Natasha Denona Mini Biba Eyeshadow Palette Review

Compact, high-pigmented, and cruelty-free. Here’s my honest review of Natasha Denona’s Mini Biba eyeshadow palette.

This review comes with a delay because I wanted to give this product a few more tries. I’ve been testing Natasha Denona’s Mini Biba Eyeshadow Palette for a few weeks now, and I wanted to see its potential before writing about it here.

If you’re into makeup, you might already hear about this brand. Even though Natasha Denona has many makeup products, it’s mostly known because of their eyeshadow formulas. The problem? It’s a bougie brand, so their products aren’t exactly cheap.

So you can have an idea, their mini palettes (5 shades only) retail for 25 euros and their larger ones can cost you between 70 and 211 euros. Yes, that’s a lot for an eyeshadow palette. It means that you expect nothing but the best when spending a lot of money.

Besides all the hype about their eyeshadows and watching hundreds of reviews in the past couple of years, this was my first experience with the brand. Why? First, I wasn’t willing to spend so much money. Second, no other Natasha Denona eyeshadow palette caught my attention like this one.

The moment I saw TrendMood’s post on Instagram, I knew I wanted this eyeshadow palette in my collection (if you can call it that). I have a thing for pink shades and neutral looks, so I thought this palette was right up my alley. So, I inevitably started counting the days for its release in Sephora Spain. But, as the days passed and this product still wasn’t available, I ended up ordering it online at Cult Beauty.

What does the brand say about the Mini Biba eyeshadow palette?

According to Natasha Denona’s website, the Mini Biba palette is inspired by their best-selling and everyday essential Biba palette. Instead of a curated selection from the hues of the original palette, the Mini Biba palette is an extension of the original palette. And it is perfect to create a variety of looks for every occasion - from daytime looks to evening smokey eyes.

The shades and formulas were hand-designed by Natasha Denona, made with the highest pure color pigments and luminous pearls. Its buttery smooth, hydrating eyeshadow formula wears beautifully on any skin type and skin tone.

How to apply?

Matte eyeshadows: Apply with fluffy eyeshadow brushes to blend or detail brushes for precision.

Metallic eyeshadow: May be applied with different shapes of brushes for a subtle application. For a high payoff/foiled finish, apply with a damp eyeshadow brush or the tip of the finger.

What were my expectations with this palette?

After listening to many positive reviews about the brand’s eyeshadows, I expected Natasha Denona’s Mini Biba Eyeshadow Palette to be reliable and compact. I could easily pull off a look with.

I was looking for a no-brainer product that I could use daily to be a perfect travel companion. Also, given its price (and all the hype), I expected its formulas to be long-lasting, with a proper pigmentation, and easy to blend out.

My experience using the Mini Biba eyeshadow palette

I started by swatching it on the back of my hand before applying it to my eyelids. That’s something I usually do with all my eyeshadows. I was immediately surprised by how soft the formulas were.

The metallic shade (Blaze Nude) feels so buttery and unique. Something that I have never experienced with any other shade. I’ve also noticed that the shade Bruno was the driest of the bunch, but it still offered an excellent pigmentation.

I’ve started by creating a look using all the shades in the palette. That’s the purpose, right?! So, I went for darker shades on the outer corner and lighter shades on the inner one.

The result? I looked ill. The eyeshadows in the Mini Biba palette are super pigmented. So, I had to go easy with the darker ones, given my light skin tone.

After since this first attempt, I have used this eyeshadow palette pretty much every day. I was trying new application methods and color combinations. Mainly because I noticed that some of the shades would fade or almost disappear within a few hours, that’s the case with Blaze Nude (the metallic one), which happens to be my favorite.

I’ve recently discovered that makeup specialists don’t recommend prepping your eyelid with a concealer, as it will crease (and yes, it does). So, after applying these shadows with a bare eyelid, I see my effort (and money) go to waste… I purchased an eyeshadow primer (a low-cost one from Wibo) to see what happened.

Something unusual happened the first time I used the primer. The metallic shade melted into the matte pink shade (Plush) underneath, creating a beautiful shimmery shade. But it was never the plan. However, I can tell that the eyeshadows lasted a bit longer in proper condition. However, the metallic shade still disappeared after a few hours - no matter what I did. 

After this experience, I decided to get a reliable eco-conscious eyeshadow primer that I’ve read good reviews on and give it another try. So, I ordered Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Amplifying Eye Primer on Sephora’s website. And that was the best thing I could do.

Not only the matte eyeshadows did last all day, but the metallic shadow also lasted for many hours. What a difference does this eyeshadow primer make in this whole experience. I know that I cannot use this eyeshadow palette without the primer.

Although I can only use 3 shades out of 5, that’s still a more significant ratio than the one I usually have with most of the eyeshadow palettes.

Would I recommend it?

Despite my troublesome experience, I would have to say yes. The eyeshadows have high pigmentation, the formulas are one of a kind, and the package is relatively compact. Perfect if you’re on the go or traveling.

If you have been eyeing this eyeshadow palette and are still willing to purchase it, you can buy it with some discount code at Sephora, Cult Beauty, or LOOKFANTASTIC.

However, suppose you’re looking for a similar color scheme, and you don’t feel like spending such an amount of money. You can easily pull off a similar and more long-lasting look (even without the primer) with cheaper eyeshadow palettes, like this one from FRIENDS eyeshadow palette from REVOLUTION or this one from Huda Beauty.

But if you would like to get started on Natasha Denona’s renowned eyeshadows, I would say that this would be an excellent way to start. Especially if you can purchase it discounted.

7,5/10