I have raved about Natasha Denona products several times on the blog and, without doubt, my favourite products within the range are her eyeshadows - I now own 10 of her palettes (more than any other brand within my collection), but I know that her palettes are prohibitively expensive so I was delighted when she began to release mini palettes earlier this year because they are priced at $25. Natasha Denona eyeshadow formula is matched only by Pat McGrath in terms of pigmentation, ease of application, wear time and texture - the term 'buttery soft' was invented for her shadows.
The first release was the mini Sunset palette, which I swatched when I was in New York in March but I didn't buy it because the shadows felt slightly stiff, which is not the norm for Natasha Denona eyeshadows. I was given the mini Lila palette for my birthday and recently bought the mini Star palette, both of which I want to share my thoughts on today.
The first thing to note is that these palettes really are mini compared to her 5 pan palettes, however they are 0.8g each and there is enough of each product to use to give you a fair idea of her shadow formulation and to be able to decide if you want to buy a full size. Also, Natasha Denona shadows are seriously pigmented so really one dab or swipe is sufficient, therefore these mini palettes will last quite a while. The mini Lila packaging is the standard white with a clear lid, whereas the mini Star is in the holiday gold packaging. It's relatively sturdy and at $25, I have no complaints!
The mini Lila palette contains five new shades that are inspired by the shade selection in the full size Lila palette (review and swatches here). It's described as an extension of the Lila palette but I personally think that the mini palettes should contain the same shades as the full size but that's just my opinion (the mini Star actually does so perhaps they took feedback from customers on that).
From left to right, the shades are:
Poison Berry: Matte berry toned purple that doesn't feel as creamy as her full size mattes but is still easy to blend. It's pigmented and wears well. Purple is a tricky eyeshadow shade to produce but she has done it well.
Blue Dahlia: Duo-chrome purple toned blue. Very smooth in texture but, again, not buttery soft. It applies evenly and wears well on the lid.
Raisin: Matte burgundy - soft to touch, finely milled and pigmented.
Linen: Champagne metallic shade. Buttery soft, applies very evenly and is long-lasting on the lid.
Flint: Medium brown matte. Pigmented, creamy and finely milled - a dream to work with.
Overall the mini Lila palette is a good buy if you like the shade selection or even if you think you wouldn't wear purple very often and don't want to spend too much but want a pigmented shade. Some of the shadows are more creamy than others but all perform well.
When the original Star Palette was released, I didn't buy it because at that point I don't think I had tried any Natasha Denona eyeshadows so I couldn't really justify the price, however I really did love the shade selection so I was absolutely delighted to see the mini Star palette being released. Unlike the Lila palette, the five shadows in this palette were originally in the Star palette, rather than being inspired by it.
From left to right, the shades are:
Orion: Duo-chrome shadow that is brown with reflects of green, sometimes blue - depending on the light. Pigmented and creamy soft - a dream to work with.
Atik: Warm nude matte shade. Pigmented, finely milled, soft and easy to apply and blend.
Bellatrix: Metallic coppery-nude shade. Again, buttery soft, pigmented and easy to apply.
Earth: Deep brown matte. Pigmented, smooth in texture - a dream to apply and blend.
Cosmo: Golden olive shimmer. One of the most beautiful eyeshadows I own - creamy, pigmented and smooth.
This palette is a stunner. The shade selection works so well together to create both day and evening looks. They are long-lasting on the lid and don't crease or fade until being removed. I honestly couldn't rave about this palette enough! I am unsure if there are production issues with this palette as I read Temptalia's review and she found that some of the shadows didn't perform as well as those in the original palette and whilst I don't own that palette, the mini Star has performed well for me. I think that the mini Star gives a better representation of Natasha Denona eyeshadow formula than the Lila but both perform beautifully.
Have you tried any Natasha Denona palettes? Are you tempted by either of these minis? I'd love to hear!
The first release was the mini Sunset palette, which I swatched when I was in New York in March but I didn't buy it because the shadows felt slightly stiff, which is not the norm for Natasha Denona eyeshadows. I was given the mini Lila palette for my birthday and recently bought the mini Star palette, both of which I want to share my thoughts on today.
The first thing to note is that these palettes really are mini compared to her 5 pan palettes, however they are 0.8g each and there is enough of each product to use to give you a fair idea of her shadow formulation and to be able to decide if you want to buy a full size. Also, Natasha Denona shadows are seriously pigmented so really one dab or swipe is sufficient, therefore these mini palettes will last quite a while. The mini Lila packaging is the standard white with a clear lid, whereas the mini Star is in the holiday gold packaging. It's relatively sturdy and at $25, I have no complaints!
The mini Lila palette contains five new shades that are inspired by the shade selection in the full size Lila palette (review and swatches here). It's described as an extension of the Lila palette but I personally think that the mini palettes should contain the same shades as the full size but that's just my opinion (the mini Star actually does so perhaps they took feedback from customers on that).
 |
| Swatches are completely unedited and on unprimed skin. |
From left to right, the shades are:
Poison Berry: Matte berry toned purple that doesn't feel as creamy as her full size mattes but is still easy to blend. It's pigmented and wears well. Purple is a tricky eyeshadow shade to produce but she has done it well.
Blue Dahlia: Duo-chrome purple toned blue. Very smooth in texture but, again, not buttery soft. It applies evenly and wears well on the lid.
Raisin: Matte burgundy - soft to touch, finely milled and pigmented.
Linen: Champagne metallic shade. Buttery soft, applies very evenly and is long-lasting on the lid.
Flint: Medium brown matte. Pigmented, creamy and finely milled - a dream to work with.
Overall the mini Lila palette is a good buy if you like the shade selection or even if you think you wouldn't wear purple very often and don't want to spend too much but want a pigmented shade. Some of the shadows are more creamy than others but all perform well.
When the original Star Palette was released, I didn't buy it because at that point I don't think I had tried any Natasha Denona eyeshadows so I couldn't really justify the price, however I really did love the shade selection so I was absolutely delighted to see the mini Star palette being released. Unlike the Lila palette, the five shadows in this palette were originally in the Star palette, rather than being inspired by it.
 |
| Swatches are completely unedited and on unprimed skin. |
From left to right, the shades are:
Orion: Duo-chrome shadow that is brown with reflects of green, sometimes blue - depending on the light. Pigmented and creamy soft - a dream to work with.
Atik: Warm nude matte shade. Pigmented, finely milled, soft and easy to apply and blend.
Bellatrix: Metallic coppery-nude shade. Again, buttery soft, pigmented and easy to apply.
Earth: Deep brown matte. Pigmented, smooth in texture - a dream to apply and blend.
Cosmo: Golden olive shimmer. One of the most beautiful eyeshadows I own - creamy, pigmented and smooth.
This palette is a stunner. The shade selection works so well together to create both day and evening looks. They are long-lasting on the lid and don't crease or fade until being removed. I honestly couldn't rave about this palette enough! I am unsure if there are production issues with this palette as I read Temptalia's review and she found that some of the shadows didn't perform as well as those in the original palette and whilst I don't own that palette, the mini Star has performed well for me. I think that the mini Star gives a better representation of Natasha Denona eyeshadow formula than the Lila but both perform beautifully.
Have you tried any Natasha Denona palettes? Are you tempted by either of these minis? I'd love to hear!
Thanks for reading!
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