allison kehoe

A few weeks ago at the Vanity Fair Social Club, I received the unreleased L’Oreal La Palette Nude 2*. I couldn’t have been excited by the look and feel of the palette!

I’ve played with the ten shadows for a weeks and have the scoop on whether it’s worth the purchase. Ultimately, there are pros and cons to every makeup item, but I’ve been pretty impressed with this gem.

Overall, I think the palette is worth the ~$15 price tag I’ve heard it will retail for. You can so many shadows with this palette, including a good mix of matte and shimmery shades. There’s also a good collection of light, transition, bold, and dark shadows to create many looks. It comes in sleek packaging, but at moments can be a bit difficult to open. The brush comes with both a sponge tip applicator (so, pointless…) and then another brush end with bristles.

The pigments are really good, but not the best I’ve ever used. They tend to work best with a primer, shadow base (such as this NYX stick), or with a wet brush. They tend to be more beautiful and bold when applied these ways. I love how natural the shadows are featuring cool taupes, browns, mauves, and plums. However, there isn’t a single shadow in this palette that I haven’t seen somewhere else, but that’s not necessarily the worst thing.

If I had to rival this against any high-end palette, it would probably be a mix of the Naked 2 / Naked 3 palettes. However, I wouldn’t pin this an exact dupe, but it’s close.

My favorite shadows are: #2, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 (from left to right).

Overall, if you already have a high-end palette that you’re happy with, this probably isn’t for you. If you don’t have an Urban Decay Naked, Lorac Pro, or similar deluxe palette, then I think this is the perfect investment for you! I’m very impressed with this drugstore find!