Olivia Palermo x Ciaté London Smokey Suedes Eye Palette Review & Swatches

I’m at the point where I have more eyeshadow palettes than one person will ever need. I’ve been doing well at not buying every new one that comes out unless it’s really special or from a brand that I collect. Today’s review is about one such palette! I’d never tried anything from Ciaté London before so I really didn’t know what to expect when I ordered this palette. Judging from the stock photos on Sephora website, the eyeshadows looked to be so creamy and dreamy in texture, plus it’s very reasonably priced so I thought why not. Upon seeing it in person, I fell head over heels in love with it! It’s so beautiful in every way. I’ve been using this palette exclusively for the last few weeks and I’ve been counting to this day when I have time to sit down to show you all about it! :)

Olivia Palermo is an American socialite, model, and actress. She is also a Guest Creative Director of Ciaté London and has recently helped the brand design and launch their first-ever color makeup collection. Her exquisite taste in fashion, design, and beauty has enabled her to create a line-up of makeup that is truly elegant both in terms of appearance and formulation. She curated the colors in the Olivia Palermo x Ciaté London Smokey Suedes Eye Palette herself which contains mostly earthy-neutral colors that promise to flatter all skin tones. These types of colors are my favorite because they are suitable for any occasion, day or night.

Besides the lovely colors, I also love the design of the palette itself — a faux stingray leather against the gold elements — truly classic, truly timeless! The palette is made of sturdy plastic that shuts securely with a snap-close clasp. The palette size is rather small compared to most of my other palettes at about 12 cm x 6 cm (4.7 in x 2.4 in) but I don’t mind at all. It’s easier to pack and travel with then.

Another thing I love is how generously-sized the eyeshadow pans are! You can dip your brush in it without having to worry about color transfer despite the thin dividers between them. There’s no wasted space in this palette. It’s efficient and basically jam packed with goodness! The color arrangement is also different and beautiful, not your basic one-row or two-row mostly found in traditional palettes. What I miss, though, is the ability to know the shade names. They are not printed inside nor on the back of the palette. You’ll have to keep the box it comes with if you wish to know what the shade names are.

Palette at a glance

The palette contains 9 colors ranging from a basic matte bone color to neutral browns, to olive and gold, and to mid-pink and aubergine. I find it such a lovely combination and can see myself using every single color. There is also a good mix of matte and shimmery textures to create depth and definition to the eye look. It literally takes no time at all to create the look of the day because all the shades work well together. There is a color for every eye job whether it’s a base color, lid color, crease color, or outer corner color. However, if you have been reading Hello Jaa for a while, you know I appreciate eyeshadow palettes that come with a basic black. Unfortunately, this palette doesn’t have one. I can make do with the deep brown shade but sometimes I can’t help but find myself longing for a true black! :)

In terms of texture and formulation, these are not super-duper pigmented like say, Urban Decay eyeshadows, but they are almost there. The matte colors are noticeably less pigmented than the shimmery colors but they are buildable for more coverage. The shimmery colors leave a medium-strong, sophisticated sheen on the lid that is super gorgeous when reflecting light. Overall, I find the formula dense, rich, buildable, and blendable. They go on very smoothly on the lid and seem to adhere well to the skin without creating fallout. They truly feel suede-like texture-wise! So creamy and oh-so-buttery. :)

Longevity is also very good! I can get an all-day wear very easily even when applied without an eye primer! For oily lids, though, you may still want to use an eye primer just in case.

Breakdown

• Butler – matte bone
  Very creamy smooth and highly blendable. Beautifully pigmented, too. Non-chalky, non-powdery. Perfect as a base color as well as brow bone highlight.
• Shaken – pearl gold shimmer
  I like that it’s not a yellow-gold and more like a pale bronze gold, truly gorgeous as a lid color. The shimmery sheen can be built up to metallic when applied heavily. Applies and blends smoothly with a perfect color payoff.
• Verde – pearl bright olive
  The star of the palette! Such a gorgeous darkened olive green. The formula is simply superb — buttery and blendable. Also highly pigmented and a little bit truly goes a long way.
• Whoopie Pie – matte deep brown
  Love this shade as a crease/transition color! I wish I could let you swatch this shade in person. Amazing matte formula! Very smooth and creamy. Doesn’t kick up powder excess. Moderately pigmented and can be built up.
• Glazed – pearl bronze shimmer
  This one is plain gorgeous. The sheen is strong and almost foil-like! Love it as a lid color for a night out. The pigment adheres so well to the skin, too, so you don’t have to apply much. Buttery texture and blendable without creating fallout.

• Prosecco – pearl ivory shimmer
  Interesting mix of metallic and frost finishes. I like to use this as an accent lid color. The texture is a bit thinner than the other shimmery shades in the palette but can be packed on for a fuller coverage. It feels soft and applies smoothly but does create a little bit of fallout during application.
• Cocoa – pearl bronze shimmer
  The darkest shade for creating definition at the outer corner or you can smudge it along the lash line, too. Soft, rich, dense, super pigmented, and blendable. It’s a dark shade that’s surprisingly very easy to work with.
• Macchiato – matte mid-pink brown
  The texture is identical to Whoopie Pie except it’s a tad more pigmented. Non-chalky, creamy smooth without creating powder kick-up or fallout. A lovely shade to create a smokey effect.
• Plumberry – matte aubergine
  Similar to Whoopie Pie and Macchiato in terms of the buttery smooth matte texture. Coverage is a little bit thinner, though, and must be built up and blended well to avoid an uneven/patchy application.

The eye look

I know I know, I totally did not blend the Verde shade well enough! I apologize for my subpar blending skills. :) But if we could look past that, here’s what I used to create this look!

Butler as a base and brow bone highlight; Shaken as a main lid color; Whoopie Pie as a crease/transition color; Verde as an outer corner color (darkened slightly with Cocoa); Prosecco as an inner corner highlight, and lastly Macchiato along the lower lash line.

Overall, I think Ciaté London really nailed it on the formula of these shadows. They are incredibly easy to work with. The entire thing from the look of the palette itself to the shadow formulation is of the highest quality, pleasantly exceeding my expectations by a long shot. I’ve paid so much more for so many palettes that don’t even come close in terms of texture and performance. This is truly a must-have for those who are into eyeshadow palettes as well as beginners and advanced users alike. I have also recently acquired the second palette from the collection called Olivia Palermo x Ciaté London The Smouldering Eye Palette which I’m also crazy in love with at the moment. I’ll tell you more about it very soon! :)

Purchase