I wonder… At what point in history did the word “cool” turn into a way to say that you liked something?
“Keanu Reeves asked you to marry him? That’s cool.”
“Wait, you adopted a fifth cat? SO COOL!”
“How cool is that Ilia eyeshadow palette?”
Cue segue into today’s review! 😂
The Ilia Cool Nudes palette is pretty cool — both in terms of color temp and how cool it is to use — and it’s all about easygoing eyes.
It comes with six moderately pigmented powder shadows. You get:
- A matte nude beige
- A shimmering bronze-taupe
- A matte lavender gray
- A matte cool brown
- A matte burgundy
- A shimmery dark golden violet
Ilia wrapped everything up in a very sleek but simple, modern-looking white case with a mirror.
First, these shadows blend like they mean it! No harsh lines here. I do a few swishes with a tapered blending brush, and I’m good to go.
Next, there’s barely any fallout from them, and the wear time is quite good. After a long day, I’ll see only slight creasing on my lids. My lids are dry, by the way, so I usually skip primer.
It’s a more natural look and perfectly in line with Ilia’s laid-back aesthetic. I’m guessing that Ilia purposefully designed the pigments to be only moderately punchy, which I appreciate when I only want a little something on my lids, and I don’t plan on taking pics (more on this in a second).
If you enjoy wearing color but prefer eye looks that define and highlight your lids without screaming “I’m obvious,” you’ll probably like it too. I think fans of the Clinique quads — which have a very similar vibe — will be into it. It’s a total errands-work-everyday piece.
With all that said, however, I’m not a fan of the way this palette photographs. The shadows simply don’t pop in pics like Honest Beauty’s Get It Together Palette does (my current go-to).
I took a few pictures of the eyeshadows the other day, and while I could see them in real life, I looked like I was barely wearing any eye makeup at all in the pics. On their own, the shadows mustn’t be vibrant enough to handle flash photography on my skin unless I do trickery to amplify the pigments, like by layering a base primer underneath them and using a wet eyeshadow brush.
Bottom line? I like it. This palette is lovely for casual makeup and everyday eye looks, but IMHO it’s not really for special occasions. Mind you, I think it’s purposefully designed that way, so I say go for it if wearable, everyday eyeshadow is your thing.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
That’s disappointing! I was waiting for your review because the colors are beautiful, and cool toned palettes seem to be rare these days
Hi Sami,
I don’t feel like it’s disappointing piece. It’s a great palette for everyday looks; I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it. I rarely take flash photographs outside of the blog in real life, so unless you plan on getting yourself photographed daily with fancy studio lights, this palette is lovely. I say give it a chance, but know you’ll have to use other shadows if you plan on wearing special occasion makeup that will be photographed.
I think your review sums it up nicely. This works for me but I’m def a low-key makeup girl. If you’re looking for a boom-pow! palette you’ll want to look elsewhere. Good thing there are so many options these days!
Hi Megan,
I never really thought of myself as a low-key makeup girl until the pandemic hit! Now I definitely have a deeper appreciation for makeup like this. By the way, thank you for the recommendation for the Runway tinted balm. I liked it so much I bought another one as a birthday present for someone!
Yay! I’m wearing it today.
I’m wearing it today too, so as my daughter would say, “Twinsies!”
👯♀️
I find that to be true with quite a few eyeshadows that look beautiful in real life, but somehow don’t really translate to pictures or even videos.
Those shades seem nice and they remind me of the Urban Decay Naked 3 mini palette. I will say that since I picked a new Urban Decay Basics 2 palette, I am liking these mini versions. I am not overwhelemed by them, and the price is within my budget. I may give the UD one a try when I get a chance.
Enjoy the weekend and be well!
Happy Friday! The colors all look beautiful. It’s a shame about how they photograph – or don’t – but, as you say, it’s probably not necessary for a lot of low-key makeup wearers. 🙂