Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette Review

Hello ladies,

April 01 represents the beginning of the year for me – no, not so much as the Hindu Calendar, more so as the financial calendar. Once you have been part of the financial sector – this aspect doesn’t go out of you. It’s like resetting of the clock. So, to start the New Year, I decided to share with you the review of one of the most fun products in my stash. I’ve been playing with this for close to a month now and ready to share my thoughts with you…

Product Details:
What it is: An eye, lip, and face transformer palette with four holographic shades.

What it does:  Revamp your makeup looks with this innovative, Alchemist Palette, featuring four holographic shades. It’s perfect for achieving a spectrum of radiant, special effects by layering Alchemist over eyeshadow and lipstick. Formulated with Double Dimension Technology, this first-of-its-kind formula is packed with 360° refractive pearls, dipped in a prismatic coating, to deliver twice the transforming power. Each of the four shades within the palette catches the light from every angle for a spectrum of luminizing special effects—perfect for customizing finishes and exploring your artistic expression. The hybrid formula also doubles as a super-shimmery highlighter. Simply sweep product over prepped skin for otherworldly iridescence. Because the formula is packed with high-quality, pearlescent particles, a little goes a long way—even a subtle application imparts bold impact. Inspired by the ancient science of Alchemy, the art of transforming natural materials into a precious elixir, this hybrid palette is part top coat and part transformer, so it’s perfect for layering and blending to experiment with different makeup effects.

This palette contains: – 4 x 0.05 oz/ 1.53 g Holographic Shades in Emerald (green), Saphyre (blue), Amethyst (ultra-violet), Opal (pink). It is formulated without parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.
Price:
USD 32

Packaging: The packaging of the palette is exquisite and one of the clear reasons why I picked the palette. It feels like a collector’s item. The palette itself is triangular in shape with a white exterior cardboard box which has a duo chrome going along the alphabet “A.” The palette itself is again of very good quality cardboard packaging in white – which looks like it is carved out of a piece of marble. The alphabet “A” inscribed on the palette has such a beautiful scroll. For people who do not know the brand – Kat Von D does all the artwork for her products herself and her love and passion for both – the art and the product -shines through! The palette has 4 powder shades inside which are placed in eyeshadow-sized circular pans. The first thing which strikes you about the palette when you first have it in your hand is the size of it! It is small – quite small. Even though I had seen pictures and videos of the palette, it still did not prepare me for the actual size of it. Like i said, it is small.

My Experience with Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette:

There have been a whole lot of things being said about social media regarding how small the palette is and how little product it holds. I think the comparison stems from the fact that this product launched right after Anastasia’s launch of their Moonchild palette. Background – Anastasia is famous for her highlighting palette – from the Glow Kits to the collaboration ones to the Holiday Palette (the Ultimate Glow Kit reviewed by Rati earlier). Anastasia launched Moonchild palette some time back – a highlighting palette with a difference – it had all duochromatic shades – shades like purple and blue made an appearance on the highlighting circuit and the town went berserk – especially Instagram! My initial reaction – why would I want a purple highlight? Yes, it might “Look dope’ on Insta, but I live in the real world, it would be a waste of money. And then came the KVD Alchemist palette. I don’t know if it was the name or the size of the pans that I first realised the potential. It wasn’t about purple highlight on your face – these are multi-dimensional duo-chromatic powders to be used wherever, whenever – to transform your look. I am not saying that Anastasia’s Moonchild palette isn’t good and this is better. No! All I’m saying is that sometime – the strategy employed by a Company can make all the difference – can make you understand the true potential of the product and add to their bottomline!

So, the KVD palette has much lesser product than the Moonchild palette but I am glad that I picked this one up. For me, there is joy from just holding the product and looking at it – apart from its performance. And for that, the KVD Alchemist really does check all the boxes, for me. Also, I don’t see myself hitting pan on these any time soon – they are super pigmented – for what they are and you don’t need too much product anyway.

Ok, finally back to the palette – the palette has 4 eyeshadow-sized pans with shades ranging from blue to green to purple (my favourite) to peach. In the pan, they pretty much look blah, but once you swatch/apply them and the light catches them – it is pure joy!! Each of the shades is duo-chromatic and is a transforming shade. So, you can use them as is or over another shade, which could be on your eyes, your lips or on your face or even on the body (for an editorial or a playful look). It is basically – do what you want. The other beauty of the shade apart from them being duo-chromatic is that they are actually transforming. I have shared swatches with you of the shades on bare skin and then on a black cream eyeshadow. You can see for yourself the magic of the product! Alchemy is pure witchery!! 😉

Shades: As mentioned earlier – these can be used on the eyes, on the lips as well as the face/body. The beauty lies in the fact that the shade will transform depending on whether a base is used or what shade and texture of base is used. There are endless possibilities and that makes the palette one of the most fun products that i have picked in recent times.

Lets take a look at the shades individually:

Green – Emerald : This one is a light greenish-white powder with a golden green shift. Under a darker base, the shade takes up a whole new medium deep emerald shade.

Blue – Sapphire : This one is a light bluish white powder with picking violet blue shift. On a darker base, it transforms into a bright Sapphire shade.

Ultra-violet – Amethyst : My most favourite shade from the palette!! This one is a light whitish lavender with a pink violet shift. Under a dark base, it transforms into a bright Indigo violet shade.

Pink – Opal: This is whitish peach with a pearly pink silver sheen – unlike others which have more iridescence rather than a pearly effect. On a darker base, it transforms into a medium pink-purple shade.

Texture: The texture is thin, extremely smooth – there is absolutely no grittiness. On the contrary, it feels creamy to the touch but it isn’t thick creaminess – like that of a mineral based eyeshadow. The thinness of the texture is important to the product because it allows the product to be sheered out, which you might need to do to apply on the face as highlighter. The shift becomes more obvious in this sheered out way.

Longevity: The way it has been used and the base on which it has been applied, impacts the longevity of the product. Applied on a matte lipstick, you will get a better duochrome effect and greater longevity though a lot will depend on the longevity of the lipstick itself. On a more creamy lipstick, the duocrome effect gets more subtle as the product gets absorbed into the lipstick’s texture and you get lesser longevity. Similarly, on the eyes, on its own, they give about 8 hours of wear. On a powder eyeshadow, the longevity will depend on the longevity of the shadow itself. Under a good cream-based eyeshadow like the Laura Mercier Caviar sticks – this will stay put the whole day – 9 hours plus.

Pigmentation: All the shades have good pigmentation. The shade Blue-Sapphire needed a tad bit of layering, but the rest of the shades show up easily on its own or on a base.

Pros of Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette:

• Beautiful array of shades.
• Extremely unique palette.
• Actually transforming.
• Can be used on the eyes, lips or face.
• Smooth texture.
• Good pigmentation.
• Zero fallout.
• Long wearing.
• No creasing.
• Does not transfer.
• The colours blend easily.
• Did not irritate my eyes or skin.
• Stunning packaging.
• Cruelty free.
• Paraben free.

Cons of Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette:

• Nothing at all.

IMBB Rating:
4.5/5

It is one helluva palette. Pure fun! Pure joy to play with! Anyone buying this product needs to remember that this is not an eyeshadow palette. This is not a highlighter palette. This is a fun palette with endless possibilities. With this in hand, you don’t need to spend money on getting new metallic lipsticks or lip toppers, duo chrome highlighters, etc! This takes care of all that and more! I have shared a few looks with you to showcase the product. Hope you like them.
Do I Recommend Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette?
YES!!
Would I Repurchase Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette?
Definitely!

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