Happy Monday, everyone! Today's review is a much requested one – I've gotten a lot of requests (mostly from friends, haha) to review this ever since I first posted it on Instagram. It's the IPKN x estherlovesyou Baking Class Palette! *sparkles emoji*
But before we move on to the actual review, can we please take a few minutes to appreciate this adorable pouch?? For a limited time right after its release, every item purchased from the IPKN x estherlovesyou Collection came with a free pouch, with the famous Esther bunny on it. Those who bought x number of items got x pouches for free. If you ask me, this collection is worth buying for the pouch alone, haha!
IPKN TWINKLE EYE COLLECTION - BAKING CLASS (ESTHERLOVESYOU EDITION)
IPKN describes it as: A multi eyeshadow palette with 10 colors like sweet dessert that gives natural eye makeup, brilliant eye makeup and even eyebrow makeup. It's part of a collection produced in collaboration with artist Esther Kim / estherlovesyou. Esther Kim is a Korean-American artist, whose work has been featured in a number of Japanese fashion magazines. You've probably seen her drawings as stickers on LINE Camera at least once. Her cutesy and romantic pink-fueled aesthetic just screams kawaii, and it's reflected well even in this collaboration.
PACKAGING
It comes in a lightweight plastic baby pink case. The case is super simple, but Esther's illustrations make it look so much cuter! Even the plastic film inside—which has a drawing illustrating each color—is cute! It does feel a bit flimsy, though, as if it'll come apart when I drop it. I usually just throw stuff in my bag when I go out, so I don't think I can take this with me. The palette also comes with a special dual-ended shadow and pencil brush (although a bit small) for creating various eye makeup looks. I also appreciate that they included a full-length mirror on the top part of the case.
COLORS
This palette contains mostly browns, plus a couple of pinks. I don't know how much input Esther Kim had in which colors to use for this palette, but I love that the colors capture the "sweet innocent" vibe of her work perfectly. The colors and their descriptions, according to IPKN:01 Refreshing grapefruit soufflé: Fresh grapefruit color and shimmer pearls give moist color.Before I saw this palette, I had my sights set on getting a different palette that had only pink shades. When I saw the IPKN x estherloves you palette, I changed my mind instantly! For me, these colors are exactly what I'm looking for in a neutral palette. They are quite pigmented, similar to my Etude House shadows. I had a hard time getting 01 and 02 to show up in the photo, but only because they match my skintone so much that you can barely see them. I suggest wearing a primer underneath for a more vivid color.
02 Grandmother's Monaca: Contains fine pearl on natural skin tone color to brighten the eye area.
03 Savory peanut butter: Natural shade non-pearl brown color that reminds peanut butter.
04 Mom's anpan: Point color with smooth pearls and reddish deep brown color like red bean jam.
05 Double Shot Espresso: Deep dark brown color like double shot.
06 Bananas in chocolate: Non-pearl gray-brown color with soft and cozy feeling.
07 Crunchy pecan pie: Gold brown color like pecan with glittery gold pearls.
08 Fondant Chocolate: Gold pearl deep brown point color that reminds warm fondant chocolat.
09 Fig tart: Non-pearl mauve color that give natural shade makeup.
10 Strawberry Cheesecake : Gives bright eyes with soft pink color with gold pearls.
TEXTURE
There are 4 matte shades (03, 05, 06, and 09) and 6 shimmery shades (01, 02, 04, 07, 08, 10). It's a good balance of mattes vs shimmers, especially since I'm more inclined towards shimmery shadows. Also, apparently a couple of these are glittery—the glitters are probably not that large, so I can't really tell. They go on very smoothly, with only a little bit of fallout. I personally prefer applying these with my fingers, because I get more out of the sparkly colors (especially 10) that way. I then blend out with a brush when I need to.WEARABILITY
All the colors are very wearable. While all the colors are very blendable and go well together, as you can see in the photo above, each one of the shades can also be worn on their own. Perfect for when you're feeling lazy (if you're like me, then always) and just want a wash of color on your lids.PRICE & AVAILABILITY
One of the biggest cons of this product, I think, is that it's not locally available. Those living outside of Korea can only get this item and all the other items from this collection via Gmarket, so you'll have to find a shopping service to buy it for you, or find someone who sells it locally if you're not used to buying from international sites. I bought mine via SeoulfindsMNL for P1200 (~$26), which I think is pretty affordable for a 10-color palette that I know I'll be using for many different looks and occasions. Another thing is that this is a limited edition item, and you never know when they'll become sold out completely. As of now, you can still buy any of the items in the collection, but they'll no longer come with the free pouch, sadly.EDIT: I was told that the collection is currently available on Tester Korea as well. Thanks, Lily!