Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Estee Lauder Violet Underground Palette Swatches and Review

This was my first high end makeup purchase in a loooooong time. I'll tell you how much I wanted this palette. I currently work at an Estee Lauder counter, but since the store I work at isn't Nordstrom (the Violet Underground collection is exclusive to Nordstrom and the Estee Lauder website) I actually bought it at a counter that wasn't my own and WITHOUT my employee discount. *GASP* Haha. At least I can say I was a fan of Estee Lauder before my job and still am that much of a fan I go out of my way to buy the products.

This will be my longest and most pic-heavy post in awhile so lets get right to it.

Estee Lauder Violet Underground Palette
 While I am more than happy with my purchase and the value I got for my money, I just noticed that a year and a half ago (January 2011) the 5 pan palettes were only $42. Then they jumped to $45 and now to $48. A $6 price increase in 2 years seems like a lot to me.

Estee Lauder Violet Underground Palette
 None of the shades have names, which always bothers me for some reason! Haha. Also this palette only contains .15oz while the regular powder eyeshadow palettes contain .27oz, almost twice as much product. I would never use up a whole palette anyway, but I just wanted to note that.

Estee Lauder Violet Underground Palette
The regular 5-pan palettes are gold, while this one is a blackened violet purple. And yes, I did set my palette in the grass to take this picture. ;)

Estee Lauder Violet Underground Palette
I don't think the colors in the palette are the most intuitive and easy to figure out as far as where to wear them on your eyes, but I think they are bold, edgy, fun, and a departure from what many expect from Estee Lauder. I knew from the first promo image I would have to have this palette even though I rarely buy anything without seeing many reviews first.

This palette has gelee eyeshadows instead of the regular powder ones. The texture is still a powder, but similar to Armani's Eyes To Kill or L'Oreal's Infallible shadows. According to Estee Lauder it is supposed to be a combination of a gel, powder, and liquid. I really like this eyeshadow formula. (Side Note- If anyone has one of the Bronze Sands palettes from Estee Lauder they aren't using I would totally buy it from you. It was LE and also the gelee formula and I'm so sad I missed it.)

Estee Lauder Violet Underground Palette swatches
 These are swatched dry over bare skin. They're smooth, nuanced, and not patchy in the least.

Estee Lauder Violet Underground Palette swatches
These are swatched dry over a sticky base. The highlight shade is absolutely gorgeous. I try to go through and pick my favorite color and it changes every time. Even the black is smooth and pigmented.

Estee Lauder Violet Underground Palette swatches
Here is a comparison between the two swatch types.

My one caveat is that I think you need primer as I noticed a little bit of fading when testing on my eye without primer. And I think the shadows apply and look better being patted on versus roughly sweeped across the lids due to the texture. They apply beautifully wet and over a sticky base as just using them dry tends to cause a little fallout. But after applying there is no fallout throughout the day like you would get from glittery shadows.


This palette may seem intimidating, but I actually think it's pretty versatile. Used dry (I always wear primer) the colors are softer and even the bold pink is surprisingly wearable. The picture above is just the shadows over primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance).


For a bolder look you can use the shadows wet or put them over a sticky base. I used a sticky base for the look above (LA Splash Eyeshadow Sealer/Base). This picture is a little washed out by the flash (you can tell by how much lighter my skin looks here than the above picture) but the colors really were a lot more vibrant applied this way.


Here is my whole face using the softer eye look.


So what do you guys think? Kind of a bold showing for Estee Lauder, hmm? I like this new direction the color cosmetics for the brand seem to be moving (Thanks to Tom Pecheux!). I'm more of an eyeshadow girl, but the purple lipstick and gloss from the collection are really tempting me...

19 comments:

  1. The peachy highlighter color is gorgeous, I love it!

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  2. That highlighter shade is really lovely. Oh, and: get a purple lipstick & gloss! I bet they would look fun and beautiful on you, as well!

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    1. Do you have any recommendations for a purple lipstick and gloss? $25 for the Estee Lauder one is too much for me right now!

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    2. If you like something like MAC's Show Orchid then NYC'S Blue Rose is a perfect dupe. I have both and there's practically no difference between the two except for the 13 dollar difference. Milani also makes some nice glosses and they tend to have a bunch of purple tones-- I am assuming this season will be heavy on the purples for high end brands as well as drugstores. Hope it helps!
      Arlene
      @ Arleners.com :)

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  3. Beautiful! I love this palette, and I keep telling myself I don't need the lipstick and gloss too. We'll see how long I can hold out!

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    1. Ooh, if you get the lipstick and gloss I want to see swatches! I saw yours of the palette and I took it as the final sign I needed to buy it, haha.

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  4. Haha omg, I totally know the feeling of buying something from another counter without using your employee discount! This palette looks great on you. I wasn't feeling it from the promo pics I originally saw, but after a couple reviews I think I might need it.

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    1. Yeah, the palette is even better than I expected. I hope they release some new ones in the same formula. Or maybe not so I won't spend all my money, haha.

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  5. You seriously need to stop being so cute. Oh, also - I love this palette. You have def sparked an Estee Lauder interest in me!

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    1. Haha, what are you talking about girl? I'll just pretend it didn't take a thousand pictures to get a decent one. haha. I really love EL and not just because I work there. Their cream eyeshadows are my faaaaaaaaavorites.

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  6. I applaud Estee Lauder for doing this. More and more people want color and not regular old neutrals. Good for them for seeing this.

    You should totally post the EOTD you sent me! :D

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    1. Everyone I talk to sees Estee Lauder as an "old lady" brand. I used to think the same way myself! It does seem like they are working on changing that perception.

      And I will post the look! I'm really happy with the way it turned out!

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  7. I thought I could skip this palette but now I don't know. Damn you, evil tempress! Such stunning colours, though. You look so hot in these pics!

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    1. Mwahahaha! (that's my evil laugh) I'm sorry I tempted you! The palette is probably only a million and half dollars in the land of overpriced makeup, aka Australia. Haha. And thaaaaaank you. Every once in awhile my face manages to work together and not look derpy in pictures. ;)

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  8. It is such a gorgeous palette! I am currently reviewing / testing one and I am totally over the moon that bought it :) I also bought a lipstick and a lipgloss - I'll be reviewing them asap :) Nice review and I looove your swatches! Awesome :)

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  9. Oh, this shade is beautiful! I love this palette and i need this palette!!!

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  10. DAMN those are some nice colours! I don't have much from Estee Lauder, though I did buy a couple of those Cyber Eyes shadows....

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  11. I've fallen in love with this palette, the colours are simply stunning!

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Thank you so much for your comments! I appreciate them all and read every one!

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