glitter fallout upon removal. My face looked like a disco ball all this week as I used this palette, because the glitter in the pigment just got everywhere upon removal.
  
• While I really love how the matte shadows looked after application, getting some of them them on the eye is tough because they are very dry. These certainly are not the best mattes I have ever used. The shades Flamingo, Shy, Bae and Sandalwood were the toughest to blend; tough - definitely not impossible - but took some work. Again, this is a $65 palette, so I expect a near-perfect experience, and some of the mattes are just a little to stubborn to deliver that. (To be fair, though, other shades like Bossy, Maneater, and Henna applied with no issues.)
  

SPECIAL TIP TO APPLY THE PIGMENTS:

A lot of reviewers have commented on how difficult it is to apply the pigments, even with fingers. I think I may have found a good way! Rub your finger gently on the pigment (not much pressure is needed), and tap it onto your eyes for a few seconds so as to warm it up. Then, gently glide it over your eye, patting once again at the end to get it to set. Doing this made application extremely easy for me, and also helped to blend the product evenly. Once applied, they look like melted foil, which to me, is well worth the effort.

Overall Thoughts:

While my list of cons is pretty substantial, and although even one of those could easily have been a deal breaker for me on any other palette, I have to say, cons aside, I really, really like this palette. A lot. No, it is not perfect, and no, I can't use this palette in a rush (extra and careful time is needed to blend some of the mattes, and to apply the unique pigments), but, BUT, once I put the time in, the end look is always amazing for me. I absolutely love the final look, and end up being amazed at how nicely every shade melts together to create one, awesome look. 

The pigments, albeit stubborn and with their own imperfections, are like actual lights on the eyes - super sparkly, and the perfect companion to any special occasion look. The mattes are the most matte shadows I have ever used, and this translates to a really cool, multi-dimensional look when paired with the shiny pigments. As I mentioned above, this is a total package palette for me, and I look forward to bringing it on my next trip with the peace of mind that I have every shadow I might need to get an awesome eye-look

This palette will be available on Sephora.com on Tuesday, November 1 for $65 and is limited edition.

Final Rating:

A - 

Thank you for stopping my! Please feel free to reach out with any questions, or your own thoughts on the Huda Beauty Rose Gold Edition Palette!