✮✮✮Product Review✮✮✮Winky Lux Kitten, Smitten Kitten, Cashmere Kitten & Coffee Palettes✮✮✮

Rating is out 10 out of 10, with a full point given for each of the ten sections listed above. Points per section may be issued in the following denominations: 0,.0 .25, .50, 1.0. For further clarification, the sections listed are worth a total of 1.0 point and are:

1. Company Profile & Personality: (available information about the company, cruelty-free status information, philanthropic efforts, unnecessary controversy, indie company vs mainstream)
2. Price: (product cost, availability of product, shipping cost, available coupons)
3. Purchase Process: (order time vs receipt of product turn around, availability of product, email notifications including shipping & tracking number, email notification for delivery)
4. Packaging: (was the item securely package, decorative packaging efforts including information card about the product, upcoming sales, or the company itself)
5. Pigmentation: (via swatches)
6. Color Payoff: (via application to the area applicable)
7. Product Application: (ease of application of the product, for example for eyeshadow, is there fall out, creasing, etc.
8. Performance: (longevity of wear)
9. Product Value: (price to product amount ratio, i.e. price per gram + product quality + consumer response (popularity of the product and consumer response) + repurchase option)
10. Overall Product Presentation: shade variation (if eyeshadow), women of color friendly, pale people friendly, universally applicable to many skin tones, desire for repeated use, would you repurchase the item again, is this product associated with a particular trend or is does it market the companies individuality, does the product set a new & innovative trend, is the product effective (does it do what it’s designed to do), does the product have potential multiple application opportunities (i.e. can the product be used as a blush & lipstick), is the product limited edition or a permanent product, is the product part of a collection, is the product consistent (from shade to shade, if an eyeshadow palette) from color to color in a part of a collection and does it function and operate the same each time applied.

Price & Purchase Process & Packaging: I purchased 3 of the palettes in this series from Nordstrom, while the first one I was exposed to was a part of a Boxycharm. Incidentally, I was find the first palette, The Kitten Palette, on Ulta’s website during my daily obsession of the eyeshadow palette section, but had never heard of the brand and was hesitant to pull the trigger on the purchase. All four palettes in this review were priced at $25 dollars, but since I received the first one in a Boxycharm, I didn’t pay full price for it. In terms of packaging, from a personal standpoint I absolutely hate the packaging of the “Kitten Series” because I can’t stand cats, but objectively speaking the palette have a soft and gentle appeal that resonates with the majority of consumers, because in theory, kittens are cute, cuddly and adorable – again, that is a theoretical perspective because again, I loathe cats. But for the most part, the packaging speaks to the subtle, but clearly purposeful idea that kittens are appealing to the vast majority of people who are consumer of beauty products. Now, the coffee palette’s aesthetic is something relatable to me as a 38 year old women who enjoys her morning coffee more than any part of the day, so again, the inherent marketing strategy for the packaging of all the palettes is well done! The Smitten Kitten Packaging is my favorite and the most luxe. It is surrounding by pleasant and beautiful flowers and the palette is encased in a heart-shaped box! Very enticing!

Pigmentation & Color Payoff & Performance: In terms of reviews specifically for the Kitten Palette, I am the dissenting opinion, so to speak. Most “beauty gurus” and I use that term loosely, were not fans of the palette and only cared for the first shade on the second row called “Holographic” because of its duochromatic effect. I loved the palette so much, that I went on to purchase the rest of the palettes in the “Kitten Series” as well as the Coffee Palette. The pictures below show swatches that are beautiful and strong in pigmentation, and fortunately, they apply equally rich in color payoff on the eyes. Given the price of these palettes, I think they perform well above expectations and for an unknown brand, I think the Kitten Palette, in particular, makes a strong debut appearance. Each palette has a unique and palatable color story for every sort of beauty consumer with loves for cool, neutral, warm, and bright tones. The shadows blend better than I expected and were simple enough for a novice to work with, yet pigmented to satisfy the even relentless eyeshadow snob.

Overall Product Presentation: As I have state with certainty, I am not a fan of the cat theme, but most people would find it adorable in some way (I don’t understand it but it’s true). Now, if they had puppies on the palettes, I would be all over it, but alas, there are some very disturbing kittens. Nevertheless, I think that for a company walking into the world of beauty and skin care, you have to be able to have new, innovative, products that appeal to the consumer, and I think Winky Lux is making an impression. Partnering with Boxycharm was a very important and strategic marketing initiative and although YouTube “beauty gurus” (again, using this term loosely) didn’t really give this palette much consideration, average women like me, might find these palettes useful in many ways. You have a warm-toned palette, a cool-toned palette, a neutral palette, a palette with unique bright colors. I think these palettes are ideal for beginners and useful for people with small collections.

Rating: 9/10