REVIEWED: 88 Ultra Shimmer Palette

I purchased this palette in December 2009 and it has served me very well! So well, in fact, that I have even purchased it for both a good friend and a cousin. For fancy events and weddings, it is my go-to palette, without question. It has every colour imaginable and is very useful to combine with even more colourful South Asian clothing!! But don't be fooled, this palette contains many neutral colours, enough to use on an everyday basis.

The palette in all its glory!

With flash.

Without flash.

Left side view.
 

Right side view.

Close-up!

The shadows are about the size of a dime (around 15 mm).

Swatches from the third row from the bottom.

Swatches from the third row from the bottom.

Random colours!

PROS

★ Great staying powder. Even without a base, the shadows will look great for hours!

★ The shadows have an intense pigmentation and colour payoff. You will NOT be disappointed.

★ With the shimmer palette, the shadows are very shimmery/metallic, making them easily blendable!

★ The palette has a wide variety of colours that will be useful for many different occasions and environments. 

★ Very affordable. Whether you purchase it from Coastal Scents or from Ebay, you will not be paying more than $25 for it. And who doesn't love a bargain?!?

CONS

★ About 15-20% of the shadows are kind of flaky or dusty and do not apply very well.

★ Texture-wise, the shadows are in-between a cream and a powder, which can be good or bad depending on what you prefer. Personally, I wish they were a teensy bit drier. But I guess we can't have it all, right?!


When deciding between the 88 matte, warm and shimmer palettes, variety, blendability and intensity were the top three factors I considered. The ultra shimmer palette seemed (and then actually did) offer these three things. We get the variety in the colour selection and the blendability and intensity through the shimmer (I find matte eyeshadows do not blend very well and I don't much like their appearance). While some of the shadows are a bit flaky/cakey, the majority of them are not.

FINAL THOUGHTS
For those of us on a budget or those that don't believe you have to pay big bucks to have great products, you may have found a winner in the ultra shimmer palette. In a sentence, the palette is an eyeshadow lover's dream- a great addition to any woman's eyeshadow arsenal, I'd say!