Kevyn AucoinEye Design Palette - Focused

Great colors

This KEVYN AUCOIN Emphasize Eye Design Palette (Focused) arrived in perfect condition. The compact has a great mirror and is a bit chunky but is really attractive with a glassy looking black to red ombré effect. This set is a mix of matte, chrome and satin colors that are warm and generally in the neutral brown family. It also has a coppery cream foil that I love for adding shimmery highlights and a pop of pretty color. It’s my favorite shadow in the set.All the colors are pretty and they blend together beautifully. I could definitely bring just this palette with me traveling and have all I need for a subtle or more glam look. The only color I’ve decided doesn’t flatter me is the darkest brown (cocoa) as I’ve aged and get dark circles, so if I go too dark above or around my eyes it makes me look more tired and less youthful. But not everyone is the same, and the lighter shades and coppery foil brighten up my eye area so the other brown shades don’t look too dark or one dimensional on me.I also like adding another shade at times, such as a purple from another palette. It looks really pretty with the brown and copper colors and adds some contrast and depth. The shadows are well pigmented, go on smoothly, aren’t streaky and blend together well. I have yet to notice flaking or fallout. I love the way the coppery foil glides so smoothly just using my finger and can be buffed (quickly as it dries fast) for a more subtle look. This is lovely set of high quality shadows. Love it. 5 stars.

KEVYN AUCOIN Emphasize Eye Design Palette, FocusedThis is a very nice eyeshadow palette that applies well. There is a good color payoff and a good mix of satins and mattes. The packaging overwhelms the product though - it is really big and bulky compared to the amount of product you get. It isn't the best for traveling or slipping into your purse. The compact does have a nice mirror and it also comes with a liquid shadow in copper.Mattes:Natural - ivory cream - perfect as a base or highlighterSpice - light brown - good for the crease - blends easilyCocoa - deep brown - perfect for a liner or smokey eye.Shimmer/SatinPenny - coppery/brown gold - nice for center of the lid for a deep smokey lookChampagne - light gold - excellent for the center of the eyelid or to highlightLiquid ShadowCopper - this could be used on its own for a quick look

The pan that holds the shade “penny” came unglued at some point and arrived to me sliding around inside the palette. It messed up some of the other shadows a little bit, but I was able to clean up the palette and glue the pan back in place. Certainly not what one would expect to have to do given the price point. That being said, I’m not at all confident taking this palette with me when I travel. Too bad, because it would be a great one for travel otherwise. The shadows are very soft and easy to blend. This is a more toned down color story though. I was able to quickly create very soft beautiful looks, but nothing show-stopping. The copper liquid eyeshadow does ramp up the look a little bit, but I’m not a huge fan of the KA liquid eyeshadow formula. So most of my looks that I created didn’t use it. The one thing that I really wish this palette had, is a deepening shade. This palette has almost no depth. I had to reach for a dark brown from another palette to complete my look every time. Overall, this is an alright palette, but it feels a bit overpriced given the palette’s arrival condition and the lack of depth in the color story.

I tend to gravitate towards browns and natural colors due to my red hair and freckled complexion but this set it costly for the amount of makeup you get.It is unnecessarily large for the contents and therefore not the best "for traveling" it also doesn't include the application brush which would be helpful not to have to carry them separately.Lastly, although I love foil shadow, it is definitely a little too bold for my taste!