Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette: Review & Swatches

The last time I purchased an eye shadow palette or went on a makeup shopping spree was about 6 years ago. I don’t usually ask my family for cosmetic gifts because beauty brands send me products to review on a daily basis but this Christmas my sister bought me the Desert Dusk Palette because the colors are gorgeous!

I added this compact to my holiday wish-list because I’ve never tried anything from Huda Beauty (despite having worked with hundreds of popular brands) and the sultry Arabian nights theme is right up my alley. At $85.00 this palette can be considered high-end and contains 18 mesmerizing shadows that range from buttery matte, metallic shimmer, pressed pearl, duo chrome and glitter.

The glamorous pigments can be worn day or night and I love the coppery sunset effect.

I appreciate a variety of versatile finishes but some of these shadows are sheer overlays with minimal coverage. Cosmo - the bronzy glitter at the bottom, is chunky, flaky and messy with little adhesion and lots of fallout. Twilight - the iridescent silvery purple with blue glitter and Retrograde are also very sparse and appear more prominent when layered over Amethyst. Celestial is a sheer golden shimmer that can be enhanced when applied over a solid shade like Blood Moon. For the price of this palette I expect amazing saturation from every shade and these 4 are a bit disappointing on their own.

The other shadows are stunning and extremely pigmented. I’m obsessed with Royal, Turkish Delight, Angelic and Blood Moon which all have a rich velvety texture that glides on effortlessly. The full-coverage shades can also be layered, mixed and matched to create custom colors that really pop.

Usually palettes have too many neutrals in the cream or beige spectrum but Desert Dusk has the perfect balance of rich mattes to compliment the bold shimmers. The texture is dry and slightly rough (definitely not as creamy as expected) but they blend well to create contrast and crease definition. 

Although there is room for improvement and shade substitutions, this palette is magnificent! If I am ever interested in acquiring another Huda Beauty bestseller I will probably swatch it first, but overall Desert Dusk is very usable.

You can find this beauty at Sephora and shophudabeauty.com