Hey lovelies! I know, I keep apologising for the tardiness on each of my posts and it's got to stop - my posting schedule is a nightmare! However, I have now returned from my holiday abroad (which was wonderful by the way), which means I'm coming right back at you with some more of your favourite content, starting with a little goodie that slid through into my post box whilst I was away.
If you've been with me for a while, you'll remember that around this time last year, I reviewed some wonderful products sent over from the team at Just Essentials (for those of you that are yet to discover said post, click here to read), most of which were from their "in house" brand Exposed Cosmetics, now boasting their own dedicated website!
As Exposed Cosmetics is still quite a small (yet steadily flourishing) company, the rate of product development and production is, of course, going to be slower than that of a global corporation but, nevertheless, they are gradually pumping out beautiful eye products, face products, makeup tools and nail polishes. And, today, I have, for you, a closer look as we dive right into one of their most recent creations (which has been kindly gifted to me) within the eyeshadow department: the Sahara Sunset Palette.
Now, the first thing you guys are going to notice is that, in all honesty, this palette is incredibly similar to Desert Dusk by Huda Beauty, released on the 18th of September 2017 (unfortunately, I won't be able to do a comparison due to my outright boycott of said brand) however, regardless of the shade range being almost identical, the difference in price between the two is STAGGERING, this one costing £46.01 less to purchase brand new and in the box.
With regards to the layout of the actual palette itself, I've always enjoyed the concept of a transparent plastic window as packaging; although it doesn't offer overly efficient protection from damage (I don't recommend travelling with palettes such as this unless you tightly bubble wrap them and give them their own seat and seatbelt for the duration of the journey), it allows you the chance to preview the spectrum, which is useful when it comes to deciding which palette to use for your targeted eye look each day. Plus, aesthetically speaking, I also think that it's pretty damn alluring...
Speaking of alluring, thou must now gaze upon and behold this quite quaint colour scheme (I tried it) - the shades are just gorgeous. Call me biased (you all know about my undying love of warm tones) but one glance at these deep, exotic sunset shades was all I needed to fall in love.
Within the palette, there is a total of 18 "textured" shadows, including mattes, shimmers, metallics and foils (which I definitely won't be able to tell the difference between but the bottomline is that they're all sparkly) - the balance remains 100% on point though as there are 9 with reflective properties and 9 without. Believe it or not, some brands can get carried away with that ratio and overdo the matte sector, leaving very little shimmer to work with and vice versa, so it was wonderful to see it done correctly this time, earning Exposed Cosmetics some brownie points in my books.
With all of that said and done, it's swatching time (I do hope you cheered), in my very regular fashion, done using a dry finger and no eyeshadow primer so we can all see the real tea. From left to right on each row, my original descriptions of these hues are as follows:
#1 - A creamy beige matte
#2 - A light brown matte
#3 - A peachy orange matte
#4 - A brick red matte
#5 - A copper shimmer
#6 - A burgundy matte with a chocolate tinge
#7 - A bronzy orange shimmer
#8 - A true 24K gold shimmer
#9 - An iridescent lilac shimmer
#10 - A deep magenta matte
#11 - A rich plum shimmer
#12 - A deep rose duochrome with a pronounced gold reflect
#13 - An iridescent rosewood with a pronounced bronze reflect
#14 - A rose gold shimmer
#15 - A cinnamon shimmer
#16 - A red rust shimmer
#17 - A ruby matte
#18 - An orangey peanut butter matte
So, as you guys can see, we are very clearly WINNING on the pigmentation front - these colours are absolutely popping. Each and every shade packs a punch when applied with and without a spritz of liquid so there's absolutely zero threat of your look appearing too faint or less intense than desired.
In addition, what has to be said is that, for me, these shimmers are some of the best I've ever worked with. Period. Besides number nine and number ten, it's matte counterpart, which are slightly chalkier than the rest due to the common difficulty of formulating purples like that, each and every shade is ridiculously buttery and smooth - application and blending is easy peasy lemon squeezy. The metallics alone make this palette more than worth the £9.99 it puts you back so, even if you're just looking for some foiled toppers for your lids, it should definitely be in the running.
Finally, in terms of wear time, these really do hold up beautifully throughout the day; when I leave the house to go out, it normally is for a duration of over 12 hours and, much to my delight, with the Sahara Sunset palette, my eye makeup NEVER disappears into thin air, which has admittedly happened before (not funny). So, if you're more of an outside than inside kind of person (to be honest, I'm only outside because I have to be, if not, I'd be sitting on my couch eating Häagen-Dazs and watching reality shows on the daily), don't you go about fretting at all - once these are on, they're as stubborn as my attitude and won't be going anywhere.
Overall, I think you guys can already tell how I'm feeling about this one. As well as being amazing value for money given the variety and quality present for less than £10, you're also getting something that you can be 100% proud to own - the few people behind Exposed Cosmetics are deeply invested in not only their products but also makeup in general, making them worthy of your support, which is why I'm giving mine. Despite the minor hiccups, I really recommend giving this a whirl for your classic 'Sultry Summer Eyes' WITHOUT breaking the bank.
Thank you so much for reading today's post - I'm genuinely thrilled to be back behind the camera and computer screen to bring you something new and, hopefully, I'll be able to keep them coming with no breaks in between!
Are you into warm tones? If so, are you loving the look of this palette?
As usual, feel free to sound off in the comment section below, including any other questions, remarks or feedback you'd like to convey to me - some of the comments I receive make my day so much more pleasant! Oh and, don't forget, if you opt to follow my blog or subscribe by email (both buttons are located on the right hand side of the page, just to make it that slight bit more handy), you'll receive updates each time I post - you'll NEVER miss another one!
