Essence has released a bunch of new eyeshadow palettes, which means I want to try at least one of them. My experience with Essence eyeshadow palettes hasn’t been the best. Especially with palettes that are part of their regular line up, I have had some bad experiences which I have reviewed here and here. In general, I have most luck with their limited edition palettes, such as the one released last summer. Since they are so hit or miss for me, I am always a bit apprehensive going into them, but today we are reviewing one of the newest palettes to the line up. Let’s have a closer look at the Essence Be You Tiful eyeshadow palette.

Essence Be You Tiful eyeshadow palette

The best part of any Essence eyeshadow palette is the price point. They usually retail for under the €10, which for a budget brand is great. This palette in particular retails for €6.99, which is a good price point, but a little bit higher than we might be used to with Essence. Usually it’s the limited edition ones that are a little bit more expensive, but maybe Essence is slowly increasing their prices?

The Packaging

The packaging of the palette is simple yet functional. It is a cardboard palette that feels sturdy enough. There is a mirror in the lid and there is no brush. That last point is a good one, because many brands still add a brush that usually ends up on a dusty pile in my case. So props to Essence for focusing on the shadows mostly.

The Palette

I was very surprised when I saw this. Doesn’t this look like the perfect selection of neutral eyeshadows? If you are a lover of smaller palettes, then this is definitely one to check out as it has everything you might need, but it isn’t big and bulky. There are warm toned browns, but also some more neutral selections. There are 4 shimmers and 5 mattes and range from a matte cream to a matte black and everything in between. Overall this looks like a very well-balanced palette. So what is the quality like?

The Swatch

Let’s have a look at some finger swatches first. As you can see this looks very very good! All these shadows apply evenly when swatched and there is no skipping or sheerness to these. The pigment seems to be consistent. The only shade that is difficult to see is the lightest matte shade on the far left, but that has more to do with my pale skin tone and nothing with the performance of the shadow.

The texture of these eyeshadows is quite soft and powdery though, but I don’t think they look chalky in any way. Because of the soft texture, these blend easily, but where some soft shadows can blend into nothingness too quickly or muddy together, these remain vibrant look, though I would recommend building them up.

The Application

They say the proof is in the pudding and you never know how shades perform unless you apply them to the eye, so I created an eye look using all 9 shades of the palette. I love the end result. It is a smokey, glamorous look that is very flattering and not muddy at all. Of course you can also apply only a few of these shades for a more everyday look, but if you want to you can easily combine all these shades to create a nice neutral look.

So I did I create this look? I put Fired Up, the warm orange toned brown, in my crease. I tend used On My Own, a perfect transition shade, just below that. I blended that together with Fired Up and went back in with a bit more of Fired Up to ensure the orange tones would be at that edge of the crease. In The Buff is on the brow bone and I used Coffee Talk in my Outer V and the outer third of my lower lashline. I put Greige on the lid and added Taupe Up to my inner corner. To finish off the look, I blended out the lower lash line with My Time, applied Midnight as liner and put True Me on the inner third of my lower lash line.

The Conclusion

I am very pleasantly surprised by the Essence Be You Tiful eyeshadow palette and in a good way. While the shade selection is not revolutionary, I can see why there will forever be a market for a good neutral palette at an affordable price point. If you are still looking for one or are looking to try something new, then this one I would highly, highly recommend. The shades feel smooth and apply evenly and easily and the end result is stunning.

What do you think of the Essence Be You Tiful eyeshadow palette?