KATE Eye Shadow CQ in BR-1

I don't know what the Japanese put in their eyeshadows, but whatever it is, it's dope. It doesn't even matter if the brand is low or high-end - the eyeshadows are usually smooth and highly pigmented. You'll remember my review of the KATE Blendzone eyeshadow and how impressed I was with it. The new eyeshadow, the KATE Eye Shadow CQ (P960) is no less impressive.

Same as Blendzone, CQ is highly pigmented, creamy, long-lasting, well-milled - everything I'm looking for in a quality eyeshadow. The shades in this palette are all lovely and work great with my skintone.

Left to right: Sparkly white eyeshadow, fine white gold, bronzy brown, dark chocolate brown

However, they are quite shimmery. The white one has chunky glitter which, I think, tries to mimic the effect of diamonds. It's a great inner corner highlighter or something to pat on top of normal eyeshadow to give it more oomph.

If you like shimmery eyeshadows (like I do) then you'll definitely appreciate this palette. But if you want something more toned-down, well, there are other matte/satin options! I like this palette though. It has great colors that can be subtle or dramatic depending on what I need so I like having it in my travel kit, especially.

I highly recommend the KATE Eye Shadow CQ in BR-1 for makeup newbies because it's hard to make a mistake with it. ;)