Hello lovelies!
I guess my Pat McGrath Rose Decadence Eyeshadow Palette review was long overdue but I you know I like to take my time and really use the products a few times before sharing my impressions. Was I excited when Pat announced her new Rose Decadence collection? Yes! Not so much for the palette but for the new Lip Fetish Divinyl Lip Shine colors that I really wanted to try.
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Pat McGrath Rose Decadence Eyeshadow Palette Review
You know me as a pink fanatic and as much as I love pink eyeshadow palettes I was really hoping she would launch something different this time (most of us wanted blushes & highlighters). You may be surprised to hear this but I had my fair share of Pat McGrath pinks with Rose Divine Palettes (review, live swatches, makeup looks). I still haven’t reviewed Divine Rose II Palette if you can believe it, even though I bought ages ago. For me this launch was all about the lip colors.
Let’s Talk Packaging!
Pat McGrath Rose Decadence MTHRSHP Eyeshadow Palette ($65.00 / £50.00 for 0.42 oz.) is a new, limited edition six-pan pink themed palette which includes two satin/matte eyeshadows and four shimmer/ metallics eyeshadows. Any pink obsessed can easily fall for this packaging with those beautiful roses. This time around I can’t say I’m 100% satisfied with PMG packaging and quality.
I posted an IGTV video on Instagram where I shared my opinions regarding the new packaging, along with close-ups with the issues I’ve had. The PMG logo is too big, screams for attention and takes up half of the packaging. I prefer a more discreet logo, just like the one she had on her Star Wars Palettes. Another detail that I can’t overlook is the poor attention to details that doesn’t give me the full luxury experience of Pat McGrath makeup products. The edges of the palette are not glued properly and I get that feeling of something done in a hurry.
These details may be easily overlooked by Pat McGrath hardcore fans or makeup collectors but apart from being a makeup lover I’m also an independent content creator and sharing my honest opinions is not something that I’ll stop doing.
Who is PMG Rose Decadence Eyeshadow Palette for?
If you are Pat McGrath lover you can skip this paragraph as I’m sure your makeup collection is up to date with her every release. 🙂 I’m bringing a different approach here. To be honest for me this purchase was 50% justified by my passion for pink and desire to see what’s different with the formula and packaging while the other 50% was due to review requests, therefore as a business expense. It blogging wasn’t my full time job, with all my honesty I would have skipped this palette. If later on I would still have it in mind and reviews were impressive I would have bought it on sale.
I do feel that PMG Rose Decadence comes as a need to feel the void or necessity of pink eyeshadows for everyone who didn’t want to invest $125 / £115 in her 10 pan Divine Rose Palettes. This palette was on sale, 2 weeks after it launched and I’m sure it will be again in the future.
If you are missing these shades from your collection or you want to try out Pat eyeshadows for the first time then go for it. I would still wait for a sale or a promotional code because this is not her best eyeshadow formula. The colors are new but quite similar to what she has in Divine Rose I and II so nothing that you can’t live without. If this was a multi-chrome palette, then my words would have been different. The two matte eyeshadows can be trained as blushers for fair up to deep skin tones depending on the way you apply them.
Overall Performance
All six shades performed well but not exceptional. I tried them with 2 different eyeshadow primers (UD primer potion & P Louise Eyeshadow base) and without (directly applied on bare skin). The differences were quite impressive. While with an eyeshadow primer all six shades were pigmented, blendable and long-wearing, on bare skin they behaved differently. Not to mention that when I tried to use the shimmer/ metallic shades with a synthetic brush (applied dry) I barely got any color payoff.
I’m OK with applying eyeshadow primer everytime but there are those rare cases like yesterday when I was in a hurry and just wanted to skip several steps. Without using an eyeshadow primer the matte shades were not that pigmented, which was fine for me, but they tended to sheer out considerably when blended. The shimmer shades looked uneven and very sheer when applied dry so I had to use my fingertips and pat on the color.
The eyeshadows were long lasting (even without a primer) without causing any fall out or creasing. So unless you really need these shades in your life and you don’t have her previous palettes then you can skip on this launch I guess.
Pat McGrath Rose Decadence Eyeshadow Palette Live Swatches
Like always I like to apply swatches on my bare skin without any eyeshadow primer so I can see the true pigmentation and color payoff. While the shimmers are shown in a single layer for the 2 matte shades I had to do another pass to get more pigmentation and even color.
Make sure to check out the video above for live swatches or watch my Instagram video!
Pat McGrath Rose Decadence Eyeshadow Palette Shade by Shade Review
Pink Champagne is a light pink with subtle warm undertones and golden-peachy shimmer which ended in a metallic finish. It was opaque in a single pass with a smooth, creamy texture that didn’t feel dry or too dense pressed in the pan. It applied easily and glided seamlessly onto the skin. I had the best intensity and color payoff when applied with my fingertips or a patted on with a damp brush.
This shade can be used gently as a highlighter as well to create a beautiful multi-dimensional effect. It wore well on me for about nine hours without creasing or giving fall out. It’s one of my favorite shades in the pan and I like the pink, peachy-gold shift and luminosity that its brings to my makeup.
