Kat Von D - Rock 'N' Roll Palette

 Eyeshadow colours included (I think each colour is listed behind the corresponding pan, which is how it was done with other KVD palettes, so that is how I've done it here):

Believer - White w/glitter | Confessional - Nude pearl | Groupie - Irridescent purple | Motorhead - Black w/glitter

I actually got this palette for free as a Sephora 500-point bonus, which was an excellent deal! I actually really love the nude highlighter colour, which I think is called Confessional. It's got a lovely sheen to it and shows up really well. I don't use Believer or Motorhead much because of the glitter (I tend to think that sparkles past the teenage years are nearly always a bad idea, and it also often irritates my eyes), but Groupie is a lovely shae of purple that's great for shading when paired with a lighter shade.

I'm not sure if this is actually sold anywhere, but if you don't mind the glitter it's worth picking up. I love the case - not only the cool designs but the sturdy packaging and proper mirror - and you get a decent amount of each shadow. The downfall, as with any KVD palettes, is of course the brushes. I haven't found them to be useful and generally just toss them and use my own. Other than that, a great little kit!

Ratings:
Packaging: 5/5
Product quality: 4/5
Worth the price? Since mine was free I'm gonna go with hell yeah!
Would I purchase again? I don't think I would, just because I use it relatively infrequently and don't think it's likely I'll use it up.

Cruelty-Free? Not sure. I'm still looking into it.

Smashbox - Ultimate Beauty Palette

This was the first palette I got from Smashbox - indeed it was one of the first things I bought. I somehow stumbled across it and couldn't believe what a good deal it was. Even for the 70 shadows alone, the price would have been worth it. But it also includes cream liners - one of the Smashbox products I love - along with brow powders that I use on a daily  basis and Soft Lights, which is one of my all-time favourite face highlighters. 

The eyeshadows are all quite neutral, though there is a great range of colours included. All of them can be worked into a daytime look, and it was great for me because I gravitate towards understated makeup. This could be a down side for anyone who goes in for lots of colour, however. Their 2009 Wish for the Perfect Palette had a much broader range of colours, so between the two palettes I have pretty much any colour I could want.

Products included:  

70 Eyeshadows - Mainly neutral shades  

1 Brow Tech Wax  

6 Brow Tech Powder  

8 Cream Eye Liners  

1 Bronze Lights  

1 Blush  

1 Soft Lights  

4 Lip Colour  

8 Lip Gloss 

There is very little to complain about with this palette. The brushes are completely useless (much worse than the ones included in subsequent years), but as long as you have a good brush collection that doesn't reduce the overall value of the palette. The major thing that does bother me, however, is the quite strong scent of the palette. It smells like the type of scented talcum powder favoured by grandmothers, and has a lingering, nose-irritating scent. Fortunately I've never smelled this on any of their products before or since, and their palette in 2009 didn't have any scent at all whatsoever, so this seems to be a unique issue.

Ratings:
Packaging: 5/5
Product quality: 4/5
Worth the price? Definitely.
Would I purchase again? No. Though it's a great deal and I do use it from time to time, I am quite sensitive to smells and the scent of this palette is quite unpleasant for me.

Cruelty-Free? Yes - appears on PETA's Cruelty-Free list.

MAC - Colour 3 Quad

I love how all of these colours look in the pan and bought the palette thinking it would be excellent to accent the green in my hazel eyes. I ended up being quite disappointed with it. Mink Pink barely shows up at all and is only really useful as a blending colour. Bruised Plum I like, it is a nice shade to wear on days when I don't want to look like I'm wearing much makeup and brightens up my eyes, so this one I like. Black Tulip is very bright and though I've tried using it a few times, I usually pass it over for slightly less vibrant shades. I do like the colour, however, and think it would be a lot of fun for more dramatic looks. Jungle Moon is a bit too dry for my liking and I've had little success using it apart from lining the lashline. Overall out of this palette only Bruised Plum sees much use.

Eyeshadow colours included (top left to bottom right):

Mink Pink - Pale muted mauve (VX)
Bruised Plum - Mauved pink (VP)

Black Tulip - Bright irridescent purple (F)

Jungle Moon - Dark plum purple (M) 

As mentioned in my review of the Colour 4 Quad, I am not a huge fan of the new packaging from the standpoint of de-potting shadows. Though they look a lot nicer and are more sturdy than the old quads, they are also impossible to de-pot without melting the plastic casing and as such leave the palette completely destroyed. I liked popping the shadows out of the old quads but still storing them in their original configuration and only popping them out to carry with me for touch-ups. With the new packaging this isn't possible, which is quite disappointing. Please, please, MAC, start making easy lift-out shadow packaging!!!

Ratings:
Packaging: 4/5
Product quality: 3.5/5
Worth the price? If you think you'll use the colours more than I do, then yes. The quads are always a good deal as compared to buying individual shadows depending on how you like the colours included.
Would I purchase again? No.

Cruelty-Free? Yes - appears on PETA's Cruelty-Free list.

Where to find it: Limited Edition, so unfortunately you can't!

MAC - Colour 4 Quad

I love this quad. I got it at the beginning of the summer, mainly because the colours are so evocative of warmth, sand and sun-kissed skin. The colours are all bright, gold and/or orange-toned and look great on skin that has caught a bit of those gorgeous rays. Funny that I'm reviewing this quad on the coldest day of the year so far with snow on the ground! Perhaps it's wishful thinking!

Colours included (top left to bottom right):

Manila Paper - Pale yellowed highlighter (VP)

Flip - Gold orange (F)

Aztec Brick - Orange pink (VP)

Creole Beauty - Orange bronze (F)

 This quad was limited edition, so it's no longer available, but if it were I'd recommend it for summer makeup looks or for anyone who misses those warm nights on the beach! I love each and every shadow in this quad and found that they can create some stunning looks when used together or with other shadows. This and the Colour 3 quad were the first two I purchased with the new MAC quad packaging and as much as I like how they look in the quad - they're much sleeker and look great - it's near impossible to de-pot the shadows in these quads, which is a bit frustrating. If you don't de-pot your shadows, however, I'd say that the new packaging is a step up.

Ratings:
Packaging: 4/5 (for difficulty de-potting)
Product quality: 5/5
Worth the price? Definitely. Quads are a great way to try out new shadows cheaper than buying them individually.
Would I purchase again? If it weren't limited edition I'd definitely re-purchase once I've used this one up.

Cruelty-Free? Yes - appears on PETA's Cruelty-Free list.

Where to find it: Limited Edition, so unfortunately you can't.

MAC Paint Pot - Coral Crepe

At first I didn't think this colour would work for me. I have hazel eyes, but with my skin's pink undertones anything coral just looks a weird orange colour on me. But I discovered that this paint pot used as a base under the coral shade from "In the Groove" mineralized eyeshadow trio and worn with smolder at the lashline and on the waterline is actually really flattering. It's not too orange, not too natural, but also not garish. I fell in love with it and it became one of my favourite looks for awhile! It can also be worn under Paradisco or alone. Love, love, love this paint pot!!

Ratings:
Packaging: 4.5/5
Product quality: 5/5
Worth the price? Definitely.
Would I purchase again? Yes.

Cruelty-Free? Yes - appears on PETA's Cruelty-Free list.

Where to find it: Limited Edition, so unfortunately you can't.