Why are you reviewing a discontinued palette you ask? Because I love it and because I still wanted to review it. As I bought this palette, I knew it would be the last restock, but since the brand is still around and I think this color story and eyeshadow quality is still in line with what the brand does right now, I feel we can still have a closer look at the Dragon Child eyeshadow palette. Back then the brand was called Makeup Monsters Cosmetics. The brand right now? Well, they are now called Menagerie Cosmetics, which is one of my favorite indie makeup brands. So let’s have a closer look.
Review: Makeup Monsters Cosmetics Dragon Child eyeshadow palette
Since this palette is no longer available, I will not be able to go into things like price point and where to buy it. For a while the brand stocked these shades as singles, but I went and checked and even that seems to no longer be an option. But most Menagerie palettes retail for $38.95 for a 12 pan palette, so that is quite reasonable. That said, Menagerie ships by weight so their shipping can be quite steep. If you are not in the US, you may also struggling getting them to ship to you as the brand has struggled maintaining international shipping due to delays, wrongful claims of lost products and changing laws due to Brexit. You may therefore find it hard to buy from them, but an option is to try using a shipping company if you don’t want to wait.
What does this palette have to offer?
This palette was part of my first ever order from Menagerie Cosmetics. They had just rebranded to the new name, which is why this palette was discontinued as the brand would be going into a different direction. The other palette in my order was the Feral palette and I have since bought every single palette the brand does that appeals to me. Why? Because despite the price point, these shadows are some of my favorite to work with combined with unique color stories that no one else does. The Dragon Child is no different and that’s why I am happy I was still able to get my hands on it.
What is the color story like?
Inside this palette you get a 12 pan color story that has mainly mattes. There are only 2 shimmers and everything else is matte. You get a few warmer toned shades, but most of the palette is quite cool toned. The two shimmers anchor those two sides of the palette with one shimmer being a light pink and a perfect cool tone and the other being a yellow toned gold. The mattes range from dark and grungy to vibrant and fun. There are quite a few pastel leaning shades here too, which makes for a interesting mix. Added bonus: the shades you get are reflected in the palettes outer packaging.
What do these shadows swatch like?
As you can see these shades all swatch beautifully. The blue and purple in the bottom row don’t perform well in a finger swatch but they build up nicely and are easy to blend out. I loved working with these shades, but I do find that the shades do not mix between the two sides of the palette. The warm tones are very warm, whereas the cool tones are very cool toned. I don’t mind that and you will instantly see which of these flavors have my preference once you see the shades on the lid.
2 Looks, 1 Palette
Let’s do some looks shall we? I created two looks with this palette for this review that focus on the different flavors this side has to offer. Between the two looks I have used each shade in the palette.
Can you tell which one is my favorite look of the two? This one of course! If you needed any more proof that cool tones look better on me, then I hope this review definitely underscores that claim. I really like this look and it’s one I would do again in a heartbeat. I used the grey in the crease with a bit of the indigo blue on the outer V and outer lower lash line. The pink shimmer is what I used all over the lid and then I used the brightest blue shade in the inner corner. To round out the look, I used the purple and remaining blue on the lower lash line and I used the lilac shade to blend out the crease.
I still think this look works, but it’s not great on my complexion. I am too fair and too cool toned to really make it work. I don’t love yellow toned golds and of all the shades in the palette it’s the one I would never use again. The greens are pretty and could be used in conjunction with the blues and purples quite easily too. I used the two reds in the crease to set up the look and I like the grungy vibes these give. Combined with the blues and purples it could make for an even grungier vibe. Where I now used the pink shimmer again in the lower lash line, I think it could also add a vibrancy to an otherwise all red look.
My final thoughts
While the Menagerie Cosmetics Dragon Child palette is no longer available, I hope you understand why I still wanted to write a dedicated review on the palette. This color story is unique and despite these shades being a bit intimidating at first, I think this is quite versatile despite the fact that you don’t get that many shimmers. That is the only aspect of this palette (and any Menagerie palette to be fair) that goes against it. I wish one of the blues would have been a shimmer as that would have made the palette even more versatile.
Would I recommend the Dragon Child palette?
I would if I could. Sadly this is no longer available. However, if you were looking to try Menagerie Cosmetics, then I definitely recommend checking them out. To me, they are worth the wait and the higher price tag I have to pay as they are truly doing something that isn’t out there yet. Their palettes have stellar quality and more unique color stories and they are definitely front runners to be when it comes to setting trends for the makeup industry.