COLOR RICHE LA PALETTE – SMOKY BLACK EYE SHADOW

very low pigmentation, doesn't layer, lots of fallout and doesn't blend well. some colours are so light that they appear the same when swatched. nice mirror included but is otherwise useless! don't waste your money.

Firstly I'd like to start by saying how excited I was to receive and review this palette, simply because I have never been able to master the 'smokey' or 'nude smokey' eye as I like to call this one, despite being 31 years old & having big eyes already, which I was led to believe were easier to create the look on! Pah who are they kidding, I'm a busy mum of four with little time on my hands. I was pleasantly surprised with the palette when it arrived and loved shades, I felt that rose was a nice neutral colour palette to work with rather than gold & it created a great day & night time look, easily adapted with the additions of eyeliner & extra mascara. The only downside that I found was that I would of liked a more edged brush to create a neater line on the outer edge of my eye, I liked the brush applicator & blending end that was provided but felt another brush might have made a more complete look easier to achieve?! The eyeshadow itself was easily transferred from the palette to my eyelid, with only a little spillage, nothing more than usual. After a few nights playing with it, I think I finally managed to achieve the look I've been after and I'm looking forwards to recreating it more often now I am more confident and aware of how to achieve it! I would definitely recommend this neat little makeup essential to all my girly friends (infact I have already obviously and they are really impressed!) [This review was collected as part of a promotion.]

Although I am a massive fan of cosmetics, I do not consider myself anywhere near worthy of the title of a make up guru, in fact, my make up artistry skills leave a lot to be desired. However, that being said, I do like to experiment with make up and I can be quite adventurous and playful in my approach to trying out new products and new looks. All that faffing about trying to find the perfect colours and shades which will complement each other or which will blend well together to create a good look can make the task more arduous or difficult and I think having the right colours and shades can really help to piece together a look! That being said, I am always therefore eager to try new products that make make up application easier and helps me to achieve the look or style I am trying to achieve. I was therefore thrilled to be part of the Color Riche La Palette from L'Oreal campaign as part of my status as a member of BzzAgent. I was kindly sent the Smokey pallette from their range which I was really pleased about as I am all about the bold, dramatic style which a smokey eye can lend itself to. When it comes to make up and style and life in general, I am always interested in standing out rather than blending into the background, so I knew this particular pallette in the range would be right up my street. Firstly the packaging is very sleek and has a sophisticated look to it whilst still retaining some playfulness, it definitely looks good in my make up bag and is easy to pop into my bag to take with me wherever I go. I feel happy about taking this product out in public, it definitely has gotten some compliments and positive remarks so far. Secondly, the name - Color Riche La Pallette sounds quite upmarket, exotic and therefore more expensive. As a fan of French make up brands and products, I definitely love the name as it gives it a more high quality feel. It makes me think of a higher end product and has an air of elegance and class about it. For me, the best thing about this pallette is the fact that thanks to it, I have all the colors I need to achieve a look all in the one place, it is easy and convenient to just have to use the one product to achieve the look you desire. I love the complimentary range of coloured eyeshadows in the range, there are a good amount of shadows, and they are very complimentary and work very well together. I love that you can use the different colours to do different looks, by using and blending different colours from the palette. All of the shadows are ideal to create the perfect smokey eye. The color has depth and the product itself is amazing quality. The shadows are super pigmented and the pay off is excellent, I found the eyeshadows were long lasting and it didn't rub off easily or wear off my skin too easily. I also loved that I could use some of the products for other things, such as contouring or for filling out my eyebrows which was great as it made it a more multi-functional product. The shades within the palette allowed me to personalise my look to fit my mood or the occasion, it is the perfect handbag product for taking a look from day to night, from the everyday more natural daytime look to the more dramatic statement look of an evening. All in all, the palette is perfect for creating an amazingly sexy, smouldering smokey eye. I think the only room for improvement for me would be for it to come with a primer within the palette to use before application of the shadows on my lids, as in the past I have found from my personal experience that the colours and shades seem to stay put for longer when they have a primed base to build upon. I would definitely buy the other palettes within this range as I feel they make make up application easier and help to achieve great eye looks with minimal fuss. [This review was collected as part of a promotion.]