As I’ve said a million times before, it’s getting harder and harder to find palettes that interest me anymore. Real estate in my palette drawer is pretty limited and not many products make the cut. So I was very surprised that of all shadows out there, I was compelled to purchase the Sigma Enchanted Palette. I mean the name Sigma is synonymous with mid range brushes, not so much quality makeup.
There’s been some buzz on YouTube lately regarding some of their newer palettes, and what can I say? My curiosity got the better of me and a 40% off coupon didn’t hurt either. I know their Cor de Rosa Palette‘s been getting a lot of hype but the Enchanted Palette‘s color story pulled me in more.
- Sigma Enchanted Palette Overview
- Sigma Enchanted Palette Review
- Cruelty-Free and Vegan Status
- Where to Buy the Sigma Enchanted Palette
- Final Thoughts
Sigma Enchanted Palette Overview
The Sigma Enchanted Palette is a 14 color eyeshadow palette that retails for $49. The shadows come in a very standard sized carboard palette which includes a mirror and a brush. There’s at total of 0.68 oz of product.
Sigma Enchanted Palette Review
Color Story
At a glance I see the Enchanted Palette breaking down to three distinct color families: neutral, pinks, and greens.
I think Sigma did a great job on the Enchanted Palette in terms of creating balance. The palette has a strong base of matte neutrals that range from light to deep which allows it to function as a stand alone palette. There’s a pale beige, some medium browns and then a deep brown and black so you’ve got everything you need to set up a basic look.
The shades “Loam” and “Claystone” are very similar so there is some overlap there. I wish “Claystone” would have been even deeper but other than those two each shade serves a distinct purpose.
The warmer pinks are a dusty matte called “Innocent” and a rose gold called “Budding“. The other two are cooler toned. “Moonglade” is a pale metallic mauve, and “Plume” is a glittery orchid.
As far as the greens go, there’s one gold toned chartreuse shade called “Electrum” and it has a sparkly finish. “Metamorphasis” is a sheer duo chrome brown with a teal shift. “Cosmos” is a sheer pine green sparkly shade that has a cool, almost charcoal base. “And Evergreen” is a deep matte hunter green.
I absolutely love the combo of pinks and greens and I like how the neutrals pair with the colors in the palette. None of the color are super bright which I also appreciate. They’re all great options for adding color to your look without being too intense.
Formula
Color story aside, some of the finishes in the Enchanted Palette are very unique and a good part of why I was interested in trying this.
The matte shadows are all smooth and have a soft feel to them. I wouldn’t describe the texture as firm but they’re definitely not as soft as Anastasia or Lorac’s formula.
They do have some fallout, in particular the deeper shades. The matte shadows are pigmented however some applied patchier than others. The light and medium shades need a bit of building but they went on evenly. The darkest shades were more of a struggle. While they applied with strong color, the intensity kept fading as I blended and they didn’t layer easily with other shades.
The shades “Sunburst” and “Moonglades” are both classic shimmer finishes and they have a firm, smooth texture. The shadows are on the thinner side but the color payoff is decent and there’s no fallout.
“Budding” and “Electrum” feel a bit firmer than the standard shimmers in the pan and they also pick up in a thin layer. These shadows have a really pretty glittery finish to them. They’re each embedded with corresponding colored glitter particles (rather than a contrasting glitter). The effect is an almost diamond-like finish that almost reminds me of some of Pat McGrath’s shadows.
These shades swatch evenly but again I felt like they didn’t layer easily with other shadows. The glitter also dropped down a bit as they applied.
The last three shades “Metamorphasis“, “Plume“, and “Cosmos” are all sheer, sparkly topper shades. Each shade has a lot of sparkle which is evenly dispersed within a sheer base. They give a really cool effect on the eye but these have a ton of fallout and needed a lot of building.
On their own they didn’t really build to full opacity even with multiple layer. Not surprising since they are sheer shades and were probably designed to layer over other shadows. Again though I didn’t think these applied well over other shadows on my eye. It took multiple applications which resulted in bits of sparkle all over my undereye.
If you don’t mind working with the shadows and you’re ok with doing your eyes before your face, you may really like the looks you get. Especially if you’re a fan of the grungy, smudgy, smoky eye, this palette is ideal for that. However if you like to apply your eyeshadows in precise, particular sections, I think you’ll struggle using this palette. The shadows don’t layer well and that can easily result in a muddy look.
Swatches
Brush
The palette also comes with a double-ended brush. On side has an E38 Soft Diffuser Brush and the other side is a E54 Medium Sweeper Brush. I like that they included both a blending brush and a packing brush which I consider the minimum brushes needed to create a basic look.
I’ve been using Sigma brushes since the earlier days of Youtube (2012/13) and I actually already own the E38 brush.
Here’s my issue. In general I always prefer to use natural fiber brushes for my eye looks. I find the color payoff is better and in particular, the blending is way easier than with a synthetic brush.
The E54 actually works fairly well for packing color on the lid. It’s not as effective as my Mac 239 but it does the job. I also like the size. The fact that it’s smaller and flatter makes it really easy to apply around the inner corner and under the lash line.
The E38 however, really isn’t great at blending. It is soft and somewhat tapered but it doesn’t diffuse the color easily. As with most synthetic brushes, the bristles just bend from side to side instead of splaying out and it’s just a lot more work than necessary.
Sigma used to make some absolutely fantastic natural bristle eye brushes, (my OG E25 Blending Brush remains my absolute favorite blending brush of all time). But as we’re seeing with a lot more brands lately, Sigma redid their entire brush line a few years back and replaced all natural bristles with synthetic ones.
Cruelty-Free and Vegan Status
Sigma’s website states that they are a 100% cruelty-free brand and they are PETA certified. Cruelty Free Collections, a site that says they contact brands annually to ensure all information is up to date, states that Sigma’s products are not sold in China where animal testing is required by law.
The Enchanted Palette is labeled as cruelty-free and vegan, both on the packaging on the product page. Sigma also states that the palette is free of Lactose and Gluten as well.
Where to Buy the Sigma Enchanted Palette – $49
- Sigma – Free shipping on orders over $50. International shipping available.
- Amazon – Free shipping and free returns in new condition.
- Beauty Bay – Free shipping on orders over $50. International shipping available.
- Dillards – Free shipping on orders over $150.
Regardless of where you choose to purchase from, make sure to check if Rakuten (ebates) is offering cashback. Sephora offers cashback for anywhere from 2% to 8% so it’s definitely worth looking into. If you haven’t signed up for Rakuten yet, you can do so here, it only takes a minute and then you’ll earn cashback every time you shop through their link. They also have an extension which I recommend installing, that activates cash back on all eligible websites with one click and it also scans for coupons.
Final Thoughts
This really comes down to how much effort you want to put it. I like the shade selection, I think the finishes are really unique but the shadows really didn’t blend or layer easily. If the sparkly finishes really appeal to you and you don’t mind putting in the extra work to apply them then you might really like the Enchanted Palette. If you’re a beginner or have no patience for high maintenance makeup I’d say skip this one.
Pros
- Fun color selection
- Good mix of matte and shimmer
- Good range of light, medium, and dark neutrals
- Interesting finishes on the glittery shades
- Flat end of the brush works well to apply shadow
Cons
- Shadows don’t layer well with each other
- Lots of fallout
Thanks for reading, let me know what you think in the comments below.
Bye now,
