The product: Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow Palette in Rooftop Bronzes and Downtown Sunrise

So I wrote this entire post utterly confused, because the eye look that I thought was associated with these palettes didn’t match up to my experience with the product at all.

And then, two days after I started working on my draft (and late into the night), I realized that I had mislabelled an entire batch of images, and my actual City Mini makeup look had been tucked into a folder with some Maybelline Matte Ink swatches.

Therefore, it is with great relief that I can finally give you this post – completed, with the correct labels, and with a representative depiction of my experience with these palettes. So grab yourself a second glass of wine (I’m onto you), feel free to mock me behind my back or on the internet, and tuck in.

Maybelline City Mini Palette: Rooftop Bronzes (swatches and review)

The City Mini Palettes are… Interesting. They’re tiny enough that I can hold both of these two in the palm of my hand, but each is packed with great shades in an interesting layout. None of the colours are repeats–something that I honestly find drugstore brands often do better than high-end ones.

(Urban Decay Naked Basics, here’s looking at you.)

However: the formula of these eyeshadows isn’t my favourite. Maybelline can be a little hit-or-miss for me; some of their palettes are fantastic, while others leave something to be desired. (Blushed Nudes is still totally on my would-recommend list.)

Maybelline Rooftop Bronzes palette swatched on primed skin (indirect sunlight)

Maybelline Rooftop Bronzes City Mini palette swatched on primed skin

The shades in both of these palettes were flattering and easy to use together, but I’m not sold on the formula of these eyeshadows. They’re very blendable and are decently pigmented, but the formula is extremely soft. The shades apply well, but they blend away to nothing unless you’re careful, even on top of a sticky eyeshadow primer. For more impact, I’d recommend foiling each shadow as you apply it, or applying with a denser brush and blending only sparingly.

The makeup look in this post is largely Rooftop Bronzes, with the shimmery highlight (the middle top shade) from Downtown Sunrise.

Maybelline City Mini Palette: Downtown Sunrise (swatches and review)

The Maybelline Downtown Sunrise City Mini Palette is a little more unexpected. It has a frosty baby pink shade (which I love), a shimmery, wheaty ivory (which I also love), and an absolutely fantastic strawberry coral shade – which I die for.

It’s such a unique colour palette to see in a drugstore range, and while these formulas weren’t as strong as those in Rooftop Bronzes, it’s a refreshing change. I do have my hesitations about Downtown Sunrise; it’s very much geared toward lighter skintones, and the matte ivory highlight is chalky as all get-out, but it reminds me a bit of a drugstore rendition of my beloved Clinique Strawberry Fudge Palette from eight years ago.

For something a little funky, this is nice – if, I think, you can snag it on sale.

Maybelline Downtown Sunrise palette swatched on primed skin (indirect sunlight)

Wearing this sweater and these BonLook glasses

The Maybelline City Mini Palette verdict?

I liked these Maybelline The City Mini Palettes, but I didn’t love them. Maybelline is a brand that I’ve always turned to for middle-of-the-road drugstore products: they’re never bad, but they’re only sometimes magnificent. 

Rooftop Bronzes is a great palette for a neutral or bronze smokey eye at under $15, but Downtown Sunrise is a little chalkier. If you can snag these on sale, I say go for it, but I’d skip them at full price. $14.99 is still $14.99, you know? That’s like, three bubble teas or a brand new tube of Matte Ink.

Availability: $9.99 USD/$14.99 CAD at most major drugstores and mass market retailers throughout North America. Permanent.

Get the look

EYES – BASICS

Annabelle Skinny Brow Liner in Universal Ebony ($8.95 CAD/review)

Ardell Duo Lash Glue ($4.49 USD)

KISS Lash Couture Faux Mink Little Black Dress Lashes ($5.99 USD)

MAC Matte2 Eyeshadow in Blanc Type 

Marcelle Precision Liquid Eyeliner Pen in Black ($11.95 CAD)

Wet ‘n Wild Fergie Eyeshadow Primer

EYES – COLOUR

Maybelline The City Mini Palettes in Rooftop Bronzes and Downtown Sunrise ($9.99 USD/$11.96 CAD)

Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Diamond Dust ($24 USD/$31 CAD)

Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink in Believer (review)

LIP

Maybelline Matte Ink Super Stay Lipcolour in 10 Believer ($9.49 USD/$11.99 CAD)

CHEEKS 

Rodial Instaglam Compact Deluxe Illuminating Powder ($75 CAD)

Maybelline Fit Me! Blush in 10 Buff ($4 USD)

FACE

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX02 ($48 USD/$58 CAD/review)

Marcelle’s Face Powder in Translucent ($14.95 CAD)