Last Minute Gift Idea: bareMinerals READY The Power Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette

We all know my love for the bareMinerals READY eyeshadow formula (well, if you don't, you can read my previous reviews of Truth quad here and The Finer Things palette here); so when I spotted The Power Neutrals palette ($40 for 8 g/ 0.28 oz) at a sample sale, I didn't hesitate and snagged it before someone else decided to pounce. Those sample sales are like a veritable battlefield, I tell you!

The Power Neutrals eyeshadow palette, released as limited edition for the summer 2013 but still available at Sephora, comes in a gold compact this time; and as usual features a large mirror inside as well as shade names on the bottom. I don't really intend to yet again wax lyrical about the superior formula but I'd rather concentrate on the shade selection to give you a better idea whether to buy or skip this palette, according to your personal make-up tastes.

 The Power Neutrals is predominantly a matte eyeshadow palette. There's a good range of light, medium and dark colors but it's probably the most suited for defining daytime looks for office or school environment. This palette is also definitely on the cool, greyish end of the neutral spectrum; there are some warmer shades but if you love more bronzey, metallic shades a la Urban Decay Naked 1, you'll be disappointed with this selection.

You can see the shades pretty acurately in the photos, but I wanted to add my *feels* about the overall tonality and functionality of this palette for me. Let me start by saying that even though I love cool-toned neutrals more than any other eyeshadow shade range, this palette doesn't really vow me. There's one metallic golden taupe in this palette that's absolutely stunning (Schmooze), a couple interesting greyed tones (dark purple grey of Exec, medium olive grey of Honeymaker, lighter matte greige of Payday) but apart from those, The Power Neutrals is a bit snoozy for this shimmer lover.  The two matte browns on the far right are good quality, but certainly not unique, and the two lightest shades leave a bit to be desired as well; Boss Lady, a light pink beige with silver shimmer, has a strange grey cast that's not illuminating enough for my fair skin, and the matte yellow beige Magnate wouldn't work for my skintone for anything except as an eyelid vein-concealing base.

For me personally, the shade selection in The Power Neutrals palette is simply not exciting enough. But one can absolutely work around it, either pairing with other eyeshadows or by adding a liner, or a glitter topper... As you can see below, I decided to add interest by way of colorful liner on the waterline (Sephora Contour Liner in Surfer Babe, recently reviewed here). I used Schmooze on the lid, blended it out in the outer corner with Get Ahead, highlighted the inner corners with Boss Lady and lined the lower lashline with Honeymaker. Lips are NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose, topped with their lipgloss in Beige.

But, one woman's snooze is another woman's treasure. While I'm a terribly spoilt cool neutrals collector, my mum, who barely uses eyeshadow, would probably love and use all the shades here. Due to the prevalence of mattes, I think it would be a good last minute gift idea for more mature make-up wearers; an aunt, an older cousin, and yes, your mum. This shadow formula, apart from being super blendable and long-wearing, actually contains an anti-aging complex too, making it a perfect choice for the slightly older crowd.

Have you tried the bareMinerals READY eyeshadows? What are your favorite shades? Do you gift make-up to your family and friends?