Until next time,
Marina Rosie x
I LOVE warm tones and this palette is right up my street! amazed at the pigmentation!!
ReplyDeletePam xo/ Pam Scalfi♥
Yass Pam, thanks so much for reading today! So glad you're loving the look of this one - for the price you really can't go wrong. All of the shades give amazing colour payoff! x
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
Oh wow those shades look amazing
ReplyDeleteCandice | Natalya Amour
They're so stunning aren't they Candice! x
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
Firstly,wow! Those eyeshadow shades are gorgeous; my favourite is most probably the "brick red matte" because 1. I love shimmers and 2. It's a stunning colour ,especially since we're beginning to warm up to Autumn.🍂🍃 Also, I LOVE Huda Beauty Desert Dusk!!😍😍 I don't even care if this eyeshadow palette gets so much hype the colours are so pigmented and looks flawlessly beautiful. So anything that even in the slightest way correlates to that palette I instantly love. So thanks for shedding some light on exposed makeup and I think they're very lucky to have a beauty blogger like yourself bigging up their brand.😊
ReplyDeleteWith love,
#sweetreats xx www.bakingboutiquebirds.blogspot.co.uk/
Awe babes, I always LOVE being greeted to your comments, they really make my day everytime! Yesss, we are beginning to warm up, through Summer to Autumn and, quite frankly, I'm here for it - I love a good orange sunset moment! You're spot on, shimmers in general are my favourite type of shadows and these truly speak for themselves - the pigment is insane! Exposed are a wonderful and very humble brand deserving of the exposure - I'm very glad to have been the one to teach you about them today! xx
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
These shades are gorgeous! It's times like this when I wish I lived in the UK..
ReplyDeleteAngela at Blush & Pearls
Awe Angela! Exposed Cosmetics actually ship WORLDWIDE so you can definitely get hold of this baby if you want it - these shades are definitely right up your street! xx
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
this looks and sounds insane. so beautiful xx
ReplyDeleteemjbarker.blogspot.co.uk
Loving you Em! You'd adore this one - it's so stunning! xx
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
This looks stunning! I love the shade range! I've got the same boycott of Huda Beauty so it's nice to see that those of us who don't support that brand can still use a palette with similar shades.
ReplyDeleteHannah | Whoops It's Hannah
Hey there Hannah!I'm glad I'm not the only one to feel that way - it's just not a brand I'd like to support, given a few of Huda's actions. But, yes, I totally agree - admittedly, the moment Desert Dusk came out, I had my eye on it but didn't end up getting it due to the boycott. I don't regret that at all at this point given that I've got a beautiful, pigmented palette right here with similar tones and for a FRACTION of the price! x
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
LOVE these products!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Ale
NEW POST: https://fashionteenagerss.jimdo.com/2018/09/02/back-to-school-2018/
Thank you for reading Ale - glad you enjoyed! x
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
You are so bad for my makeup account! I love the look of this palette and the swatches look so beautiful! I'm mesmerized :D
ReplyDeleteLaura
https://pinkfrenzymissl.blogspot.com/
Hehe, and you mine, Laura, trust me! Thank you so much, I'm flattered, although you can directly credit the swatches to the amazing quality of the palette! x
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie x
The shades are stunning! The only colours I'm wearing at the moment are warm neutrals, so this is right up my alley.
ReplyDeleteReine | The Blush Luxe
Thanks so much for reading Reine! Yass, warm neutrals are pretty much ALWAYS my favourites but definitely go-tos for this season especially! Trust me, this palette is serving me well! xx
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie x
These shades are gorgeous and I'm glad the pigmentation is great. And the price! Such a pretty palette xx
ReplyDeleteDi from Max The Unicorn
Yasss Di, I'm coming straight over to your blog after this, I've missed reading along! Really happy you're loving the look of this baby - it's so beautiful and, yes, the price is UNREAL for what you're getting in terms of quality. x
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
Gorgeous shades and they swatched so beautifully too! I have not heard of this brand before, but if this is anything to go by then they have fab products. Thanks for sharing ♥
ReplyDeletemerkitty.co.uk
Why hello there, gorgeous! Stoked you're loving the post and swatches - personally, I'm obsessed with exposed cosmetics, I've got a few other products of theirs and everything so far has been amazing, so I'd definitely recommend them to you if you ever wished to try! x
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
Those colours are so hot Totally loved them xoxo Cris
ReplyDeletehttps://photosbycris.blogspot.com/2018/08/my-life-my-style-my-adventure.html
Absolutely Cris, hot hot hot! x
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
The shade range of this palette looks absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDeletewww.themakeupaficionado.com
Isn't it just? A warm tone lover's DREAM, I tell you! x
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
This is such a stunning palette Marina. I love warm tones and shimmers in particular and this is absolutely gorgeous.The swatches are perfect and your pictures are superb. I wish I could find this here as well. I love that these shadows have the same attitude as yours haha!
ReplyDeleteVia | http://glossnglitters.com.
Via, what a lovely comment! It's so beautiful, it's FOR SURE responsible for why the swatches came out so nicely - I didn't have to try very hard with the shades at all. Hehe, once a stubborn cow, always a stubborn cow and these shadows stay put just like myself! And, by the way, you can get this palette shipped WORLDWIDE from the Exposed Cosmetics website (just click on any of the pink links within the post) so, don't worry, you can get hold of it! x
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx
Oh my god, this palette is beautiful marina! You're right, it does look a bit like the huda one but much cheaper.This one is a buy, can't miss out!
ReplyDeleteEll xxx
Thank you for reading as usual Ellie! I do believe, as far as I can see, that it was intended to be a dupe and an incredible one at that! For this price, I'd go for it - Exposed cosmetics is definitely a brand to invest your time and money in. xx
DeleteLots of love,
Marina Rosie xx