All through November, every single time I had to get ready for something — be it Thanksgiving dinner, a Novato Mothers Club meeting or lunch with a friend — I was always strapped for time (partly because I have bad time management skills, but I’m working on it. #keepingitreal).
With this palette, however, I was able to do a put-together makeup look from start to finish in 10 minutes time.
Yup, just when you thought when you’d seen and hoarded every neutral eyeshadow palette that you absolutely “needed” (“air quotes”) to get, along comes one from Estée Lauder to blow your mind.
Estée Lauder Defiant Nude ($54) has five powder eyeshadows — two mid-toned golden browns, a dark matte neutral brown, a neutral matte beige and a slightly darker matte peachy beige.
Do these colors sound pretty basic?
Yes, yes they do…
But let me tell ya, every single time I had to dress up and go out to see people looking respectable in the month of November, I grabbed this palette. Then I grabbed it again. And again. AND AGAIN!
It’s just so wearable, lovely and easy to use, and all of the shadows are long-lasting, with or without an eyeshadow base.
(Yes, sometimes I leave the house without an eyeshadow base… I know! Believe it or not, though, the world does not fall apart.)
You know me; I love my golden browns, cooler-toned browns and neutral browns, and this user-friendly palette masterfully sculpts the crease while adding an opalescent, understated glow to your lids. Plus, you can be imprecise with your application AND your blending, and your eye makeup will still look good.
That’s magical.
Estée Lauder gave it just enough pigment to define your eyes and add some color, but not so much that you’ll miss the movie because you’re stuck buffing and correcting and blending at home because you accidentally overdid it during the application.
And they also have such gorgeous finishes! The two golden browns get the most play on my lids because they’re both… Well, you know how when you want your lids to glow, but you don’t want them to be so shiny that they scream “LOOK AT MY FINE LINES”? These two golden browns are it!
I’d also like to give a special shout-out to the dark matte brown. It looks a little like MAC Concrete, which I love, but it’s a little less gray, so it looks more like a chocolate brown, and it’s absolutely delish.
If you wanna smoke things out, you can smudge it on top of a creamy black kohl liner, and it’s super pretty. If you happen to have MAC Club around, dust a little on top of that, and your lids will look like peacock feathers.
I *really* love this one. It’s part of the Estée Lauder permanent line, so it’s always around and easy to find.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
You look beautiful, Karen! This sounds like my kind of palette because all too often eyeshadow looks weird on me. But I already have so many neutral palettes! The peachy midtown shade calls out to me though.
Hi Kate,
Thank you! I think you will LOVE this. I thought the pans would be kinda “eh” at first but the more I used it the more I fell in love. EL does some really beautiful finishes. What are your fave neutral palettes, by the way? I want to see if we share any faves.
Naked basics 1 and 2 are my faves, but I seem to only use the medium shades. I have the Naked 1 and 3 palettes, one Tarte, Sonia Kashuk and the Lorac unzipped rose gold but don’t ever seem to use them. These days I use my bronzer for my crease bc I’m too scared of looking weird when I barely have enough time to get ready in the morning.
Yeah, I like the Naked Basics palettes, too. I used to wear them all the time! Do you use the Tarte one with all the mattes, Tartelette in Bloom? Right after I had my daughter that was my jam.
Bronzer in the crease… I do that too. Sometimes even blush in the crease.
Happy Friday!
Hi there! Long time reader, first time poster. Elf has an almost identical little palette in their clay eyeshadow range. It’s called Necessary Nudes. I received it free as a gift with purchase. I’m not saying it’s anywhere near the same quality, but I just thought it was interesting how similar they are.
Hi Vanessa,
Thanks for popping in today. I like ELF for the price point and the accessibility, for sure. It’s been a while since I’ve used their shadows though so I don’t remember the finish and if it’s forgiving on fine lines. Definitely a great price though! Drugstore makeup has come such a long way, hasn’t it? It’s so good now!
The colours look great but I’m not sure which goes where – help!!
Hi Sarah (and kitties!),
Here’s what I like to do:
— Lightest beige all over the lid as a base (makes everything else pop)
— Mix both the satiny golden browns, apply on the lids (although you can just use either, totally up to you)
— Mix the darker matte brown with the mid-tone peachy beige, apply in crease (again, you can do either/or, I just like to mix because it gives me the most control)
— Line the upper lash line with the darker brown
If I’m in a hurry, all I do is the satiny brows on the lids, buff out the edge, then line the upper lash line with the darkest matte brown. 🙂
Thanks so much Karen – so great to get advice like this!
Ragnar the kitten has not yet pulled over the tree although I am expecting it any moment…Freya is an old hand as this is her eighth Christmas.
You’re welcome. If you want you can do a beige cream beige underneath it all. I tend to just use the base from MAC (the clear one in a black tube, 24HR Primer), because it doesn’t amplify fine lines. Give it a go with what you have on hand and let me know how it works out.
We’re getting our tree tomorrow and then the countdown to Tabs’ destruction begins!
Looks like the perfect work and travel palette. Neutral and put together throughout the day, but with a little bit to add in the evenings when you get together with your coworkers for lunch.
So good!
Thanks for the review Karen, will be picking up this beauty today.
You’re welcome, Lily! Not sure if you’re an Estee Lauder fan already but if you haven’t tried it yet they have some great foundations, too. I’m a huge fan of Double Wear and Double Wear Light.
Happy Friday!
This looks really nice! The shade selection reminds me of my favorite CoverGirl quad from the mid-80s to early -90s. I rebought that quad too many times to count.
I love the looks you created with this palette, so beautiful! I haven’t used Estee Lauder shadows in years. But I feel the same way about the Mad for Matte 1 palette from ELF. It’s not much to look at & it’s very basic, but I’ve grabbed it before going to so many events and I always loved what I created with it!
Nice look! I miss eyeshadow, I need to work on finding some that don’t trigger my eyelid eczema and ocular rosacea.
Nice look! I miss eyeshadow, I need to work on finding some that don’t trigger my eyelid eczema and ocular rosacea. I’m just catching up, still on vacation in Montréal.
You look amazing happy Holidays