Review & Comparison of Eyeshadows: Kat Von D's Beethoven and Tokidoki's 24 Karat Arte

Today has been a bit stressful and I couldn't get around to blogging earlier in the day even though I have a bunch of things lined up to write about. Last week I got my Bare Minerals and Sephora order and then today my Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfumes arrived. So destress I'm throwing on some The Honey Wilders music and trying to focus. One of my favourites songs by them is Light of Day, but yeah, go check them out because they are awesome. To the Sephora haul!

Let's make something clear though. I do not intend to post about my hauls however I kind of have to in order to talk about the comparison in eye shadows. Also, this might be a bit long cause I really got carried away with the pictures.

Kat Von D's Beethoven palette is no stranger to my collection. I fell in love with it way back... oh, about 4 years ago. It was one of the more pigmented palettes so I just had to have it. And I still love it (though I do plan to give other brands a shot). It was time to restock and so getting the palette was no real dilemma. My favourite colour which I wish they would sell separately or in a pan is Lucifer which is a matte charcoal black.

For purposes of trying something new, I decided to spring for the Tokidoki Arte palette in 24 Karat. (Which is amazingly now sold out online through Sephora and is going for $20 on eBay). Now obviously there's going to be a huge difference between testing Kat Von D's palette with Tokidoki's -- given the sheer size. Beethoven has 8 eyeshadows whereas 24 Karat Arte has 4 (and a blush). But there is a clear winner. Let's talk about packaging first.

Tokidoki Arte Palette - 24 Karat

The 24 Karat palette is quick and convenient because it's kind of on the go; wrapped in a plastic casing, you peel it off to flip it open and you've got your makeup all ready in the palm of your hand. The Beethoven palette is something to be enjoyed though as the packaging is thoughtful. The box itself opens in a smooth like motion to reveal a wrapped palette inside complete with the KVD sticker. The Beethoven palette is black with the outline of roses  and if you're a sucker for packagaing (like myself) then you will be sold on this alone. But of course, given the 24 Karat's nature or desire to be on the go, you have the typical Tokidoki illustrations on the front. They are both lovely for different reasons.

As for the eyeshadows, obviously they don't entirely align with one another so forgive the variety of comparisons that will occur from this point on. Right off the bat, there's a a blue, black, and silver to compare. There is no white in the Beethoven palette though I imagine you can get away with using Tequila which is a metallic cornsilk shimmer (the fourth one from the left).

Kat Von D True Romance - Beethoven

Blue: I have no control eyeshadow to make sure I wasn't biased. While they both appeared quite pigmented, it seems at though 24 Karat has a bit of opacity to it. I'd opt for Beethoven's Speed Blue for that high pigmentation.

Black: Must I say it? Beethoven's Lucifer comes in quite solid. Although I admit, it doesn't appear in the swatch test below -- instead as a test I checked it against Sonia Kashuk's Cocktail Hour black and L'Oreal Studio Secrets Singles in Lush Raven. I love the black in the KVD palette that I will clutch lovingly to it forever. Well, maybe not. But it has been the best I've used so far.

Blue (left), first stroke is KVD and the second is Tokidoki.
Black (center): first stroke is L'Oreal, second is
Tokidoki, & the third is Sonia Kashuk.
Silver (right): first stroke is Tokidoki and the second is
Sonia Kashuk.

Silver: Again, not pictured below but I'm pretty sure you didn't even see it on my skin. While the 24 Karat palette picks up a lot of glitter and magically places them about -- you can't really see it. In comparison is the Sonia Kashuk's Cocktail Hour in silver. You can see the glitter of the 24 Karat but that's it. KVD wins this round with Razor Gray.

Left is Bobbi Brown, center is Tokidoki, and the right is
Illamasqua.

Blush: To be fair, I had to test against what I know. I wear Bobbi Brown everyday (my aim is to hit the pan) and in reserve I have the Illamasqua in Hussy (and if you missed it, I did a review on the both of them called "Rosy Cheeks").

My arms a bit darker than my face or something like that so swatching on my arms doesn't always translate to how it will look. So if you look at the image, you'll notice how barely noticeable Bobbi Brown and Tokidoki are. Illamasqua just barely stands out (but trust me, it shows on my face).

I did try the Tokidoki blush out but it vanished pretty quickly. It also comes out much lighter than the Bobbi Brown but has a bit more shimmer to it.

So very sadly, as much as I love some Tokidoki products, the 24 Karat Arte Palette just did not cut it. And for some reason my love for the KVD Beethoven goes on and slowly ferments like a good wine.

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Product: Kat Von D True Romance - Beethoven
Price: $34
Would Recommend? Yes.
Takeaway: Great palette with a bit of versatility to it -- I did not review the lighter shades or the purples, but they are great. The black eyeshadow in this palette has long been a staple of mine and continues to trump all. (Fandom glee is over now).

Product: Tokidoki Arte Palette - 24 Karat
Price: $10
Would Recommend? No.
Takeaway: I love Tokidoki for their eyeliners (yes, I know I didn't touch upon that in this review but it beats KVD's liquid liners) so I thought this palette would be convenient. The problem is that pigmentation wise, it just doesn't hold up -- not the eyeshadows or the blush. It's probably better to pass.