Some products launch after months of intense campaigning, and some appear out of nowhere. This was the case for Natasha Denona’s newest palette, which I had heard nothing about, before it was suddenly available for presale. So although Sephora isn’t even carrying it yet, let’s review the Natasha Denona Zendo Palette and see if it’s worth a second look.
- Natasha Denona Zendo Palette Overview
- Natasha Denona Zendo Palette Review
- Cruelty-Free and Vegan Status
- Where to Buy the Natasha Denona Zendo Palette
- Final Thoughts
Overview of the Natasha Denona Zendo Palette
The Natash Denona Zendo Palette is a fifteen color eyeshadow palette that retails for $65. The palette contains the mini sizes of Natasha Denona’s shadows and there’s a total of 0.67 oz of product.
As with her other palettes of this size, the compact is slim with a mirrored finish and rubberized bottom. There’s also small holes on the back so you can remove the shadows to rearrange or replace.
Natasha Denona Zendo Palette Review
Color Story
At first glance the Zendo Palette struck me as being similar to Natasha Denona’s Metropolis Palette, with it’s mix of warm tones, reds, and blues. That one however, has 28 shadows and cost $129, so this is kind of an edited version.
I’d describe the Zendo Palette as a mostly warm palette with a few pops of cooler shades. There’s a range of peachy, and bronze tones, as well as a gold and a red. The cooler shades consist of a few blue tones (turquoise, steel blue, teal), mint, and a cool brown. I like the way the blues play with the reds and coral tones and I think it makes for a fun combination.
In terms of light to dark the palette has mostly mid-tone shades. The palest colors are the mint shade (breath) and the iridescent sheer topper (yama). There’s a decent selection of blending shades but nothing really suitable for highlighting.
As far as deep shades go, there’s nothing truly dark. The deepest shade, zeal, isn’t all that dark, though it could provide some contrast. You just wont be getting the deepest, smokiest looks out of it.
I think the palette did a good job in terms of neutrals and colors. While the color story looks pretty vibrant, it also includes several neutral mattes and shimmers to help ground looks. The coral tones are pretty flattering and easy to work with and the blues and red are nice as accent shades.
The Zendo palette also has a good balance of matte to shimmer. There’s four mattes, three satins and the rest are metallic shimmers. The matte colors work well as crease and transition shades so you can easily build your look.
Formula
The matte shadows are all really nice to work with. Like the usual Natasha Denona formula, they’re richly pigmented, smooth, and blend out evenly.
The satin shades are similar to the mattes; smooth but with a hint of a sheen. Of the three, mantra, and mindful had good pigmentation and applied smoothly. Breath, which is the pale mint shade, was patchier and more sheer. You really need to build the pigment up, which is not surprising, given that matte pastels are usually harder to execute well.
As far as the shimmer/metallic shadows go, they’re the same creamy, intense formula you’d expect from Natasha Denona. They have good pigmentation and a highly reflective finish. There is some fallout which is common with the brand’s metallic shadows, so you need to be a bit careful when applying.
The one shade called “yama” is an iridescent shadow that’s hard to describe. It’s got a neutral, almost beige base, but has gold and neon green micro reflective particles. While it’s on the sheer side, it’s still got pretty even pigmentation so you could wear it alone or as a topper.
Swatches
Cruelty-Free and Vegan Status
Natasha Denona is a cruelty-free brand. As per the brand, they don’t test on animals, nor do they sell in countries where animal testing is required by law. They source all their ingredients from manufacturers in Europe where animal testing is banned.
The Natasha Denona Zendo Palette contains carmine and is not considered vegan.
Where to Buy the Natasha Denona Zendo Palette
- Natasha Denona (available for presale) – Free shipping on orders over $50. International shipping available.
- Sephora (available May 10) – Free shipping on orders over $50 and free returns.
- Beautylish (available May 10) – Free shipping on orders over $35 and free returns. International shipping available.
Final Thoughts
Overall I liked the Zendo Palette. It’s a nice color story that’s colorful, but wearable. I enjoy the metallic finishes and the mattes are a pleasure to work with.
If you’re not a fan of warmer tones, I’d skip this palette, but if you like a mix of both warm and cool there’s some nice options here. As well, if you already have the Metropolis Palette I don’t think you’re getting too different a color story with the Zendo Palette, though that one leans a bit more gold than peach.
Pros
- Compact packaging
- Good mix of colors and neutrals
- Good mix of mattes and shimmers
- Richly pigmented matte shades that are easy to blend
- Intense, creamy metallic shadows
Cons
- No pale matte shade for blending
- Metallic shades had some fallout
- Satin shade (Breath) was patchy
Thanks for reading. Will you be picking up the Zendo Palette? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Bye now,
