Look what I spotted quite randomly as I was browsing Kosmetik4Less for the new Essence Spring/ Summer 2021 products? Say hello to Catrice’s new limited edition, online exclusive, NeoNude eyeshadow palette. Can I get a bright to go with that neutral please? Oh yes, because that is exactly what this eyeshadow palette has to offer. For spring 2021, Catrice has released a neutral eyeshadow palette featuring warm tones, cool tones and a pop of something neon. I was curious to try it out and let me ask you one thing: why does Catrice make so much of their really good makeup limited edition?
Review: Catrice Neon Nude eyeshadow palette
Let’s talk specifics first. This palette is an 18-pan eyeshadow palette that was released for spring 2021. It retails for €14.99 and is an online exclusive for a limited time only. That’s why I decided to get the review out pronto to ensure you can look up some information while this is still available. I am not sure for how long it will be available, or exactly which retailers stock this. I bought mine from Kosmetik4Less.de which is a German retailer that ships Essence and Catrice products internationally. They don’t ship to all countries though, but they seem to ship to most countries in Europe. I also found the palette listed on a Dutch website called Boozyshop, I believe they may offer international shipping but it is quite expensive.
What does this palette have to offer?
Ta-dah! Can you just see what a beautiful palette this is? This is the kind of eyeshadow palette I like to see. There is a good variety of shades, plenty of mattes, plenty of shimmers and then three pops of something vibrant and fun. Not only does this 18-pan palette seem to give you the option to do very neutral looks, it also has the ability to create some versatility. It goes deep enough to create some depth and dimension but also plenty of basic shades for those people who don’t know what to do. In short, this is a perfect palette for the makeup noob who wants to venture out: you can stay in your comfort zone, or strike out with a vibrant neon coral, pink or purple shade.
What is the color story like?
As you can see, this 18-pan eyeshadow palette features 9 warm toned shades that are more bronze/ brown leaning and 9 cooler toned shades that are more leaning towards mauves and plums. Peppered among the two sections are three vibrant neon mattes. There are 10 mattes in total and 8 shimmers. The shimmers were a bit deceiving as they pulled lighter once applied to the lid than the way they looked to me in the pan. The mattes are where this palette shines: they were richly pigmented and buttery smooth and so easy to blend. Some of the best mattes Catrice has done in recent years.
How do these eyeshadows swatch?
Even though a finger swatch may not be the best representation of what an eyeshadow can do, I think it does give you an idea. As you can see the shimmers are all quite bright, even though some of them look quite deep in the pan. The mattes all swatched wonderfully and felt smooth. The neon shades have a slightly different texture and feel drier and a tad scratchy, especially the pink and the coral. But really: for a drugstore brand to do neons like this??? I’m impressed, because good neon shades are so incredibly difficult to do.
3 Looks, 1 Palette
I of course had to go and create some looks with this palette. To ensure the neon shades could take center stage I decided to create one look centered around each one of them. I thought the coral would look good in the crease, the purple on the lower lash line and the pink would make for a fun accent as a bit of eyeliner. These are the looks I created.
For my first look I played around with the neon pink as a liner. Now my eyeliner skills aren’t the best, which is why I also took photos of my other eye as the eyeliner worked out much better there. As you can see I used some of the cooler toned mattes and a rosy shimmer to keep the look nice and neutral and very basic. I then put the neon pink onto the lid as eyeliner. It is pigmented and intense and I didn’t need to go over the line too much to create this effect. I thought it made for a very fun pop and definitely something different for a change.
The most wearable look I created used the purple on the lower lash line. I used the mauve and plum shades from the right side of the palette as well as the darkest matte brown in the top left corner to create a neutral setup of the look. I then went in with the purple on the lower lash line for a touch of color but nothing too in your face. The purple is quite possibly the closest to a neutral in terms of a bright shade and I feel it plays well with the other shades in the palette. This is definitely the safest option if you are someone who is interested in playing with color but are a bit nervous to know what it will look like.
Last but not least, I created a look using the neon coral and the warm tones I had not yet pulled into the rest of my look. And I think it turned out great. Putting a ‘difficult’ shade like a neon might seem like a risk, but the neon coral was easy to build up and blend out. Not the kind of shade I would pack on and then blend as you would then get quite a bit of fallout, but if you are an eyeshadow ‘builder’ like myself and you go in with little bits at the time and blending as you go, you end up with a very vibrant stunning looking crease. Doesn’t this look just scream summer to you?
My final thoughts
The Catrice NeoNude eyeshadow palette was one that surprised me, but why? Catrice has really been upping their game when it comes to eyeshadows in recent years, but still in my mind the brand is best known for doing mediocre eyeshadow at best. Still, in some of their recent releases and especially in limited edition palettes such as this one, they seem to be doing an increasingly great job at creating a stunning, yet affordable palette. At €14.99 it is a bit more expensive than Catrice’s usual fair, which is good to note, but I can see a lot of people having fun with this one. Catrice really nailed it on this one.
Would I recommend the Catrice NeoNude eyeshadow palette?
If you can find this and you want to get your hands on it, then yes I am sure you will not regret your purchase. It has a fun color story, features shades that I think many people will love, but also adds a bright pop for something different and unique. If this is the direction Catrice wants to go into: neutral but with a pop of something different, then I’m game, because those are usually my favorite palettes.