• benefit Most Glamorous Nudes palette // review •

Oh Lord, how stunning is the packaging? Let's just take a minute here to appreciate

 the sheer beauty of another benefit product...

(L-R) birthday suit, my two cents, call my buff, kiss me i'm tipsy, it's complicated, gilt-y pleasure

Currently £23.50 from benefit, click here to be directed to the site.

I received the benefit World's Famous Nudes: Most Glamorous Nudes Palette as a Christmas present and had mentioned it many-a-time (tactfully) for a few months before. I'd heard so much about it and, as always, was drawn into the marketing around the product and the gimick of having a palette that looked as though it belonged on my book shelf. I've been excited to review this ever since I got it, but for someone who likes to mix up their make up look everyday, I hadn't had much of a chance to test the product out and give an honest review up until now. After months of on-off use, I can safely say that I'm ready to give you the low-down of what I think.

Packaging

Blown away, as usual, with the packaging. benefit knocks it right out of the park every time, and if I'm ever on the hunt for a pretty-looking product to add to my vanity table, I would always turn to benefit. I love the fact that it looks like a book full of make up secrets, I love the colours of the packaging and how soft and neutral they are, I love the character Eyenessa and how she looks so beautiful on the cover (I want to look like her...) and I just think it looks stunning.

Colour

The set contains two cream shadows;

• birthday suit - described as a champagne, more of a sheer shimmery taupe.

• my two cents - copper-y gold colour.

And four powder shadows;

• call my buff - cream with a slight sheen.

• kiss me, i'm tipsy - rich chocolate brown.

• it's complicated - pink with a sheen.

• gilt-y pleasure - a lighter copper colour than my two cents (very similar colours).

The shadows are mostly shimmery but the flecks of shimmer are teeny tiny so it won't look like you've had fairy dust blown onto your eyelids. I think shimmer is perfect for a neutrals palette as it adds a little something extra to a look that can have the potential to wash you out (which happens to me every single time I go near matte neutral colours!)

Finish

Cream shadows - these are very sheer cream shadows. They seem 'thin' in comparison to MAC paint pots and Maybelline Colour Tattoos and are certainly not as pigmented as either of these other products. Saying that, they are buildable, and would therefore be perfect for either beginners or those who are looking for a very natural colour. They are honestly fantastic as eye shadow primers and do not budge, meaning that I don't have to worry about my powder shadows fading or creasing. I'm more likely to use them as primers than I am cream shadows as they work better that way, and I've found that applying them with fingers does not do them any justice - the best way to apply is with a stiff, densely packed synthetic brush, as it distributes the cream all over the eyelid whilst still giving maximum colour payoff. The swatch above on my arm is me adding more cream shadow about 3 or 4 times using my finger, with drying time in between - for me, this isn't really a problem as I don't mind taking time on my make up when I'm doing it properly.

Powder shadows - I really love these shadows. I find them easily blendable and the colour easily buildable, which is exactly what I'm looking for in a high-end palette.The colour payoff is great, they feel soft to the touch and don't look powdery at all. I would recommend using a primer with them as, like most powder shadows, they have the potential to crease, but they work perfectly with the cream shadows in the palette.

Longevity

I've created numerous looks with this palette that have lasted me all day. On Christmas day, I wore a really fresh neutral look from 8am until 1am and it still looked great when I went to remove my make up before bed. As you would expect with most high quality brands, the shadows tend not to budge when paired with a primer (or cream shadow) so in terms of staying power, I can vouch for that.

Opinion

This palette includes some of the most beautiful colours I've seen in a long time; they all go together perfectly and are the solution for those days when you can't decide which eye look to go for. The range of neutral taupe/beige to warm brown and shimmery pink make this a palette that can cater to many different make up needs and skin-tones which is a difficult thing to achieve when you're creating a palette with only 6 colour options. I think the price is spot on for what you're getting - two mini creaseless cream shadows and 4 mini powder shadows and I'm now really interested in the other palettes in the World Famous Nudes trilogy (I might add that to my wishlist for future splurges). 

I'm highly impressed with the palette and would definitely recommend it to anyone, particularly those who are just starting to dabble in make up and want to add an easy-to-use, pretty-looking, high-end palette to their stash.  I'm going to make a conscious effort to start using this palette more as it's so stunning, but I just find myself grabbing a different product most days. Perhaps if I leave it open on my vanity, I'll remind myself to use it!

What do you think of the benefit World Famous Nudes range? Would you recommend any other products from benefit?

Daniela