Patrick Ta has released the Major Dimension Eyeshadow Palette, which is the first eyeshadow palette for the brand. I’m such a fan of the other products I’ve tried from the brand (namely the blush duo and bronzer duo) for both the textures and color stories, so I was really excited to see this release. I was honestly a little taken aback at the $68 price tag for a neutral palette with only 12 shades, but once I saw it in person at Sephora, I was much more convinced to take the plunge.
PACKAGING
There’s no denying that the packaging for this product is stunning – even the box packaging was picture-worthy. The palette itself is housed in a rose gold plastic component. It’s very sleek, modern, and minimalistic, but because of the metallic finish, it also immediately shows evidence of anything that’s touched it. The amount of little dust particles from the inner box packaging that I had to edit out from the palette photo… offensive. This kind of packaging doesn’t bother me in the slightest (unless I’m trying to take photos, clearly!), but it’s something to be aware of if you don’t want your fingerprints to show after you’ve handled it.
The component itself isn’t necessarily weighted but does feel substantial enough. I’m actually grateful that it’s not heavier because I find that both the weight and size make it easy to hold with one hand. This is especially a plus since the mirror inside not only takes up the entire lid (yay!) but is exceptionally clear, making this a great travel palette in my opinion. It also has a simple but secure clasp closure.
COLOR STORY
Patrick Ta describes this eyeshadow palette as having a variety of warm and cool tones… I’m sorry, where? To me, this is a straight neutral-to-warm toned palette, and I’m only including neutral for the two lightest shades. Some of the shadows do have cool reflects, but I wouldn’t say the bases of any of them are cool-toned.
Nevertheless, it’s a color story I can certainly appreciate and that I know will be flattering on a variety of skin tones, especially given the range of depth. It does incorporate a touch more rosiness than I initially expected based on swatches, mainly due to the shimmer particles within some of the shades, but I’m slotting it as a pleasant surprise rather than a negative.
FORMULA
The brand describes this palette as having “two luminous cream bases, velvety matte and iridescent metallic eyeshadows, and glistening pearl toppers.” While I’m not sure how unique a neutral palette can truly be these days, I do think that the variety of textures is what sets this one apart from some others.
The two cream bases are medium to deep brown tones and are housed under a hinged clear plastic cover (in the same way as the blush duo and bronzer duo, if you’re familiar with those). This was essential to me even considering an eyeshadow palette with creams because the last thing any of us needs is powder mixing in with that texture, creating a chunky, unusable mess. I find that the cover works quite well and haven’t had any powder or sparkles from the other shades get into the creams. They creams are pigmented but approachable and blend out very easily. Interestingly they set pretty quickly, though I actually don’t know how much I love using them as a base for my eye looks alone – I definitely have to use an eyeshadow primer under them unless I want significant creasing within 4 hours.
The mattes are, indeed, velvety. The texture is fantastic, and the shadows blend so effortlessly on your eyes. These are also pigmented but buildable, so you can go in with a more sheer layer or pack it on for more impact. I found this formula very easy to work with.
The metallics are a bit of a drier texture, but they don’t appear that way on the eyes. “Exquisite” was very easy to pick up on a brush and functioned like a typical metallic. “Legendary” was a bit more difficult to use with a brush due to the grittier texture from the larger particles. I highly recommend using your fingers to apply this shade, not just because of the larger particles but also because it picks up more thinly. If you use a brush, expect to go in with multiple layers and most likely wet it. Neither way of application gave me any fallout – it’s just that using my fingers allowed for more payoff and even coverage in a quicker amount of time.
The toppers are stunning. Absolutely stunning. While they don’t necessarily make your eyes look wet, they do give this kind of glossy appearance because of how the particles capture and reflect light so beautifully. The texture of “Abundance” and “Opulence” are a bit smoother than “Legendary” and could be used with either a brush or finger – though again, I found fingers easier for these textures.
The last texture that I don’t see the brand mention is the satiny “sequin” finish found in the “Lavish” and “Divine” shades. They have a matte base with different shimmers mixed throughout. Typically, this type of formula effectively just look matte on the eyes because as soon as you start blending, the shimmer blends away. However, these have sufficient amounts of finely milled shimmer throughout the shadow to where they genuinely have the same finish in the pan as on your eyes – the shimmer doesn’t disappear and instead has more of a subtle candlelight effect. This is what I’ve always wanted those sequin-like shades to be, so I’m very pleased with how they perform.
FINAL THOUGHTS
What I thought might be just another neutral palette has quickly risen to being one of my favorite palettes to grab lately. You really can get a variety of everyday looks, as there is an appropriate range of depth; the color story has just enough nuance from others that are similar; and the different textures make it easy to add more interest. The reflects within shimmery shadows are also nuanced, such that I don’t have any others in my collection that look exactly like them. While maybe not the most unique palette out there, it’s certainly a very well executed one that keeps me coming back to it.
Overall, I find this palette really easy and quick to use and end up loving my eye look each time! I don’t see it leaving my vanity anytime soon, and I certainly don’t regret spending the money on it. Are you planning to pick this one up?