When these first came out, I thought it was kinda gimicky and I don’t usually go out and get stuff from brands I don’t know and trust. After hearing about it by roaming throught the beauty blog world, I caved…and my expectations were low, so WOW did I get blown away!

I’ve actually been putting off this review for a long time because when I think about how much I love these, the words escape me, and I’m not sure how to explain myself. Seriously though, these are fantastic shadows. The colors are rich and pigmented. The texture is soft and powdery (in a good way). The color range is really good too, and I really like how Kat Von D has put thought into them. I only got three (or is that all there is?): Beethoven, Ludwig, and Gypsy. Everything from the artwork on the boxes to the beautiful packaging to the names of the colors reflects her perfectly. She paid attention to detail, and I appreciate that. I don’t think she’s one to sit on the sideline and let others come up with stuff for her to just “approve” (though I don’t know this for certain). The names are recognizable – especially if you watch LA Ink, which I do. I’ve watched her since she was on Miami Ink actually. I’m secretly fascinated by tatoos. I don’t have any, and will most likely (never say never) never get one. Part of it is the artistry – I can blend colors, but I can’t draw worth a darn! I admire the talent of tatoo artists!

There were only two things I didn’t like: one was that one cream Brass Knuckles shadow – the texture sucks on that one; and two: Lucifer is the same color in all 3 palettes, but hey with only one bad color in the 3 palette bunch, I’m still happy. :-) I highly recommend these palettes for eyeshadow lovers.

See product photos and swatches!! 

Beethoven Palette: Lucifer, Speed Blue, Razor Gray, Tequila, Sinner, Rad Purple, Leather, Galeano

Beethoven Palette: Lucifer, Speed Blue, Razor Gray, Tequila, Sinner, Rad Purple, Leather, Galeano

Sinner, Rad Purple, Leather, Galeano

Lucifer, Speed Blue, Razor Gray, Tequila

Ludwig Palette: Lucifer, Orbi, Dimebag, Tequila, Clay, Downtown, Baroque, Leather

Ludwig Palette: Lucifer, Orbi, Dimebag, Tequila, Clay, Downtown, Baroque, Leather

Ludwig Palette: Lucifer, Orbi, Dimebag, Tequila, Clay, Downtown, Baroque, Leather

Lucifer, Orbi, Dimebag, Tequila

Clay, Downtown, Baroque, Leather

Inside the Gypsy palette – isn’t it pretty?!

The Gypsy Palette: Lucifer, Stryker, Frankie, Hawkwind, Brass Knuckles (cream), Birdcage, Ego Sum, Gunner

The Gypsy Palette: Lucifer, Stryker, Frankie, Hawkwind, Brass Knuckles (cream), Birdcage, Ego Sum, Gunner

The Gypsy Palette: Lucifer, Stryker, Frankie, Hawkwind, Brass Knuckles (cream), Birdcage, Ego Sum, Gunner

Brass Knuckles (cream), Birdcage, Ego Sum, Gunner

Lucifer, Stryker, Frankie, Hawkwind

Other

That being said, I have very mixed feelings about this particular “quint” which I wouldn’t even say is a quint because it only has 4 eyeshadow colors, and one of those is only a “shine” color. In place of the 5th color is a brown gel (I think) liner. To be honest, I felt jipped! I have a ton of brown eyeliners! Ah well, I do see the value in having everything all together in one place I suppose, and to give it credit, the liner was very nice and dark, so it worked well with the palette.

The shadow colors themselves, are pretty nice. They’re not incredibly unique, but they’re very pretty. I love golds and coral colors and browns. It creates a nice soft look, which is great, but not what I’m all about, you know? The shadows are soft and go on smoothly. And on a side note…I’m really liking this lip combo! :-)

What are your thoughts?

For this look I used:

• Eyes: UDPP (primer), Painterly PP (base), Dior Amber Design quint (as suggested – including liner), Plushlash mascara
• Cheeks: Cheek & Cheerful mineralized blush
• Lips: Bobbi Brown Brown Metalic lip color + Nice Mix Up tri-color lipgloss

See more pictures!! 

Other

For this look I used:

• Eyes: UDPPS (primer), Greenstroke PP (base), Chanel Murano (FALL 2009) Quad, Bobbi Brown Caviar Ink (upper lashline), Mystery Kohl Power (lower lashline), Guerlain Lagoon Blue loose kohl (waterline), Plushlash mascara
• Cheeks: Margin
• Lips: Chanel Instinctive l/s + Chanel Pink Oyster Glossimer

See more pictures!! 

1

Other

For this look I used:

• Eyes: UDPPS (primer), Greenstroke PP (base), Dior Iridescent Eyes Electric Lights Quint, UD 24/7 Zero (liner), Chanel Exceptionnel mascara
• Cheeks: Dior Pop Diamond Skin Shimmer
• Lips: Viva Glam VI lipglass

See more pictures! 

Other

If you’d like to know names – please ask! Thanks!

MAC Paint Pots

UD 24/7 Eyeliners

See so much more…shadows, liners, etc.!

