Essential Eye Palette Cool/Neutral

10 Reviews

1. 

   crummySmelt3

   Reply

   What a great palette this one is, very pigmented gorgeous colors, with an ever so slightly pearlescent matte finish, perfect for mature skin does not settle into fine lines, very nice day look and compliments my skin which is light/medium, I’m sure these neutral shades would work with darker skin tones as well.. It’s a nice addition to my matte eyeshadow collection and I will definitely repurchase again! Well done Cargo!

2. 

   spiritedMallard3

   Reply

   I saw this at ACW going for $5 and I had to have it. So glad I did. I agree with all the fans of this palette. The shades are just about the most perfect neutrals I have ever come across. TRULY neutral. The texture is buttery and spreads beautifully. Good pigmentation, too. It has a very slight pearly finish. Just enough to make it look satiny. No glitter, no shimmer. You can go from simple all-lid look (crease shade; not that dark), or elaborate smokey. I bought a refill, so there is no package to speak of, except a refill container. The up side is that thanks to that I only paid $5. Terrific for traveling (you have all you need; just add liner and mascara), and for a polished, but alluring look. VERY happy with my purchase.

3. 

   yearningFish7

   Reply

   NW10 here and over 45… meaning I’m getting super duper picky about how eyeshadow looks on my lids. This is a winner, hands down.

   I think it’s expensive for what you get. The quality of the case sucks. The pans do not stay put (I re-glued mine). No applicators.The powders can have major fall out if not careful with brush. All that aside….

   This is truly a cool toned collection where the lightest shade does NOT look white, turn orange or green and has no sheen but does NOT look dead. Amazing base color.

   The 2nd shade is the perfect one for lid. I mean perfect. Do a swipe of this over the cream (all over lid), tight-line, use mascara and you have the PERFECT professional eye look.

   No complaints.

4. 

   yearningEggs4

   Reply

   It’s impossible to find neutrals if you have cool toned skin. Well…almost, because this is genius. It’s perfect for daily wear and can easily be dressed up for evening. I have very pale skin and blue eyes and most shadows are too dark for me. As a matter of fact, just layering the third color is plenty dark for me.

   I agree with others about the packaging. It took the saleswoman three tries to find one that was not badly cracked and leaking powder, but she eventually did. I’ve been extra careful to ensure I don’t crack it.

   I’ve been using my BE brushes and wish I had some better options. I’m not one for the crummy applicators that usually accompany palettes of eyeshadow, but wish they’d included something.

   Still, I’m over the moon with how these shadows work and will definitely buy it again. The shadow lasts all day and never turns orange. Hooray!

5. 

   worldlyCordial0

   Reply

   This is a substantial compact with some heft to it. The shadows are not exciting but they deliver…silky and long lasting and well pigmented. I can do a low key everyday neutral eye with this as well as something more dramatic. I like “cool” tones and this one is definitely “cool.” I also appreciate having a palette where all the colors are usable for mature eyes. It was extremely difficult to track down. It was “out of stock” every where. I found it on Zappos…

6. 

   anxiousMussel6

   Reply

   I purchased this Eyeshadow at Ulta and have been using it for about 2 months now. The colors are little more on the grey side than I would like, but I do like the shade range.
   I would not purchase this again just because of the cheap plastic compact. The mirror fell out within the first week. The latch broke off and now both hinges have cracked and totally broken apart. I promise this was never dropped or abused in any way. I have used numerous other cheaper brands and never had the packaging fall apart in my hands like this one.

7. 

   solemnMacaw8

   Reply

   This is a product that should be beloved by faces over forty and boring to younger women!

   It is IDEAL for older faces because the shadow are not as pigment-heavy as others and go on very soft with the ability to blend easily. Further the colors are terrific for cool skin tones (warms should use one of the other similar quads).

   I get a soft, professional look easily and quickly without worrying about glitter or shimmer.

