• New mini obsession palettes in ‘Nude’ and ‘Neon’
• 24 Power Bullet lipsticks
• N.Y.M.P.H body highlighter
• Tantour
• Life Liner

2019 – a year of success for Huda Beauty

So I don’t think anyone could argue that Huda Kattan alongside sisters Mona and Alya Kattan didn’t smash 2019 in terms of new releases

A tonne of new products left most of us Hudaholics in tears after impulse buying and then looking at our bank balances through our fingers, whilst eagerly anticipating new haul deliveries. It can’t just be me right!?

The year ended with the launch of their fifth 18 pan eyeshadow palette – Mercury Retrogade and I like the rest of the #hudafam became instantly besotted.

If you’re on the fence wondering if you should take the plunge and purchase this palette then hopefully this review will help you make that decision. £56 is a hefty investment, luckily I picked mine up during a promotion on Feel Unique and managed to get 20% off so I’d suggest keeping an eye out on Feel Unique, Cult Beauty, Harvey Nichols, Net a Porter and Harrods. 2019 has been Huda Beauty’s biggest year yet and I personally am super excited to see what comes in 2020!

I’ve had a couple of thoughts about what I would love to see from the brand over the next year but am sure we’ll be lusting after whatever new innovative creations the Kattans have planned! Individual versions of the 3D highlighters would be amazing as well as a blinding loose highlight. Dewy foundation is surely also a must for next year what with the ‘next to nothing’ trend following us into the new year and only growing popularity. I’m also still secretly hoping that Huda will officially launch the branded merchandise she had at her Covent Garden pop up. I’m still regretting not finding time in December to get to London to visit!

Packaging

I don’t know about anyone else but I am officially obsessed  with the upgrades the HB team have made to the palette packaging. Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the packaging before but upgrading the cardboard cartons and matching palette exteriors was an excellent decision. They’ve also done the same to the new obsessions palettes launches this year, both the Nude and Neon mini palettes also have had a face lift and look beautiful!

The Mercury Retrograde palette is housed in a clear acrylic packaging that feels both luxurious and looks amazing! Adorned with Huda’s flawless face, the palette stays consistent with the cosmic theme and the pearlescent finish flashes between pink/purple/blue hues depending on the light source.

Swatches

I wasn’t sure what to expect when swatching this palette but I should’ve know better than to doubt what I know and love about this brand. If there’s anything Huda has perfected, it’s how to create a high performing eyeshadow. There must be a reason these palettes fly off the shelves after every new launch and constantly sell out. 

For those wondering, I purchased this gorgeous fitting star stencil from swatchperfect.co.uk which has enabled me to capture the palette theme perfectly, as well as earning me a repost from @Hudabeautyshop’s instagram for my efforts on New Year’s Eve.

We’ve come to expect eyeshadow palettes from Huda Beauty to be a mixture of textures and formulas but this one is especially stunning due to the intergalactic colour scheme! It’s different than anything we’ve seen from Huda and I’m not mad about it, far from it actually! The best thing is it’s different to all the other eyeshadow palettes I own meaning it’ll be of the palettes I reach for not only because it’s Huda, but I’m aiming to be more adventurous with my colour choices etc. this year!

Anyway, I’ve listed the different formulas and shadow names below:

• Matte shades – Utopia, Haze, Off Balance, Libra, Crash, Momentum, Vortex, Hot Mess, Karma
• Metallics –  Cosmic, Ultra Violet, Mercury, Galaxy, Supernova, Frazzled
• Glitter Intense – Nebula
• Sheer multi-reflective shadows – Supermoon, Gold Glitch

The mattes are soft, buttery, blend super easy and are extremely pigmented as we’ve come to know and love. Huda’s metallics are one of the best in the beauty world in my opinion, so creamy and sparkly! ‘Nebula’ is an extremely sparkly blue glitter that reflects silver, while ‘Supermoon’ and ‘Gold Glitch’ are the perfect gold and silver option every make up lover needs for those special occasions. As these shadows are extremely pigmented, bear in mind that there will be some fallout. When using this palette I do my eyes first before doing the rest of my face to ensure I can wipe away the fallout of excess matte and shimmer shades.

Summary

In a nutshell, I’m officially obsessed with this palette. It fully deserves all the hype and build up the brand prepared for its’ launch. All of the shadows perform exceptionally well, blend easily and are extremely pigmented.

The fact that Huda Beauty chose to upgrade the packaging for the palette and keep the price point the same as the other 18 pan palettes shows an investment from the brand in it’s products and customers. I really hope this is the case and the next palette released follows suit but I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

I almost forgot – the makeup bag and matching three eyebrushes pictured are a set available from Cult Beauty, Feel Unique, Harvey Nichols and Net a Porter for £34.