Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette – First Impressions and Swatches

Hello beautiful ladies,

Okay, we’ve probably all seen this palette swatched and reviewed a thousand times by now so why am I doing another one? Well, I wasn’t sure if I was going to bother for that reason but its such a hyped product that I thought, I’d give my honest opinion without buying into the hype. I have a love/hate relationship with the Rose Gold palette so I wanted to know if this was going to be the same.

• HUDA BEAUTY Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette

• RRP – $95 AUD from www.sephora.com.au

First Impressions: Damn, this is expensive, especially after my experience with the Rose Gold. I then picked it up with 20% off at Sephora for $76 which is still on the pricier side but a little easier to accept. The matte shades in this palette (apart from amethyst) look similar to other palettes I have to be honest but the duo chromes and shimmers are quite unique on first look.

My other first thought about this palette was that it looked more like shades I’d wear in autumn and winter rather than summer which is what we are in in Australia at the moment. In our heat, I’m just not a fan of a lot of eye makeup, especially shimmers and glitters that tend to be rubbed off as I wipe the sweat off my face. I could be wrong and may be able to work with it for summer once I try it out but that was my immediate impression after I opened it.

So, what about the packaging? The front has a gorgeous picture of Huda’s eyes with a jewel head dress and inside is a clear protector with the eyes that I actually use to hide the mirror in photos. Its made of a sturdy cardboard, with a mirror inside and compared to the Rose Gold, is heavier and looks classier. I remember being a bit disappointed in the Rose Gold packaging considering the price. The magnetic close on this palette is stronger than some of my cheaper palettes but I still probably wouldn’t risk travelling with it.

Please note that swatches are one swipe (except the glitter shade, Cosmo) with my finger in natural light and the last photo was taken when the sun decided to shine while it was partly cloudy with the first two.

From top to Bottom:

Desert Sand: matte peachy vanilla, similar to Full Zip from Colourpop (in the Yes, Please palette) but with a slight peach undertone and there is a tiny amount of shimmer through it.

Musk: matte neutral taupe. This is the standard base shade in a lot of palettes.

Eden: matte medium peach that is slightly darker than Champs from Yes, Please. 

Amber: matte medium red/brown with a tiny amount of shimmer through it.

Blood Moon: the first wow for this palette is a copper metallic with a golden undertone that’s similar to Bling in Yes, Please but more metallic and more golden than Dirty Talk from Urban Decays’ Heat palette. 

Oud: a matte mahogany/brown that has a tiny amount of shimmer through it as well.

From top to bottom:

Celestial: this is a duo-chrome topper that looks rose gold in the pan but swatched, looked more pink/gold. It is chunkier than it appears in the swatch.

Nefertiti: a warm light gold shimmer that is quite dry and flaked while I was swatching.

Twilight: the second duo-chrome topper is this beautiful blue/lavender that isn’t as chunky as Celestial. As I moved my arm in different directions, the shade sometimes appeared to have a pinky undertone. It looks gorgeous on my arm so I hope it translates to my eyes.

Amethyst: matte medium violet that looks patchy in the swatches and even when I tested it again, it looked very sheer which is disappointing considering I was expecting the same pigmentation as the pan.

Royal: dark plum/brown metallic that is very pigmented. The total opposite of amethyst. 

Retrograde: the last duo-chrome topper is a plum/brown with blue and violet shifts. It isn’t quite as chunky as celestial but chunkier than twilight.

From top to bottom:

Cashmere: a medium taupe shimmer. It looks neutral but with a pretty metallic twist.

Angelic: a golden pink shimmer. This shade appears in both the Desert Dusk and Rose Gold palettes but swatched side by side the one in the Desert Dusk is slightly pinker than the Rose Gold. 

Cosmo: this is a coppery brown pure glitter that took more than one finger swipe to build up to that shade. It is supposed to be applied with a stiff brush on the eyelid or as a liner with a liner brush but to be honest, I can’t see how its going to stay on without glitter glue. I’ll keep you posted on that one.

Turkish Delight: a medium berry shimmer with gold undertones that is only slightly lighter than Fling from Rose Gold.

Saffron: a dark mahogany red that applied a bit patchy and on second swatch, looked very sheer.

Blazing: matte burnt orange that is slightly darker than Big Cocktails from the Yes, Please palette.

Overall, there are a few shades similar to the Yes, Please palette and a couple of double ups from the Rose Gold but with the purple and plum shades added in, its quite unique. Now, is it worth $95 and is it going to end up in the love/hate relationship basket like Rose Gold?

What do you think of this palette?

My other social media accounts:

Pinterest…….Instagram…….Twitter

Until next time,

Nyobie