Top row (L to R): Sassy; Stubborn; Selfish; Sophisticated; Sexy; and Serious
Bottom row (L to R): Snobby; Stand-offish; Sultry; Seductive; Silly; and Sleek
This particular palette is their "nice" version, which is overlaid on artwork depicting a bedroom scene. The "naughty" version is overlaid on artwork depicting pinups. I didn't have much of a choice because I purchased the one on Amazon that was on sale and it didn't give you the option to specify. I'm okay with it though since no one else will likely ever see my palette.
The palette itself comes with a VERY short two-sided shadow and liner brush that will never get used because I have my own brushes that I happen to very much like.
I swiped each shadow with my fingertips and found them buttery and velvety, without any kind of chalkiness. They were surprisingly pleasant to touch, just super, super soft.
So...SWATCHES!!
For continuity:
Top row (L to R): Sassy; Snobby; Stubborn; Stand-offish; Selfish; Sultry; Sophisticated; Seductive; and Sexy
Bottom row (L to R): Silly; Serious; and Sleek
All of the shadows were swatched on top of NYX shadow base in white. MOST of the colors are beautiful, but alas, there are a couple of shades that have fallen short of my expectations. The Sassy, sadly, is really just a sheer shimmer, but you'd find no indication of that by looking at the palette. The palette makes it look like a white shimmer, but what you see in this photo is actually just the shadow base. The color payoff from Stubborn and Stand-offish were also both slightly disappointing. Despite MANY coats of shadow, I was still able to see peeks of the shadow base. I love the colors though, so I will still use them, regardless of the fact that I feel it's a waste of shadow to pack it on so thickly.
Overall though, for the price I've paid for the palette (about $26 on sale), I feel like I got my money's worth. At full-price ($36), it might be a tougher sell, but I still think it's worth snatching up. At $16-$26 cheaper than Urban Decay's Naked 3 and without all the glitter that I personally think earmarks UD's palettes as being a bit too "clubby" and, frankly, a little too juvenile for the majority of women over 28. I'd be amiss if I didn't state that a little glitter, or shimmer, is lovely (and The Balm's palette certainly has lots of it), but I have long been weary of the UD glitter fallout, given my experiences with two different books of shadows.
And the best part? The above photo was taken at 11 AM. In order to test not only their pigmentation, but also their longevity, I left them on all day. I washed some dishes (admittedly with gloves on), cooked and served up dinner, and played with my dogs. Here's what the same arm looked like at 8 PM:
Yeah, some of the darker shades (the bottom row) had some serious fade, but I am pretty sure I use my arm a whole lot more than my eyelids on a day-to-day basis. For a nine-hour wear, it held up really well. Like exceptionally well. Can I state this enough? Nope. It held up amazingly.
I keep seeing people asking questions about what to buy as a Naked dupe and, while this may not be a "dupe" in the traditional sense (the colors are, by no means, the same), but this IS a gorgeous neutral palette for everyday wear. I, of course, love the bold colors on my eyes, but for a daily look, there's nothing better than a classy neutral...and the Nude'Tude palette has them in spades.
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