This palette, this here, is the most expensive makeup product I have ever bought. $95. Gasp! And I'm not a fan of Victoria Beckham - she wasn't even my favorite Spice Girl! Believe me when I tell you that I hesitated for weeks before throwing away so much money at a 6-pan eyeshadow palette, and that making the final decision was daunting. Like, it kept me awake at night, together with my cat singing the song of his people in front of my bedroom door. I calculated how many hours I'd have to work to earn as much as it cost. But in the end, I thought "F moderation and frugality, I've wasted a lot more money than that in the past paying for cheaper products that didn't satisfy me. If it's as good as they say, it'll be worth it". And you know what, I was right. I spent over $100 on a palette of 6 eyeshadows (I'll never get used to sales tax not being included in the price of things...) and do I regret it? Nope. Not for a second!




First, there's the compact. Never in my life have I owned a makeup compact that felt so luxurious. Its shape and metallic clasp remind me of vintage purse mirrors. It's quite heavy, and covered in black (faux?) leather. It's so beautiful and classy that I wouldn't be ashamed to pop it out of my purse if I was invited for dinner by the Queen of England. Or Oprah. If you love Givenchy Le Rouge lipstick for its leather case, trust me you will adore this palette.




The one and only annoying thing about this palette is actually related to its surprising heft: the lid is so heavy that the palette won't remain stable if it's open at more than a 90-degree angle, it will fall backwards, pulled by the weigh. But Estée or Victoria or some royal adviser thought about that, and the palette actually opens all the way to become flat. Neat.




Let's talk about the shades here. I don't follow Victoria Beckham's adventures so I can't say if they're her signature colors or whatnot, but they're a really nice selection. You have 4 neutrals and 2 more colorful shades:
- Fired Sapphire, a bright medium blue;
- Blond Cumin, a golden beige;
- Metal Saffron, a medium brownish copper;
- Burnished Sage, a forest green;
- Grey Amber, a deep charcoal gray;
- Black Nutmeg, a dark reddish brown.
Anybody else enjoying the irony of these shades being mostly named after spices?




All the colors in this palette are shimmery. If you're looking for your transition slash crease mattes or browbone ivory, you won't find them here. This is not your typical Lorac or Urban Decay palette, so if you really want to appreciate its beauty, you have to let go of your self-imposed makeup rules. I guarantee you that it works perfectly well by itself and that you won't need to complete the colors with other shadows from your stash, as long as you're willing to broaden your horizon. Plus, let's be honest, the whole matte crease and transition fixation is extremely recent, many generations lived without them so you can too, for once.




And trust me, you'll be willing to change your ways once you put your dirty little fingers in the pans. The quality of the formula is out of this world. The shadows are so soft and buttery that I daydream of spreading them all over my face. They almost feel like a cream/powder hybrid. And they're amazingly pigmented, highly blendable, and cause virtually no fallout during application. You may have heard that they're amazing. The people who told you that were not lying. This is hands down the best eyeshadow formula I've ever experienced. I've never tried an Estée Lauder eyeshadow before, but I don't think they're the same formula at all. I mean, if the brand's permanent line of shadows was so good, people would be talking about it way more.

My favorite shades are Metal Saffron and Black Nutmeg. They have the most gorgeous glowing finish that gives them incredible depth. The weakest one would be Grey Amber, as it's a little less intense than the others. But if you use it to darken your outer corner, it works perfectly well. It's just not pure pigment at first swipe like the other two. Because I'm so in love with the browns, I tend to create more neutral looks with this palette and use the blue or green as subtle pops of color on the lower lash line. It's so easy to do and the result is absolutely beautiful. Shimmery but not full of glitter, spectacular but not over the top, it just looks super flattering, and it lasts all day and long into the night.





$95 well spent! I'm really glad I listened to the enablers of the Internet and indulged in this Estée Lauder x Victoria Beckham Eye Palette, because I've never owned, experienced or even seen anything so luxurious before. My advice: pass on all the latest fads, from Peach whatever to Mega Pro volume 294 or Naked reloaded, and get that palette instead. Make it your only purchase of the next three months if you have to. Or even better, put it in your wishlist for Santa!



The product featured in this review was purchased by Lulle. I received no compensation to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links.