Venus XL Eyeshadow Palette

8 Reviews

1. 

   needfulTermite6

   Reply

   This was my first Lime Crime purchase and I loved it so much that ended up buying the Venus II and several liquid lipsticks.

   The shadows are pigmented but blendable, they adhered nicely to a primed lid but didn’t last as long on bare skin (not really surprising on my oily lids) and the packaging is sturdy with a large mirror. Some of the colors blend out similar so be careful not to muddy them.

   The color story is very similar to ABH Modern Renaissance and you can achieve similar looks with JSC’s Blood Sugar Palette. So if you enjoyed those palettes I’d say give this one a look. So far I’ve really enjoyed using this palette! I’ve had it about a year and I still use it often.

2. 

   blissfulMoth3

   Reply

   For Lime Crime’s first bumper Venus entry, they’ve gone for the “ultimate grunge palette” and have chosen a “renaissance remix”, romantic and feminine theme for their shade selection. The eighteen powder shadows come in a mix of matte, matte with microglitter, metallic and what Lime Crime calls a not-a-satin-not-a-shimmer ‘glow’ finish [I’d say pearlescent]; Eden (Rusty rose metallic), Love (Bronzed peach metallic), Passion (Bright raspberry matte), Fresca (Taupe with pink sparkle sparkle matte), Inspire (berry metallic), Idolízed (Toasted caramel glow), Aphrodite (Rich red-brown glow), Nu Classic (Bronzed brown metallic), Burnt Gold (Dark terracotta glow), Flora (Deep coral matte), Scallop (Softest warm pink matte), Celestial (Brick with gold sparkle sparkle matte), Ethereal (Dusty blush metallic), Triumph (Muted cranberry matte), Supreme (Deep mauve glow), Blank Canvas (Cool beige matte), Boticelli (Midnight wine glow) and Goddess (Dusty rose glow).

   Most of the shades in Venus XL blend the same and wear the same on me as the ones in the original Venus palette do; a few shades [Passion, Aphrodite, Triumph & Boticelli] feel drier in comparison to the creaminess of all of the other shades, but they still apply very smoothly and evenly, and all of the shades blend out easily and I’ve had zero creasing or colour fade. I have deepset eyes and have had very little transfer from the metallic shades. There is some kick-up when I dip my brushes into the pans, but that is something that never really bothers me as long as the shadows apply and perform well, which these do.

   This is a palette where I can confidently say that I’ll get around to using every single shade that is in the palette [in fact I believe I have done by now, as well as mixing most of the shades to create new ones] – there’s not a single shade that makes me sigh or go ‘eww’. If having a one-and-done palette is a dealbreaker for you, then it’s good news; you can make a variety of complete-look-in-one-palette looks with Venus Xl, that go all the way from desk to party.

   I adore this palette and can’t fault the product quality and wearability of the colour-story, but as someone who is a collector of the Venus palettes I have a niggle; I do think that this palette has some similar shades to the ones in Venus I, rather then new ones – Venus XL is the continuation of a eyeshadow palette series, so I think that they shouldn’t be looking behind them at the past Venus entries for the colour-story and be concentrating on introducing new shades into the line.

3. 

   empathicPup3

   Reply

   One of my most favorite palettes. All are so soft yet pigmented and not powdery. Wish this had more purples instead of all pinks and dark reds. Overall it’s my staple and wouldn’t trade it for any other palette!

4. 

   annoyedBurritos2

   Reply

   Undoubtedly an excellent palette if you are after pink tones and don’t want a ‘neutral pallette’. This is beautifully presented. I love the image on the front and the pallette itself is sturdy with a good mirror. The colours are all unique and with the amount of palettes on the market today this is difficult. I love ‘Aphrodite’which is beautiful aubergine shade which doesn’t muddy and remains bright and true, ‘scallop’ is a beautiful light pink. There are many pinks and corals and they all blend beaufully. In my opinion, none of these colours are a dud and I find there is very little fall out. They’re all beautifully pigmented and they last all day on the lid ( I use a good primer). If you are after a blinding shimmer/metallic shade though, there aren’t any in here….the shimmers are subtle, but I like that.

5. 

   mereDoughnut7

   Reply

   I honestly thought I would never buy Lime Crime again until recently I started to hear much better things. For me I was a buyer of the repackaged mica and the bad velveteen’s so I thought I would never repurchase. Then I read about the new director and decided to give them another shot because I’m not one to hang onto things. So when I saw this palette I really wanted it because to me these colours suit me so much better than other palettes in this genre. I think its because these shades for me lean more cool. About me NW20, blonde hair, green eyes, very cool undertones for reference and I adore these colours!

   The formula is really really good! The mattes are super creamy and opaque. I only have to touch my brush to some shades and have plenty of product to work with. For me these shades are very pigmented especially Passion and Botticelli. The shimmer mattes are so very cool and had barely any fallout. The “glow” shades blend so well! I love Goddess and Ethereal they are such pretty pinks! The matte shade Blank Canvas I just adore as it is perfect for my skin tone. Plus they are super creamy and blend really well. I have found these shadows for me wear better than they swatch which is where it counts!

