Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette in Poetica Swatches and Review

I think I've purchased every single Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette since Sephora first announced their exclusive Kat Von D line. Sure, there have been some disappointments with each palette, but they've all generally been very good. Which, I suppose, is why I continue to buy them the minute they're released. Except this time.

I waffled this time. But, obviously, I broke down and ordered one. I loved the look of these newly redesigned True Romance palettes right away. The sleek black metal, the ornate carved style. I just couldn't help but think that all the shades in these new palettes looked familiar. I'll get into that in a moment, but first behold the beauty of the new Poetica palette from Kat Von D:


This is just the cardboard box it comes in. It's a work of art. One thing I've always appreciated about the Kat Von D for Sephora line is that they put a lot of thought into the design and presentation. It always makes me feel like I'm getting something special whenever I buy one of these palettes.

The outer box opens accordion-style to reveal a sprinkling of stars against a dark lavender lining. That little black square in there is a sample of High Voltage Eye Primer in Skin. Nice little touches like that are what keep me coming back.


The palette itself. It's all metal with a spring-loaded hinge. When you depress the tab on the front, the lid swings back and the whole palette folds flat. There's a mirror inside the lid.

The names of the shadows. No ingredients listed on the back of the palette.


The open palette. See how it lies flat once you open the lid? Not the absence of those tiny little brushes. Instead of having them again, they've included a black eyeliner pencil instead!

It's a mini size Kat Von D Autograph Eye Pencil in Puro Amor. Even the pencil design is gorgeous.

The Puro Amor shade is a matte black.

The shadows, with flash and without. Left to right: Forgiveness, Sand Timer, Chandler, Tijuana, Wonderland, Skiba, Babe and You Alone.

Just what I've always wanted! My very own Chandler eyeshadow!

The shadows swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion, flash and no flash. Forgiveness, Sand Timer, Chandler, Tijuana, Wonderland, Skiba, Babe and You Alone.

Kat Von D Autograph Eye Pencil in Puro Amor.

Okay... Are you thinking what I'm thinking? 'Cause I'm thinking that I already have all these shades. Wonderland and Tijuana look sorta like Oddfellow and Ace of Spades from the Adora palette. Skiba and Babe were already in the True Love palette, and Chandler looks a bit like Benji from that same palette. You Alone also reminds me of Missy from the True Love palette. Forgiveness looks like Sugar Skull from the Truth palette.

I don't really feel like I got a new palette. On one hand, I can see where they were going with this. If their intention was to re-design the True Romance palettes and update them a bit, they did just that. They listened to reviews, took out those wretched cream shadows and the useless brushes and updated the style a bit. These new palettes would be great for someone who hasn't already collected all the old palettes.

But, on the other hand, I was hoping for something brand new! Not recycled colors.

What I like:

• I'm content with the shadow quality, that hasn't changed.
• NO MORE STUPID CREAM SHADOWS!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!
• It comes with a BLACK EYELINER PENCIL!!! DOUBLE YAY!!!!
• Beautiful packaging, display-worthy palette design.
• Good variety of colors and finishes.
• Comes with a sample of primer.
• The formula is supposed to have some skin care ingredients to hydrate the eye area.
  

What I don't like:

• Recycled colors! I want new colors. Boo.
• The whole metal casing seems really flimsy and fragile. The hinges and clasps don't feel secure and the thin metal doesn't seem like it will protect the shadows or the mirror.
• The two glittery shades are poorly pigmented and the glitter doesn't show up when applied to the lids.
• The metallic copper seems out of place with the rest of the colors, but I like the shadow itself.
• I miss the cool rubberized plastic palettes, even if this new design is really pretty.

So, those are my thoughts on the new Poetica palette. It's nice, I like it, but it's not anything new. I don't know if I'm going to get the Saint or Sinner palettes unless I see them in person first. I love collecting these but I have a hard time wanting to spend money on colors I already own!

This is available exclusively at Sephora and costs $35.