About a month ago, I made a huge order with TheBalm which included several of their eyeshadow palettes (I reviewed the Nude 'Tude palette here). One of the palettes I bought was Meet Matt(e), which contains nine matte eyeshadow shades inside a slim cardstock case and has a magnetic close. It comes with a full-length mirror spanning the inside of the lid and a mini dual-ended eyeshadow/liner brush. The cover design of this palette features a '50s-style illustration of a man, and the names of the eyeshadows are actually all named Matt with different surnames (a tongue-in-cheek play on the name "Matt" and the texture 'matte'). Each palette contains 9.5 grams of product, and retails for $34.50 USD.
Matt Smith, Matt Gallagher, and Matt Ramirez
Matt Smith is a light warm beige in a matte finish. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and warmer than MAC Blanc Type, and less yellow than MAC Vanilla.Matt Gallagher is a medium-dark warm brown in a matte finish. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is less reddened than MAC Soft Brown, and less orange than MAC Saddle.Matt Ramirez is a dark chocolate brown in a matte finish. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is warmer than MAC Brun, and darker and more reddened than MAC Espresso.
Matt McDonald, Matt Horowitz, and Matt Chung
Matt McDonald is a dark blackened charcoal with blue undertones and a subtle pearlized sheen. This isn't a true matte finish; it's somewhere between a satin and a frost. It has a soft, buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and less blue than MAC Knight Divine, and more grey than MAC Nehru.Matt Horowitz is a dark smoky navy blue in a semi-matte finish. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more purple than MAC Contrast.Matt Chung is a pale pinked white in a matte finish. It has a drier but finely-milled texture, and goes on a little chalky and patchy. It has light-medium pigmentation and semi-sheer colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more white than MAC Yogurt, and more pinked than MAC Vapour.
Matt Batali, Matt Schilling, and Matt Patel
Matt Batali is a dark burgundy-plum brown in a matte finish. It has a drier but finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more reddened than MAC Shadowy Lady, and more plum than MAC Sketch.Matt Schilling is a medium-dark dirty teal in a matte finish. It has a soft, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. I couldn't think of a dupe for this; it is much lighter, more green, and more muted than MAC Plumage.Matt Patel is a medium dusty taupe with hints of mauve in a matte finish. It has a drier but finely-milled texture, and goes on a little patchy. It has medium pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more mauve than MAC Omega, and lighter and more grey than MAC Quarry.
Overall, this is a really good matte palette the features soft, dense, and pigmented shades. There are a couple of exceptions, Matt Chung and Matt Patel, that were on the drier, sheerer side, but considering how few matte eyeshadow palettes there are on the market (at least compared to non-matte eyeshadow palettes), Meet Matt(e) is definitely one to look at if you're searching for one that you don't have to customize yourself. This features mostly neutral shades with a couple pops of colour; generally, a foolproof, universally flattering palette. I can see this palette working on all skintones with both warm and cool undertones. As a whole, the amount of product is less than in other palettes from TheBalm, but you still get plenty of product in a much smaller, travel-friendly size (this one fits nicely in my hand).
I really love theBalm. This was on my list to get because it seemed like a nice palette to have, even for those who don't really wear shadows that often *cough cough* Glad to see your positive take on it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, TheBalm does make some gorgeous palettes. It's really sad to see that they're not bigger; I think Sephora has taken them out of stores now. :(
DeleteHaha, this is a nice palette to have, for sure, though. The colours will look good on everyone. Great to use as eyeliners if you're not that adventurous... ;)
They're at the nicer Rexall/Pharma Plus though! Sometimes they have deals like buy one get one free. :)
DeleteI don't live near a Rexall or Pharma Plus, but do you know if they carry the whole line there?
DeleteDifferent stores carry bits and pieces of it. The most complete collection I saw is at a new renovated location in the financial district (I forget the building name - but NOT the First Canadian Place but very close to it). Did you know they also have nail polish? Took me by surprise but they're not very pretty and not worth looking at.
DeleteI DID know they have nail polish! I bought all my stuff online, so I basically went through all their products. None of the colours really appealed to me, so I didn't bother.
DeleteI just realized I may not even need to go to a PharmaPlus because I already bought everything I wanted from TheBalm, lol!
Doesn't Shoppers carry the lip glosses? I swear, I've seen something from TheBalm there...
I'm having a hard time seeing any of your photos on my computer right now, I think it's the internet I'm stealing ARGH!! LOL
DeleteI am torn between really liking theBalm but not really being a palette person - though it just makes so much sense! I suspect you'll get great wear out of this Denise, and the value is AWESOME!!
LOL!!! If you have an iPhone with data, you can always see the photos that way... ;)
DeleteYou know, ironically, I see myself as more of a single eyeshadow person than a palette person... but I just can't resist a damn good palette, you know? :P As if I need any more eyeshadows, period. LE SIGH.