Sigma Beauty Paris Palette - Review and Swatches

I have had this palette for ages and I am finally getting around to doing a review. I left a bit of a teaser a couple of blog posts ago saying that I had a Sigma Beauty product to review which I was really pleased with. Well here it is!

In case any of you are wondering, I am quite fond of my Ikea duvet cover which is featured in the background of many of my blog pics. I have other duvet covers, but this one is my favourite and even though it has flowers on it, because it is grey/black my husband likes it too!

I digress. So this palette comes in a case with Paris "symbols" on it - Arc de Triomphe etc. There is also an insert. All that is in the insert is pictures of the blog contributors who came up with the colours and what their inspiration for their colour was. No tutorials, no suggestions as to how to pair the colours and so on. Honestly, I thought the insert was a total waste.

The palette comes with two brushes (E55 which is a quasi dupe of the MAC 239 and F40 which is a dupe of the MAC 168 I believe). Both are excellent brushes by the way and I am very happy to have them. There are also 8 eyeshadows, 2 blushes and 1 highlight/luminizer.

The box is a bit chunky monkey, but there is a lot of shizzit in here. I have to say that the eyeshadows in this palette are phenomenal. They are smooth, creamy, highly pigmented, blend like a dream and look really gorgeous on. They are extremely long lasting. I have the Sigma Dare and Bare palettes and the colours in the Paris palette are much better quality. The colours are as follows, left to right, top to bottom : Eiffel, Seine, Louvre, Orsay, Elysees, Notre Dame, Triomphe, Versailles, Rouge, Peche and Lumiere.

The ingredients are listed above. Sorry they are so small. Hopefully you can blow it up on your computer or mobile device. The ingredients are better than what is in the Bare, Dare and Flare palettes too. I have to say that I totally love Elysees, Notre Dame, Triomphe, Versailles and Eiffel the best. Elysees, Notre Dame, Triomphe and Versailles go so well together. When I want to look glamorous and like I spent a lot of time on my look, I reach for these 4 colours. Also, they really suit my colouring so when I want "going out eyes" and I am strapped for inspiration, these 4 do in a pinch. Eiffel reminds me of MAC's Black Tied except that Eiffel has rainbow shimmer and Black Tied is more of a silver shimmer.

Elysees, Notre Dame, Triomphe and Versailles are shown in the swatches above left to right as listed. They are the colours on the right side of the eyeshadow row obviously. Triomphe has a dupe in terms of colour with that of one of Maybelline's eyeshadows in the Olive Martini quad. The texture and quality of the two can not be compared though. Triomphe is head and shoulders above Maybelline's version. Versailles is super shimmery and glittery, but it looks amazing on. It is a little gritty but I can overlook that here.

From left to right we have the blushes in Rouge and Peche. Then (if you can see it) the highlight colour in Lumiere. The eyeshadows after that are Eiffel, Seine, Louvre and Orsay. Rouge looks like one of my favourite blush colours, Clinique's Mocha Pink, at first sight. I find it actually transfers a bit on the orange red side. It is brighter and heavier than it looks. I think I may need to work with it more, but so far I am not a fan. Peche is nice, just not overly my kind of shade. The highlight, Lumiere, is really subtle but nice. I have other loud highlighters so this is a nice simple touch to my makeup when I use it. You can see it if you look hard, but it is very natural looking.

Seine, Louvre and Orsay are all great quality eyeshadows, they just aren't my thing. Orsay is loud! I would wear it on my lower lash line or to a crazy party, but it is really bright on me. I bet if you have dark skin, this would look amazing on you. Louvre is nice, unusual, but again, kind of crazy for me. Looks great on the lower lash line. I like blue eyeshadow, but these are really teals. Finally, we have Seine. It's nice but I have Tarte and Urban Decay dupes for this one so I can't get too excited over it.

Overall, this is a fantastic palette. The two brushes are fantastic bonuses and they are excellent quality. The blushes would work for anyone, but in my case I have to use a light hand. The highlight - awesome. The eyeshadows are fabulous quality. If a couple of products were taken out of this palette, I would still think it was worth buying. My only other complaint is that the eyeshadow colours are all bright and there are no neutrals here. This is not a palette I would pick up to do say my office makeup. Therefore, it may not be for everyone. I seem to hit and miss with Sigma products but this one was well done!

The price was $59 U.S. (I got a TiffanyD discount but this is what I essentially paid) and it is on clearance right now on Sigma's website for $49 U.S. If you have been thinking about picking it up, pounce now!

Packaging: 7/10 (insert is a waste and it is a little chunky - pretty though!) 

Pigmentation: 10/10
Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Price: 8/10 (considering how much you get it is priced fair)
Ingredients: 7/10
Travel Worthy: 3/10
Attractiveness of Product: 8/10
Would I buy this again? One is enough but I would buy some of the eyeshadows separately
Overall Rating: 8.5/10