The flood of new makeup releases has been in full force lately, and although I’m trying to be more selective with my makeup (this definitely applies to eyeshadow palettes) the Lime Crime Venus XL 2 Palette made me do a double take. I know I’m not alone when I say I’m SO happy to see more neutral and cool-tone releases vs the oversaturated market of warm-toned eyeshadow palettes. Been there, done that.. ready for a fresh take on color stories (if thats even possible with the amount of eyeshadow palettes available)!
These shades are earthy and grungy and offer a different color story than any other palette I’ve seen. I love that as a sequel to the original Venus XL palette, it’s completely different. While I didn’t own the first Venus XL palette, I did try out the Venus 3 and felt… so-so about it. I liked that they included purple tones but didn’t love the formula. I think the XL 2 palette is so much better formula wise with the exception of 2 shades. Crown and Thorn kind of hard-panned after just a few uses (my same complaints with Venus 3).
Venus XL 2 offers 4 different textures; matte, metallic, foil and sheer iridescent. The mattes shades are GREAT and I usually switch between In Bloom and Sage as my transition/crease color and come up with totally different, unique looks each time. Both the metallic and foil shades are buttery smooth and creamy and give a solid color payoff. The sheer iridescent shades surprised me. I don’t normally gravitate towards these types of eyeshadows but these ones are pretty good. If you’re going in expecting an opaque, bold finish, you’ll be disappointed but if you enjoy a sheer, shiny, eyeshadow topper, you’ll like these. I also feel like a few of them have a duo-chrome kind of finish and show up differently than they appear in the pan.
Overall this is a solid palette that includes several unique shades that we don’t see too often. Whether you prefer an everyday neutral palette or like to add a few easy to wear pops of color, you’ll enjoy this. As with all of Lime Crime’s products, this is cruelty-free and vegan. Tried this palette out? Leave your thoughts in the comments. Xo.
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Disclaimer ::: As always, my reviews are not paid and are based on my own opinion, personal use and results.
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These are seriously beautiful shades. Great review!
I agree. Thank you so much!!
Fantastic review! The swatches look gorgeous😍
Thank you so much!! 🙂💕
This is on my wishlist to get from Ulta.