While I have reservations about the original Too Faced Chocolate Bar (loved it, purged it, repurchased it, purged it again...) due to dupes in my current stash, the Too Faced Bon Bons Palette ($49) gets all of my love and more.
First of all, it is simultaneously more neutral/office appropriate AND smokey/dramatic. There are great crease shades, a lot of pink-purple tones, and Earl Grey is actually a very pigmented cool toned grey that leans a bit green or blue depending on the lighting. There are absolutely no duds in this palette, which was hard to determine from online swatches and washed out publicity photos.
Once you get past the kiddie packaging, it's a very portable and travel friendly case with magnetic closure. Like the rest of the Chocolate Bar venture, this palette smells like chocolate.
Here's a picture with the truest pan color that I could capture with my shoddy phone. The heart shapes don't make it hard to poke a brush in. However, you should be careful of fallout since certain shades are very soft.
The matte shades for blending & transitions are smooth, medium-pigmentation, not too chalky or dry, and minimal fallout. Too Faced mattes are not my favorite but they get the job done.
- Almond Truffle- a neutral taupe brown. This one is my favorite out of the bunch.
- Cashew Chew- A light cool beige that makes a good first layer before laying down more colors.
- Pecan Praline- A cool grey/brown that makes a great transition for pink or purple looks.
- Mocha- A warm brown that warms up any look when positioned in the crease.
- Divinity- A matte (almost sheeny) bone beige that's great for the arch of your eyebrows.
The shimmery lid shades in this palette are too DIE for. I like my Urban Decay Naked 3, but I like this palette more for a variety of looks. All of these have varying degrees of "softness", but a quick tap of the brush means no fallout on my face.
- Satin Sheets- A light rose gold that can be placed on the mobile lid or inner corner. This one is stunning.
- Sprinkles- A light coral pink- my favorite!
- Molasses Chip- A shimmering bronze that's perfect for one and done looks.
- Cotton Candy- A brighter neutral pink that should be paired with Sprinkles and Totally Fetch for a Valentine's day look.
- Cafe Au Lait- This one may look grey in pan, but it's a shimmery light pewter on my skin.
Finally, there are some huge hits for outer v or lashline definition in this palette. There are no rules here, so some of you may love these directly on your lids.
- Malted- A deep neutral brown with a hint of shimmer.
- Bordeaux- A sheeny deep warm brown. I love colors like these.
- Black Currant- A sparkly purple. I love this one paired with cooler lid shades or pink tones!
- Dark Truffle- A very deep and shimmery neutral brown. Perfect for blown out looks.
- Totally Fetch- This one looks intimidating, but it goes on sheer and layers up depending on your blending. I like it in the outer v.
- Earl Grey- A teal grey. Absolutely stunning. What I thought to be the palette's black sheep/dud was actually a pleasant surprise.
I've done swatches from right to left, top to bottom for the Bon Bons. Please don't be discouraged by the seemingly light pigmentation on my skin. My arm is currently at NC30-35 and this palette caters to fair- light medium skin.
This is artificial lighting.
With flash.
Natural (gloomy) lighting.
Is it mind blowing? Not by a long shot. However, I can see this palette being the perfect complement to those who can appreciate both ultra feminine and grunge looks. They are not *ultra* pigmented shadows and blend very easily, making this the perfect starter palette for young makeup users. If you're a fan of very pigmented eyeshadows with a lot of grip (think MUFE), you'll absolutely hate this one.
I think it's very similar to the Tarte Tartelette in Bloom and don't need to be purchased unless you're a makeup hoarder (like me.) That's not to say that this palette is mediocre. I think it's very reliable product yet still unique in its color scheme. In fact, I think it's a lot more unique than the original Chocolate Bar. It's as if Tartelette in Bloom had a baby with Naked 3, and the baby turned out to be a kitschy sucker that you can bring anywhere.
xo Be
