Review - Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette

Since I'm a big fan of the first Chocolate Bar palette, I knew I had to get my hands on the new Semi-Sweet palette! I received it for Christmas, and was so excited to open it up! I used it in my face of the day that I posted earlier this week.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette - closed

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette - open

The very first thing I want to mention about the palette is that Too Faced seems to have listened to everyone's complaint regarding the first Chocolate Bar palette and printed the names of each shadow onto the palette itself. The palette is also much slimmer than the original release of the Chocolate Bar, but matches the slimmer size of when the original was re-released. This palette is touted as being the "deeper, warmer version" of the original, which was pretty warm to begin with. There is a black shadow and a few more darker browns than the original, however, lending the "deeper" claim some credibility. All of the shadows do lean pretty warm, as well. The palette also has the signature chocolate scent that fades upon application.

Top row, top to bottom - Licorice, Coconut Creme,
Nougat,  Truffled, Hot Fudge

The original Chocolate Bar didn't include a black, so I'm excited that this one does. Licorice doesn't seem to be the blackest black shadow out there, which means it's a little more forgiving of mistakes. Coconut Creme is the large pan of base shadow, and is the matte one of the two that are provided. It's a light creme in color, just a little off white. You can barely see the swatch on my skin, that's how light it is. Nougat is a pinky cream matte shade, a little bit darker and pinker than Coconut Creme. Truffled is a warm matte brown, and Hot Fudge is a deep brown with very fine shimmer.

Middle row, top to bottom - Cocoa Chili, Pink Sugar,
Puddin', Blueberry Swirl, Peanut Butter, Frosting

Cocoa Chili is a very warm brown with gold sparkle in the pan. However, the sparkle never really makes it out of the pan, so it looks more matte when applied. Pink Sugar is a light, frosty pink that is loaded with sparkle. However, the application of this shade is severely disappointing, with very little pigment and just a bunch of loose glitter. It's very upsetting, as it is one of the few "colors" in the palette. Puddin' is a deep matte brown that has a gray hint to it. Blueberry Swirl is a grayish navy blue with blue sparkle. Another disappointing shade that applies somewhat patchy and not as pigmented as it appears in the pan. Peanut Butter is an warm and bright orangy brown shade. Frosting is a warm brown with a satin finish.

Bottom row, top to bottom - Rum Raisin, Mousse,
Caramel, Bon Bon, Butter Pecan

Rum Raisin is a taupe-y brown shimmer shade with fine flecks of sparkle, that appears satiny on the skin. Mousse is a creamy brown matte shade. Caramel is a warm shimmery golden brown with definite shimmer outside the pan. Bon Bon is a warm coppery shade with definite shimmer. Butter Pecan is the other large base shade in the palette, a warm golden cream shade with shimmer.

Overall, I really like this palette! There are some definite underperforming shades, which is of course disappointing, but the palette overall is a winner. The formula is nice, though at times a bit powdery, but the majority of shades are blendable when applied with little fallout. I can see myself reaching for this just as often as the original Chocolate Bar.

Pros:

• Combination of matte and shimmer shadows
• Many shades are highly pigmented
• Most shades have little fallout
• Blendable

Cons:

• Underperforming shades really underperform (Blueberry Swirl and Pink Sugar, lookin' at you!)
• Formula is somewhat powdery
• Some shimmery shades have fallout

Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar palette - $49.00 for 0.56 oz (14 x 0.03 oz and 2 x 0.07 oz)

Review - 4.5/5