Shu Uemura is a brand I've had on my mental wishlist for years but for one reason or another I never made the leap to purchase something from the Japanese brand. Recently Gilt City had a 30% promotion and I saw this limited edition palette was discounted from $65 to $45. With both discounts combined, I only paid about $32 for six eyeshadows and the palette.
Shu Uemura eyeshadows are sold individually for $15 each and the empty quad custom cases are $14 so this was a steal too good for me to pass up.
This palette is limited edition but all of the shades are permanent except the matte cream color. From left to right, the other shades are M dark brown 896, M medium brown 863, ME brown 856, M soft brown 851 and G beige 821. The M signifies matte, ME for metallic and G for glitter. Each shadow is 1 gram, a bit smaller than the standard 1.5 grams. The shadows easily slide out of the side of the compact which I find very helpful in case I want to interchange shadows or blushes.
Above are swatches of the four middle shadows. All of the shadows are creamy and pigmented. They remind me a lot of Laura Mercier eyeshadows which I love. You can't tell in my swatches but the glittery gold shadow is actually very reflective and sparkly. Usually I shy away from glitter but this one is something special. The gold base is very sheer which allows the sparkles to shine through. It's so beautiful in real life on the eyelids and the best part? No fall out!
The shadow that made me add this palette to my cart was ME brown 856 which is a well-known taupe amongst taupe eyeshadow lovers. But it's actually the mattes that I have been reaching for frequently. The taupe will be more appropriate in the upcoming fall months but for now the mattes have been a dream to work with and the glitter shade a nice surprise.
I'm thoroughly pleased with this eyeshadow palette and I'm sad to report it's unavailable for purchase as a set. You can still purchase these shadows individually and I'm certain I will add more Shu Uemura shadows to my collection in the future. I'm amazed not many bloggers and Youtubers talk about Shu Uemura aside from the famed lash curler. These are top notch and deserve a mention! Let me know if you've tried Shu Uemura makeup and what your favorites are!