Happy Tuesday! Today I’m sharing my One Week, One Palette review on the IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Romantics palette. This was the first week where I really struggled with a palette, so I hope my review can help you make a decision on if you’d like to try this or one of the other Naturally Pretty palettes.

I was initially drawn to this palette because of the range in depth of shades and the overall springtime feel. I liked the idea that this palette has all the shades you need for truly neutral looks, ranging from more brown, gray, or navy-based neutrals, as well as a range of shades that would create beautiful pink and purple gradients. (The pistachio color, Tranquility, is a wild card in my opinion – I would replace it with a more mid-toned warmer brown or a brighter pink.)

I’ve used this palette a handful of times in the past, but even right after I purchased it I kept finding myself gravitating toward other shadows. I really prefer a palette with a good mix of matte and shimmer shades, and this one is really all matte – including the “transforming pearl” shade that really just has the slightest bit of sheen to it. On the bright side, this is a decent palette to grab to frame looks with your shimmery singles or Colourpop Super Shock Shadows.

I ended up using this palette for the full seven days since Easter weekend ended up being pretty busy, whereas usually I only wear makeup for 5, sometimes 6 days in each week. On the first day I picked this out (Saturday), I started to understand how people must have felt when they were trying to get the Subculture palette to work for them. Things were dusting away when I tried to layer shades, nothing was blending together very well, and it took about double the time a similar look would take using another palette. I topped the pinks and purple mattes off with a glittery Super Shock Shadow and prayed it would distract from any off blending.

Honestly, this was my most successful look of the week. From there, I ended up with a very subtle look on Sunday that I didn’t even photograph. On Sunday night, I watched a few YouTube videos of tutorials from this palette (there honestly aren’t many out there), and I noticed that people in the videos were having similar issues to mine, even if they said they liked the palette and didn’t mention any difficulty.

I tried for a more smoky look on Monday, but the lower lashline ended up getting too blown out, so I ended up looking a little tired – this is where I learned it’s best to only use this for the upper lid. It ended up okay, but again – I could create this look so much more easily with a different palette.

The next day, I took what I’d learned and didn’t use the palette on my lower lashline. This was another favorite look out of the week.

Unfortunately, the rest of the week I ended up either just accepting I was going to have a very natural look (partially because the shadows just blended away) or was going to distract from a less-than-ideal look with a deep lip (and a little more blush than I intended).

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this palette. I love a more powdery formula, but I don’t feel like there’s enough binding the pigments together to make them stay on the eye and blend together. The shades are really nice, and hit the notes for all my favorite looks, but they don’t perform like I need them to – no matter what primer or shadow bases I used. Not only do they not last throughout the day, but they don’t apply well to start with. I am thinking that I will eventually declutter this palette, but possibly save a few shades if I’m able to de-pot them.

What’s a palette that you really wanted to love, but couldn’t make work? Did this palette work well for you? What am I doing wrong?! Share your thoughts in the comments below!

– Natalie

P.S. Here’s some referral links to some of my favorite sites. Use if you’d like!

• Ebates – This is a great way to earn cash back from online shopping (that you’re already doing) at many of your favorite stores! (Including Sephora & Ulta!) If you join through this link and make a purchase of $25 or more, you’ll get an extra $10 cash back and I’ll get $15, as well as your own referral code.
• thredUP – I love using thredUP to clean out my closet and shop for new pieces at a discounted price – sometimes they’re even brand new with tags! When you join thredUP through this link, you get $10 to spend and I get $10 to shop after you place your first order.
• StitchFix – This is a great way to try out some new items for your closet, without the hassle of going to the stores and the bonus of a personal stylist. If you sign up with this link, you’ll get a FREE styling fee (usually $20) on your first Fix, and I’ll get $25 credit once it ships.