Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette

It seems that every few weeks, a new eyeshadow palette is being released. The market is just flooded with eyeshadow palettes claiming to be the next best thing. Normally I tend to steer clear of palettes, as I find I never end up using half the shadows and I prefer to pick up individual colours from Mac or Inglot to create a specific look I want. However, that all changed when I saw the Too Faced Chocolate bar palette. It was love at first sight and I had to have.

The hype around this palette was unreal. Every American blogger seemed to be talking about it, and loving it. This is usually something that turns me off, but when one of my favourite bloggers, Make up by Tiffany D, spoke of The Chocolate bar palettes absolute beauty, I knew the hype was justified.

The Chocolate bar palette is famous for it’s chocolate smelling shadows, and my god this smell is beautiful. I was recently doing my mothers makeup and she just couldn’t get enough of the smell of this palette. The Palette itself comes in a slim metal case, almost like an old school pencil case, with a mirror inside.

The Chocolate bar palette is a 16 shade neutral palette with a twist. I love the fact that it includes not only neutral colours, but a few brights, and a highlight to mix it up a little. Oh ladies, these colours are amazing. They are extremely pigmented and the colour payoff is unreal. The colour on the eye is very true to what is in the pan and they blend like butter. They are velvety on the eye and have little or no fall out during application. They are an absolute dream.

Not only do these shadow apply like a dream, but they wear beautifully with out creasing or wearing off. There are 7 matte shades and the rest have a little bit of subtle shimmer running true them. I am not really a fan of shimmery eyeshadows, but these are not like normal shimmery shadows, as the shimmer doesn’t transfer full of glitter. They are instead more of a satin shimmer.Think Mac Woodwinked. As for the mattes, well I just love matte shadows and these are no exception. Some of those brown shades are just so beautiful, with salted carmel and cherry cordial being my favourites.

Within the palette there are both cool and warm toned colours, so you are getting the best of both worlds here.  While all shadows don’t compliment each other exactly, there is a serious amount of looks that can be created using this palette. In fact from all the palette I have used, this is by far the most versatile.

Now there are some downsides. They are not things that should stop you buying the palette, but it is important to be aware of them. Firstly the case itself is a little flimsy. I’ve been travelling with mine and it now won’t close properly. Almost like someone sat on it and it is too uneven to close. This is not a big deal, but it does annoy me. I hate when things aren’t perfect.

Secondly some of the shadows inside have come a little loose. Not the shadows themselves, but rather the pan in the case. Again not a massive problem, but when you read my third downside, you will see why it got up my nose.

The final downside is the price. Too Faced is not one of the big selling brands in Ireland and I think this is down to how much extra they charge for their products in Ireland compared to the USA ( this is not fact, but rather my own assumption). In Ireland this palette costs a whopping €63. Like come on, seriously €63!!! That is a ridiculous price for an eyeshadow palette. Before you think I have lost my mind and spent that much on a palette, I didn’t. I got my parents to bring it back from the States for me in May and here is the kicker. It costs €38 when bought over here. I know we have higher vat rates etc, but that is an extortionate difference. I hate when brands capitalise on the change in currency. Again maybe this isn’t Too Faced doing, but it is still unacceptable.  I have however found a place you can buy it for a little bit cheaper than the Irish price. You can buy it here for €53.50. Still expensive, but a little more affordable. So unless you have someone going to the States, this might be your only option. ***** Update**** you can now buy it in Debenhams for €46!!

I would highly recommend this palette. I absolutely love it. It is so beyond beautiful and a dream to work with, but shop around for better prices and even try eBay.