What I love about palettes... - Often colour-coordinated (not always, and sometimes they add the funniest colours aside)
- smaller sizes to try out (I cannot remember once that I finished one eyeshadow completely, this is perfect for the fickle and experimental amoung the makeupsquad)
- travel-friendly (most of them)
- the treat-factor: so nice to give to other people, but most to yourself when you were good (or you were bad and you try to make yourself feel better about it)
- Sometimes eyes only, sometimes blush and lip, sometimes lip...what's next?
- "Hurray, a new limited edition!" Want Want Want (for no particular reason, makes me go to that Rolling Stones song again, "you can't always get what you want...you get what you neeeeeed"
Julie Hewett palettes are made of cardboard and keep looking sleek and glossy even after being toted around by me:
- one specifically for lip (Vampie)
- Cleo is a overal highlighter but pigmented enough for eyes
- Natural is their Cheekie blush: I have this in full-size and it makes an awesome shader
- Goldie is a frosty gold and more a highlighter
SWATCHES (natural, cool light & 1 layer )
Visuals:
- Vampie applies beautifully on the lips: both as a flush stain, or more sophisticaded as a burgundy lipstick
- Cleo's lasting power is long and works even longer over a primer (UDPP)
- Natural has already been a favourite blush of mine (read here comparing hybrid blush)
- Goldie looks wonderfully layered over other eyeshadows or fantastic in the inner corner of eyes making them larger
CONCLUSION:
I enjoy this palette for the excellent Julie Hewitt quality inside, the versatility of the different colours, the naturalness of the total colour-scheme without going too safe (by keeping the lipshade sensually deep). Also the thin-ness of the palette is like a little notebook easy for carrying around. It also carries the minimum of colours that it doesn't complicate people not being into a multitude of products, and the cream-formula is easy on the makeup-minimalists too. The exterior cardboard isn't perhaps the most luxury one but that also means it doesn't break either. As for hygiene? When you take out clean brushes this wouldn't be the largest problem. At least, it doesn't get (too) messy because all formulas are creams, whereas some palettes mixing creams with powders can get messy with powders ending up in the creams.
Availability:
Gosh, I've just wrote this whole review seeing it has been discontinued...Darn, still keeping it up as her other palettes have a similar quality/value (see some sold here and here).