Sample

Strobe Cosmetics Creepy Cute Palette ($35)

*Save 10% with affil code BEAUTYCULT

‘A palette of eight ultra saturated neon-pastel matte eyeshadows to satisfy all of your Creepy Cute fantasies. Our matte formula is soft, buttery, ultra pigmented, blendable, and long wearing.’

You guys have no idea how excited I am to finally have this palette! Chloe (owner and CEO of Strobe) and I have been talking about it for, no lie, two years. She would send me these pics of gorgeous swatches that I’d be losing my mind over. Then a week later she’d tell me that she scrapped them for some minor issue that the average person would never even notice. She’s worked so damn hard on these mattes and I’m so proud to finally see the finished result!

Okay so let’s get the stats out of the way and then we’ll get to the good stuff! I believe that the palette is permanent. Or at least I hope that it is. She’s been working on it for three years so I’d imagine that it’ll be around for awhile. It’s a cardboard palette with magnetic closures, a good sized mirror and lots of creepy cute details!

It has 8 full sized (1.5g) matte eyeshadows. And of course all Strobe products are cruelty free, vegan and paraben free. This palette does contain talc. Sorry but I have to do a sidebar here…

For some reason talc is being demonized recently. Probably due to a lawsuit where Johnson & Johnson paid out millions to a woman who developed ovarian cancer after using their baby powder for the better part of her lifetime. Talc is a naturally occurring mineral which isn’t carcinogenic. Nor does it ‘contain’ asbestos. Asbestos is also a mineral which can be found in close proximity to talc in the earth. Asbestos contaminated talc is considered unacceptable for cosmetic use by the FDA. I’ve heard it said that talc is a cheap ingredient which also isn’t true. I know from my friends in the cosmetic industry that talc can be very pricey. Viseart eyeshadows are made with talc. Same with Natasha Denona. Chloe is a close, personal friend of mine and she’s extremely ingredient conscious. She’s been in the industry for nearly decade and I’m 100% sure that she thoroughly researched each and every ingredient found in this palette. I’m not a chemist. Shit, I can barely tell my right hand from my left some days. So if this a concern for you, please don’t take my word for it. But make sure that you’re consulting valid medical journals or websites. We, bloggers, are a bunch of know-it-alls but most of us haven’t extensively studied chemistry. Phew!

Enough of that noise! Let’s look at some swatches!

Based on how it swatched, I could instantly tell that the pigmentation was bananas! The swatches were done without primer on my dry ass arm (but I did moisturize a few minutes beforehand). I wasn’t ready for the black… I feel confident in saying that it’s the blackity-est black I’ve ever seen. I went a little ham and got a bit of kick up on Take a Hint. That’s why it looks a little dark on the one side. These are some of the easiest mattes that I’ve ever swatched. They’re not built up, that’s just how pigmented they are.

I, 100%, recommend this palette! Every color is perfection. There’s not a dud in the bunch. They are, hands down, the best pastel mattes that I’ve ever used. As I’m sure you guys know, colors like this are notoriously difficult. If they’re not patchy or chalky, you have to layer them 47 times to get color pay off. But these are soooooooo good.

Tombstone is a true, mid-toned to deep gray. Gray isn’t generally a color that I gravitate towards but Tombstone pairs fantastically with these pastel shades.

Planchette is a lavender matte and one of the most impressive shades in the palette, imo. It’s the best matte lavender that I’ve ever used. The only thing that I can think to compare with is MUG Wisteria. And while I’m a HUGE fan of MUG, if Wisteria and Planchette were to get in to a street fight… Wisteria would get her ass handed to her.

Creep It Real is a minty green. It has excellent pigmentation and serious staying power.

Cold Shoulder is a matte sky blue. I don’t own anything else like it. This is such a unique palette. I know that I wouldn’t be able to dupe it and I have a ridiculous eyeshadow collection.

Strawberry Milk is a creamy matte pink and my second favorite shade in the palette. I like it for two reasons. 1- it’s neutral. It’s a perfect transition shade for warm or cool tones. 2- it’s stupid pigmented. I have a lot of light, matte pinks and I’ve grown accustomed to having to build them up a bit. No biggie. That’s just how pastels are, I thought. But no! Strawberry Milk is opaque in one layer. As you blend it sheers out a bit but not much.

Take a Hint is a soft chartreuse. This is a color that intimidates the shit out of me. But we’ve gotten to know each other and I’ve come to realize that she’s really not that scary! I’ve mostly been using Take a Hint on my lower lash line but it’s made it’s way into my crease a few times and I wasn’t mad about how it turned it. Look at me! Trying new things and taking risks and shit!

Void is so damn black. I was telling someone (can’t remember who) that if I were to break that eyeshadow over some carpeting, I would just move. It’s intense! But as long as you don’t plan on spiking your palette onto the living room rug, you have nothing to fear.

Third Eye is mid-toned, matte orange and my favorite shade in the palette That lower pic is ONE dip of Third Eye! ONE! I have no other makeup on, don’t fucking judge me. I’ve been having a really rough week and eyebrows weren’t high on my priority list but I had to post it anyway because holy shit! But yeah… that level of pigmentation for a pastel matte is mind boggling to me.

These shadows have a decent bit of kick up but nothing unreasonable. Just be gentle with it. Don’t attack the palette with your brush like it owes you money. And the colors compliment each other so beautifully! My fav combos thus far are Strawberry Milk, Planchette and Tombstone and Third Eye and Take a Hint (See! I’ve already overcome my fear of chartreuse!) deepened up with Void. Granted I’ve only had the palette for a week and I haven’t had time to experiment much but those two combos are fire.

What I like most about this palette is how unique it is. It’s completely different from anything currently on the market. Even the KVD Pastel Matte palette… when compared to Creepy Cute, Pastel Matte reads more ‘primary colors’ than pastel. I know for a fact that I don’t have exact dupes for most of these shades. And I’m truly blown away by the quality. As I stated in my intro, this palette has been years in the making and it’s evident in the formula. Chloe is my friend but I’m not being biased here. It’s a phenomenal palette. And although a few of the shades are out of my comfort zone, it’s been great to push my boundaries a bit by trying some new! Is Creepy Cute on your wish list??