   It’s a MUST in my make-up bag! I’ve been reviewing products on this site for years and even have my own at Facesoverfifty. I urge women to check out the age-appropriate review because what works at twenty usually won’t at fifty.

8. 

   obsessedOryx2

   Reply

   I bought this with Cargo Shanghai quad from Beautybay online. Both were $23. Shanghai quad is lovely and I adore it very much. But this one is a disappointment. Like Sireen mentioned below some of this palette are chalky. And what I bought is one of them. The four colors are dull and boring no any trace of silky and smooth. The color payoff is poor and the staying power is weak. The package is heavy and not easy to open. And $23 is too expensive for its quality. I will not buy it again since it doesn’t have a table quality.

9. 

   culturedApricots9

   Reply

   I bought this on impulse and was initially happy with my purchase. I wore this for a few days, then switched to my regular Mac one day and noticed it has so much fallout! I always do my eyes first so I don’t mess up my foundation, and remove what is usually a small amount of fallout with a cotton swab dipped in eye make up remover. I needed 3 cotton swabs for this one! I am very disappointed, the colors a great and I love the look. It was just taking me way too much time to clean up the mess under my eyes afterwards 🙁 mainly it was the darkest color. I think I will exchange this for a UD naked palette…it is only $15ish….hmmm…now to decide 1 or 2….
   EDIT: I bought the UD Naked 2 ( see review ) and ended up with this cargo palette again. The colors are phenomenal, even if I do have to do a little extra clean up.

10. 

    cruelGelding4

    Reply

    A GODSEND FOR FOLKS WHO HAVE OLIVE SKIN WITH GREEN UNDERTONES!
    
    Yup, that’s right: I’m starting this review with all caps. Why? Because I want to make sure that people with green undertones notice this review! Not because I need the attention, but as a public service announcement. It’s soooo hard to find makeup that suits green-olive skin. Most makeup lines offer only warm neutrals, in peaches and red-browns that look absolutely terrible against undertones like mine.
    
    This is the first palette I’ve bought where all the shadows are great!! Cargo definitely isn’t using this to get rid of unpopular shades. The textures are uniformly excellent, and I find that the colors are all very wearable. Now, I have light — but not pale — skin. So I can’t say for sure how wearable these colors are on darker or lighter skintones. However, since the shadows can go on sheer and cover a wide range from light to dark, my guess is that this palette is good for most skintones.
    
    These shadows are great for an easy, polished, look that’s appropriate for business formal. It’s a very natural look on me, but it shows up enough to be recognized as makeup. (What a strange balancing act women have to play with our clothes and makeup in the workplace.) By the same token, you can create a more noticeable look by using a shadow on your lid that’s lighter or darker than your skin. You could even create a smokey eye!
    
    Because my skin is so light, eye shadows are often surprisingly dark on my lids. But these colors appear on my lids the same way they look in the pan. The finish is matte for all intents and purposes. They have the tiiiiniest bit of mica shimmer, but it’s just enough to keep from looking flat. The texture is very finely milled, and they blend beautifully. They’re really a dream to apply. It’s a dry pressed powder, but the application is so smooth it’s almost creamy.
    
    I’m shocked that Cargo and Bobbie Brown are the only makeup lines I’ve seen that offer cool neutrals in something other than eyeliner shades. But fortunately, the palette fills this underserved niche extremely well.
    
    UPDATE and WARNING: The individual pans of eye shadow are NOT firmly attached to the case. They’re just attached with a glob of glue that’s a little sticky, but clearly isn’t up to the task. I think the best solution is to attach the pans to the case with a little super glue. If you don’t want to do that, then I suggest you firmly press each pan into the palette from time to time, and avoid knocking the palette over or turning it upside-down. Normally, this would make me knock my rating down by a lippie. But the quality of the shadows is so great that I’ll stay with my original rating.
    
    *** Update 3, on June 9 2012 *** Just wanted to let you guys know that I still think this palette is great!