You Had Me at Aloha, Cargo! The Cargo Limited Edition Summer Eyeshadow Palette

I do this thing sometimes (sometimes? ALL THE TIME!) when I come back from a trip, where I think back to where I was and what I was doing the day before, or the week before, at that exact time, like, what I was doing in Hawaii exactly one week before at 9:05 a.m., and I do that until the fresh fabulousness of the trip fades from my memory…

I was thinking about Hawaii this morning as I sipped a cup of Kona coffee in the lady sanctuary. I wish I were there today… Le sigh!

To feel a little closer to the islands, I busted out the $34 Cargo You Had Me at Aloha Eyeshadow Palette, which has Hawaii-inspired colors and a Hawaiian theme.

The You Had Me at Aloha LE summer palette has 12 powder shadows that appear exclusively in it, and it comes with a pretty soft dual-ended brush and a black eyeliner, which, by the way, is EPIC!

I know that it’s a little weird to obsess over a black liner in a palette that also contains gorgeous golds, teals and purples (also known as “My summer jams”), but the liner… It’s full-sized, pitch black, and it totally sticks to my lash and water lines. Plus, it doesn’t move! It’s lovely, and now, like the makeup weirdo I am, I have to hunt it down in more shades.

As for the shadows in the palette? Well, they’re OK. On the sheer side. I don’t know how you feel about the pigment of your eyeshadows, because opinions vary widely on that. There are lots of different camps. Some ladies (and gents) prefer their pigments to reach out and smack them hard across the booty, and others prefer their shadow pigments to tenderly caress their buttocks.

This palette is for the tender caress crew. 🙂

They’re a lot like Too Faced shadows in that when you get them on your lids and work them around, they sheer out quickly, which means that they blend easily (and that’s always a good thing). But it also means that if you want intense, punchy color, you have to either layer a cream shadow under them, or apply them with a wet brush.

As you can see in these pics, even when applied with a wet brush, the teal shade still isn’t very intense. Again, I don’t think that’s a ding on the product, though. It just depends on how much intensity you like.

A few quick notes on other Cargo items (which are from the permanent line) that I’m wearing in this post:

Cargo Swimmables Waterproof Mascara Top Coat ($22): A clear top coat to transform non-waterproof mascaras into waterproof mascaras. It works (and holds a lash curl SO well), but ya know…why not just buy a tube of waterproof mascara instead?

Cargo Color Sticks in Key West and Maui ($28 each): Sheer multi-use cream sticks for lips and cheeks with a satin finish. Maui is a deep, warm pink, and Key West is a peachy pink coral. They last about four hours on my cheeks and two on my lips. Good, if you’re going for a no-makeup makeup look.

Cargo Swimmables Longwear Shadow Sticks in Morro Bay and Hudson Bay ($20 each): These dry immediately after you apply them (so they aren’t the easiest things to blend), but they last a loooong time.

The fluffy powder grains in the palette are on the slightly larger side (again, just like Too Faced), so expect a little of fallout, but considering that you get the palette and the awesome black eyeliner for $34, that’s not too shabby, tabby. I think it’s a cute set and a pretty good value, and it’s at Kohls right now if you’re interested.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,