The new limited edition Venus XS palettes cost $20 each from Lime Crime. They have 1.78g (definitely a typo on the Lime Crime website as that states 78g) of product and a 24-month shelf life once opened. They are vegan and cruelty-free.
‘Tis the season to introduce our limited-edition Holiday Venus XS mini-quad palettes. A glimmering array of greens, blues, and pinks; truth be told – you’ll want them all! Four all-new shades in two finishes – with the same ethereal consistency as the rest of the Venus family, the two buttery smooth matte shades are effortlessly pigmented while two lush shimmers brilliantly shine. Each showstopping glitter-trimmed palette features a radiantly glowing monochromatic color story, they’re all magically divine!
The packaging on these is cardboard, with the outside embossed with Venus in a matching metallic colour. She’s also got glitter for hair on the outside. I do personally find the packing on these a little bulky as there are only four shades inside. There’s also no mirror but I do think I’d find that a little pointless given the size of them.
On the inside, you have the eyeshadows surrounded by glitter too. I think this is going to get messy and you won’t be able to clean it. I’m not particularly fond of this choice.
With all of these palettes, they’re soft and pigmented. There’s a little fallout with the glitter shades. They are better off used wet, because not only does it prevent the fallout issue but it also boosts the glitter. There also seems to be kickback in the pan, you only really need to tap them for colour.
I don’t find that these fade and they blend very well on the eye. Even without the typo at 78g each, there is more eyeshadow in these than the previous years’ offerings.
With all that said let us get into the actual palettes themselves.
The Venus XS Frosted palette is a cool blue tone palette that’s perfect for an update 60’s look.
- Icicle: Matte baby blue
- Chilly: Bright metallic blue
- Comet: Silver/baby blue foil
- Solstice: Sheer Matte
Icicle looks kind of white in the pan but it really is a baby blue when used. It’s slightly chalky but that’s something I’ve seen with every very pale blue shade I’ve ever used. It is a nice solid colour.
Chilly is a nice bright blue, the metallic shows well on the eye and can be foiled with a setting spray.
Comet is one of those brown/blue shift shadows that looks so good in swatches. The blue in this is definitely there despite me not being able to capture it on camera. The shift shows up better depending on where you use it on the eye.
Solstice is described as a sheer matte but it’s not that sheer. It’s a lovely navy colour that’s nice and matte and perfect for this palette.
This is a great blue palette that’s likely going to fill a hole in your collection.
The Holly Daze Venus XS palette is a green palette that leans slightly warmer.
- Wreath: Mint sparkle
- Jolly: Shifty metallic green
- Prancer: Matte peachy nude
- Mistletoe: Metallic green/brown duo-chrome
Wreath is a great mint green, despite being so light it has good coverage and is nice and matte. The sparkle is very tiny particles of glitter. They do tend to disappear when you blend it out.
Jolly is a very light shimmer green. There’s almost no colour to this one but the green shift is very beautiful. It’s great for an under brow highlight.
Prance is a terracotta matte that’s great for a transition shade.
Mistletoe is the green/brown sister to Comet. The shift is more or less obvious depending on where you put it on the eye. It’s like pidgeon from the Venus 2 palette.
The Venus Vixen XS palette is full of Rosey Christmas tones. Think frostbitten cheeks on a winters day.
- Festive: Matte pinky nude
- Peppermint Cake: Metallic baby pink
- Dazzling: Foil mauve with blue sparkle
- Poinsettia: Metallic burgundy
Festive is a pink based brown matte colour that a great shade for transition and building base for the other colours.
Peppermint cake is shiny metallic pink. It’s a nice bright pink colour, that foils really well with setting spray.
Dazzling really doesn’t pull mauve on me. It’s like Peppermint Cake but more sheer with a brown base and blue shift. The blue shift is not super obvious on the eye but you can see it.
Ponsetta pulled brown in the swatch but the red undertones of this show much more when blended with the other colours on the eye.
They’re a great little collection of shades that’ll work all year around. There’s a palette for all of your moods, from the bold and bright blues to the on-trend rose pinks.
If you’d like yours you can get them from Lime Crime for $20 or UK Suppliers for $18.50.
INGREDIENTS
Frosted
ICICLE (Eye): Mica (CI 77019), Zinc Stearate, Silica, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Indigofera Tinctoria Leaf Extract, Tin Oxide, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain/Peut Contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090). CHILLY (Eye): Mica (CI 77019), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Zinc Stearate, Silica, Calcium Titanium Borosilicate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Benzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Palmitic Acid, Tin Oxide, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain/Peut Contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140:1), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090). COMET (Eye): Mica (CI 77019), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Silica, Zinc Stearate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Tin Oxide, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain/Peut Contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491). SOLSTICE (Eye): Mica (CI 77019), Zinc Stearate, Silica, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain/Peut Contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Ultramarines (CI 77007).Holly Daze
WREATH (Eye): Mica (CI 77019), Zinc Stearate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Silica, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Tin Oxide, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain/Peut Contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Chromium Oxide Green (CI 77288). JOLLY (Eye): Mica (CI 77019), Calcium Titanium Borosilicate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Silica, Zinc Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Tin Oxide, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain/Peut Contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891). PRANCER (Eye): Mica (CI 77019), Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Zinc Stearate, Silica, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Tin Oxide, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain/Peut Contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77499), Red 40 Lake (CI 16035), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140). MISTLETOE (Eye): Mica (CI 77019), Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Zinc Stearate, Silica, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Tin Oxide, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain/Peut Contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510).Vixen
FESTIVE (Eye): Mica (CI 77019), Zinc Stearate, Silica, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain/Peut Contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77499), Red 40 Lake (CI 16035), Manganese Violet (CI 77742). PEPPERMINT CAKE/DAZZLING (Eye): Mica (CI 77019), Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Zinc Stearate, Silica, Tin Oxide, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol. May Contain/Peut Contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Red 40 Lake (CI 16035). POINSETTIA (Eye): Mica (CI 77019), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Silica, Zinc Stearate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Tin Oxide, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain/Peut Contenir [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77499).