Review: Palladio Cosmetics (eyes and lips edition)

If you're like me, Palladio is one of those brands that I see at Sally Beauty and think, "I should really try more of their products." Palladio seems to be best known for its extremely popular line of rice powder products, but truly, there is much more to offer from this budget-friendly brand.

I was lucky enough to receive an assortment of Palladio cosmetics recently and I'd like to show you some of my favorites!

First let's start with Palladio Baked Collection Eye Shadows (retail: $8).

The shades I received are "Plums" and "Metallics":

Here are some swatches on the back of my hand:

I tried so hard to capture the gorgeous shimmer of these shades, but I just couldn't quite nail it. Really, you need to see these in person to appreciate how lovely they are.

I have to say, I've been wearing these shadows in various combos for several weeks now, and I am delighted with their performance. They blend like a DREAM, and it's pretty effortless to achieve a gorgeous eye look using either one of these trios. My personal favorite is the "Metallics" trio because the gold, bronze and deep brown shades are just so darn wearable. They're not over-the-top shimmery but they definitely add some shimmer to an otherwise ordinary and safe-for-work eye look. I just can't stop wearing these shades on a daily basis because I love that there's no thought involved. Apply the middle color from lashline to crease, the light gold on your brow bone and the dark brown in your crease or just the outer corners of your eye, give them a good blend with a fluffy blender brush and you are DONE. Perfectly polished and ready to go. Love!

The staying power of these trios is pretty darn good as well. Of course they're even better with a good primer, but I was able to get a good 4-5 hours of wear from these shadows without fading or creasing even when I didn't use a primer. I love these trios so much that I haven't even experimented with using them wet yet. I just love the way they blend when applied dry, so I've had no need to use them any other way.

Next we have Palladio Plump 'n' Shine Herbal Plumping Lip Gloss (retail: $6).

The shade I received is "Frosting":

In the tube, this is a gorgeous shade of light creamy peach with very subtle sparkle. On my lips, however, it wears more like a creamy, almost colorless, nude with sparkle.

I love the brush applicator and the formula itself? Fantastic! Over the last several months (probably due to writing this blog) I have become more of a lipgloss fan than I have ever been at any other time of my life. I've probably used more glosses in the last six months than I have in the last six years! So I know what I like in a gloss and what I don't like, and this gloss has lots of the things I look for. Consistency: perfection. It's not too thick and goopy, yet not too thin and runny. Stickiness: also perfection. For me, I like something that's just sticky enough to stay on my lips for a while, but not so sticky that a slight gust of wind will send my long hair directly onto my lips like a magnet. I might get one or two stay hairs stuck on my lips when I wear this, but it's nothing like, say, a MAC gloss.

Also, this gloss is SUPER moisturizing and it's got a great minty flavor and zing to it. As for the plumping properties, it's not as heavy-duty as other pluming glosses, but I do feel the zing of the mint and my lips look a teeeeny bit more full when I wear this. I cannot wait to check out the colors available because I really love the staying power, brush and consistency of this gloss.

Next we have Palladio Herbal Tinted Lip Balm (retail: $5).

The shade I received is "Bronzy Pink":

The above swatches were taken with and without flash--I tried to capture what the shade looks like in various forms of lighting because I've got to say, this balm is quite the little chameleon! At first swipe, I thought it was a frosty light bronzy-pink (just as the name implies) but then in different forms of lighting, you get more pigment and less frost. It changes while you wear it, and I kind of like that!

It really bums me out that I can't capture how truly pretty this shade is with my camera. But Palladio really nailed it with the name Bronzy Pink because it is the perfect combination of bronze and pink. If you can't wear bronzes or your can't wear pinks, you should consider getting this shade because it's a great hybrid of the two.

Also, I love the formula of this balm. It's smooooth, it's not heavy, yet it's extremely moisturizing. Also, it's got a faint vanilla flavor and fragrance to it, which makes it even more fun to wear. It's definitely one of those "out the door in 2 seconds flat" types of lip color that you can use when you just need a quick shot of color on your lips before you're heading out to work or to the store.

And last but certainly not least, we have Palladio Lip Ink (retail: $6).

As some of you might recall, I am a huge lipstain fan. But I do take issue with lipstains that come in a felt-tip delivery system because they tend to dry out more easily than lipstains that come in a wand or brush form. Also, the pen-type lipstains can apply inconsistently (as I experienced with CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain) so I really wasn't expecting much with Palladio Lip Ink.

I'm pleased to tell you that Palladio Lip Ink far exceeded my expectations. First, the color of the actual stain is exactly what I was expecting it to be. I wanted a light-medium rosy pink that's not too warm and not too cool, and that's exactly what this is. Also, due to the smaller size of the pen itself, unlike the CoverGirl version, this pen doesn't dry out in the middle of application. The felt tip stays saturating the entire time you're using it.

The flavor of this product does have that distinctive, almost bitter taste that ALL lip stains have (heck, even my beloved Vincent Longo lipstain tastes icky for a nanosecond) but after that slight bitterness disappears--about three seconds after application--Palladio Lip Ink tastes and smells like watermelon! Yay!

As for the staying power, I am very happy to report that, for me, this product outlasts Outlast! Yep, it stays on my lips for probably a good 2-3 hours longer than CoverGirl Outlast. And, like Outlast, it is not drying to my lips at all. I definitely need additional colors of Palladio Lip Ink and, if you're a fan of lipstains, you should definitely check these out.

As I mentioned earlier, Palladio cosmetics can be found at your local Sally Beauty, where products often go on sale (and you can always get a good deal by using your Sally card as well). Palladio is also available online.

So what's your favorite Palladio product? Is there another fabulous product I should know about? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and gratis samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.