Swatchfest #16: Lime Crime Venus XL II

I have a thing for problematic palettes 😂 This one flew under the radar of most and the reviews I found were negative so this palette was on my wishlist almost a year before I got crazy for Black Friday and bought if for myself as a birthday present.

Similar route I took with Subculture might I add... It was also a love at first sight, but I was scared to take the plunge due to mixed reviews and ended up buying it only later while it was on a sale😅.

What intrigued me about this palette was a unique grungy yet soft springtime color-story. Later in the year, green became successor of "pop of blue", and now pastels are getting their moment so this (late) purchase turns up to be a great addition to my collection.

Apart the color story, I also wanted to buy this palette to try out Lime Crime's formula and I must say that I am impressed. It's really nice and buttery, a tad too powdery for my taste, but blends effortlessly and typical crease shades such as In Bloom, Sage or Ripe actually appear darker on the skin then in the pan which I love. Palette also contains array of special shades such as metallics, foils and iridescent topper shades. I have to say that these toppers are my main stepping stone of this palette while they are at the same time the best thing about it. Let me explain...

After a few years of chasing most pigmented palettes, these sheer powders seemed like a cheap trick until I used them on my eyes over array of bases (coming back to you Subculture with your beautiful dark mattes). These iridescent shades are amazing for transforming your eyelooks, and all that little undefined sparkly shades become really pretty on the eye and I'm learning to appreciate them especially as I'm not all that into liquid eyeshadows that tend to provide the same shiny tiny glittery effect😂.

Also, interestingly, most compliments I received while wearing this palette was from my colleagues which define my makeup as too-much-to-pull-it-off themselves, but they loved eyelooks created using this palette so it shows that it taught me to step out of my bright comfort zone and wear more soft and feminine eyelooks. 

Lime Crime Venus XL II under natural light:

Lime Crime Venus XL II under direct sunlight:

Lime Crime Venus XL II swatches under natural light:

Lime Crime Venus XL II swatches under direct sunlight:

Final verdict: not worth the price, but those iridescent shades opened up a brand new world to me which makes this palette a valuable addition to my collection.

What was your favorite color trend of the year 2019?

If you have this palette, how do you like it?

*Item bought with my own hard earned cash,

With love,

atwiglikeme :)