Too Faced Glitter Bomb Eyeshadow Palette Review & Swatches
Too Faced Glitter Bomb Eyeshadow Palette ($45) is a new Fall 2017 launch that includes a gorgeous selection of glittery, shimmery eyeshadow shades. I wasn’t really feeling the Fall vibe from this one but I think Urban Decay Naked Heat has us covered right now for both Summer and Fall looks so the Glitter Bomb Eyeshadow Palette might be the more fun option for your Summer looks. I’ll be the first one to say I had my doubts about this palette and after reading through several reviews I was dreading drying it. Talks about a chunky formula, fall out, and the fact the shadows didn’t adhere well to lids had me worried about what a nightmare this would be.
Turns out, I actually liked it.
Here’s my thoughts, review, and swatches and they all might just surprise you.
Too Faced Glitter Bomb Eyeshadow Palette comes housed in a slim rectangle cardboard compact with the words “Glitter” smelled out in sparkly letters across the front. Sadly, the colors of the words are a like more bold and vibrant compared to more subtle shades located inside. There’s a long slim mirror inside the palette and eight shades of glittery eyeshadow as well as two matte shades that help to either lighten or darken the glitter ones making for a total of ten colors. The two larger matte shades are 0.07 oz in size and the glitter ones are 0.04 oz each. Too Faced also includes a get the look guide that includes instructions to create a few different looks using the shades in the palette.
My initial impression of the palette was that the colors were subtle and not quite as vibrant or bold and glittery as I expected. I wouldn’t call these glitter shades but more sparkly ones. There is no chunky glitter involved but there is a good deal of sparkly shimmer. If you’re looking for glitter I think that the Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow Palette is a better representation of that finish. My second impression came after swatching the palette. It swatches messy and poorly. I had a hard time building the color up on my arm and it kept coming away flaky and sheer during the swatching processes. A word to the wise, if you’re swatching this at your local store you’ll never understanding the formula at all and you’ll make the snap decision to not purchase it based on this. It’s a very poor experience when swatching and I was about ready to toss in the hat. It’s only after I used it that I understood how lovely it was.
First of all, don’t expect to use brushes or even sponge-tipped eyeshadow applicators to apply this formula. It’s all about the finger application. You’ll have more control and ease of blending when using your fingers to apply the colors. I knew almost instantly that a brush would be useless picking up color so, I resorted to my trusty sponge-tipped eyeshadow applicators. These work a lot better at application but I felt I had much better control when using my fingers as the color looked a lot smoother and less cakey. I also experienced very, very little fall out when I used my fingers.
The eyeshadows have a slurry-like texture that’s soft and almost creamy in consistency. They are most like Japanese eyeshadows in my opinion or a softer version of Maybelline Eye Studio Plush Silk Eyeshadow. They aren’t for everyone that’s for sure. If you hate sparkle, this isn’t for you but if you love it I think you’ll be delighted at how pretty these are. They aren’t over the top crazy sparkle. I feel like the sparkle is quite refined. They also have a nice pop of pigment even though they swatch sheerer. I started using them in conjunction with a matte color wash on my lid or over other eyeshadows to add a bit of sparkle. I would recommend glitter glue primer or a nice creamy base (such as a MAC Paint Pot) to allow the color to adhere better on lids. It’s actually not necessary as on my drier eyes the color applied fine without the need for primer and I didn’t have an issues with the color creasing but if you have oily lids you’ll want to prep very well prior to application.
As I mentioned the palette also includes two matte shades one of which is a pure white shade that helps brighten shades and the other is black to intensify colors. I disliked the white! The formula on both shades is soft, silky, and easy to apply but the white shade is too chalky and unnatural looking when applied as a base for the glitter shades. It doesn’t really brightening them up at all but looks very uneven and patchy when applied under them. The good news is that applies to only the lighter glitter shades as if you applied the white base under some of the darker shades of glitter eyeshadow it actually didn’t successfully brighten them but the under the lighter ones it ended up looking chalky and uneven. The black is quite nice. It’s a color that does have a good deal of fall out since the formula is softer and powdery but it does add nice dimension and intensity to the glitter shades.
The Too Faced Glitter Bomb Eyeshadow Palette turned into a rather delightful surprise for me. I expected to hate this after my initial swatch-fest with the palette but after using it I ended up really loving it. As a sparkle eyeshadow fan I was impressed with how easy it was to swipe and blend these shades with my fingers. Granted, not everyone, myself included, is going to be thrilled with finger application but if you can get passed that this palette is filled with a fun sparkly selection of shades that will create some very pretty eye looks for Summer.
Too Faced Glitter Bomb Eyeshadow Palette is available now at sephora.com.