Every holiday season, Sephora brings out some of the most coveted beauty gift sets. Some of these sets are quite expensive.. in fact, way over many of our budgets. It's no doubt that they saw the need for an affordable eyeshadow palette. The VIP Pass Eyeshadow Palette contains 8 neutral eyeshadows (amounting to $1.50 each!!) and is super compact, lightweight, ooh and paraben free.
They had this palette available last year around the holiday season and I believe it was called the 'Event Entry Palette'. This time around, it's the VIP Pass Palette with a new gold covered cardboard casing. It snaps closed with a magnet, but I don't have a problem keeping it open either. It unfortunately does not have a mirror, which is a huge downfall but... it's also only $12.
Swatched over NYX HD Eyeshadow Base - I wouldn't suggest using these without a primer. The shadows appear much more faint and less vibrant in colour.
The pigmentation of the shades are in between drugstore and high-end in my opinion. You definitely need to wear a primer underneath these. I always wear a primer under eyeshadow otherwise it doesn't blend right on my skin, so I swatched the shadows over primer (above) as well.
• The ones I can see myself using most often are the browns and blacks.
• None of the shades are matte but the ones with the least shimmer, closest to matte are 1, 4, and 8.
• My most liked shades are 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8.
The colour payoff is very light for 1, however it is best used to blend out any harsh lines or for under the brow. 2 is a great shade for use on the lid or to brighten the eye. 3 and 4 are great used together like in the first look below. 5 is again, with a lighter colour payoff but it is ok for use in the inner corners to add a bit of shimmer. You can also get away with using it sparingly to highlight the nose or cheeks. 6 is a shimmery grey that can be great for a smokey eye look. 7 is a sparkly black, slightly more faint than 8. 8 is a prominent black that has minimal shimmer.
All shadows are swatched over NYX HD Eyeshadow Base. However I used Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion on my eyelids as a base/primer.
Worn over Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
For the first look (photo 1 & 2): 3 all over the lid, 4 for the crease, a bit of 2, and 1 to blend out harsh lines and highlight the brow bone. 5 for the inner corners.
For the second look (photo 3): I just added a bit of 8 in the outer corners of my lash line and slightly at the crease.
When I found out this palette was only $12 (CAD) I couldn't believe it. It makes for a great gift, stocking stuffer, heck I'd buy this for myself if I saw it in stores, and could swatch it. I obviously still prefer my Urban Decay shadows, but you can't get a UD shadow for the price of this palette alone. This is something I'd take with me overnight to a friend's house, or leave at my bf's house because I'm forgetful and always forget to bring my eye makeup for the weekend! This palette seems to have disappeared from Sephora's website, but hopefully it is still available in stores.
This product was received for consideration. All opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by any affiliates.
