Juvia’s Place: The brand for all things affordable eyeshadow. The Nubian 2 eyeshadow palette is one of their earlier releases I own and one that I feel more people should be talking about. Granted, the color story may seem a bit random (and warm toned for my liking) but I think this palette can be a great palette for people who love a warm toned neutral with a pop of a jewel toned colorful shade. If that’s you, then stay tuned.
Review: Juvia’s Place The Nubian 2 eyeshadow palette
Nubian 2 is one of the first releases Juvia’s Place came out with. I remember seeing this palette for the first time on Coffee Break with Dani’s channel AGES ago and I was like: that is a brand I want to try. But at that time it was super hard to find so it definitely took me some time until I got my hands on it as they became easier to find. This palette currently retails for $28 on the official Juvia’s Place website. I ended up buying this from Beauty Bay where this now retails for €26.75. At times Beauty Bay can be a bit pricey and often they mark up a price point, so sometimes I feel it is better to get JP stuff from their official website.
What does this palette have to offer?
The Juvia’s Place Nubian 2 palette is a bit of an odd one out in their eyeshadow palette collection. It is a 12 pan palette and it is the only palette that has this size. All their other palettes are either smaller (Afrique/ Saharan) or more square (their 9 pans). So if you have more than one Juvia’s Place palette this one gets a bit annoying as it stands out like a sore thumb. In true Juvia’s Place fashion, this comes with large pans that are impossible to use up.
What is the color story like?
This 12-pan palette features 4 mattes and 8 shimmers. A palette after my heart: I prefer shimmers over mattes. It has a mainly warm toned color story though. There are warm bronzes, plums, you get 2 golds as well as some oranges. And then you get a fairly random green, blue and intense purple shade. It’s the combination of the warm tones with the jewel tones where this palette works for me. If it didn’t have that stunning green shade called Egypt, I don’t think this palette would have lasted this long if that shade hadn’t been in this palette.
How do these shadows swatch?
It’s a Juvia’s Place palette! Do we even have to ask? Of course these swatch beautifully. The shimmers from Juvia’s are always on point and this palette is no different. The mattes are okay but nothing to write home about. The plum toned matte is especially sheer but can be build up in intensity for sure. I already told you that my favorite shades in this palette are the blue, green and deep shimmering purple. Aren’t those simply the best shades here? Let’s have a look how it all comes together in some looks.
3 looks, 1 palette
As per usual we are doing looks with all shades in this palette. The looks range from a neutral, warm toned eye that is great for everyday. Then there is a plum and green look because green and purple are just great opposites on the color spectrum and finally we do a warm toned look with a pop of blue. Because why not go for a staple?
For this first look I focused on the lighter warm tones in the palette. The golds, the soft brows and as you can see what you get is a look that could have been done with Urban Decay’s Naked Honey wouldn’t you say? It is soft, it is pretty and great for everyday. This is the kind of look that many people can wear and while the palette may throw you off with its bold color story, just know that you can very easily do something wearable and great for work too. We like a bit of versatility!
This next look is one you need to see from a distance to appreciate. Closeup it can look at bit much perhaps, but I feel it works. Why does it work? Because plum/ red/ orange and green are opposites on the color wheel. So by joining them up in a look you can easily make them work. My general rule of thumb for combining shades that are a bit far off is to not mix them (that might result in a muddy mess) but to use one set of colors on the top lash line and the other colors on the lower lash line. Here I used that marvellous green as a pop of color on the lower lash line that I feel works very well with my coloring.
Who doesn’t like warm tones with a pop of blue? I know I do! So that’s why I knew that I wanted to leave some shades that could do that. Here again I only used the blue on the lower lash line and I love how vibrant yet muted this is. It is not per se a very dark blue but it is also not so stark that it creates too much of a pop. Combined with the bronzes from the palette I feel we have a great combo here that is a great way of introducing color to your otherwise neutral look.
My final thoughts
While the Juvia’s Place Nubian 2 is not my favorite JP palette by any means, this one did surprise me. It has warm tones (not my favorite) but it does have a good deal of shimmers (those are my favorite!) and a bunch of stunning jewel tones to boot. So while this may not be a palette I reach for all the time, I do think it has some great shades that can come to some great looks. However the color story has to be your cup of tea.
Would I recommend the Juvia’s Place Nubian 2 eyeshadow palette?
Only if this color story is exactly what you are looking for. It is a stunning palette but in the end I find myself only really reaching for the jewel tones in this palette. Maybe I should just declutter this one, maybe I should just depot those shades I love and pass it on to someone else, but I certainly do not think this is a must have palette for everyone.