Huda Beauty: Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette

Hi my loves!

I just got back from a beautiful vacation in Italy for over two weeks and the perfect thing had arrived to cheer me up from missing Italy so much… the NEW Huda Beauty “Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette“. I had seen photos of it before it arrived so I was super excited about it to begin with but honestly, it’s truly even more breathtaking in person. All of the details and just how the colours all compliment each other… no words! Truly a work of Art. It just launched today and you can purchase it on Sephora USA/CAD websites! (also available at Harrods, Self ridges, in the UAE at Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Center & Yas Mall / across Europe at selected retailers).

It retails for USD$65.00//CAD$85.00. (It is the same price as their previous “Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette” which I have my review linked if you click on it to see comparisons!) It is a steep price for an eyeshadow palette but it is a high-end palette with outstanding quality. I am a total supporter of affordable great makeup but I really do think this palette is worth the price tag!

I really love the cover of the palette! Unlike the Rose Gold one that had a see-through cover, this one has a beautiful image of her eyes with some metallic detailing. Another benefit of this palette not having a see-through cover is that they included a MIRROR in this one! I know a lot of people complained about her other palette not including a mirror so the good news is that this one DOES include a high-quality mirror and the price-tag is the same! Woo.

On the Sephora website, there is an excerpt from Huda herself talking about the palette that I will include here:

“Our second palette is filled with vibrant, highly-pigmented shades that reflect the exotic landscape of the Arabian desert around us. We’ve introduced three new formulas to reflect all its dazzling mystery and charm, in particular the iridescent duo-chrome formulas just completely capture the mysterious desert mirages. I spent so much time to ensure that every shade was absolutely perfect, and every color is so special to me. It was also really important to me that we take all our knowledge and feedback from our first palette, and create something that would showcase our growing experience and knowledge.“- Huda Kattan

I really think they did do a great job taking the feedback from their first palette and showcasing their knowledge into the new one. Having now played with both palettes I can definitely see a lot of improvement in the new one. Some of the textured shades in the Rose Gold palette were a bit more difficult for the average consumer to work with and I see they made the shimmers a bit easier to work with. I also noticed the mattes in this palette were much more blend-able and just overall easier to work with. Another major plus is the included mirror, although I did like seeing the shades through the clear top cover in their other palette, I much prefer having a nice big mirror included in this palette especially for travel purposes!

This palette contains 18 shadows in total:
– 8 x Matte Eyeshadows in Blazing, Saffron, Amethyst, Oud, Amber, Eden, Musk, and Desert Sand.
– 6 x Pressed Pearl Eyeshadows in Turkish Delight, Angelic, Cashmere, Royal, Nefertiti, and Blood Moon.
– 3 x Duo-Chrome Topper Eyeshadows in Retrograde, Twilight, and Celestial.
– 1 x Pure Glitter Eyeshadow in Cosmo

Now for the swatches. I did NOT use any primer for them just to show you how they swatch in their natural state BUT I do recommend using a primer in general as I always do when applying any eyeshadow and especially for the glitter/metallic shades!

First Row, left to right:

Desert Sand (matte): creamy nude with yellow undertone

Musk (matte): cool-toned brown/grey

Eden (matte): soft pastel peach

Amber (matte): rich terracotta 

Blood Moon (pressed pearl): bright copper

Oud (matte): rich chocolate brown

Second Row, left to right:

Celestial (duo-chrome topper): pinky peach with gold and pink reflects

Nefertiti (pressed pearl): soft champagne with gold flecks 

Twilight (duo-chrome topper): pinky purple with light blue reflects

Amethyst (matte): radiant purple with pink undertones

Royal (pressed pearl): plum with soft pink reflects

Retrograde (duo-chrome topper): mauve based with green reflects

Third Row, left to right:

Cashmere (pressed pearl): taupe with silver 

Angelic (pressed pearl): pink with gold

Cosmo (pure glitter): rich copper glitter

Turkish Delight (pressed pearl): red berry 

Saffron (matte): rich red berry 

Blazing (matte): deep pumpkin orange 

As you can see from the swatches, the shadows are super pigmented and beautiful! I love that she added a new formula which is the duo-chrome toppers. They’re soo beautiful! Overall, I’m super in love with this palette and I definitely think they did an outstanding job on this new palette! From the packaging to the formulas and just the overall shade selection, everything just works and you can see the hard work and thought they put into this palette! Let me know your thoughts on the new Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette and if you snagged one for yourself! Don’t forget to check out my other review on their first palette so you can compare them for yourselves!

XO Julia ❤