Dose of Colors Desi x Katy Eyeshadow palette: Hot Fire or not?
When Youtubers Desi Perkins and Katy a.k.a. Lustrelux announced that they would be collaborating with Dose of Colors, on a makeup venture, I couldn't have been more excited. See, I feel like me, Katy and Desi are best friends, but they don't know it. I mean I am constantly staying up to date with them through Snapchat, Youtube and Instagram. I just love that these two are best friends and their personality just draws me in and no doubt about it, they both can make you laugh- sometimes uncontrollably.
I knew I had to support my favs before they even released what their products were going to be. Once that day came, however, I couldn't have been more (in Desi's words)- "shook" at the collection.
Their collection consists of two highlighters, Mirame and Fuego, the eyeshadow palette, two nude lipsticks in No Shade and More Creamer Please, a sparkly gloss called Over the Top, and matte lipsticks Hot Fire (fire engine red) and Saváge (a dark purple burgundy shade).
On the launch day, aside from the Girls palette ($28), which has insanely gorgeous rose gold sparkly packaging, I also purchased More Creamer Please lipstick ($16) which is described as a deep nude color with peach and brown undertones. Needless to say, this color did not work for me. It looked too mustardy on my skintone and I was not loving the look. So this was a miss. It even photographed horribly for me to even show you.
The Dose of Colors website describes the shadow shades as:
SUZ-Toast the night away with this crisp bright champagne shade. A super creamy texture that is formulated to be used WET. One drop of water on your finger is all you need.
HARPOON- Take metallic to a whole new level with this dazzling shade. A cool tone green base with green and gold reflects. This unique shade is formulated to be used WET.
TURBOSAN- Start sparkling with this ultra-luxe shadow that is packed with shimmering reflects. For intense color payoff and a glistening finish, apply with finger.
NOLI-Bring out your inner bombshell with this sultry bronze shade thats infused with gold reflects. This perfect bronze shade is a powerfully pigmented formula that glides onto the lids for a silky-smooth finish.
When I swatched the colors, there was a great amount of pigmentation, however in some cases there was also a powder mess. Suz was the most powdery of the bunch, even when I applied water, as they suggest.
The test:
When it was time to put the shadows to the test, I used my own transition shades found in other palettes to complement the lid shade. For instance, the first look I did was with Harpoon, which is a greenish olive color that shifts to a gold hue in the light.
To get the below look, I used Mac Soft ochre paint pot to prime and then applied Puree, Bless her Heart and Tempting, from my Too Faced Peach palette, into the crease. Then I applied Harpoon with my fingers. I'll be honest as soon as I applied this shade, my eye began to burn, I'm not sure exactly why. I have seen many people claim that some of the shadows burn their lids as well. After a couple of minutes however, it stopped. I made sure to blend the lid color into the crease so it can look clean with no harsh lines. Overall I was glad with the way it looked. I wore this look all day in the melting heat and although by the end of the day, the glitter transferred to my undereye, there was still some on the lid. I topped off the look with some black liner, Ardell lashes and Anastasia liquid lipstick in blush.
I used Turbosan, the pretty purple shade for a more glam look next. For this look, I applied Burnt Orange and Love letter from the Anastasia Modern Renaissance palette in the crease. I just knew I wanted to do a pop of pink for the crease. I then applied the Turbosan shade which went on smoothly. I blended the edges well and then applied liner and lashes. I really love how this look came together especially with the Tarte So Fetch lippie. The look stayed put all day. This shade color also shifted in the light, sometimes looking blue and purple. It's unlike any color I own.
I used Suz and Noli on various days as well, and they work great for everyday. Like I mentioned earlier Suz is the most powdery shade. In the below pic, I have Noli all over the lids and used a Tarte transition shade. This was the only pic I can get of this look as I was on the go in the city all day. Nonetheless, the color lasted all day, which I liked. It added a nice glisten which wasn't over the top.
Thoughts:
Overall do I think it's worth the money? Well, I think some shades such as Suz and Noli you probably already own in your collection. However Turbosan and Harper are very unique. In my opinion, there is great pigmentation, a large sparkle factor and there is some kickup for some shades. I would recommend you apply your foundation after your eyes, in case glitter falls as you're applying shadow. This palette is sold out right now, however it will be back in stock in September, the Dose of Colors team previously announced.
I would rate this a B. It's not necessarily a must have, but it can enhance shadows you already own and will look pretty set up on your vanity. (Let's be honest, pretty packaging always gets me and I know so many others)
The lipstick did not work for me, maybe the lighter nude would be better for my skintone, however I am going to mix More Creamer Please with my other nude shades to try to put it to use.