MAC Fluidlines

MAC Fluidlines (closeup)

Bobbi Brown Longwear Shimmer Gel Ink Liners

MAC Liquid Last Liners

MAC Glitter Liners

MAC Technakohl Liners

MAC Eye Kohl Pencils

MAC Pearlglide Liners

MAC Dual-Ended & Soft Sparkle Pencils

Other Pencil Liners

Guerlain Terracotta Eye Kohl

Bobbi Brown Shimmering Nudes Palette

Laura Mercier Master Toolbox

Bobbi Brown Nude Lip & Eye Palette

Chanel Eyeshadow Quads

Dior Eyeshadow Quints

Yaby Pearl Paints

NARS Eyeshadows

(*Not pictured: Fyrinnae Pigments)

Other

The colors are all really pastel, and I haven’t used them yet except for the teal one (second from the left) and I was quite impressed. It has a descent texture and the color came out nice. The palette itself is kinda small, and you only get a little strip of each color, but there are a lot of colors! Seriously, when’s the last time you saw so many colors in one little palette??  At first I didn’t like how they were all packed in there, but I think I actually appreciate that they didn’t waste space on dividers. I can use the 239 brush or my trusty 213 and get only that specific color very easily. I’m not planning on mixing any of the colors together before they’re on my eyelid :-)

See swatches and color names!

(L to R): Tangerine, Sea Glass, Sea Salt, Sunshine, Petunia, Bronze, Blush, Peachy, Sand Dollar, Iris

With the flash
(L to R): Tangerine, Sea Glass, Sea Salt, Sunshine, Petunia, Bronze, Blush, Peachy, Sand Dollar, Iris

Without the flash
(L to R): Tangerine, Sea Glass, Sea Salt, Sunshine, Petunia, Bronze, Blush, Peachy, Sand Dollar, Iris

Other

I’ve decided that I will post pictures of my collection for the world to see! I realize that I am opening myself up to much criticism by showing this, but here goes nothin’… It will have to be in many parts because my collection is so large.

This post is the first because it’s easiest to photograph and organize. These are all of my MAC depotted eyeshadows that I keep in these palettes that each hold 15. I label them on the outside with a label maker and store them vertically in a carrying case so that I can easily flip through to find the certain palette I’m looking for. They’re separated mostly by color. The two exceptions are the PRO palette which contains all of the MAC shadows that can only be found at a PRO store and the Neutral colors which are further separated by LE (Limited Edition) and Perm (Permanent) colors.

I have and do continue to use almost every single color, although it’s apparent that some are more favored than others. This is a collection I have accumulated over MUCH time, and it is how I choose to spend my extra money (while other girls might shop for clothes or shoes or jewelry etc.). Of course I have a few of those other things, but I’d just as soon buy my clothes cheaply at the late Mervyn’s or Target, but buy high end makeup! It makes me happy!

Read on and you will be able to see close-ups of each one of my palettes!

I have not included the names of the shadows in my photos, as that would have taken forever finish, but if you’d like to know the name of specific colors or have a question about them, please leave me a comment, and I will make sure to let you know right away! EDIT: Per the request of a reader, I have now included the names listed underneath. Oh, and the black “X” indicates that there is no color in that spot…yet!

Palette: PRO

Row 1: (empty), Sour Lemon, Kelly, Ground Brown, Bright Sunshine
Row 2: Atlantic Blue, Aqua, Blue Calm, Deep Damson, Naval
Row 3: Bio Green, Indian Ink, Soot, Vibrant Grape, Bottle Green

Palette: Golds, Oranges, & Corals

Row 1: Chrome Yellow, Gorgeous Gold, Peppier, French Cuff, (empty)
Row 2: Ochre Style, Fab & Flashy, Orange, Flip, (empty)
Row 3: Motif, Amber Lights, Goldmine, Honey Lust, (empty)

Palette: Beiges & Taupes

Row 1: (empty), Copperplate, Botanical, Innuendo, Honesty
Row 2: (empty), Seedling, Vex, Kid, Shore Leave
Row 3: (empty), (empty), Frisco, Clue, Bisque

Palette: Perm Neutrals

Row 1: Mulch, Soba, Romp, Era, (empty)
Row 2: Naked Lunch, Satin Taupe, Sable, Saddle, (empty)
Row 3: Woodwinked, All That Glitters, Patina, Cork, (empty)

Palette: Limited Edition Neutrals

Row 1: Remotely Grey, Bold & Brazen, Smoke & Diamonds, Blanc Type, Rite of Spring
Row 2: Go, Grand Entrance, Handwritten, Lightshade, Warming Trend
Row 3: Glamour Check!, Daisychain, A Little Folie, Nanogold, Solar White

Palette: Browns

Row 1: Smut, Twinks, Brun, (empty), Blue Absenthe (should be in the Aqua palette)
Row 2: Club, Satin Taupe, Dark Edge, 100 Strokes, Fiction
Row 3: Bark, Bronze, Brown Script, Antiqued, Mythology

