Hey Everyone,
I hope you’re all doing well! Welcome to Blogmas Day 4! Today, I have another palette review for you and this one is particularly festive. I was lucky enough to receive the Too Faced Gingerbread Extra Spicy Palette for my birthday (thanks dad), so I’ve been putting it to the test over the last few weeks. I’m so excited to finally share my thoughts with you!
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The Too Faced Gingerbread Extra Spicy Palette launched earlier this year as part of their 2019 holiday collection. If you didn’t already know, it’s actually a follow up to their incredibly popular Gingerbread Spice Eyeshadow palette, that was released last year. They had a lot to live up to!
PACKAGING & PRICE
There’s no doubt that this palette is a stunner. Too Faced are known for their cute and themed packaging, it’s something they always do well! The palette is housed inside a tin, which features the cutest little gingerbread couple on the lid. Inside, the palette has a generously sized mirror which has a decorative border featuring the same little characters. If this packaging doesn’t make you feel all festive inside, I don’t know what will. How much is it? The Too Faced Gingerbread Extra Spicy Palette retails at £39, which is the standard price for most of their eyeshadow palettes. Where can you buy it? You can get hold of the palette from Too Faced’s website itself, or through other retailers such as Look Fantastic, Selfridges, ASOS, Debenhams and John Lewis.
WHAT’S INSIDE?
Inside, there are 18 eyeshadows, including a variety of mattes and shimmers. Sticking with the holiday theme, each shade has it’s own festive name inspired by Christmas sweets and treats. Not to mention, the palette has a sweet, lightly spiced scent, which is dreamy. It features a great selection of rich and warm-toned shades that can create looks for every occasion. It’s the perfect palette to create some spicy daytime looks as well as some smouldering smokey eyes.
1ST ROW SWATCHES
Vanilla Waffles – Cream/light beige with a matte finish – This shade is buttery soft to the touch and it blends like a dream. It’s pretty much the perfect base for me! It’s also great to use if you go slightly overboard with a darker shade, as it lightens and brightens in seconds.
Cookie Cutter – Light-medium peach with flecks of pink/gold glitter and a frosted finish – This shade is so gorgeous. It reminds me of the shade “Bang Bang” in Urban Decay’s Naked Cherry palette, which is one of my favourites! Its the tiniest bit chunky so I tend to apply it wet and in small amounts so that I can get it to look smooth on my lids.
Soft and Sweet – Medium pink/coral with a matte finish – In terms of texture, this shade is slightly powdery. Once blended, it can sheer out a little so I’d recommend building it up over a primer.
For The Graham – Light brown with warm undertones and a matte finish – This is an every day shade for me, I love using it as a transition into something darker for Autumn and Winter looks. It’s a basic shade but it’s a staple. Like Soft and Sweet, it’s slightly powdery but it’s easy to work with over a primer.
In a Pinch – Bright orange with warm undertones and a matte finish – I love this shade. It’s pigmented and easy to apply and blend with or without the use of a primer. It a perfect matte shade for those that love creating simple warm-toned looks.
Drizzle It – Reddish rose gold/copper with warm undertones and a metallic finish – The pigmentation of this shade is so intense! It’s definitely one of my favourite shades in the palette. I love how festive it looks on my eyes, it works beautifully alongside Vanilla Waffles and Soft and Sweet.
2ND ROW SWATCHES
Lick the Spoon – Medium peach with silver reflects and a frosted finish – The pigmentation of this shade is gorgeous! It’s not as buttery as I’d hoped it would be so it does feel slightly dry. However, if you use a wet brush and a patting motion, the pigment should pack onto the lid nicely.
Spicy Mami – Deep copper with orange and gold flecks and a satin finish – This shade confuses me a little bit. It looks as if it’s going to be a one-swipe metallic wonder however it actually takes a little bit of work. I always apply it on top of a primer using a wet brush to get the most out of it. It’s not as glittery as it looks, it actually has more of a satin finish to it.
Extra Spicy – Deep orange with warm red undertones and a matte finish – I was actually really impressed with the pigmentation of this shade. It was a tiny bit powdery in the pan but it still applies and blends really easily.
Half Baked – Dark copper with warm undertones and a metallic finish – I find myself reaching for this shade all the time. It’s just so pigmented and pretty! It works beautifully with Soft and Sweet or Butterscotch. It’s also really smooth and easy to work with – I love it!
Butterscotch -Bright, light orange with yellow undertones and a matte finish – This is my favourite matte in the whole palette. I love using this on its own to give a more subtle hint of warmth to my makeup looks. It’s nicely pigmented and easy to blend out too.
Cookie Call – Deep reddish brown with purple undertones – This shade didn’t swatch particularly well and I think that’s because it requires some building. Once I’ve got it to a level of intensity that I’m happy with, it looks fine! I have to admit, it’s not the most festive of colours but it does work well with a few of the other shades in the palette.
3RD ROW SWATCHES
Plenty of Dough – Medium peach with warm undertones and a matte finish – Another slightly drier matte, but when used wet or over a primer it’s good to go.
Candy Queen – Light copper/gold with a metallic finish – This shade is so pretty! It’s probably the shade that I reach for the most actually, even on the days where I’m aiming for a more “natural” look, I can’t resist! Also, just skip straight to using this with a damp brush – thank me later.
Gingerbread Glam – Reddish-brown with warm undertones and a matte finish – This honestly blends like a dream, it’s another go-to matte shade for me.
Hot Tamale – Berry red with warm undertones and a matte finish – Such a pretty shade! I can’t create a pink makeup look without it. It’s very pigmented so be patient with it when it comes to blending.
Cinna-moan – Dark copper with warm/red undertones and a matte finish – Once blended, this shade has a habit of sheering out a little too much. However, it’s easy to build up with a couple of layers of application.
Midnight Snack – Dark black base with flecks of blue/turquoise glitter and a sparkly finish – I wasn’t too keen on this shade at first as it just didn’t seem particularly festive or cheery. That being said, it’s actually a great shade to create some smoky looks – perfect for a Christmas party! It works really well with Hot Tamale.
WHAT DO I THINK?
Overall, I really love this palette. The colour scheme is gorgeous and it compliments the original palette beautifully. It’s definitely going to be a popular palette for the holiday season, I reckon it will sell out pretty fast. If you’re into creating warm-toned looks, using pinks, oranges and coppers. For those that want something more icy and cool-toned, this probably won’t be the one for you. In terms of formula, some of the mattes and a couple of the metallics needed some building but there was nothing that a wet brush and a primer couldn’t fix. I also noticed that a few shades were drier in texture so, again, using a wet brush can help with this! The packaging is absolutely gorgeous. It’s so festive and colourful!
*Get the Too Faced Gingerbread Extra Spicy Palette here
Let me know what you think of this palette in the comments! Don’t forget to follow my socials – come and say hey!
N xxxx
