Natasha Denona ~ Lila Palette | Review

Natasha Denona "Lila Palette"

As someone who loves and lives for nude and peach shades on my eyelids, it was clear to me that something missing from my collection is a nice, well-rounded set of purple shades to work with. It is safe to say that I have nothing like many of these shades in my collection (unless you count the purple shades that "most" Too Faced palettes include). And after my initial adventures with the Natasha Denona formula and my successful experiences with her Sunset Palette, the Lila Palette caught my eye and I didn't look away. 

Looking at the shades included here, there are plenty of looks that can be created for any type of occasion. If you don't like purple, then you probably don't want this and I'm not sure why you're looking at it!

From a user standpoint, I see 2 different types of ways to use this product: One is for specialty purposes; you use this palette infrequently and for special occasions. It is not a "go to" palette and is not included in your everyday stash. Examples of special occasions for use may be, but are not limited to holiday events, weddings, prom, and potentially special "date nights". Examples of regular use might include work days, weekend nights out at da club, regular date nights, or if you're like me, I do more edgy makeup looks in the evening sometimes for fun and just for me. How you use this palette will depend highly on if it's worth it to you or not. 

Natasha Denona "Lila Palette"

From a practical standpoint, I like this palette because I can do a handful of different looks using it for a multitude of occasions. I can do a bright, purple poppin' look that's more glam and visibly "out there", I can do a softer, more romantic look using neutral shades with purple undertones, or I can make a simple, 2 shade everyday look that mirrors looks I create with practically any of my palettes. For these reasons, this is a well-rounded palette that I will get a lot use out of. I have certain palettes that while they aren't a part of my every day "go to" collection, I can use them for essentially any day of the week if I so choose. But I also like to have "special" products. Can I use these pretty much anytime I want? Sure! But sometimes it's fun to have those products where you go "I'm going to bust out my super glamorous extra special product that I save for once in a lifetime occasions such as this one!". It makes me feel fancypants. 

One other thing to mention about why I like this palette is that while I can create multiple looks with it, there aren't any "fluff", or filler shades. Sometimes palettes go heavy on the lighter (all over the eye) shades, or the darker (outer V, lower lashline) shades. While it's nice to have options, I much prefer palettes that give me a light option and a slightly darker option with lots of options that can help change the entire look. As an example, this palette provides (for me at least) a light-toned matte all over shade, a slightly darker-toned matte all over shade, a matte crease shade, a slightly darker-toned matte crease shade, and LOTS of options for everything else that can drastically change the look. I have tons of all-over-the-eye shades, and tons of dark, outer V shades, I don't need half my palette that is a "specialty" palette to be filled with those kinds of shades. So I very much appreciate the balance that palettes like this provide. 

Natasha Denona "Lila Palette" indoor lighting swatches

Now, onto the quality!

For $130, there's an expectation that any palette labeled as "designer, prestige, luxury" should do the work for you. I'm no pro at applying makeup but I find both the Lila and Sunset palettes to be easy to work with across the board. Blending is easy and reliable, the shimmers/metallics/crystal chrome (whatever that other formulation is called) apply nicely and have nice color payout. I use my fingers for shimmery shades normally, but a wet brush will provide the same effect. I experienced hardly any fallout with the mattes (very little with the darkest red shade--Magnetic, as I blended it into my outer V) and any fallout is swept away easily with no mess left on the face. 

These shadows apply the same as they appear in the pan; they are pigmented and there is no "sheerness" to them. There is no disappointment when looking at the shadow in the pan and looking at it on the eye, they look the same (with possibly a little bit of layering but I would say 2 coats is all you need for maximum effect). 

Natasha Denona "Lila Palette" natural lighting swatches

I read Temptalia's review after nearly completing my own (read her review HERE) and I have to disagree with her on the cohesiveness of the palette. While I understand and appreciate her perspective, I feel that if more mattes had been provided in varying shades, this palette could have easily strayed from being purple themed to something else, something slightly more "ordinary". If you're buying this palette, it's because you want more purple. Not other tones you can get from any other palette in your collection. You want something specific, something niche, which is why you're paying $130 for an eye shadow palette. For me, I bought this because I wanted more purples and more shimmer shades. Sure, when I run out of base shades I may have to reach for another base shade in my stash of 20+ base shades. But if I'm paying $130 for a palette, I don't need another basic black, cool dark brown, or ivory to be included. 

Regarding packaging, I have the same thoughts towards this product as I do towards the Sunset: the packaging is decent, the top is very pretty, but there is something in the material of the packaging that is missing. For more thoughts on the packaging, my Sunset Palette review is here and goes quite in-depth =)

If you're curious about this palette but feel a little overwhelmed about where to start, below are some (hopefully) helpful ideas for how to use it. Of course, these are just options of how I've used the product that work for me and my style. I'm light skinned so if you are darker skinned, these shades can be used differently so they work better for you. Makeup is completely dependent on how YOU, the user, want to use the product! 

• 2 light-toned mattes that can be used as crease/transition shades (Per Se, Nude Mauve)
• 2 medium-toned matte shades that work nicely in the outer V or the crease for a darker look (Amara, Nude Vino)
• Tons of shimmery metallic, satin, and duo-chrome shades! I prefer these on the lid and lower lashline

Looks Using This Product

Thank you and I hope this was helpful! If you've tried this palette, what are your thoughts? 

Natasha Denona is also a Cruelty Free brand which I respect and greatly appreciate <3