I’ve never been particularly interested in Huda beauty as a brand for two reasons. One - it just seemed like a very do it for the ‘gram/click bait brand. Two (and the main reason) - because...I never watched Huda on YouTube. I know, I know - where have I been?
As someone who found a real connection to others through the beauty space on YouTube, it’s odd that I didn’t follow Huda. The reason is simple - the platform seemed to (almost overnight) become oversaturated with content creators, especially when it came to the beauty hemisphere. And while I stayed loyal to the “gurus” that I had been following for years, I shied away from subscribing to new content creators out of fear that I wouldn’t quite connect the same way that I had with the familiar faces that filled my subscription box.
But I was really wrong.
On January 3rd, Business of Fashion podcast uploaded a motivational speech that Huda Kattan gave at Voices 2018. The message was simple - there is power in being yourself.
It’s not mind blowing or anything we haven’t collectively heard before. But as Huda shared her story about her journey with makeup and anecdotes about her childhood and coming to accept herself as a self proclaimed “weirdo,” something just struck a chord with me.
Wasn’t I that weirdo who too played with makeup as a form of self expression, as a way of connecting with the world that accepting not only my true self, but the long arduous journey to my own accepting of myself?
The New Nude palette had already been floating around the social media platforms and was a big seller during the holidays. Having tried some of the Obsessions palettes, I wasn’t particularly sold on the brand or their existing formulas. What pushed me, though, to finally pull the trigger was not only intrigue regarding the new formula of speckled shimmers, but also regarding a creator who keeps striving to push the limits. Someone I could relate to and believe in.
So here is some research along with my thoughts on the palette.
Shades - Fantasy, Crave, Teddy, Love Bite, and Tease; Marc Jacobs Beauty - Enarmored Lip Gloss Stick in Mocha Choca Latte
I did a lot of research into the New Nude palette before spending my hard earned Sephora VIB Rouge $100 rewards on it. I watched multiple reviews and of course went directly to the source for a real education - Huda Karan’s overview and tutorial video.
She starts off the video with a bit of an origin story for the palette, redefining the term “nude” which at one point represented photos that women would send to men to (as Huda says) “being sexy for yourself.” It’s a palette about being able to “experiment, express, and empower yourself.”
It’s a beautiful message especially in our current climate, but the name is quite deceptive as many people thought this would be a neutral palette. One look at the palette and you can see that it is filled with pinks and Huda says that even the matte brown shades are slightly more pink.
This is where information and education about a product is crucial. I would definitely have to agree that all the shades (not just the browns) run pink. The actual pink shades are even more pink than they appear in the pan. But having watched her video, I was prepared for this.
Huda goes on to explain the concealer that is included in the lower left pan in the palette. She claims that it is slightly opaque, slightly transparent, amazing to use before applying eyeshadow, which will make the color pop and works on every skin tone. My eyebrows merged with my hairline at this claim; there are so many products out there that claim to be all inclusive. But if the last two years have taught us anything it’s that the beauty world and brands that make up most of it still have a ways to go to be truly all inclusive.
Later during the tutorial, Huda herself admits that the concealer runs ashy on her lids but supplements this statement by saying that this concealer is not meant to be worn as a stand alone concealer, but more a base for the eyeshadow.
My first thought when I heard a concealer was being included in an eyeshadow palette was “why?”
Personally, I don’t think this is a great concealer. It isn’t opaque enough to cut a crease or cover any pigmentation on the eyelid. I also find that the shadows apply beautiful on the lid without a base. For the hefty price tag of this palette, that one pan is valuable real estate that could have been better used for a dark shade or another speckled shimmer (more on these later). Personally I feel that this was a misused opportunity.
But since this concealer isn’t going anywhere, I wish there was a cover for it so that it wouldn’t collect the kick back from the surrounding shades.
Now for the palette and formulas themselves.
The matte shades are a good formula. There is a kick back in the pan, but nothing out of the normal. They are quite pigmented so make sure not to pick up too much/tap off the excess. As mentioned before, all the shades run pink. Even the lightest “nude” shade and the darkest “berry” shade. My biggest qualm with the matte shades is that there is no depth in color. The palette really lacks a dark shade (like a rich brown) and I find that some of the mid-toned shades come off very very close to each other.
The glitters, as Huda explained, were in the Desert Dusk palette; however, they were reformulated for this palette to be more creamy and pigmented. While they are creamy when dipping your finger into the pan, the pigmentation doesn’t come through unless they are pressed onto the eyelid (definitely not swiped). There is definitely fall out, so make sure to put down a layer of powder or do your base after your eyes. And to get true opacity, I think you’d need a glitter glue of some sort. These were a bit of a miss for me because while the colors were pretty, I again felt like these shades would have acted beautifully in the speckled shimmer or classic shimmer formulas.
There wasn’t much to say about the classic shimmer shade (titled Kinky) other than it performs exactly as you expect. The shade unfortunately felt like a bit of an afterthought. I think a rich milk chocolate shimmer or even a dark berry would have been an interesting addition to the palette.
Now the real star of the show is the new speckled shimmer formula. WOW. If I’m being completely honest, these speckled shimmers were the final push I needed to purchase this palette. They are everything Huda claims them to be - “luxurious...hint of pigment, shimmers, chunks of iridescent, creamy and intense, unparalleled.” Truly unparalleled. If Huda decided she wanted to release a palette called “SPECKLED” and it was filled with a range of shades in this formula I wouldn’t, for a second, hesitate.
They are truly beautiful and definitely best applied with a finger. They glide on with true opacity and are a dream. The only catch is, because it is best applied with a finger, getting the smaller details can be a bit tricky. Knowing this, Huda created a new tool called the Fender Blender.
The Fender Blender is a dual ended tool that is supposed to aid with application of all the formulas. On one end there is a flexible felt tip application (like the ones that come in small palettes). On the other end, there is a small, flat triangular application made of silicone. This end is supposed to pick up products like a finger would but is useful for small, detail work.
Huda used both ends in her tutorial and while the felt tip side seems a bit useless, the triangular silicone end is truly innovative and really the only one of its kind. It is unfortunate that this tool is available online only. There were two other dual ended brushes that were released (online only) with this palette but nothing that most likely already exists in your brush arsenal.
All in all I would say if you are drawn to pink shades and shimmers, this palette is for you. But for the hefty price tag, I wish the breath of shades offered was a bit wider and that perhaps the silicone applicator was provided with the palette. Having said all that, the colors are fun and the matte shades are wearable on an everyday basis and definitely have longevity.
It’s definitely a fun palette to play with and I did manage to use this palette as an everyday shade (sticking to the more neutral pinks as all over washes of color). But I’m excited to take a break from it or to pair it with another palette to create more dimensional looks.
Shades - Excite, Love Bite, Spank, Raw; Lips - Marc Jacobs Beauty - Enamored Lip Gloss Stick in Black Cherry Baby