Wednesday 19 March 2014

MAKE UP | Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette







Using White Chocolate, Champagne Truffle, Candied Violet, Black Forest Truffle and Hazelnut
If you follow me on Twitter then you'll probably know that I'm not the biggest fan of Urban Decay's Naked 3 palette. I didn't buy it instantly when it was first released (despite being extremely excited about it) and instead held off a couple of months. If I'm being 100% honest, I shouldn't have bought it. I didn't need it, I knew I didn't need it and now I have it, I don't use it. Ever. Although it is beautiful to look at and certainly looks stunning sat next to the first, second and Basics palettes. So it remains in my collection, looking pretty but untouched. But this post isn't about the Naked 3, it's about the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette.* Trust when I say that this palette is perfect. I even considered leaving this review at "it's perfect, buy it, you need it" but that wouldn't make me a very good blogger.

First of all, the packaging. It looks like a bar of chocolate. And that's not where the chocolate-similarities end. If you open this palette up, it smells like chocolate. Not the fake chocolate smell, but real chocolate. And everywhere I take this palette, I open it up and get my friends and family to have a whiff. Their faces are priceless as the smell is truly delicious. You may be thinking; why would I want a chocolate-scented product on my eyelids? Well, you probably don't. And luckily for you, the smell doesn't transfer but it's a nice little added extra that certainly takes this palette from being a 10/10 to an 11/10, if that's possible. 

Secondly the shades themselves. You have your highlighters, your crease colours, your eyeliners, your typical lids shades, your shimmers, your mattes, your "I'm-feeling-a-little-bit-daring-today" shades. Everything you could possibly want from a neutral palette you have right in front of your eyes. There are 16 shades (the two highlighters being double the size) and each of them has a chocolate-esque name; once again, an added extra that makes the palette that little bit more special. Glided Ganache, Black Forest Truffle, Triple Fudge, Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Strawberry Bon Bon, Candied Violet, Cherry Cordial... I could go on and list all 16. Aren't they adorable?!

Thirdly, the pigmentation and blendability of the shadows are second to none. I didn't swatch the shadows because quite frankly, Temptalia does a good enough job of it and I couldn't compete or do them justice (and my lighting is terrible at the minute - I hate this overcast weather). One swipe gives you an intense pigment and the shadows are extremely creamy and easy to blend, making that perfect smoky eye even easier to achieve. I didn't doubt the formula for one second as when it comes to eyeshadow palettes, no one does them as well as Too Faced do.

And finally, the price. At £45 it seems steep and it's more expensive than the Naked 3. However at Debenhams at the minute, you can get the palette for just £39.50 which works out at £2.46 per shadow. And when you look at the quality of the product you're getting, that's an absolute bargain. As you can probably tell, I'm absolutely addicted to this palette and it's the one I reach for daily. I brand it as the most perfect nude eyeshadow palette, ever and when I received it through the post, I almost rang my mother in tears - I was that excited. And if you're interested, you can buy your own here.

What are your thoughts on this palette? Have you tried any of Too Faced's offering before?
*PR Sample
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