Before leaving, I attempted to make some sort of wishlist of things to purchase. Predictably, this quickly ballooned into an impossibly lengthy (not to mention expensive) catalog of things that will probably not fulfill their purpose while under my possession. So I sat down and decided that there are only two things I feel I must get on this trip. (Aside from craft materials of course.) I'm in an eyeshadow phase right now, and I love palettes because they remind me of watercolors it's so convenient having a lot of colors in one place. lol I feel so Asian spending 90% of prep time on my eyes. Palette eye candy after the jump.

Urban Decay Naked Palette, $50

• 12 x 0.05 oz gorgeous neutrals
• glitter, shimmer, and matte shades
• mirrored case
• Good Karma Eyeshadow Brush
• travel-size Eyeshadow Primer Potion in original formula

• Virgin (nude satin)
• Sin (champagne shimmer)
• Naked (buff matte)
• Sidecar (beige sparkle)
• Buck (brown matte)
• Half Baked (bronze)
• Smog (golden brown shimmer),
• Darkhorse (bronze-plum shimmer)
• Toasted (taupe-bronze)
• Hustle (mocha shimmer)
• Creep (near-black metallic)
• Gunmetal (dark grey metallic)

Having a soft spot for neutrals, I've been lemming for the ridiculously popular Urban Decay Naked palette for some time. But I've always been put off by its shortage of mattes, besides which those in this palette are too light for my taste. Seeing as I think I have enough shimmer shades in my Sleek i-Divine Oh So Special Palette (which I have yet to review), I thought of getting an all-matte product.

Stila In The Know Eye Shadow Palette, $39

• 10 x 0.049 oz earth-inspired shades that can be applied wet or dry
• all mattes
• mirrored case
• 0.28 oz Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Halfmoon (a matte charcoal gray)
• eight-page look book

• Air (matte beige)
• Driftwood (mid tone brown)
• Wind (soft matte peach)
• Fire (matte brick)
• Desert (soft matte tan w/warm undertones)
• Rain (matte brown)
• Clay (matte warm light brown)
• Smoke (matte charcoal grey)
• Earth (deep matte chocolate brown)
• Ebony (matte black)

I first saw this Stila palette on Julia's blog. The earth tones are so gorgeous, the formula supposedly great. I couldn't figure out what I could do with the shadows though, I mean I don't even know if I'd ever use orange eye shadow.

Too Faced Matte Eye Shadow Collection, $36

• 3 x 0.07 oz Eye Shadows
• 6 x 0.03 oz Eye Shadows
• total of 9 matte shades
• 3 Glamour Guides, Too Faced signature how-to lesson cards that offer step-by-step application instructions

• Tufted Suede (soft tan)
• Velveteen Bunny (ivory)
• Fresh Linen (pale pink)
• Chinchilla (light warm brown)
• Coffee Bean (dark brown)
• Pebbles (gray)
• London Fog (deep blue)
• Vintage Violet (violet mauve)
• Midnight (charcoal gray)

In my search for matte palettes, I came across Two Faced's offering. The shades look very wearable but if the reviews are anything to go by, the formula leaves something to be desired. Then I saw this:

Lorac PRO Palette, $42

• 16 x 0.32 oz eye shadows ultra-pigmented to perform wet or dry
• 8 shimmer and 8 matte shades
• 0.17 oz Mini Behind the Scenes Eye Shadow Primer

• Top row matte colors: White, Cream, Taupe, Light Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black
• Bottom row: Nude (Shimmer), Champagne (Sparkle), Gold (Shimmer), Lt. Bronze (Shimmer), Pewter (Shimmer), Garnet (Shimmer), Deep Purple (Shimmer), Slate (Shimmer)

I had hearts in my eyes from the first look. Eight shimmers with eight corresponding mattes, and with an impressive formula and a great variety of colors. This is The One.
I've also seen rave reviews of the And God Created the Woman NARS palette, but it's their other spring palette that's caught my eye.

NARS The Happening Eye and Cheek Palette, $65

For Spring 2013, NARS debuts a new limited edition palette, based on top-selling, universally flattering, must have shades of the season. Elevate any look with four evocative eyeshadows, paired with the brand’s iconic Orgasm Blush and Laguna Bronzer for cheeks – all in one sleek, go-anywhere compact.


Shadows:

• Coconut Grove (deep taupe brown infused with gold)
• Kuala Lumpur (boysenberry infused with gold)
• Gstaad (shimmering taupe, New/Limited Edition)
• Night Star (sheer peach with gold pearl)

• Blush: Orgasm (peachy pink with gold shimmer)
• Bronzer: Laguna (Diffused brown with golden shimmer)