I have a palette for you that is absolutely lovely for anyone and everyone. CARGO’s The Essentials Eyeshadow Palette is an eyeshadow palette inspired by the hues of New York City architecture and contains twelve shades. What’s great about this palette is that it has the ideal blend of matte and shimmer shades as well as dark and light shades. I put together a classic smokey eye makeup look and tutorial for you using the palette inside, and of course, swatches!
Cargo The Essentials Eyeshadow Palette contains twelve shades, a mix of both matte and shimmer, in hues that are inspired by NYC. Having grown up in the area, I can tell you that this palette definitely reminds me of the concrete jungle that is New York City. There are a lot of shades mixed in when you see the city, and some of them are shiny and bright, while others are dark and flat in finish. This palette does a great job at mimicking the architecture of NYC.
SWATCHES:
THE TOP ROW: The top row is six shades of neutral, mostly light colors. There is only one shimmer in the bunch (second from left) and the rest are matte. All of them were very, very soft to the touch and a pleasure to work with. Matte eyeshadow is notoriously difficult but these are pigmented, soft, and blend well.
THE BOTTOM ROW: The bottom row is all of your darker, moodier shades. There are more shimmers in the bottom row as well. All of the shades were rich in pigmentation and had a soft, velvet-like finish.
THE TUTORIAL:
- Place “Rush Hour” into the crease of your eye with a fluffy blending brush and blend upward toward the brow-bone. This is a gorgeous transition shade and actually reminds me a lot of “Peach Smoothie” by Makeup Geek.
- Blend “Metro” into the crease of your eye only. Using the same fluffy blending brush, pick this shade up and blend into the socket only, layering the color to make it more intense. To blend this out, go back with “Rush Hour” again on top.
- Use “Brownstone” in the outer-third of your crease and eye. This will darken up the edges of your eyes and give you that smokey look. I layered this twice with my fluffy blending brush and focused it on the outer-third of my eye only.
- Use “Hub” over your entire eyelid, inner corners, and along your lower lash-line. This is a gorgeous metallic pewter shade and it really lights up on the eyes.
- Go back with “Metro” on a fluffy blending brush and blend out your lower lash-line. This step will also darken it up and tie everything together.
- Use a small amount of “Downtown” in the outer part of your eye, both upper and lower. This shade is very pigmented and black, so only pick up a small amount on your brush. Blend well.
- To finish everything off, use “City Hall” on your brow-bone. This ties everything together and adds a matte highlight to your brow-bone.
I added black eyeliner to my lower water-line and tight-lined my upper lashes. The tight-lining on my upper lashes really made this look. It made my upper lashes look really thick and dark without having to actually line on the eyelid and hide that gorgeous metallic pewter shade. Curl your lashes, apply mascara, and you’re finished!
THE MAKEUP LOOK:
I love “mixed metal” smokey eyes. Mixing pewter with brown and black creates a gorgeous, unique effect.
Tight-lining my upper lashes was crucial to this look, as well. It makes my upper lashes look thicker and darker without covering up that metallic eyelid shade.
PRODUCTS USED FOR THE REST OF THE LOOK:
- BareMinerals Serum Foundation in 07
- Smashbox Primer Water Spray
- Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette
- Kat Von D “Heartagram” Blush
- BECCA Cosmetics Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in “Opal”
- MAC Cosmetics “Reel Sexy” Lipstick
- L’oreal Brow Stylist Eyebrow Pencil in “Blonde”
Overall, I’m a huge fan of the CARGO The Essentials Eyeshadow Palette. I think it’s a beautiful neutral eyeshadow palette option out there. There are so many brands and palettes to choose from nowadays when it comes to neutral shades, but this one delivers. It has a superb range of eyeshadow finishes and hues, and every shade was pigmented and smooth.
CARGO The Essentials Eyeshadow Palette is available at Kohl’s stores nationwide as well as online at Kohl’s here. Each palette retails for $34.00USD.
[ALL PHOTOGRAPHY ON THIS SITE IS TAKEN BY REBECCA KAZIMIR. NO PHOTOGRAPHS ARE TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION.]
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