Make Up For Ever Black Tango Palette Review & Swatches
The new Make Up For Ever Black Tango Palette ($45) was inspired by brand founder and creative director Dany San’z love of Tango dancing. My sophistication level when it comes to Tango dancing is limited to the Tango scene in True Lies, anything else could result in me tripping and falling on my butt.
Upon arriving home the idea for the Black Tango Palette was born.
The palette features four shades of Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream Eyeshadows in rich shades of black accented with jewel tones such as red, green, and black.
Take a peek!
I honestly get more of a Moulin Rouge vibe from the palette. The blood red casing, the black lace accents, it gives off a bit of the Parisian cabaret to me. I absolutely adore the case. The black laces follows through to the inside as a border along the full size mirror. It’s quite pretty and almost Holiday-like, not so much Fall.
The palette contains four shades of Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadows and a dual sided brush for application. Each shadow is housed in a well with a snap lid closure to keep the shade fresh. You can’t remove these wells even though they look like they could be popped out. I’m a little skeptical of the snap lid as I’m unsure if they’ll keep the shades from hardening up but only time will tell.
These are shades never released in the Aqua Shadow line so that in itself makes the Black Tango Palette quite special. The formula appears way more emollient than some of the original Aqua Shadows I already own. The texture is thinner with a soft, creamy feel that blends easily. Pigmentation is absolutely insane. The shades are all blackened colors but they still reflect their jewel tones very nicely so you can catch glances of the red, blue, and green in the mix. Ivory is a shade included for highlighting and accenting your look.
Sadly….
The colors are a little difficult to pull off for me. If you do a smoky eye well you’ll adore this palette but I actually felt the shades were too in your face pigmented. They sheer out well enough if I want to go lighter but I end up looking like I have a bit of a bruised eye either way I wear them. I think many will find the palette appealing but will find the colors quite challenging to use all over the lid. You can line with them if you want but they do set slowly which results in a good deal of smudging.
Overall, this is a gorgeous palette but it isn’t for the beginner makeup user. You need a little know how to get these to work correctly since the blackened shades are intimidating and quite challenging to use in a look. I’ll happily admit I tried a few looks but I didn’t really love how any of them came out. I think I need a video tutorial or something to help me along with colors like this.
If you love a dramatic smoky eye and adore a cream formula you’ll love this palette. Aging eyes, those with dark circles, well, you might want to swatch in store first before indulging just to be sure you can pull these off.
The Make Up For Ever Black Tango Palette for Fall 2012 is available now at Sephora and Sephora.com