Bobbi Brown's Party Palette

The first time I saw swatches of the Party Palette on the Makeup and Beauty Blog I knew it had to be mine.  The champagne-toned colors screamed "WEAR US!" and who was I to argue?  In spite of the steep $45 price tag (more on that later) I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the set. 

So how do I like it?  Well...it's good.  Not great.  It's a warm neutrals palette, so it's hard for me to avoid comparing it to the ubiquitous Naked Palette.  At almost the same price point, Bobbi Brown doesn't hold a candle to Urban Decay in terms of quantity or pigmentation of shadows.  Still, I don't regret buying the Party Palette for even a minute.

Swatches:

Left to right: Black Chocolate, Copper Sand, Pink Blaze, Pebble, Champagne Quartz, and Bone,

Cons:

• With the exception of Black Chocolate these are incredibly light, sheer shadows.  Great for a very subtle daytime look, but they wash out to nothing at all very easily.
• Bone and Pebble in particular are quite chalky and poorly pigmented.  The swatch of Bone that you see took no less than seven swipes across the pan to achieve.  I get similar coverage from Urban Decay's Virgin (from the Naked Palette, and my go-to highlighter) with just two pats of the brush onto the pan.  No swiping needed.

Pros:

• Black Chocolate is the best dark brown shadow I currently own.  It's velvety, richly pigmented, and blends like a dream.  
• Champagne Quartz and Pink Blaze, while slightly chalky, are truly lovely subtle pinks that are ideal for my laying-around-the-house weekend look.  Pink Blaze contains some glitter, but fallout is minimal and the overall effect is subtle enough to be work-appropriate.

Value:

• At $45, the Party Palette works out to $7.50 per pan.  As a rule I'm really hesitant to shell out more than $8 per pan for a palette (products like MAC's pro palette where I can choose all of the colors myself aside) because I know that there's bound to be one or two duds among the rest that I won't use.  What makes the Party Palette a good buy in my estimation is that even though pigmentation is an issue and it's on the high end of my buy-able price point, there isn't a pan in the bunch that I don't see myself using on a regular basis until it's finished.  I'm most comfortable in neutral shadows, and while I'd rather not have to pack them on, the Party Palette delivers what I want without giving me anything that will go to waste.