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 Have you ever bought Fall make up in the heat of summer? The dark  autumnal colors just seem plain wrong when it is beach weather. I have had Viseart Dark Matte Eyeshadow Palette 04 since July (there was a 10 percent sale for new customers at Frends Beauty; HA! It is currently out of stock) and pushed it to the back of my train case where it languished unloved for months. Now that there is a chill in the air and I am wearing black tights and boots again, the rich browns, plums, rusts, greens and blues in this shadow palette are in heavy rotation, layered like sweaters with Viseart Sultry Muse and Viseart Paris Nudes (they are designed as stand alones but work best mixed with other palettes).

A refresher course on Viseart (veez-e-art)… they are a small artisanal beauty company from Paris and the darling of beauty junkies and pro makeupartists. The brand offers HD quality palettes for lips, face and eyes. Each eyeshadow palette contains 12 individual pans and is packaged in minimal plastic cases for $80.   If you think of the cost of Dior, CHANEL, Tom Ford, Charlotte Tilsbury, Givenchy  etc… these are in the same price range,  and you are geting twelve nice sized pans;  certainly you aren’t not paying for luxury packaging. For those readers who are eco and anti cruelty conscious, they are not tested on animals, are made without petroleum, parabens, silicons, butylene glycol or propylene glycol, phthalates, or artificial dyes.

Viseart (Sephora) 04 Dark Matte Eyeshadow Palette

The most popular Viseart eyeshadow palette seems to be 01 Neutral Matte which is goof proof, user friendly and a staple that I not  got around to reviewing.  04 Dark Matte is a variation on the predominately warm tone 01 (if you like cool colors without orange or yellow tones see my review on 07 Cool Mattes here) but with a greater variety of colors. A few shades weren’t as creamy as others and the pigmentation varied.  My guess is that they have had to ramp up since Sephora has included the Viseart range (Scouted at Sephora) and perhaps the formula changed slightly (which as we know with artisanal products, this will happen).

Overall, Viseart’s eyeshdaows are as good,  and in some cases,  better than many luxury brands on the market relative to pigmentation, saturation, ease of application, and variety of shades. They can be a little powdery but I have never experienced any fall out.  

Viseart 04 Dark Matte #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 and #6 swatches

Dark Matte #1 is a medium brown mocha shade with neutral to warm undertones and a semi-matte finish. Silky texture, great color pay off and extremely easy to blend. Nice as a transition from your crease color to your highlight shade.

Dark Matte #2 is also sem-matte. It is medium-dark taupey brown with warm to neutral undertones.  I use this color for my brows.  The texture feels slightly drier and it is similar to many colors I own.

Dark Matte #3 is a red-toned saddle brown with warm undertones, a creamy texture, good pigmentation and a semi-matte finish.

 Dark Matte #4  is one of my favorite colors in the 04 palette. It is a rusty medium brown with subtle, orange undertones and a creamy satin finish. Excellent opaque coverage, smooth blendable texture.  Great for cut crease and a really wearable and unusual color.

Dark Matte #5 is a soft medium plum with warm, red undertones and a true matte finish. A little soft and powdery and less coverage than I would have liked.

Dark Matte #6 is the perfect warm eggplant shade, with reddish plummy purple tones and matte finish.  The texture is creamy and the coverage opaque with good color payoff. 

Viseart 04 Dark Matte Eyeshadow #7, #8, #9, #10, #11 and #12 swatches

Dark Matte #7 scared the heck out of me in the pan. It looks ORANGE. It is actually a dark bright peach and lovely when blended with other colors. It applied like silk and had a smooth blendable texture.  I use it for blush as well.

Dark Matte #8 is a rusty red  with warm orange undertones. It has the best pigmentation of the 12, as well as a very blendable and buttery texture.  I need to play with this color more. I actually mixed it with lip balm; now if I can only find an actual lipstick in this shade.

Dark Matte #9 is a medium dark blue that I have been wearing a lot, with cool purple periwinkle undertones tones. This is a great shade to smoke out. Smooth texture, and semi- opaque.

 Dark Matte #10 is a dark muted navy blue with intense pigmentation and more of a satin finish.  It took two swipes of my oil cleanser to get it off my arm. Lasted forever when swatched. I used it wet to line my eyes and it could pass for liquid. Also nice for smoky eye looks and a change from the bronze and greys I usually wear.

Dark Matte #11 looks grass green in the pan, but is a subtle green with blue underetones; definitely reads teal on my eyes.  I thought I would hate it (see Dark Matte #7) but again a surprisingly wearable shade with great color payoff and a smooth blendable texture.

Dark Matte #12 is olive green with warm, brownish khaki undertones. It is matte but with a slight sheen to the finish.  It felt slightly dry and powdery at first but blended well.  I don’t really like olive colors, but the golden brown undertones worked well on my complexion.

All 12 shades have very good to outstanding longevity; 9-15 hours (Dark Matte #9 in particular lasted from 6 AM  to 9 PM without any fading). For reference I am less tan now and wear Nars Radiant Cream Compact Foundation in Stromboli, Kat Von D Lock it foundation M 53,  Make Up Forever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation 127-Y335 Dark Sand.

Disclosure: I purchased the Dark Matte Viseart Palette at Frendsbeauty.com. It is also available at Sephora where it is in stock.

–Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief