I had not heard of Vera Mona before my March ipsy bag. I was looking at the brand offers (which I tend to do) and noticed this brand. They are known for their instant brush cleaning. Instead of using 9 eyeshadow brushes to create one look, you can simply clean your brushes with their unique sponge and it removes the current color. Neat, right?! As I got on their website, I saw they had their own palette-sponge combo.

I have to admit I am a neutral and purple shadow addict. I was instantly drawn to the Lotus Color Switch Palette for both the colors and the overall concept. This palette was only $33 + $5.50 shipping. The sponge itself starts off at $17, so I thought getting a sponge, 8 eyeshadow shades, and a double-ended brush was worth it. Best of all, they had an ipsy code for 25% off AND a free double-ended eyeshadow brush. So, the palette was $25.75 instead. I was sold. I ordered mine and anxiously awaited its arrival.

I’ve had the palette now for a couple weeks and have used it to create different looks. My favorites are Lotus, Hibiscus, and Hydrangea. I think this palette would compliment many skin tones and eye colors, but I adore how the purple looks against dark eyes. The packaging is purple cardboard and shuts magnetically. The mirror is nice and big.

The eyeshadows L-R are:

Caper – matte cream color
Hydrangea – shimmery light tan color
Clover – shimmery peach color
Hibiscus – shimmery brown color
Narcissus – shimmery orange color
Celosia – matte brown color
Lotus – shimmery purple color, leaning slightly more blue
Hollyhock – matte black

As usual, they last longer and look better when you use a primer. I wish the colors were a bit more pigmented, but they are very buildable and blend easily. I think my least favorite shade is Caper, because it doesn’t really show up on me. I tend to use it as a base and put the other colors on top of it. My go-to combo has been Hydrangea on the lid, Hibiscus in the crease, and then layer a bit of Lotus in the crease, as well.

WITHOUT FLASH:

WITH FLASH:

Below is the extra brush that I got with my ipsy coupon. You can’t have too many eyeshadow brushes, can you? I don’t think so. It’s purple and black, so I like it already. The brush has soft bristles and I’ve found it useful for all my eyeshadows, not just with this palette.

Overall, I’d give this palette an 7.5/10. I like the colors and the brush cleaner built right into the palette. This would be a great palette to travel with and you’d truly only need maybe 1 other brush besides the one that came with you in the palette.