Hi babes! I'm back with a makeup review of a Close Brussels eyeshadow palette. Close Brussels is the in-house beauty brand of Planet Parfum, and every time I try any of their products I tend to be pleasantly surprised. I'm a big fan of their budget-friendly Silky, Milky Superstar makeup remover, and they have some of the best affordable yet long lasting nail polishes. Still, affordable brands rarely do mostly matte eyeshadow palettes well, so I was curious to see how this particular product performed.
Peaked your interest yet?
The Close Brussels Midi eyeshadow palette consists of a typical Urban Decay Naked palette type lay out, boasting twelve muted, neutral shades of which four are shimmery and the eight others are matte. The shade range reminds me of palettes like ABH's Soft Glam and UD's Naked 3, but the shades are lighter. Definitely not a palette that I'd recommend if do not have a fair complexion. The palette also comes with a dual ended brush that is very usable, with a blending side and a fingertip type brush on the other end.
Swatches!
As I said the colours are definitely muted, neutral and light, but I was actually pleasantly surprised at how pigmented most of the matte shades were. The darker ones are a bit of a let down, but all the lighter shadows actually show up on my skin despite being almost the exact shade of my own arm. I also like how these mattes are not too firmly pressed.
Not a palette that I as a beauty customer would be head over heels with, because the colours are so subtle, but I can see this being very appealing to women who prefer a very natural look using a range of pretty shades that don't make you appear too made up.
But how do they perform on the lid? I created two very wearable looks trying to demonstrate the options you have with this palette.
First up, a very soft blended look that works great as a backdrop to a cat eye, using the lightest and darkest shades of the palette.
For this look, I first applied Urban Decay's Primer Potion because that's generally the way to go with more budget-friendly eyeshadows. Then I applied the darkest, rightmost shade in the palette along the crease and outer corner, and the very lightest shade (the one next to the gold) from the inner corner to the center of the lid. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the colours blended and how pigmented the lightest shade was. The darkest shade is a little sheer, but again, that's a matter of preference. Your everyday person will enjoy an eyeshadow palette that is more foolproof because the shades are a little more on the subtle side.
The second look I did is a little more vibrant, using the gold, the sparkly pink and the cranberry matte shade.
Again, I applied Primer Potion, and then I used the shimmery pink on the center of the lid, the gold in the inner corner, and the cranberry matte in the outer corner and the crease. The pink shade didn't really pop, but that's to be expected from such a neutral take on pink. None of the shimmers are super bright or glittery, so these definitely offer a subdued take on sparkle. Still, I quite like the look. I see this as a slightly more colourful but option to wear to work.
So yeah, in sum, I actually ended up appreciating this palette more than I expected. The palette is easy to use, very beginner/casual makeup wearer-friendly, and the range of colours is pretty. I wish there was at least one darker shade to create some more contrast, as the four super light shades on the left of the palette are definitely too similar to justify keeping all of them in there. Oh, and the palette is cruelty free, which might interest you!
Not a palette for my personal preferences, but definitely a cute palette that I'd recommend to beginners or people who want something soft and natural.
This palette is available at Planet Parfum for about €19. Hope you enjoyed the review!
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