As soon as I saw the first pictures of the new Huda Beauty Gemstone Obsessions palette, I knew I wanted to have it. 90% of the eyeshadow palettes released by the beauty industry in the past two years have been made of red-based shades (generally called "warm neutrals", a euphemism if you ask me), a color I think looks terrible on my eyes. With Gemstone Obsessions, however, Huda Beauty gave us a unique combination of shiny cool jewel tones. This is so refreshing in a ocean of orange transition shades! I got the palette with a gift card I received for my birthday, and after playing with it for the past few days, I'm ready to give you my first impressions.

The first thing you need to know about the Gemstone Obsessions palette is that the 9 shades it contains are all shimmery, ranging from duochrome to metallic to sparkly to extremely glittery. It's all about the shine, and a bold shine at that. So if you don't like sparkles, you'd likely not enjoy those shadows at all. If you do, you must realize that you'll have to pair it with other matte or satin shadows to be able to create a full look.


The palette itself is small, but at almost 10g it actually contains MORE shadow than your standard "full size" palettes like the ABH ones. So no, these are not "minis" in the sense that they contain less product, the Obsessions palettes are just very compact in size. For more info, take a look at my review of the Smokey Obsessions from a few months ago.

Here are the shades you'll find in the Gemstone Obsessions palette:


- a pale pink with a strong teal/greenish shift. Used on the eyes it looks incredibly metallic and the green shift becomes stronger than the pink base;
- a pink lavender with blue shift, with a similar texture to the one before;
- a chunky subdued greyish green teal that still feels really soft despite its more glittery texture;
- a dark plum, also with a chunkier glittery finish that feels similarly soft considering its texture;
- a fierce metallic purple with pink undertones. This one is bright and gorgeous, it's an absolute dream-come-true shade for purple lovers;
- a dark coppery red with a metallic finish;
- a chunky burnt orange with a very sparkly texture.This is the weakest shade in the palette, with glitter that doesn't adhere well to the skin and makes the shadow look patchy;
- a light warm pink with gold and pink pearl, not quite as shiny as either of the two first shades in the palette;
- an intense metallic blurple: a very cool purple with a strong blue undertone. This is another fantastic shade for those who are really into purple.


I can't be bothered with finicky shadows and messy application methods, so I tested all the shades in the Gemstone Obsessions with dry brushes on my lids primed with a simple eyeshadow base. And it worked perfectly well! Of course there was fallout, but it's not surprising with very sparkly shadows. However they didn't need glitter glue, wet brushes or finger application to turn my lids into jewels shining like diamonds. The intensity and reflectivity of these shadows doesn't translate well on camera, so trust me when I say that they're more vibrant, more metallic, more everything than you imagine!


The first time I used the Gemstone Obsessions palette I went in thinking the shadows would build slowly with my dry brushes... mistake! I couldn't help but shout when I first touched my lid with the top left shadow. It was like liquid metal! That first look was the one I photographed below - this is a pic taken with my phone, because my "good camera" has a tendency to see through sparkles and really washes out any shimmery look. I did a purple look with the top left shadow in the inner corner, the fierce purple on the lid, the blurple in the outer lid, and the dark plum on the outer corner. It was incredibly bold, shiny and oh so beautifully purple...



I'm not one to say that you NEED any makeup. Nobody needs a makeup palette like they need potable water and a roof over their head. But if you love purple on the eyes, I think this palette could be everything you've ever wanted and more, or at least a metallic, glittery version of your lifelong dreams. The shades are absolutely stunning, and with the exception of the orange, they all perform much better than I expected using my regular brushes. It may not be a palette that I'll use every day, but it's one I'll use when I want to conquer the world with vibrant, shiny purple eyes.



The product featured in this review was purchased by me. I received no compensation to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links. I receive a very small commission when you click on those links, and the money generated covers a small portion of my expenses to purchase products for review. Clicking on those links helps ensure that Beaumiroir continues to publish reviews of new and exciting high end French products - at no cost to you!