Review -- Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eye Shadow Collection

How many eye shadow palettes does one girl need?

If I'm any indication, apparently every.single.one. in the damn world.

But while I'm terrible weak when it comes to pretty palettes, Too Faced didn't exactly play fair with their latest offering, the Chocolate Bar Eye Shadow Collection.

Not only does the adorable packaging resemble a candy bar, the shadows themselves smell like chocolate, just like Too Faced's Chocolate Soleil line of bronzers.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eye Shadow Collection

And they aren't kidding -- this stuff smells legitimately like cocoa and since I'm still clinging to my New Year's resolution of eating healthier and getting fit, sniffing some chocolate-scented makeup is about all I can do in good conscience these days.

But in addition to taking the edge off my chocolate cravings with their delicious scent, these shadows also deliver in terms of performance and appearance.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eye Shadow Collection

The palette contains 16 shadows, which are a mix of mattes and shimmery shades: Gilded Ganache,a olive-tinged brown with gold micro-glitter; White Chocolate, a matte ivory; Milk Chocolate, a matte mid-tone brown; Black Forest Truffle, a purple-tinged brown with gold micor-glitter; Triple Fudge,a matte dark brown; Salted Caramel, a matte tan; Marzipan, a shimmery peach champagne; Semi-Sweet, a matte cool brown; Strawberry Bon Bon, a matte pale pink; Candied Violet, a shimmery violet with pink glitter; Amaretto, a shimmery red-tinged brown; Hazelnut, a shimmery bronze; Creme Brulee,a shimmery gold; Haute Chocolate, a shimmery golden brown; Cherry Cordial,a purple-y burgundy with gold micro-glitter; and Champagne Truffle,a shimmery pink-tinged ivory.

Top row (l. to r.): Gilded Ganache, White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Black Forest Truffle, Triple Fudge; Second row: Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Semi-Sweet, Strawberry Bon Bon, Candied Violet, Amaretto; Third row: Hazelnut, Creme Brulee, Haute Chocolate, Cherry Cordial, Champagne Truffle.

From l. to r.: Gilded Ganache, White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Black Forest Truffle, Triple Fudge

From l. to r.: Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Semi-Sweet, Strawberry Bon Bon, Candied Violet, Amaretto

From l. to r.: Hazelnut, Creme Brulee, Haute Chocolate, Cherry Cordial, Champagne Truffle

Like all the Too Faced eye shadows that I've tried, these are very nice. For the most part, they're smooth, creamy, and easy to blend -- even the matte shades.

There are a couple of shades with glitter that are a little sheer and chunky, like Black Forest Truffle, but they're still totally usable if you just make sure to knock the excess of your brush and use a patting (as opposed to sweeping) motion to apply it.

My favorite shades are Marizpan (a lovely all-over lid color), Hazelnut (a very flattering color for blue eyes), Creme Brulee, Haute Chocolate, and Champagne Truffle (which is a perfect inner corner highlight).

The palette is housed in a sturdy tin case that is chocolate brown and is designed to look like the squares of a candy bar.  There's a mirror on the inside, but it's not particularly big so I'd really only use it if I was in a pinch while traveling.

Like Too Faced's other palettes, you also get a little pamphlet with eye look ideas, so if you have a difficult time coming up with new looks, you can find a little inspiration there.

Now, the important question -- is this a must-have palette?

Honestly, I think it depends on who you are and what type of makeup collection you have.

It is a lovely collection of shadows that are easy to work with and totally wearable. But the palette features mostly brown, natural type shades, so if you already have a few of the well-known natural palettes like Urban Decay Naked, you probably don't *need* this. None of the shades in the palette are necessarily unique, so you may already have dupes for them in your collection.

However, the palette does include a purple and a pink shade so you can add a pop of color to a more natural look. So if you don't already have a ton of natural/neutral eye palettes, this may be an ideal option.

Or you could just be like me and every pretty palette that you see is a must-have -- particularly if it smells like chocolate.

There's no shame in that.

Okay, there's a little shame in that, but you get over it quickly when you've got such a pretty palette.

Trust me.

You can purchase the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette for $49 at Too Faced, Sephora, Ulta, Beauty.com., and Macy's.

What do you think of the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette? Is it a must-have for you?