I've been a fan of Saucebox Cosmetics and the women behind Batalash for quite some time so it's no surprise that when I heard that they collaborated for a palette, I had to get my hands on it. Thankfully Saucebox were at PHAMExpo so I could see it in person before purchasing. I ain't ashamed to admit that one of the reasons why I got this palette was because it reminded me so much of the Melt Cosmetics Dark Matter stack. Of course I'm hella cheap and instead of paying $48 for that palette, I paid $60 for double the colors (plus the Melt eyeshadows are 3.57 grams each while the Saucebox colors are 4 grams each).
Where to Purchase: Saucebox Cosmetics (Affiliate)(Use SAUCEBOX10 for 10% off) This is a limited edition palette so if you like the looks of it based on my post, I'd get it ASAP!
Price: $60.00 for eight 4 gram eyeshadows (32 grams total!)
Do they test on animals?: The company does not test on animals.
Packaging: The eyeshadow palette comes in a cardboard palette with a magnetic closure and mirror in the lid.
Top Row: Vanilla, Winter Brown, Cinnamon, Lace Noir
Bottom Row: Enigma, Electro, Popper, Nova
Swatches/Formula:
I have a video discussing the formula below, otherwise feel free to keep reading!
Vanilla: A light off-white vanilla shade. It's sheer, but thankfully not chalky on me. It was slightly powdery. This gives more of a brightening effect than a true highlight. I would like to take this time to remind everyone that swatching with fingers vs. a brush will give you a drastically different effect. With fingers, you'll find that Vanilla can look quite pigmented. With a brush though, it's a different story and comes across more sheer.
Winter Brown: A light-medium taupe brown. It's quite pigmented and applies well on the eyes. On my skintone, it is a fantastic transition color and also works well with Cinnamon.
Cinnamon: A bricky red. It's also pigmented and also applies well on the eyes. I didn't find this to be powdery or chalky.
Lace noir: A deep black with sparse shimmer. Fairly pigmented and not chalky on the eyes.
Enigma: An intense bright copper. Be still my heart because this is the most metallic shade in the palette with great texture and pigmentation.
Electro: A shimmery greenish gold that can pull either way depending on the base used or your skintone. It's got moderate pigmentation, it's not super sheer but the shimmeriness prevents it from being super opaque.
Popper: A bright matte teal with sparkle. Sadly the eyeshadow was a little sheer and needs a base to really look good. It's a little lackluster in comparison to the rest of the palette. Also a little powdery.
Nova: A plummy purple. I was a little surprised at how much I actually liked this color. It looks a little murky in the palette but its pigmentation and texture make up for the initial look.
What makes this palette something worth getting is not necessarily just how well the eyeshadows perform or the fact that it is a Batalash palette but also because of the composition of the palette. From what I've seen, Dominique is into the eye searing bright looks, Angela is into the super smoked out look, and Samantha does a mixture of the two. I think on the surface, trying to combine their styles could have led to a disjointed palette but they've made great color selections to allow their personal styles to reflect without compromising their vision.
The structure of the palette with its matte neutrals in the top row and its brighter colors in the bottom row also seems user-friendly. I think it just emphasizes how the top row could be the "core colors" in the look, and the bottom row could be the extra touch of color to add on.
Batalash has also done a few tutorials using the palette if you're looking for ideas on looks to create!
Conclusion:
I say get the palette if you're a fan of Batalash and if you want a palette that does both neutral and bright looks. Popper was disappointing but salvageable if you use an eyeshadow base beneath it. The rest of the eyeshadows shouldn't give you trouble. Like I said, this is limited edition so if you're thinking about getting it already, you probably should.
Rating: A-
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