Peach Dusk is a medium, dirty pink-coral with warm undertones and a soft matte-satin finish. It had a good color payoff but I needed 2 layers to get a full opacity on the lid. On bare skin it applied well but was looking quite sheer and natural which makes it a great blusher if you apply it with a light hand and fluffy brush.
It looked more intense and pigmented over a primer, blended well and didn’t cause any fall out during the application. The consistency was smooth and soft but it did kick out some excess powder in the pan when I picked it up with my fingertips or a brush. It lasted on me
pink-leaning coral with a satin sheen. The eyeshadow had excellent pigmentation in a single pass, which applied well to bare skin as the color went on evenly and diffused well along the edges. It had a soft, silky consistency that wasn’t too powdery nor too firmly-pressed into the pan. I noticed a slightly difference in formula as it’s not so creamy and buttery like her other matte eyeshadows. It lasted on me for about nine hours before fading noticeably but it gave no fall out. It leaves a stain behind so be careful if you have sensitive eyes.
Fuchsia Flame is a bright, intense plum-pink layered on top of a coppery base and had blue-to-violet shimmer and micro-sparkle. The color is intense and looks fully opaque if applied with fingertips or a damp brush. I think this shade is more about the gorgeous reflections and finish than about pigmentation. This is my other favorite shade in the pan but the consistency felt a bit thicker, therefore I didn’t have such great results when I applied it with a dry brush.
It adheres well on bare skin if applied with fingertips, otherwise it takes another layer to build up the color. Even yesterday I wore this palette without a primer and applied this shade on the center of my lid, dry. It looked uneven so I had to use my fingertips to bring up more pigmentation and make the shade adhere better onto my lid. It blends out nicely but creates minor fall out during application. I got around nine hours wear before I saw signs of fading.
Hedonistic Rose is a deep,dark plum with subtle warm undertones and a matte finish. It had nearly opaque color payoff in a single pass but you definitely need another layer to even out the color and get full coverage. The texture was soft and finely-milled but felt a bit dry to the touch. It kicked off some powder in the pan when I used my fingertips to swatch and especially a dry brush to apply the color.
It applied on nicely, even on bare skin, without fall out. For this shade I had around nine hours wear before it started to loose its intensity. I would see this shade as a blusher for deep and darker skin tones but on my lids it left a stain behind.
Scandalous is an intense copper with warm orange undertones and a metallic finish. It was super pigmented in a single pass delivering full opacity in a single layer. The texture was dense and a bit thicker but it applied seamlessly on the lid without looking patchy or causing fall out. It worked great even on bare skin if pressed or patted on, therefore I liked to use my fingertips or a damp brush. I had around nine hours wear without creasing before it started to fade.
Golden Honey is a medium gold with subtle warm undertones and a metallic finish. It was richly pigmented delivering an opaque coverage in a single pass. Pat had so many gold eyehadows that I feel this is not among her best. The color strike me like an ancient gold, without orange and green tint. I like the smooth texture that glided effortlessly even on bare skin without causing fall out.
The consistency felt quite creamy but dense without creasing or looking patchy. I had it on for about nine and half hours before it started to show signs of fading.
Pat McGrath Rose Decadence Eyeshadow Palette Makeup Looks
Here’s my first Pat McGrath Rose Decadence makeup look where I’ve used all six eyeshadows over an eyeshadow primer. I was also practicing my eyeliner techniques so please excuse the 2 lines. 🙂 I’m considering myself still a newbie when it comes to eyeliner but I’m determined to keep practicing on techniques for hooded eyes. I used Kat Von D Tattoo Eyeliner which was really easy to use and many claim that is the best.
For my complexion I’ve used Pat McGrath Sublime Perfection Foundation (review, swatches, makeup looks) paired with Rouge Bunny Rouge Loose Powder. On my cheeks I’ve used Peach Dush eyeshadow as a blusher and the new Antonym Baked Highlighter (upcoming review) that I received. I’ve also used one of the Antonym Cosmetics eye pencils in brown, to gently trace a line and then follow up with the eyeliner.
On my lips I’ve used the new Lip Fetish Divinyl in Boudoir Rose (upcoming review). You can see more of my looks here, including a mini video.
This is the look I wore yesterday with nothing on my skin except skincare. I just had skincare on and my go-to Paula’s Choice Resist Anti-Aging Moisturiser SPF 30 (review, ingredients). This product provides a very sheer veil of color that helps even out my skin tone (in very natural way) and gives me a matte finish. It’s is available in 2 combinations for both normal to dry and normal to combo/ oily.
In the Summer I tend to wear as less foundation as possible and this moisturizer is a must for me. I wore it everyday since last Summer and when we go in holidays at the sea my boyfriend uses it as well for SPF purposes as he doesn’t want a red nose or his skin peeling off. In order to smooth out my lines and wrinkles I applied a thin layer of Deciem Hylamide HA Blur (review) which is more than just a primer.
I used again the Antonym Cosmetics Brown eye pencil and Shiseido mascara while on my lips I’m wearing Make Up For Ever New Rouge Artist Lipstick in 200 Spirited Pink (upcoming review). For this look I used the eyeshadows without an eyeshadow primer so in the crease and above the crease I blended the two matte shades while on my lid I had to apply Fuchsia Flame with my fingertips otherwise I would get just an uneven wash of color.
