Make Up Review // Dare to Blend - Madison X Amy's Makeup Box

I won't lie; when the Dare to Blend palette landed in work I went through two emotions very quickly. The first was excitement - oh wow look at all the pretty neutral tones. The pigments! OMG that orange shade!! - followed by a slight bit of indifference; the palette was made by the same company that released Berry Bold. Although there were some positives about that palette - read about them in my review here - I believed it was an overall let down for the €19.95 price tag.

However, as a makeup lover and out of curiosity I did purchase the palette. To find out how I got on, keep reading...

Before I get into my own thoughts, here's a quick synopsis of the Dare to Blend palette. Consisting of 25 shades from neutral, to warm browns to shimmering duo chromes in a 5-across, 5-down layout the palette was constructed so that line 1 is your light shades/ transition shades, line 2 is your medium shades, line 3 is your shimmer shades, line 4 is your outer corner shades and line 5 is your lash line shades. The palette also costs €29.95 and can be bought at Madison Makeup stockists, including Finnerty's Pharmacy and online here.

Overall, this palette is ALOT better than the Berry Bold. The shades are incredibly pigmented, so even swatching them - see below - was an easy task. And the shimmer shades were like pressed pigment rather than a shimmer (FYI: pressed pigment = eyeshadow in its natural form without binders and fillers found in most eyeshadow, shimmer = eyeshadow with a light sparkle)* so they really popped on the eye. Mulberry, the orange shade I was dying to try, was indeed gorgeous; it comes out as a rustic orange on the eye and blended without becoming patchy; honestly the best outcome of any eyeshadow application.

But despite the pro's, there were some con's.

Firstly I found some of the shades quite alike with just a slight difference in undertone when applied.

In my opinion the palette could have shortened to 16 shades, while still keeping the essentials in there. Secondly, this palette is NOT for people who experiment with their eye looks as there are no major pops of colour. This palette would be ideal for every day and soft brown, gold looks. And lastly, some ingredients used are harmful for the environment (Mica is the largest ingredient in this palette) and aren't the healthiest for your skin ( Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, Kaolin)

Each set of colours represents shade I find to be very similar.

**Original image was taken directly from the Madison Makeup Instagram page

In conclusion, I would recommend this palette if the shades shown are your kinda thing. You'll definitely use this palette again and again as it does have the essential every day shades and it's not a bad price at €29.95. But if you have palettes that cover the basics like the Urban Decay Naked palettes, or you choose colourful eye looks, you won't find what you need in this palette.

Shades used: Caramel / Blazing / Hickory / Pecan

Shades used: Toffee / Hazelnut / Mulberry

And that's it! If you have this palette, let me know your thoughts in the comments. Or if you think you know a palette that covers the basics that you CAN'T live without, let me know! As always, you can find me on Instagram @ohhheyitsAimee

*For more information on the different types of eyeshadows, check out the Beaut.ie Index

Until next time...

Aimee♥