Product Review -- Make Up For Ever Artist Palettes Vol. 1 & Vol. 3

A while back -- a year ago... maybe two? Sometimes, I lose track of time with all the new makeup coming out all the time -- Make Up For Ever reformulated their eye shadows.

Of course, I wanted to try them, and at the time, they put out a little rectangular palette that had five or six of the new Artist Shadows in them that I purchased so I could try several shades at once. I liked them quite a bit and kept meaning to try some of the individual shadows.

With all the other makeup out there, I never got around to it.

So when Make Up Forever put out their Artist Palettes, which contain nine shades from their permanent line, I decided I had to give them a try -- because each shadow in the palette contains 0.06 grams of product, while the individual shadows contain 0.07.

Which means you're getting nine, nearly full size shadows that retail for $21 each for just $44.

That's a pretty amazing value.

And I couldn't pass it up when I had a few Sephora giftcards from the holidays and my birthday, so I purchased the MUFE Artist Palettes in Vol. 1 and Vol. 3.

The palettes comes in sturdy black cardboard packaging with cool artwork. There is a small mirror on the inside lid, but the palette doesn't stay open by itself so you'd need to proper it up against something if you wanted to use it to do your makeup.

Both palettes also come with booklets that have instructions for several eye looks.

MUFE Artist Palette

MUFE Artist Palette instruction booklet

Vol. 1. (aka Nudes) contains I-528 Pearl, S-556 Taupe Gray, S-102 Onyx, I-514 Pink Ivory, D-562 Taupe Platinum, I-544 Pink Granite, ME-512 Golden Beige, ME-644 Iced Brown, and D-652 Celestial Earth.

MUFE Artist Palette Vol. 1

From l. to r.: I-528, I-514, ME-512

From l. to r.: S-556, D-562, ME-644

From l. to r.: S-102, I-544, D-652

Vol. 3. (aka Florals) contains ME-230 Peacock Blue, D-236 Lagoon Blue, S-404 Straw Yellow, I-544 Pink Granite, ME-512 Golden Beige, ME-930 Black Purple, I-918 Lavender, I-528 Pearl, and I-804 Golden Pink.

MUFE Artist Palette Vol. 3

From l. to r.: ME-230, 1-544, ME930

From l. to r.: D-236, I-804, I-918

From l. to r.: S-404, ME-512, I-528

These shadows are lovely -- they're nicely pigmented and blend like a dream, so they're easy to apply. They also wear very well (I always use a primer under my shadows, so keep that in mind), with no fading or creasing for a good ten hours or so.

The shades in Vol. 1 are perfect for everyday use, while Vol. 3 has plenty of brights that are perfect for spring and summer. 

Given the quality of the shadows and the value of these palettes, I recommend them without reservation.

But there are two things I want to point out.

1) There are no mattes in either of these palettes. They're all iridescent, metallic, satin, or diamond finish. I've managed to put together looks entirely from these palettes that aren't too shimmery or dramatic for daytime, but keep in mind that you may want to bring in a matte shade or two to really create a balanced look.

2) There are repeats between the two palettes -- I-528 Pearl, I-544 Pink Granite, and ME-512 Golden Beige -- which is kind of annoying. I don't have Vol. 2, which, like Vol. 3., was limited edition (but is still currently available on Sephora and for just $34!), so I don't know if there are any repeats from it. Personally, I can live with the repeats because they're shades that I probably will use the most, but you'd think MUFE would realize that folks are going to be buying multiple palettes and probably don't want three of the same shade.

Still, I think either (or both!) of these palettes are worth the $44 price tag. 

You can purchase them both at Sephora.

Have you tried the Make Up Forever Artist Palette Vol. 1 and/or Vol. 3? Which shades of the Artist Shadows are your favorite?