The Balm Meet Matt(e) Nude Palette

(If you haven't already, don't forget to check out my blogiversary giveaways.  You can read about #1 here and #2 here.-- by the time this goes up, you'll have about an hour left to enter. This palette is actually a prize in the second giveaway so you definitely want to check out the review. Thanks to everyone that's already entered!)

Originally, I wasn't planning on picking up the Balm's Meet Matt(e) Nude Palette ($42).

I have the first Meet Matt(e) Palette, which I like quite a bit, as well as the Too Faced Matte Eye Collection and the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette, and that seems like plenty of quality matte shadow choices. 

Of course, I was tempted. 

The shades in the Meet Matt(e) Nude Palette are mostly warm toned, and since I have blue eyes, I like to have a variety of warm shadows to choose from when I want to play them up.  The other matte shadow collections that I have are mostly cool-toned or neutral, so it did seem like the Nude Palette could fill a gap in my makeup drawer.

Still, I was a good girl and resisted.

Until it showed up on HauteLook at about half off and I had to give in.

And I'm really happy I did.

Like all of the Balm's palettes, the Meet Matt(e) Nude Palette comes in cardboard packaging with some pretty adorable artwork. Even the back of the palette is seriously cute.

It contains nine shades like the original Meet Matt(e) Palette, but the shadows in the Meet Matt(e) Nude are actually larger -- you get a total of 9.5 grams in the first palette and a whopping 25.5 grams in the second palette -- which explains the price difference between the two.  (The original is only $34.50.)

Meet Matt(e) Nude's shades include: Matt Johnson, a charcoal gray; Matt Garcia, a dark reddish brown; Matt Malloy, a white/ivory; Matt Rosen, a mid-tone brown; Matt Wood, a dark black brown; Matt Singh, a mid-tone peach; Matt Abdul, a mid-tone purple-y taupe; Matt Lombardi, a creamy gold; and Matt Hung, a brown purple.

The Balm Meet Matt(e) Nude Palette

Top row (l. to r.): Matt Johnson, Matt Garcia, Matt Malloy; Middle row (l. to r.): Matt Rosen, Matt Wood, Matt Singh; Bottom row (l. to r.): Matt Abdul, Matt Lombardi, Matt Hung

With the exception of Matt Abdul, which is somewhat sheer, all of the shadows are nicely pigmented. However, even Matt Abdul can be built up to a pretty opaque color because the shadows are nice and creamy so you don't wind up with a patchy, chalky mess. 

I think what really make the palette a winner, though, is the color selection. While most of the shades are warm toned, there are a few cool toned shades -- Matt Abdul and Matt Hung (though Matt Johnson can look somewhat cool on my skin) and neutral shades -- Matt Johnson and Matt Malloy.

In particular, I love Matt Singh.  Of course, it's a peachy shade so it's right in my wheelhouse but it's also pretty versatile.  I can wear it all over the lid with a darker shade in the crease, or go for a light shade like Matt Malloy on the lid and use Matt Singh in the crease for a fresh, natural look.

I also like wearing Matt Abdul on the lid and Matt Hung in the crease, with a little of Matt Johnson along the lashes in the outer-V, for a soft, pretty smoky eye. 

The only shade that I haven't used much yet is Matt Lombardi, but if you have medium or darker skin, I think it might make a lovely highlight shade.

All in all, I definitely recommend this palette -- if you can get a half price deal on it at HauteLook, then, really, it's a no brainer.  I can't say that Balm's matte shadow formula is the best I've ever tried (Too Faced, Urban Decay or Inglot would probably take that title) but it is a really nice creamy, smooth one.

Are you a fan of matte shadows?  Do you ever do an entirely matte eye look?