Who would do a Ben Nye Essential Eyeshadow review at this time?

Well, I would.  If your are lost somewhere between holiday sets, ABH Palettes, MUFE, UD sale, or if Natasha Danone worth the money or not, just step back and take a deep breath before you invest your pension fund on one of these.  WTF am I saying???  We all know that we will do it again and again, right?  After all, who needs a new car ....  And my kid is only five months old so college fund can wait.


All the shelves are packed with tempting sets and palettes and I chose to review Ben Nye Essential Eye Shadow palette.  Here is why:

• Because it is book definition Essential.  It is so essential that, they put two of the same colors into the palette; Vanilla and shell is almost the same thing just Shell is better because it is more pigmented.  Also, black and black-brown looks the same on the eyes.  

 You do not hear Bne Nye eyeshadows often. Couple of makeup artists mention them here and there but that is about it.  On the other hand, the brand is Uber in professionals' kits.  I came across this brand in 2014 IMATS and hooked ever since.  

The formulation is a tough nut to crack.  They are designed for stage makeup.  So you are working with hard powders.   But, the addictive part is that, they last even without a primer; no fading, no creasing, no color transfer, melting...  They stayed the way they are applied for hours and hours.  That is golden. So, I highly recommend them and I think they are worth trying. 

 I have been after this palette for so long.and I put off buying it simply because it looks dull in comparison with what is crowding the shelves.  I was hoping that it would be an economical option since I would be getting 8 for the price of 5/6 (each refill pan is $9.00).  Even though I do not regret it, as mentioned above, some colors are simply dupes.  There could have been better colors in this palette like Raisin and Mossberry.

Overall, I love Ben Nye Matte eye shadows but the palette is disappointing. If you are after a palette, Theatrical Eye Shadow palette looks like a better option. bye the way,  Camera Ready Cosmetics have the best Ben Nye collection. I am going to purchase from them from now on.

I did two looks showing the colors on the eye together with hand swatches. first one is the Browns.  I hope you find the review helpful.

Darn it!  I am going to say it:  I WANT A NATASHA DENONA EYE SHADOW PALETTE!!!! Yes, the large one.

Stay positive!!!  

When in doubt, pat a Beauty Blender on it!!!!

I am serious!  I am going back to Beauty Blender days and this time around I have much more appreciation for it.  I am aggressively using it with all my cream products and I am switching fast to the cream based, multi purpose products in the name of practicality.  At this point in my life,  I do not have time for all the shenanigans. Baby is watching.....

So I made a video about some honorable mentions to my all time favorite make up brushes and tools.  List seems long but actually is not with minimal space requirement.  Please consider that all these products have been in use for years now.

Baby is crying so bye now.