The first thing that caught my eye about this palette was the case. Sleek, luxe, and containing eight different Estee Lauder Pure Color shadows, what could go wrong? So I sent CC for it…

… only to find out that it was GWP, despite what the swapper told me multiple times. I was disappointed, especially as I can’t afford to reverse swaps ($10 shipping? No thanks!) However, it is quite large for a GWP, and she was unaware that it was – she got it from someone else only to find that it didn’t work for her, and the original owner told her it was a palette and charged her like it was.

(I paid her $20, but it wasn’t only for this – there were a number of items as well. It was definitely worth it, even though this wasn’t full-size!) Reminder: you can get these shades in singles, too! Even if you’re not going to hunt down this palette, I ‘m fairly certain they’re all part of the regular line.

Here’s the second thing that pulled me in: these gorgeous earthy shades.

(I hate it when you have to match up the colours by the back label. Those annoy the hell outta me, so I did it for you.)

The shades in this palette are very hit-or-miss. Most of them look terrible on me, because they’re too warm, but I’ll give you a breakdown of each.

TOP ROW
Copper Penny: a warm shade that’s a true copper, with quite a bit of red. Decent pigmentation, shimmery. Not for me, but it’s quite pretty! B+
Cinnamon: a gorgeous shade that doesn’t make me think of cinnamon at all! It’s more like a dark gold with a hint of taupe. Very shimmery, almost to the point of being frosty. Again, not for me, it’s quite pigmented for such a frosty colour and packs a gorgeous punch. A-
Camouflage: a matte green, with crazy pigmentation. Soft. Like. Butter. It really is “camouflage green”, in that it’s quite yellow/olive-y. If you’re into greens, definitely check this out! This is as dark as a liner, with no base, mixing medium, or even water. Can be a bit crumbly in the pan, so pat to pick up colour, don’t swipe. A
Ivory Box: the only shade I actually use on a regular basis! Though very sheer, it’s light and frosty and looks great on my inner corners to “light up” my face. It’s a not-quite-white, without horrid, harsh yellow tones. Would also make a great hilight. Other (cheaper!) shadows can do this just as well, though, so: B+
BOTTOM ROW
Taupe: ew, ew, ew! This is the worst shade in the palette. Muddy, matte, and not creamy like the others, this doesn’t live up to its name. TAUPE?! More like “what you look like when you’ve thrown up seventeen times and died twice”. Pretty in the pan, but NOT when swatched or used. F-!!!
Tea Biscuit: this is a great inner-corner colour for medium skintones! Whites like Ivory Box look great on me, but look unnatural on my sister. I love using this one on her. She said that it wakes up her face even more than concealer! Very sheer, soft, and shimmery, but not crumbly. B
Mocha Cup: definitely the prettiest in the pan! However, the pigmentation could use some help. Shimmery and a bit frosty, this might be nice to have for a dark-taupe-lover, but not a must-buy. Does look great in the middle of the lid to add dimension, though! A-/B+
Vanilla: I never use this murky yellow shade. It settles into lines and isn’t very pigmented, with only a tiny touch of shimmer. This doesn’t show up on me at all on its own. The second-worst shade in the pan, losing only to Taupe, which was gross beyond words. D-

I bought nifty little swatch squares – they’re like temporary tatoos that you fill in with colour! (no shadow base, but thoroughly patted on)
Just kidding. I just wanted to make it clear where each shade started and ended. (Love the boxes? Hate ’em? Let me know in the comments!)
(all colours in the same order as in the photo of the palette)

Conclusion? Go check out Camoflague, Mocha Cup, and maybe Cinnamon and Ivory Box.

Run far, far away from Taupe and Vanilla.

I said RUN!