Review & Swatches: Too Faced Natural Eye Palette

I'm all for bold orangey hues on the lips and even cheeks, but when it comes to eye make-up, I definitely prefer neutral tones: creamy off-whites, natural browns, shimmery metallics, beautiful taupes. Because of my neutral shadow affinity, I'm a bit of a neutral palette collector; I just can't resist the appeal of a well-done everyday palette, like this Too Faced Natural Eye Palette ($34.70 on Apothica.com) I picked up a couple months back.

Too Faced Natural Eye Palette comes in the brand's classic cardboard packaging with a magnetic flap closure and instruction cards. Inside, there are 9 neutral shades divided into three trios for Day, Classic and Fashion looks - not that I ever pay much attention to suggestions like these. The shades have a variety of finishes: Heaven, Velvet Revolver and Sexpresso are matte; Silk Teddy, Push-up and Honey Pot are pearl, Erotica and Cocoa Puff are satin with gold micro shimmer whereas Nude Beach is glitter. The color selection is perfect for both day-time and night-time looks as well as both warm and cool neutral looks.

My definite favorites are the top row, which is perfect for those pin-up/1960's looks and even doing your brows, as well as Silk Teddy and Push-up for everyday lid shades, with either Erotica or Cocoa Puff in the crease. I'd even go as far as to claim that Silk Teddy might rank higher for me than Stila's Kitten in the champagne category!

However, the Too Faced Neutral Eye Palette has one definite drawback for me - Nude Beach. This shade is an absolute mess of gold glitter getting EVERYWHERE, no matter how sticky a base you're using. I cannot even begin to imagine a woman who would like her face to resemble a discoball, which is why I haven't touched Nude Beach since the first time I wore it on my eyes... and cheeks, forehead, nose and chin too.

Below is an example of a day-time smokey eyes using the Neutral Eye Palette, where I used Push-up on the lid with Cocoa Puff on the lashline and in the outer V (please ignore mascara fall-out under my eyes) and a little bit of Heaven in the inner corner. This look, or almost any look created with this palette for that matter, is a perfect companion to a brighter lip, at least in my book. I just love the simplicity of a neutral eye with a bold lip!

While I'm happy to have this palette in my collection, it's by no means unique, so I would hesitate to recommend it to someone who already owns a good number of neutral shades (unless they're eyeshadow-crazy like me). But, for someone who's just starting out, it's a great  high quality neutral palette with a very reasonable pricetag (*cough cough* Urban Decay).

Have you tried Too Faced eyeshadow palettes? What is your favorite neutral palette?