LA Splash Golden Gatsby palette review

The LA Splash Golden Gatsby palette was an impulse buy. There, I said it; I spotted it in some YouTube video I was watching and became besotted with it. For its color theory? Maybe because of the brand? Because it can offer me a whole range of colors that I don't already have? No, to all of these. I just loved the aesthetic of the film and of the palette, and the moss green shade intrigued me. I'm not crazy about colors in general- I only wear black, my style is very muted earthy-toned and most of my makeup is brown or mauve- so technically the palette was an investment.

I'd pretty much never heard of LA Splash before, but I was happy to discover that it's available in Europe through Beauty Bay. This little detail meant that I didn't have to worry about customs taxes and I didn't have to wait an eternity for it to find its way to me in the midlands of Ireland. The palette itself cost me €25 which I find perfectly reasonable, and that's the bar for free shipping, so I was pretty happy- in Ireland, shipping costs can be high.

So, is the palette a must for your collection? Absolutely.

packaging

Ok, so we know that the packaging and theme were a huge reason for why I bought the palette. I always say that makeup should be an experience; it should be as fun to wear as to apply, and packaging is part of that. The Golden Gatsby palette arrives in a gorgeous rose gold sleeve, embossed with the typical art deco style of the 1920s that the novel is set in. A particular detail that I particularly appreciate on this sleeve is the list of the shade names and the definition of what the cocktail or word is. I never keep the packaging of my makeup, but this is the exception. The palette itself is a sturdy cardboard, matte black with the same quintessential art deco pattern in rose gold foil. It is absolutely stunning and stands out in my collection.

The shadows are set in a matching rose gold tray, the pans rimmed with the same black matte as the cover. For those who like having a mirror in their eyeshadow palettes; you'll be delighted with the addition. Honestly, I've heard very little about LA Splash as a brand but I've been so impressed by the amount of detail on the palette design alone that I'll keep it on my radar from now on.

shade selection

The color theory in the Golden Gatsby palette is an interesting one. Between the mattes and the foils; the white of French 75, the black of Speakeasy and Highball the transition shade, it's a palette that offers several options in terms of looks.

I love how I can just grab the palette and create something really simple as I get ready for work at 5am, or something bit more glamorous when I have a little more time.

The green of Mint Julep is something completely unique to my collection, and I love how it has inspired (and terrified) me to contemplate playing with color.

top row

The top row of the Golden Gatsby palette consists of a variety of mattes.

French 75: this ultra-pigmented white is easy to layer to create a strong white base on your eyelid, and the ultimate base to make other shadows applied over it pop!

Mary Pickford: this pretty pink comes out a bit caramel-y on the skin and has proven to be quite an interesting addition to my collection as I try to figure out where to put it.

Highball: I use this light brown as my transition shade. Not too dark, it's just perfect.

Old Fashioned: when it comes to deepening the outer corner of my eyes, this is the shadow that I start with.

Mint Julep: the green that drew me in! It has inspired a lot of experimentation for sure. Easy enough to blend and easy to layer up, it's the most unique shade that I have.

bottom row

The bottow row of the Golden Gatsby palette consists of four foiled pans and a matte black for detail work.

Hotsy-totsy: what a gorgeous pink/rose gold foil shadow. It reminds me a lot of Au Team from ColourPop's Good As Gold Palette in texture and application. I love to layer it over pretty pink Mary Pickford for an extra pop of glamour on the lid.

Ritzy: a gold foil, beautifully pigmented and soft.

Sheba: deep copper foil shadow. Matches my hair perfectly.

Zozzled: this dark green shadow with flecks of gold glitter is less of a foil and more of a shimmer in my opinion. I still apply it with my finger, but I like to blend it out with a fluffy brush in my crease to lighten it up just a little bit. It's a bit too dark for my eyelid, but I like to pop it on top of Speakeasy or Old Fashioned as a transforming shade.

Speakeasy: a matte black that completes the palette, Speakeasy is very pigmented, perfect for deepening any crease.

pigmentation, formula & blend

Oh boy, is there a lot of fallout and kickback from the mattes in the Golden Gatsby palette. Even tapping your brush lightly into a shadow will create a significant amount of loose product sitting in the pan. Make sure to tap off excess powder before touching your face, especially if you're playing with darker shades! Regardless of how much you tap, you'll still get some fallout on your face, but with a fluffy brush and a light hand it's easily fixed.

For a €25, LA Splash has a pretty good formula. Both mattes and foils are pigmented (French 75 is the most opaque that I've ever seen for a white shadow). The only downside of the formula is how much work is needed to blend. Because the mattes are so powdery, I wouldn't recommend using an eyeshadow primer. The shadows are long-wearing, and French 75 works wonders if you want a strong base to make other shades pop. I can only imagine using a primer would make blending even more treacherous. I found that the foils apply best with a finger, and don't require too much work.

In all, I really like the LA Splash Golden Gatsby palette. I can tell that it's not going to be a staple palette that I reach for every day, but there's a lot of potential for the green shade. It takes a bit of work to blend everything smoothly, but it doesn't make me want to pull my hair out.

Have you tried any product from LA Splash? Make sure to follow my Instagram @lapetitemis to see if I review other products from the Golden Gatsby collection!