Etude House Aloha 48 Colors of Tropical Eyes

Hallyu, or Korean Wave, has helped disperse many of Korea's products all over the world. Korean cosmetics are no exception; brands of big companies such as Amore Pacific have been pollinating in Asia for quite a few years. Etude House is the company's sub-brand marketed toward teens and young adults. (Laneige, Iope, Sulwhasoo, and a host of other brands are also part of Amore Pacific's umbrella.) During my sister's recent trip to Singapore, she gifted me with Etude House's Aloha 48 Colors of Tropical Eyes set (thank you, 三姐).

It comes in a pink cardboard-type case with cute illustrations of Hawaiian ladies dancing away in Aloha land. This palette is great for travel and it contains a wide range of colors in different hues and is light enough to not take up so much baggage weight.

The case opens to an 8 by 6 palette. The little nuggets of eyeshadows come in tiny sizes which I wish more makeup brands will make (and they can charge lower) because most people never really get to finish full-sized eyeshadows.

It comes with five sponge-tip applicators that reminds me of magic pencils from elementary school days. Each applicator can be inserted into the bottom pile which pushes up a new applicator, much like the pen.

It also comes with a handy mirror.

The mirror revealed. Although it's a bit fuzzy, it gives an accurate reflection.

Removed from the box, all 48 colors!

Here is a close-up of 24 colors (left half).

Swatches following from top to bottom (wrist to elbow).

Close-up of the other 24 shades (right half).

Top to bottom swatches (wrist to elbow).

Above is the ingredient list.

 

The product description on the back says this palette is inspired by the beach. Indeed the colorful shadows are so tempting and attractive. However, I found this palette to have delivered more visually than actually. The swatches above were taken under natural sunlight without flash, and without eye primer. The shadows have low pigment resulting to dull finishes. There was also a lot of product fall-out (little bits and pieces of shadow splattering all over) due to the gritty texture. Most of the shades were swatched around four to five times to achieve the level of pigmentation in the pictures. I for one dislike applying colors too many times/too long on the delicate eye area, so already this was a huge downer. The finish of the shadows are all about the same -- satiny or shimmery. Texture and pigment-wise, these are a total fail and I would not recommend it to girls who are serious about their eyeshadows. It helps to note that "something's gotta give" with most sets/palettes. It is still a clever set and I am glad to have had the chance to enjoy experimenting with a colorful range of shadows.

It came with (GWP) an umbrella covered in rabbit "clothes."

Cute back of it. Overall, the main strength of this palette is the wide variety of shades. I think it is best suited for makeup newbies as an introduction to many different eyeshadow shades and hues.