Review -- Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Monochrome

I was super excited when I heard that Hourglass was coming out with a new line of eyeshadows, the Modernist  Eyeshadow Palettes.

I have one of their old duos and 6-pan palettes, and I enjoy both immensely -- and besides that, I've loved virtually every product I've ever tried from the brand.

It seemed like a safe bet that these new palettes would be fabulous too.

So I stalked the Sephora website for days, waiting for them to make good on their "Coming Soon" promise.

Once the palettes were available for sale, there were about five of the seven shade options that I wanted, but I was good and only ordered one -- Monochrome.


Like all of Hourglass' products, these Modernist Palettes come in a dark bronze-y metallic compact. There's a decent size mirror on the inside, along with 5 grams of product.

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette

Each palette contains five shades that are all pressed into a single pan. Hourglass describes the formula as airy and finely-milled, which are supposed to be highly blendable. The shadows vary in finish from matte to shimmer, so there's all you need to do a complete eye look.

The Monochrome Palette contains a warm matte ivory, a shimmery rosy nude, a matte rosy pink, a shimmery mauve-y taupe, and a shimmery chocolate brown.

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Monochrome

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Monochrome

I've used this palette several times since I purchased it, and I've loved the looks I've come up with every time.  The shades are all gorgeous and work well together. The shadows do blend easily as well, so it's kind of effortless to come up with a look.

That said, I'm not as excited about the palette as I thought I would be.

The shadows are pigmented, but not extraordinarily so, and they do have a somewhat powdery texture.

Those details aren't dealbreakers for me at all -- they're perfectly nice shadows.

But when I pay $58 for 5 grams of product, I'm expecting something more than nice.

And from a brand like Hourglass too.

As a point of reference, the LORAC Pro Palette costs $42 for 8.8 grams of product, the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette retails for $54 for 15.6 grams of product, and the Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette is $49 for 17.7 grams of product.

I don't really feel like the Hourglass Modernist Palette is any higher quality than any of those other palettes, so it's really difficult to justify the price.

Which is why I've revised my plans to eventually pick up the other four shade options that I was interested in.

That's not to say I hate the Monochrome Palette and will be banishing it to the back of my makeup drawer -- I love the looks I've come up with from it and I think this might become one of my go-to palettes for days when I want soft, natural makeup.

So it's not that I would advise against buying one of the Modernist Palettes -- if you've got a little extra money or a gift card and feel like splurging, go for it.

But if you're interesting in stretching your beauty buck as much as possible, I just think there are better ways to spend your money.

So I would probably advise going to Sephora in person to check these palettes out if possible.  That way, you can check out the pigmentation and texture of the shadows yourself and see if you think they're worth the price tag.

In addition to Sephora, you can purchase the palettes at the Hourglass website, Nordstrom and Barneys New York.

Have you tried the new Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes? Are you a fan? Which color combination is your favorite?