the colour workshop eyeshadow palette

Every year around the December holiday season, I see advertisements and displays for these massive cosmetic palettes made by the Colour Workshop available for what appears to be very reasonable prices. I’m a firm believer in “you get what you pay for”, but I have to admit, I’ve always been tempted to pick up one or two of the kits just for the variety of colours. The only thing that’s stopped me so far is the fact that I know very well that I won’t get full use out of the kits – just like I have yet to get full use out of any cosmetic item that I’ve purchased (yes, it’s a bummer to be practical). When I was at Wal-mart a couple weekends ago, I saw a small, 20-colour eyeshadow palette on sale for $5, and finally gave in to temptation and bought it.

My husband commented on how much the palette looked like an iPhone – I hadn’t even noticed because (a) I don’t own an iPhone and (b) I couldn’t care less what a compact looked like – I’m much more drawn to what’s inside anyway.

I tried it out the next day for a holiday dinner. As I pretty much expected, the colours are not highly pigmented  and go on quite sheer. However, this did mean that they were very blendable. In terms of staying power, there wasn’t much: I caught the end of Notting Hill on TV right before we left for the dinner and after shedding the obligatory tears at the happy (or is it sappy?) ending, a reapplication was required. However, after reapplying, the colours stayed put for another 3-4 hours. When applying the shadows as eyeliner instead, the colour seemed to stick around much longer.

Pros: inexpensive, contains a good variety of usable colours, sheer enough so that all the colours can be made work-appropriate; the amount of each is small enough that I think I’ll actually get through the palette this time.

Cons:colours are not highly pigmented (look elsewhere to create a dramatic look), only 4 applicators provided for 16 shades; lid of palette is not attached to the bottom, so even though it is sized like an IPhone, it is definitely not as convenient to carry around and use.

Verdict: While I’m sure I’ll get some good use out of this compact, I don’t think I will be purchasing this or  any other product by The Colour  Workshop) again. ~16-shade palette, $5, available at various retailers