REVIEW: Too Faced Natural Matte Palette

Probably the biggest splurge I have for this year is this palette. I knew I wanted it as soon as I saw it on Instagram and waited for any of the local online shops to stock it or to be open for pre-orders. It also made me realize that I have a weakness for good quality, warm-toned eyeshadows! They cannot be resisted!

The Too Faced Natural Matte Palette is a new release from Too Faced for 2015. It is really just the matte version of their best-selling Natural Eyes Palette, and a great alternative both for neutral matte eyeshadow lovers or those who would like to diversify their current eyeshadow collection. I said I wouldn't buy a palette after receiving the 1028 Visual Therapy Brownie Eyes Palette but I was lacking in warm matte shades that the Urban Decay Naked 2 just didn't have. 

Packaging

Like all new Too Faced 9-pan palettes, this comes in a metal tin with a magnetic closure. Its only slightly bigger than an iPhone 5s so I find it really travel-friendly and fits in most make-up bags. It feels very sturdy because of the metal casing and not cheap in any way as a cardboard case tends to feel. The pretty lace pattern on the front of the palette make it look very classy and elegant, which reflects the sophistication that comes with matte eyshadows, I think. I saw reviews saying that this was smaller than their previous palettes, and I do not find this to be true. It's the same size as my  mom's Boudoir Eyes Palette in packaging and shadow size.

Texture

I've swatched matte shadows from MAC before and found the ones I was eyeing to be quite hard or chalky. I can say the same for Tease from my Naked 2 Palette. This however has the smoothest texture and is in no way chalky or overly powdery. I find that the darkest shades are the most buttery (Strapless and Chocolate Cookie especially) but you will have no problem with the lighter shades. They are very easy to blend and build up if desired, and do not go patchy on the lids at all. This makes it so easy to use, even for beginners like me.

I will say that there is little fallout in the pan, but only when you swipe with your brush. It's definitely much less than the Boudoir Eyes (which is why I don't borrow it often) but it might annoy some of you who are expecting 0 fall out. Two ways to avoid this: either you use a dense brush or you press your brush on the pan. I find that you get more product with the later, anyway!

Pigmentation

For a matte palette, the eyeshadows are pigmented, especially with the darker colours. With the swatch above, I only had to run my finger through the darker colours once. They are buildable though so if you want more or less pigment, you just have to adjust your application technique accordingly.  I do wear them with an eye primer though so do take note of that. Here are my individual reviews for the eyeshadows:

1st row (Day)
Heaven: Light cream eyeshadow good for evening out the eyelids | Can look powdery if not applied well
Cashmere Bunny: Light slightly taupe brown | Good transition shade or daytime crease colour | Even pigmentation but slightly hard to blend
Sexpresso: Cool dark brown, also the darkest shade in the palette | Evenly pigmented and good for smoking an eye out

2nd row (Classic)**
Lace Teddy: Light peach that's good for warmer skintones as an overall lid shade | Can be slightly powdery and patchy
Strapless: Warm midtone brown with slight red undertones | Best shade out of the entire palette due to even pigmentation, blendability, and lack of fallout
Risqué: Dark brown with purple undertones | Hard texture and slightly hard to blend

3rd row (Fashion)
Nudie: Warmer version of Cashmere Bunny | Good as a transition shade or for subtle crease definition | Has significant amount of fall out | Easy to blend
Honey Butter**: Warmer midtone peach with orange undertones | Slightly patchy | Probably the shade I won't get much use out of
Chocolate Cookie**: Orangey brown version of Strapless | Very blendable and pigmented | Ever so slightly patchy but this rarely happens

** Palette-exclusive shades, the rest are also in the Natural Eyes Palette

I would say thought that I would have loved to have a matte black eyeshadow in this palette, but because it would be so useful. Other than that, I think the colour selection is really good!

Price and Availability

I purchased this for P1500 at Make Up Pro along with three other items. If I add in shipping, this palette costs about P1550, which is not bad for a matte eyeshadow palette of this quality! Too Faced isn't available in the Philippines so you do have to rely on online sellers or relatives going to a Sephora or Ulta to get this palette.

At the Too Faced website, Ulta (where it was first made available) and Sephora, this retails for 36 USD. This means that its readily available for you guys on the other side of the Pacific, so give this a swatch if you can!

Summary:
(+) Sturdy packaging
(+) Travel-friendly
(+) Pigmented shades (Especially darker ones)
(+) Blendable and buildable
(+) Easy to use
(+) Smooth texture
(+) Minimal to no fallout
(+) Reasonably priced
(+/-) Lacks a matte black
(+/-) More warm-toned so might not suit all
(-) Repeated shades from the Natural Eyes Palette
(-) Not available in the Philippines

Recommended for: Anyone lacking or interested in matte eyeshadows!

Overall, I would highly recommend this palette for its quality and shade range! I'm so happy with this palette and have been wearing either on its own or complementary with eyeshadows I already own. I'd recommend to at least give it a swatch if its readily available to you just to see if you like it or not.

What about you guys? Have you tried this palette? Do you have any matte eyeshadow recommendations? Let me know in the comments section below!