r/MakeupAddiction has been such a blessing and a curse. I first heard about these eyeshadow palettes on that subreddit and constantly found myself drawn to looks posted with them. I didn’t have anything in my collection like the colors in the Venus palette, especially. I decided that the Venus palette would create the perfect look that I had in mind for the night, so I finally got it! And while I was at it, I figured I should just get the bundle and get the Venus II, too! Separately, each palette is $32 and the bundle is $45. That’s roughly $2.80 per shadow if you’re getting the bundle.
Here are both palettes side-by-side. The Venus palette is a warm palette with lots of peach and red eyeshadows. The Venus II has a less cohesive collection, but still unique and versatile colors. Let’s look at each of them closer.
The colors included in the Venus palette are:
Venus – the color of bruised fruit aka marsala (matte)
Shell – opalescent shell-pink (shimer)
Aura – pearlescent ivory (shimmer)
Creation – rust brown (matte)
Icon – dark brown (matte)
Rebirth – the color of an over-ripe nectarine (matte)
Divine – dusty stone (matte)
Muse – deep burgundy red (matte)
I love all the colors, honestly. They’re all very smooth, pigmented, and easily blended. I think Venus and Muse are my favorites, though. I’ve seen a lot of amazing grungy looking creations with this palette, so I’m very excited. Here are the shadows swatched on my arm.
The Venus II palette is much darker and features 8 shades that complimented a lot of eyeshadows I already owned. Mustard, Jam, Fly, and Mud go very well with the original Venus palette, especially.
The colors included in the Venus II palette are:
Pigeon – brown/green shift (shimmer)
Filter – cornflower blue (matte)
Marsh – mossy grey-green (matte)
Mustard – yellow corduroy (matte)
Fly – ivory/green shift (shimmer)
Jam – pumpkin (matte)
Mud – rich burgandy-brown (matte)
Boot – black with multi-color sparkle (shimmer)
Like I said, this palette doesn’t feel as cohesive in the way that the colors in this palette all go together for looks. Obviously, they can, but they don’t match as easily as Venus. I think of this palette as one to use with others, instead of by itself. Love the quality and unique colors, though. Pigeon, Marsh, and Mud are my favorites from this palette. Fly is a great highlighting shade for under the brow bone and inner corner. Filter is definitely a color that I don’t have anything similar and wouldn’t naturally gravitate towards, but it’s been fun finding ways to incorporate it. Here are the shadows swatched on my arm:
Overall, I’m super happy with the quality and colors of these palettes. They are unlike anything I previously had in my collection and I’m excited to continue experimenting with new looks.