If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you will know that I am a huge fan of Natasha Denona products (brand focus post here), particularly her glow collection but more especially, her eyeshadows. The pigmentation, texture, blendability and wear time of her shadows is second to none - they practically blend themselves. I had planned on buying one of the limited edition 5 pan palettes from her new Holiday Collection but to my total surprise and utter appreciation, I was kindly gifted the entire Holiday 2017 collection! I have been playing with the products for the last few weeks and am ready to share my thoughts with you today! Grab a snack because it's gonna be a long one!
The Holiday Collection consists of two limited edition 5 pan palettes (Joya and Aeris) and four Chroma Crystal Top Coats in the shades Nude, Bronze, Grey Brown and Peach. I was delighted to see that the Chroma Crystal Top Coats were priced at $28 because I know that lots of people want to try some Natasha Denona eye products but find the price prohibitive and whilst this isn't a budget price, it is certainly more affordable for lots of people than the large palettes.
The 5 shadow palettes are usually housed in white plastic cases with clear lids, however these holiday palettes are housed in a heavier plastic, gold case with a clear lid and Natasha Denona printed in gold on the front. I hope that this sturdier packaging is here to stay! The shadows in these palettes are talc, paraben, fragrance and cruelty free and all of the shades are new. What is also new is the formula - they are now Cream Powders, which means that the intense pigmentation and ease of blendability of the shadows is now enhanced further by this new texture and the result is zero fall out. The palettes contain a mixture of duo-chromes, mattes, metallics and cream powders.
At first glance, some of the shades might look a little 'out there' and intimidating but I personally like that these are not just neutral palettes - there are enough of those on the market! Plus, these are holiday palettes and if you can't up the ante in the makeup stakes at Christmas, then when can you? I also like that the names of the shadows exactly describe the shades. Plus the shadows don't all blend into one colour on the lid, which can sometimes happen with other brands so the diversity in shades is appreciated.
The first palette is 01 Joya and it contains the following shades and formulas (from left to right):
Peach-gold, which is a pressed powder duo-chrome. Soft, creamy, pigmented, easy to build and blend.
Fuschia, which is a matte cream powder. Feels slightly powdery to touch, however isn't stiff and applies and blends well on the lid.
Gold, which is a metallic cream powder. Soft, pigmented, even in texture, outstanding shimmer finish - there is no need to use a damp brush to increase intensity.
Red Grape, which is a metallic pressed powder. Super pigmented, easy to blend, buttery soft and a dream to work with.
Star Bronze, which is a chroma crystal cream powder. Outstanding sparkle finish without any glitter, extremely soft, easy to apply and build.
Swatches are completely unedited so you can see the true colours.
Swatches are completely unedited so you can see the true colours.
This palette does not disappoint in the slightest. I honestly cannot rave enough about the Natasha Denona eyeshadow formula - I experience zero fall out and after 9 hours, all shadows are crease-free and have not faded or budged. The shimmers and metallics are extremely flattering and don't emphasise any fine lines on the lid. I find a MAC 239 best for packing the shadow on to the lid but any flat shader brush would work and after that, the shadows practically blend themselves. I know that the shadows may look intimidating but believe me when I say that beginners would love Natasha Denona shadows because they are so easy to work with!
Now on to 02 Aeris. Again, it contains a variety of finishes and they are from left to right:
Nude, which is a chroma crystal cream powder. Extremely soft, creamy texture with a very sparkling finish. Can be layered easily but is also beautiful as a one sweep shadow on lazy days.
Red Bronze, which is a metallic duo-chrome. Again, a very creamy texture and the sheen is very flattering. I would advise to gently tap a small amount on the lid and build as this kind of shade, if applied too intensely to begin with can tend to make you look tired (on my green eyes in any case).
Burnt Terracotta, which is a matte. A very creamy and intensely pigmented shadow - a dream to work with and the perfect crease shade.
Ice Blue, which is a chroma crystal cream powder. This is a show stopping shade - it is a medium blue with an almost green shift. At first, I didn't know if I could wear this but I like to dab a small amount on the centre of my lids using my fingertip, rather than a brush and it really opens up my eyes. It won't be an every day shade for me but is a welcome addition.
Peach Bronze, which is a sheer chroma crystal cream powder. This is definitely more sheer than the other chroma crystal powders in the palettes and is best used as a shadow topper in my opinion.
Overall, I am very impressed with both palettes (as I expected to be, given my previous experience with her shadows). The powders are buttery soft, pigmented, long-wearing and easy to work with. The colour selection is fun and the sparkling and metallic finishes of most of the shadows are perfect for the festive season. They are limited edition palettes and are bound to sell out so if you want one, act fast! They are available to purchase from Natasha's own site, Beautylish and Sephora.
Now on to the Chroma Crystal Top Coats, which are new to Natasha's collection and available in four shades. These products are paraben, oil and cruelty free and are water and crease proof. The texture is very creamy and the coverage is sheer, which means that they can be worn alone for a wash of colour or they can be used as a shadow or lip topper. They are buildable, long-wearing and extremely sparkly without having any chunks of glitter. I have been applying them with both with my finger and with a brush (I use MAC 239 to apply and 217 to blend) and both ways work really well. I have the delightful combination of oily lids and watery eyes but these do not crease on me and stay looking as good as when applied for a good 7/8 hours.
The shades are Nude, Bronze, Grey-Brown and Peach - all of which are very wearable and universally flattering. There are 6g of product in each jar, which may not sound like a lot but because you don't need to use a lot of product, these will last forever. I obviously have only had the products a few weeks so can't tell if they will dry out over time but as long as the lid is tightly screwed on, I can't imagine it being a problem. It is something I will keep you updated on though.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this collection? Has anything caught your eye?
The shades are Nude, Bronze, Grey-Brown and Peach - all of which are very wearable and universally flattering. There are 6g of product in each jar, which may not sound like a lot but because you don't need to use a lot of product, these will last forever. I obviously have only had the products a few weeks so can't tell if they will dry out over time but as long as the lid is tightly screwed on, I can't imagine it being a problem. It is something I will keep you updated on though.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this collection? Has anything caught your eye?
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Thanks for reading!
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