I need to hear from all of you makeup addicts there – I need to know I’m not alone. Whenever new makeup is released, do you hold your breath when it’s announced, and then either let out a HUGE sigh of relief if you DON’T like it…or become immediately obsessed when you LOVE it? Recently, I’d say that about 95% of makeup that has had a big release has been a “pass” for me, which made my wallet happy.

Such was NOT the case here. The second the teaser photos started coming out of Sugarpill’s Cold Chemistry palette, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to resist. Yes, it is possible for eyeshadows to beckon you with their pretty, sparkly fingers and lure you into their seductive gazes. DAMN SIRENS THEY ARE!! What assholes.

With all of that said, I think I managed to wait a full 2.5 minutes after this was released before clicking the “Buy” button. Restraint. I has it.

Now, ShutTheHellUpLinda, let’s get on with the review, shall we?

First, can we stop for a second and talk about Amy/Sugarpill’s attention to the little things?! I mean come on – how can you not grin from ear-to-ear when you get this box in the mail? It’s a damn kitten, wrapped in a bow, holding a pill. Swoon.

The actual casing of the palette is so badass. The design is fantastic – very sharp, angular, ice-like. Even the mirror on the inside of the palette is jagged and looks like broken glass. The whole palette comes inside a sleeve with much of the same design, except on the sleeve, you get to stare lovingly into the eyes of Amelia Arsenic, and who in their right mind would argue with that?

Girl crush alert.

The shadows are all LARGE – about the size of a silver dollar. (Do they even make those anymore? I’m dating myself here. Just get me my cane and prunes.) At $34 for the whole palette, you’re only spending $8.50 per eyeshadow, which is amazing. If you’ve ever used any Sugarpill products, you know that the quality is worth it. Let’s have a gander at the shades.

First is Soot & Stars – a shimmery, sparkly black with blue-purple specks of glitter. The black is richly pigmented, and the glitter throws just enough of a sparkle to catch the eye, but not so much that you’ll see it all over your face. LOVE this. It has become one of my staples since buying it.

Next is Diamond Eyes. Out of all of the colors, this was my least favorite in the palette, but that’s not to say that I don’t still like it. A pearly-white with undertones of pink shimmer, this shadow is SUPER DUPER shimmery. There isn’t a lot of fallout, which is nice, but sometimes, a white shimmery shadow is just too much for me. HOWEVER! This is a fantastic shadow for putting on top of other shadows (especially Elemental Chaos) to create a cool duochrome effect. I bet you’re asking, “But Linda, what is Elemental Chaos?” Brace yourselves, children.

STOP. JUST STAHP. THIS is Elemental Chaos. Do you need to just stare at it for a while? Go ahead – I’ll wait. This is a dark, RICHLY pigmented and vibrant blue-purple with blue flecks of shimmer throughout. This shadow is like BUTTAH. Glides on smooth, and you barely need to swipe your brush across it once, and the shadow is opaque. Just perfection. This is the kind of shadow that makes me want to buy a backup of it, even though I’ve barely dented the hatchmarks on the top of the shadow so far.

Subterranean is SUCH a unique color. It’s a dark forest green, but it has tones of blue and black in it, too. It’s one of those shades that changes depending on the light you’re in, which I adore. There are subtle shimmery green bits throughout, but overall, it comes off as a smooth dark green. SO badass. Yep, a shadow can be badass.

As I mentioned, every single one of these shadows is pigmented as HELL. The only gripe some might have is that they’re a bit soft. If you’re gentle with your shadow and not digging your damn brush into it, you’ll be fine. I’ve found that the colors work best when pressed on (not swiped) a slightly sticky base. Here, I swatched them over the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk.

Long story short (too late), this is one of the best makeup purchases I’ve made in years. Sugarpill REALLY hit it out of the ballpark with this one, folks. I’m going to be posting looks from this palette over the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

YOUR TURN: What makeup purchases have you made lately? Were any of them flops? Do you actually hope that makeup releases will be not to your liking too, or is that just me? Is it hot in here?