In today’s eyeshadow palette review we are having a closer look at the Essence Out in the Wild eyeshadow palette that was released as part of the Essence Spring/ Summer 2021 collection. In recent years, Essence’s eyeshadow quality has been going up, but you just never know with the affordable drugstore brand. Just last year, they released a palette that was not up to par and so I am always curious to try their palettes. Does the Out in the Wild palette hold up? Or is it a chalky, powdery mess that doesn’t show up?
Review: Essence Out in the Wild eyeshadow palette 01 Don’t Stop Blooming
Before we find out together what the quality of the palette is like, let’s talk price point first. So this palette was released last March and so it hasn’t been out long. If you do not live in Europe, this may mean it is difficult for you to get a hold of for now as Essence doesn’t release its products globally in one go. Rather this will take a while to make its way to other territories. If you need information on when products will become available it is best to contact the brand via Instagram. In any case, this palette retails for €7 which means this is a steal if it is any good.
What does this palette have offer?
The Essence Out in the Wild palette is one of a set of two. There is this one: 01 Don’t Stop Blooming which is a rosy toned palette mixed in with cooler toned neutrals. The second palette is a more neutral toned one with browns and a pop of what looks to be a dark green which is called 02 Don’t Stop Beleafing. We all know about my love for cool toned eyeshadows, so I guess it is no surprise that I went with the cooler, rosy toned version of the two. The other one looks pretty too but I was very intrigued with that rosy shade in the middle and the taupes in the right hand side of the palette.
What is the color story like?
This eyeshadow palette has a 12 pan color story that features 5 mattes and 7 shimmers. The shimmers are mainly all the same level of shimmer, but some can be foiled to make them more intense. In terms of color story, the palette breaks apart into three quads for me. The first quad on the left is the rosy toned but still neutral quad. This is very light and easy for every day. The middle quad has a much stronger rosy undertone and a super interesting matte rose shade in the middle that really centers the entire palette. Finally, the quad on the right is the cool toned neutral part featuring some darker taupes and grey tones.
What does this palette swatch like?
As you can see here, these shades swatch beautifully. From the mattes to the shimmers, there really isn’t a single dud shade. The shadows feel smooth, but they are a little bit powdery and produce quite a bit of kickup when I stick my brush in. The mattes especially and the lighter shades really take the word eyeshadow powder to another level. However, if you’re careful and tap off your brush, you will not experience fallout all over your face. The shimmers are smooth and some are a bit chunky. I achieved the best result when I foiled them. They are pretty by themselves, but can be a bit lackluster if you do not use a finger and only a brush.
3 Looks, 1 Palette
If have three quads in a palette, I need to try them all out of course. So I created three looks: one with each of the quads. Of course you can bounce around and use any shade you like, but I felt this would make for an easy overview. I am posting the looks in the order in which I created them, meaning we are starting on the right side of the palette and are working our way to the left.
The minute I opened up this palette I knew: I have to create a look with those taupes. We all know my love for taupe shadow and this palette did not disappoint! It has a few stunning shades and to me, these 4 shades make this palette worth it. They are quite deep though, but perfect for a smokey eye if you put them all together like here, but of course you can bring them into the other two quads as well. In the palette, I felt these shades performed best as they were smoothest and needed hardly any building up. I would have liked a lighter matte to be able to tone this look down without pulling in a rosy shade.
Using the middle quad, I knew this palette was a hit. The rosy tones are a bit more warm toned and this really is giving me Pat McGrath vibes! Not saying it’s a straight up dupe, but this reminds a bit of the shades I got in my Rose Decadence. It is warm, it is on a slightly smokey side and it works really well for everyday still. I really like the look of this, but don’t think I would wear it much. However, I think it is great to be able to find shades like this at such an affordable price point. I did have to foil the shimmer I used all over the lid, but hey, who cares if it is this affordable, right?!
Finally, we are moving into the left quad of the palette. As you can see the final look is a more neutral, cool toned look featuring some more pink toned rose shades. This reminds me a lot of the effect you get with some of the lighter pink shades of the Urban Decay Naked 3. In fact, I think some of the taupe shades are quite close dupes as well. Especially that deeper shimmer at the top of the taupe quad looks like it may be a good dupe for Mugshot, which is one of my favorite one shadow and you’re done eyeshadows. This left part of the palette impressed me the least though: we have seen these shades a million times over in many palettes over the years.
My final thoughts
The Essence Out in the Wild eyeshadow palette is a pretty rosy toned palette at the drugstore. I feared this would be another ‘Naked 3 at the drugstore’ rendition, as we have seen so many of. While there is some overlap and I therefore feel I don’t necessarily need this palette in my collection, this does have something more unique to offer than most rosy palettes. I like how you get a bit more warmth and how Essence is really playing into the rosy toned hype of late. I think it is clever to offer it at such a great price point, making it a lot more accessible to many more people.
Would I recommend the Essence Out in the Wild eyeshadow palette?
It really depends. In my particular case, I really don’t need this palette. I have so many rosy toned palettes already that I feel this isn’t anything unique. However, if you don’t own such a large collection yet, are really into rosy toned neutrals or if you are just looking for a great drugstore eyeshadow palette, I think this may be right for you. The quality is great, it is worth the price point and it does offer something a little more unique than most rosy toned palettes that are more affordable.
Leave a Reply