Palette: Highlights & Lighter Shades

Row 1: Pincurl, Vanilla, Crystal Avalanche, Vapour, Filament
Row 2: Nylon, Ricepaper, Phloof!, Dreammaker, Vellum
Row 3: Brule’, Retrospeck, Shroom, Rose Blanc, Forgery

Palette: Pinks

Row 1: Pink Venus, Zeal, Slip Pink, Beauty Sleep, Da Bling
Row 2: Jete’, Neutral Pink, Seedy Pearl, Scene 1, Sunset B.
Row 3: Pink Freeze, Expensive Pink, Pink Venus, Gleam, Wintersky

Palette: Dark Pinks

Row 1: Trax, Star, Swish, Passionate, Melton Mauve, Beauty Marked
Row 2: Star Violet, Sketch, Stars ‘N’ Rockets, Post Haste, Full Flame
Row 3: Cranberry, Sushi Flower, Crème de Violet, Floral Fantasy, Swiss Chocolate

Palette: Pastel Blues & Purples

Row 1: (empty), Electra, Shale, Beautiful Iris, Crystal
Row 2: (empty), Moon’s Reflection, Idol Eyes, Memorabilia, Plum
Row 3: Alum, Fade, Iris Print, Illegal Cargo, Lotusland

Palette: Dark Purples

Row 1: Signed Sealed, Nocturnelle, Satellite Dreams, (unknown), Graphology
Row 2: Top Knot, Meet the Fleet, Jeweltone, Fertile, Thunder
Row 3: (empty), Climate Blue, Parfait Amour, Top Hat, Poison Pen

Palette: Dark Blues

Row 1: Blue Storm, Submarine, Prussian, Deep Shade, Deep Truth
Row 2: Star By Night, Blue Edge, Bang On Blue, Blue Flame, Tilt
Row 3: Plumage, Wait Till Dark, Cloudburst, Flashtrack, Contrast

Palette: Aqua & Turquoise

Row 1: Freshwater, Moonflower, Electric Eel, Pompous Blue, Jewel Blue
Row 2: Clarity, Gulf Stream, Zonk Bleu!, Big T, Parrot
Row 3: Cool Heat, Talent Pool, Warm Chill, Sky Blue, Storm Watch

Palette: Greens

Row 1: Juxt, Bitter, Green-smoke, Shimmermoss, Humid
Row 2: Eyepopping, Sumptuous Olive, Surreal, Newly Minted, Swimming
Row 3: Mink & Sable, Flourishing, Steamy, De Menthe, Wondergrass

Palette: Grays & Darker Shades

Row 1: Rondelle, Cumulus, Knight, Charred, Suspicion
Row 2: Arctic Grey, Electra, Print, Carbon, Black Tied
Row 3: Krisp, Silver Ring, Swan Lake, Typographic, Knight Devine

Other

Whew! Here are my MAC quads! These all came pre-assembled, usually with various launches. They’re all glued in there, and I don’t really care to take them out right now. It’s easy to tell which one is my favorite, eh?? That one at the top is called Sweetie Cakes (Look shortly to follow) and I actually have a back-up of it.

More pictures to follow are: special packaging shadows, cream shadows, and mineralized shadows.

Keep going for more pictures!

On the left is a trio from the Heatherette Collection. I mainly just got it for the packaging (hello it has my name on it!!). The other three are LE Holiday Palettes from this past season (2008).

First a picture with the lids closed…these are LE packaged shadows (left to right: Emmanuel Ungaro, McQueen, Barbie loves MAC, Neo Sci-fi, and Moonbeam or Lunar (I think)). I just can’t depot these!! Now with the lids open…

Pretty neat how those Barbies are stamped in there, right?!

Here are my Metal-X (’07) and Metal Urge (’08) cream shadows. The ones that look like shells are from the most recent Metal Urge collection. I’ve found that they work much better after sitting for about a year, so some don’t have much use out of them yet. And there are less of the shell looking ones becuase they re-released some of the same colors as before (so I wasn’t going to buy it again). Used with a nice base, they’re pretty!

Here are all of my mineralized eyeshadow duos. (Actually one is not pictured because it was burried and I found it later, but it was a boring kind of silvery one .) They’re just beautiful….ahhhhh :-)

And last, but not least, my mineralized eyeshadow trios (with a stripe of either silver or gold glitter). The glitter stripe is utterly useless because it falls everywhere, but the side colors were all so stunning that I couldn’t resist!

Other

Pigments are exactly that – loose pigment. They work the same as eyeshadows except they do not contain a binding agent (that most pressed shadows have). So this makes them versitile enough to use as shadows alone or to be mixed with agents like gloss, nail polish, or even water for a liner. I often blend them with MAC’s PRO product, Mixing Medium, and use them as eyeshadow bases. Amazingly, it keeps my look vibrant and doesn’t crease all day…though not quite as good as UDPP with a Paint Pot IMO.

I took pictures of all of the pigments open, somewhat organized by color. The pictures are labeled underneath. So keep reading to see closer pictures!! As always, ask any questions you’d like!

Light Shades

Oranges & Browns

Greens

Pinks & Corals

Blues

Light Shades

Reflects Glitters & Solar Bits

Other