REVIEW: Too Faced A La Mode Eyes Summer Eye Shadow Palette

I recently received my Ulta catalog in the mail, and saw that they are doing their Spring 21 Days of Beauty this month. As I was browsing through the pages, one palette really caught my eye: the Too Faced A La Mode palette.

It seems to me that Too Faced is on a roll lately. Not too long ago was the Chocolate Bar palette, then the Sweethearts blush released just in time for Valentine's Day, and now, they are releasing their summer collection! As a part of their summer collection, they've released an eyeshadow palette, a limited edition bronzing palette, a set of lip colors, and a brow kit.

As soon as I saw the A La Mode eyeshadow palette in the catalog, I knew I had to have it. I went into Ulta and didn't see it, but it looked so gorgeous in the catalog so I had to do more research! Turns out that up until March 19th, it was an Ulta.com exclusive. But luckily, I ordered it from their website about a week ago, and got it just in time for the official release!

This palette definitely has a very summery, nautical feel, which I love. The packaging is bright and vivid (and unfortunately, mine got slightly scratched). It is metal packaging with a magnetic closure, just like the Chocolate Bar palette, and inside it is set up just like traditional, look-based eyeshadow palettes that Too Faced is best known for, with 6 smaller shades, and 3 larger highlighting shades. I'm not a huge fan of the magnetic closure, because I wish it was stronger. I always feel like it's going to pop open easily because it just doesn't feel very sturdy. However, you open it up, and you see a collection of gorgeous, vibrant colors.

All of these swatches are without primer. 

St. Tropez: A sparkly, yellow-toned nude color, with nude microglitter. Very subtle on a skin tone like mine. 

Riviera: Warm satin peach color. Incredibly smooth texture and wears very well.

La Croisette: Frosty white with intense color payoff. This would make a great, bright inner corner highlight.

Cannes: Chunky orangey copper shade, with what looks like a ton of orange and peach microglitter. This shade is a bit grittier in texture because it has so much glitter in it. You'll notice in the photos that this shade looks a little weird in my palette -- that's because when I received it, the shadow had popped out of its home. Nothing a little super glue couldn't fix! 

Jardin: Pearly coral shade that would be perfect for this look. Very smooth application, and very buildable. This would be an easy shade to brush all over the lid for a subtle wash of color, or to build up into a very intense coral.

Monaco: Probably my favorite shade in this collection, although I'm not sure how I'll wear it. It's a vivid fuchsia, with an almost-matte, almost-satin finish.

Soleil: This shade is almost like they took "Semi-Sweet" from the Chocolate Bar palette and added a satin finish. Kind of like "Semi-Sweet" and "Haute Chocolate" had a baby. It's a coppery brown color with a satin finish.

Cote d'Azur: Probably the most unique shade in this collection, at first it appears as a cool-toned brown, but in the right light, you'll notice a very slight muddy green duochrome.

De La Mer: A little bit chalky, but a very intense matte navy blue with matching microglitter. This would be great as a subtle blue liner. 

Collectively, this palette has intense pigmentation and all the shades blend beautifully together. These shades wear evenly and are extremely high quality. However, I will say it's not a palette you could really get a complete look with. 

Final Thoughts? This palette is definitely up there in quality, just like all of the other releases Too Faced has recently come out with. This palette will be a fun addition to anyone's collection, especially with shades like Monaco that I normally wouldn't buy on its own. For $36, you definitely get your money's worth. 

This palette is currently available on the Too Faced website, as well as the Ulta website. No word yet on if/when it will become available at Sephora, but I will keep an eye out and let you guys know!

Will you be purchasing any of the Too Faced summer collection?

- d.