Louise Young Essential Eyeshadow Palette

This interesting matte eye shadow palette was created by UK-based makeup artist Louise Young who has already made quite a name for herself through her line of high-quality makeup brushes.The  Essential Eyeshadow Palette is currently the only color product Louise Young is offering, but based on my impression from this kit I hope that at some point she will release more.

Louise Young Essential Eyeshadow Palette includes five matte colors: Ting (a warm white), Maowi (a very light cool taupe), Pom Pom (cocoa), Black Bear (true black) and Sislet (an almost brick orange brown). Ting, the whitish color didn't show up on my arm but it does show on the lid, though more as a base color for evening out the lid and brightening the skin just a little, and not as a true highlighter. The texture of all the shadows is very fine and light, they're easier to apply and blend than many matte products and can be sheered or darkened according to the desired intensity. Maowi is a an excellent color for all over blending: I use it to diffuse other shades and get a more natural look, no matter what else I'm wearing. I foresee this one will be gone before the other pans in this Louise Young Essential Eyeshadow Palette, though all are serious workhorses. I find myself reaching for it as a support for many makeup looks that include other flashier eye shadows.

Of course, the Louise Young Essential Eyeshadow Palette is perfectly wonderful on its own and can go from an almost nude daytime look to an impressive smoky eye. I highly recommend using a good primer underneath, because then you can count on these eye shadows to last in full intensity and not budge all day long. Without a primer, the fine matte texture tends to gradually fade by early afternoon. The brush that comes in the palette is sturdy but too small and inflexible to do much work. Ir reminds me of the brushes that used to come with some of Bobbi Brown's better palettes. I use it for lining and in a pinch, to fill eyebrows.

Bottom Line: Louise Young wasn't kidding when she named it "Essential".

Louise Young Essential Eyeshadow Palette (£30.00, about $47 in the current exchange rate) is available from louiseyoungcosmetics.com. They ship to everywhere in the world.