If you were to ask me what my favorite grungy eyeshadow palette is, chances are that I will be listing at least one Melt palette. The Muerte is top of mind, but since that has been discontinued, I think another contender would be the Gemini palette. This was Melt’s first eyeshadow palette after they had already released a few stacks and it nearly broke the internet. This palette was so hard to get for so long and by now it is also a bit harder to get a hold of as it hasn’t been in stock for a while. However, the brand hasn’t listed it as out of stock or discontinued on their website so I’m sure it will be back some time.
Review: Melt Gemini eyeshadow palette
Melt’s Gemini palette wasn’t just the first palette that Melt released, it was also a palette that instantly made people realize how much fun you can have with murky, rich, grungy shades. Melt palettes don’t come cheap though and at full price this retails for €58. If you are in Europe you can get the brand through Beauty Bay, but sometimes it is quickest to buy through the official Melt website even though you do pay an additional customs fee. It all depends on how badly and how quickly you want to get your products. But yeah it does get pricey to buy from the brand, no matter where you shop from, as they are a little up there in price.
What does this palette have to offer?
What may be good to know about Melt is that they started off as a super small indie brand that has taken the makeup world by storm. With innovative color stories and insanely pigmented shades, they really tapped into that niche of high quality, saturated shadows in interesting color schemes. The Gemini set the tone for the entire line it seems as the murky browns and greens this palette has to offer have been duped out and copied by many a brand so far. The issue this palette had at first was that it went bad quickly. People who bought the palette on the initial launch experienced rust in the pans and the shadows expanding and puffing out of the pans within a year of purchase. I got mine later, have owned it for nearly 2 years and my shadows are still fine. So they definitely changed something in the formula to ensure it lasts longer.
What is the color story like?
So this palette is a 10-pan color story that gives you all the grunge. It is matte heavy with only 2 shimmers in the entire palette. The part of the palette that appeals to me the most are the olive toned greens on the right side of the palette. It’s what makes this palette stand out from the crowd and back when this released it was something we hadn’t seen yet. The browns are also a bit different as they are all a bit more murky and almost mustard leaning which means they go well with the greens but also can be used as a stand alone look.
How does this palette swatch?
These weren’t my first Melt shadows I had ever played with so I knew the quality would be good. These shades are richly pigmented yet still very workable. However, Melt shadows are quite fragile, powdery and therefore not the best if you are a beginner in makeup. This is shadow for people who’ve had a bit more practice and are looking for that next step in their makeup collection. And as light as the palette seems in some of the pictures above (not sure how my camera made it look so light) these swatches give you a good impression of how rich these shades are in real life.
2 Looks, 1 Palette
To truly test out the shades, I kept the looks for the review quite safe. I just stuck to the browns for the first look and to the greens in the second. However, I have used this palette beyond the pictures you see here and I feel both sides go together well too. In fact my favorite look is to start off with some of the browns and then use the greens as accent shades on the lid and the lower lash line to create a look using the best of both worlds.
This is the look out of the 2 I am showing you here today that I know I will never do again. These browns are good browns, but they way these combine isn’t my favorite. That mainly has to do with the shimmer Gemini which is quite possibly my least favorite shade in the palette. Therefore, I use the brown mattes to build a look, use the darkest shades as liner and to blend things out whenever I use this palette. Because of the mustard yellow undertones they go well with the greens, but to be quite fair, these are not the shades why you want this palette (I mean who needs any more browns in their lives?).
The reason why you buy this palette is for the greens. Here I simply used all the shades in the right side of the palette: the black was used to create a bit of liner. And as you can see, despite this being a mainly green look, it’s grungy but still wearable too. I love this about this palette: yes it’s grungy but it’s still great for everyday too if you want to amp it up or tone it down (that’s where those browns come in). The green shimmer is divine and the green mattes compliment it very well and blend out easily. You can create a softer look too if you were to work in some other shades in the palette.
My final thoughts
Melt Gemini eyeshadow palette is a grungy lover’s dream and I hope it comes back in stock before the year is out. Gemini is currently the only palette not available from Melt that wasn’t limited edition so I am not sure what’s up. However, by now this palette has been duped and recreated by other brands, so if you like this color story and you want it for cheaper, you most certainly can. I can recommend Juvia’s Place The Nomad in case you want something similar (but not the same). It skews more yellow than this though and the greens are less vibrant but it does give off a similar vibe.
Would I recommend the Melt Gemini eyeshadow palette?
This palette is a great one and one that I know will last a long time in my makeup collection (as long as it doesn’t go bad). These shades are just the kin I gravitate towards and so I would highly recommend this palette if you can get your hands on it for a decent price. I would definitely wait for this to go on sale though as by now this color story isn’t as unique anymore as it once was. I hope they restock this in time for Black Friday and that would make for a lovely deal.
One response to “Melt Gemini eyeshadow palette review”
Pretty palette.