review: huda beauty mercury retrograde eyeshadow palette

Sephora always has a massive selection of products to choose from. There are rows upon rows of items from prestigious high-end brands. Sometimes, all that choice can be overwhelming! Especially if you aren't looking for anything in particular. Other times, your eyes zero in on one item and only one item - and there is no doubt which product will be added to your basket. The latter best describes my reaction to the Mercury Retrograde eyeshadow palette from Huda Beauty. From the theme to the bold palette design to the alluring selection of shades...this was a no brainer. How does the palette perform? Was it worthy of that love-at-first-sight moment? Keep reading for a first impressions YouTube video along with a full follow up review and a finished makeup look using the palette.

Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde (First Impressions Review)

One look at the picture above and it is pretty obvious why this palette caught my eye. There is glitz and glitter along with some seriously gorgeous statement colours. Instantly, I was attracted to Mercury (the sparkly green) and Haze (the bright turquoise) on the right side of the top row. Though there were several other colours that intrigued me as well. Like that sparkly purple, the soft mauve, and the golden glitters on the bottom row. Anything with sparkle and shine tends to excite. My first impressions on a visual level? Excellent. However, I did a proper first impressions using the palette over on my YouTube channel. There you can see live swatches, see a mini makeup look take shape, and hear my early thoughts related to the palette. If you're curious about the swatches or my early thoughts, take a peek at the video below:

In that video, my first impressions were fairly positive. There were some shades that impressed more than others. Overall? I was excited to continue using the palette and creating a wide array of beautiful, dynamic, and of course, glittery makeup looks.

Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde Palette (Full Review)

As I mentioned earlier, this palette has serious shelf appeal. The colours, the sparkle, and the theme all work together to make this a must have palette. The swatches don't hurt either! In the YouTube video (posted above) you can see that many of the live swatches were downright impressive. However, first impressions don't necessarily speak to the overall quality level of a palette. So I wanted to spend some time with the Mercury Retrograde shades before posting my complete review. It is clear that the packaging is gorgeous. The plastic is sturdy, has a nice weight to it, and the full sized mirror inside is ultra useful. The themeing is well done and the shade selection is stellar. 

However, my overall opinion regarding the palette has changed some since that first impressions video. While many of the shadows swatched well.....several do not perform all that well on the eye. A lot of the shades have only so-so pigmentation when applied. Unless you are using a wet brush or are applying everything with your fingertips (I always prefer to use brushes to apply shadow rather than my fingers. This is both for sanitary reasons but also to create looks that are a little more polished) this is going to dramatically impact the performance. Quite frankly, I don't want to have to apply shadows using my fingers in order for them to have a dramatic amount of colour payoff. This needs to be done with most of the shadows that have shimmer or glitter. The matte eyeshadows on the other hand, are really wonderful and perform well. While I was quite impressed right from the get-go, this palette hasn't become one of my favourites as I continue to use it. 

Below is a makeup look that I created using the shade Karma in the crease, Hot Mess all over the lid, and Supernova layered on top. Then there was a bit of Cosmic underneath the brow bone and in the inner corner. The look turned out decently but this palette simply doesn't pack the punch I hoped it would. It just goes to show: first impressions are well and good but a good makeup product can stand the test of time. 

Rating: 2.5 / 5

There is a lot to love about the Mercury Retrograde palette from Huda Beauty. For instance, those matte shades are absolutely incredible and come in a unique range of colours. Unfortunately, the glitter and shimmer shadows don't apply well with brushes and lack intense pigmentation. I wanted to fall in love with this palette but ultimately, this isn't a must-have. 

Have you tried this Huda Beauty palette? Are you a fan?