Is there any more perfect palette on the planet for the fall season than a jewel toned eyeshadow palette? And there aren’t that many out there that are as great (and still available) than the Shroud Cometics Arcana eyeshadow palette. This palette was one I wanted to try after loving their Creepy Cute palette. The quality of that palette was amazing and so I wanted to try more and the Arcana looked like a unique color story that I thought would be perfect for those grungy, jewel toned moments.
Review: Shroud Cosmetics Arcana eyeshadow palette
In case you are unfamiliar, Shroud Cosmetics is a US indie brand who have been on the radar of plenty of beauty enthusiasts for a while. Their first palette, the Creepy Cute, was a smash it and many people label it as their favorite pastel palette. After a rebrand, from Strobe to Shroud Cosmetics, they started to make their aesthetic more grungy and lo and behold the Arcana palette was released. At €41.95 for 12 pans, this is a lovely palette that I think is well worth it.
What does this palette have to offer?
The Arcana palette is a lovely grungy, jewel toned color story that has all the shades you need for fall. It comes with an equal split between mattes and shimmers and it has some great, unique shades that despite being deep are very workable and not as crazy as you might expect. As these are still close to neutrals, these shades are all very wearable and this palette is great if you like neutral looks with a twist.
What is the color story like?
The way this palette is laid out is with 6 warm tones on the left and 6 cool tones to the right of the palette. There’s a lot of color here and each color has a murky undertone. These are all quite rich, intense shades. There’s some teals and blues here, some lovely forest greens and some lovely warm tones that look nice and spicy. The shades all how a brown or grey undertone. And where that usually means the palette can look muddy on the eye, with this that is never the case.
How does this palette swatch?
So I said these shades were rich and I think these swatches can show you why. Now, not all shades work the best in a finger swatch but eyeshadows only have merit when they are applied with a brush and with a brush I feel these all perform great. The shimmers are perhaps the standout in the palette though. The shimmers are all rich, creamy and buttery and don’t need any foiling for them to go on like they look in the pan. The mattes are a touch sheerer but that means they can be built up and I prefer a more buildable formula to begin with.
3 Looks, 1 Palette
As I always do, I do as many looks as it takes to be able to use every single shade. For this 12 pan palette I went with 3 looks to use every single shade.
My favorite shades in the palette were the greens, so I went in with those first. The green shimmer is stunning and because I love the clash between green and purple I put the murky purple on the lower lash line. I used the teal as a transition and I love how it adds a bit of grunge. Since the palette doens’t have too many options for a highlight shade though, I did use my highlighter to brighten up the inner corner.
For the warm toned look, I felt the fall vibes really delivered. I do look a bit like Elizabeth I with my pale face and high neck collar, but I love the looks of these shadows. There are some rich berries here and the warm mattes are stunning. I used the gold on the lower lash line and while I usually don’t love golds, this kind of dirty gold I do like the look of. And I especially like the combination of the purple with the gold.
For the final look I combined some of the more neutral shades with a pop of blue on the lower lash line. The purple is all over the lid, but because it is combined with the murky browsn it turns into a lovely deep, grungy look. The pop of blue adds some brightness and I love how it really brings some life to the overall vibe.
My final thoughts
I fell in love the minute I tried this palette. Shroud Cosmetics Arcana is a great grungy jewel toned palette that I think has many different options. I think this is a great versatile palette as you can create many different combinations. Now that I have used every shade, I can still see so many other looks I can still do. I mean I could still do a teal/blue look and I am itching to use that gold shade all over the lid in combination with the greens.
Would I recommend the Shroud Cosmetics Arcana palette?
This palette is great, but since Shroud is a US based indie brand, it is harder to buy and if you are not in the US it can be expensive. Including shipping and handling fees, you’d probably pay around €70 for this and then I think it may be a bit much for most people. Still, I love the quality, the shades are unique and to me, it is a well worth palette that just has many options.