   So for me this palette is excellent! It has all the colours I’m looking for and I can create so many looks. On top of that the shadows themselves are excellent they wear really well. The palette itself is gorgeous I love the packaging and I like that for the $$ you get huge pans and 16 at that. I’m really happy I decided to give Lime Crime another shot as they have some products I really want to try. I would repurchase this or buy one as a gift it really is an awesome product! I’m a happy girl this palette I think will be fun for Summer and Spring too. Recommended.

6. 

   offendedJerky9

   Reply

   I really love the original Venus palettes, but Venus XL has blown them out of the water in terms of quality and overall prettiness of shades. There are some AMAZING shadows in this palette, and I haven’t used one yet that is a dud. You can get everything from warm-toned daytime looks, romantic pink looks, vampy dark red looks, and the “grungy” looks the first two Venus palettes are known for with this palette. My favorite shadows in the palette are Love, Fresca, Idolized, Burnt Gold, Scallop (the most perfect warm orangey transition shade), Ethereal, Goddess, and Blank Canvas, but all of the shadows are very high quality. Just like Venus I and II, the shadows are nicely pigmented and blend so easily, but the formula is a little softer in Venus XL, which I happen to quite like. I think that Venus XL may have just unseated ABH Modern Renaissance as my favorite shadow palette ever!

7. 

   importedFish8

   Reply

   I totally splurged on this palette, and I just adore it…First of all, like most of Lime Crime’s packing, it’s adorable and high quality, and the eye shadows are super pigmented. I feel the color range is stunning and versatile. I can see how most of them would be amazing on their own, or blended. I have both the Venus and Venus II palettes and this one is just as awesome. I am very impressed…

8. 

   joyfulMussel6

   Reply

   I have had and used this palette pretty religiously for a few weeks now, so I feel completely confident in writing this review.

   First of all, the Venus XL palette is Lime Crime’s newest and largest (and priciest) palette to date. Housed in this magnificent pink and gold spectacle of packaging magic are 18 new and exclusive shades in a variety of pinks, plums, rusty neutrals, and berry shades. There are mattes, matte glitters, shimmer, and what LC calls “glow” shades.

   This palette is, IMO, incredible. I own the other two Venus palettes as well and the quality here is just as good, if not better, than its predecessors. The shadows are highly pigmented, soft and blendable with very little fallout or kickup. The pans are the exact same size as the shades in the previous Venus palettes, making it well worth the price in regards to how much product you’re getting.

   This palette won’t be for everyone and I’ve seen a lot of people say that they feel this palette isn’t very versatile. I agree and disagree. Yes, this palette is very pink and red leaning. I can see why people would feel a little boxed in by that if pinks and reds aren’t your thing.

   However, if you’re a fan of creating pink, burgundy, rusty looks? This palette is never ending in its versatility. I have created so many looks with this palette and I am constantly finding new ways of using the shades. I have countless palettes in my arsenal, but since I’ve received this palette I haven’t been able to put it down.

   The other thing I love about this palette is that it works SO well with the other Venus palettes, especially the OG palette. Jam, Mud, and Mustard in Venus II also work well with XL. Another popular opinion about the Venus XL is that some of the shades are incredibly similar to the original. Are some shades similar? Yes, however, there are discernible differences and instead of the similar shades fighting each other, they work together harmoniously. I feel like Venus XL was created with this in mind and it’s pretty freakin’ genius.

   For instance, Shell in the original palette is a shimmer, but in XL Scallop is matte. Though they are similar they produce different results alone. Together, they create something entirely new.

   When I saw the similarities between certain shades, instead of feeling frustrated by it, it honestly excited me. The similarities are not a bad thing at all. In working with these shades I’ve found that it allows me to have a wider range when doing transitory shading and blending and creates a smoother gradient. If I want to do a smokey look with a dark brown rather that deep burgundy I’ll use Icon in the original palette. I find myself going back and forth and they each possess what the other doesn’t, and it works.

   The new shimmer and glow shades in XL are absolutely stunning and I love working with them just as much as the matte shades. The glow shades produce such a beautiful glow (they really do) and it makes the shades pop in a really gorgeous way. The glitter shades aren’t too glittery at all either, so if you’re not a huge glitter fan I think you’d still enjoy the shades that contain it.

   Quick tip: use Blank Canvas all over the eyelid before going in with anything else. It’ll give you a really nice base and allow for better blending altogether.

   IMO, this palette is a must for those who really love creating pink, burgundy, and rusty looks and for those that own the original Venus and feel like expanding on the possibilities of its use. It’s an expertly crafted and curated palette, the colors are sublime, and the quality and packaging is on point.

   I love this palette so much that I actually purchased a backup…which is a little crazy because I have yet to even hit pan in any of my LC shadows (I swear, Divine in the original should have hit pan YEARS ago).

   I highly recommend purchasing Venus XL. It’s well worth the price in every respect, imo. I am so addicted to using this palette. For me, it’s extremely versatile and I just love my eye makeup Every. Single. Day. I get compliments all the time when I’m out and I get asked what eyeshadow I’m wearing ALL the time. I’ve purchased a lot of palettes over the last 6 months, but they’re all collecting dust now.