Kat Von D alchemist or ABH aurora or moonlight

[riya24k]

Hey so I'm trying to decide between the kat von d alchemist palette or the abh aurora/moonlight ones. If you have these or have tried them, pros and cons? thanks

[crystalcake]

I personally prefer the KVD over Aurora, although both are nice. I found Aurora more intense and sparklier, and the KVD is easier to build up. I prefer things that build up to intense highlighting, rather than starting with something really strong.

I also like how all the KVD shades have sheerer bases, so they tend to layer better with any color blush I choose. 

They have very different formulas, IMO, so it may just boil down to what you prefer best. Also, just my opinion, but I loooove buying cool packaging so I really like the triangle of KVD.

[moxiepancakes]

I have alchemist and aurora I enjoy both but aurora wins in my book. It's a better value and I use more of the shades more often. If you want a wow highlight get aurora, besides a brush fits in the pan better. 

[concreteroads]

I own the KVD Alchemist palette, and would definitely recommend it with some caveats! I have also lusted after the two ABH palettes for a long time, and have swatched the Aurora in store a few times-- I've heard the Moonchild isn't as bad, but I found the Aurora to be a huge glitterbomb, unfortunately. 

Anyways, PROS of the KVD Alchemist:

- The formula is wonderful. Super creamy, it applies smoothly and does not emphasize texture. It has a lovely, ethereal sheen on the face. 

- This palette is designed to be multipurpose-- although I have not experimented with using it on the lips, I love using this for a pop of that something in the inner corner of my eye, or patted on the centre for a colourful halo eye. 

- The shades are surprisingly versatile. I thought I'd never be able to wear this highlighter out because of how out there the colours are, but you can actually build it up for a blinding alien strobing effect or wear it in a more subtle way for just a bit of that fairy-like glow. My skintone is warm-leaning olive, with a depth of around NC25-30 in the MAC shade range, and I particularly love the way the pink and green shades look on me. The purple and blue are admittedly more obviously cool and therefore harder to work with for me, but I can still blend them out for a (somewhat) more subtle effect.

- If packaging/overall aesthetic is your thing... well, this palette is absolutely stunning in its design. 

CONS:

- The triangle shape of the palette may drive some people crazy, and may make it annoying to store.

- This palette is very small! I personally don't care because it's not like I'm ever going to finish a single highlighter in my lifetime, but these are definitely more eyeshadow-sized than highlighter-sized. The one logistic problem is that depending on what kind of brush you use, you may have trouble getting it fully in the pan-- I use a small tapered brush (Sephora PRO Contour #79) and have no problems, but if you used say a fan highlighter brush, that might be a pain. 

- Although I've found that I have no trouble wearing these out, these ultimately are still unconventionally coloured highlighters. You should think about how willing/able you are to wear these out and about, and whether they will play nicely with your skintone. 

- On that note, because these shades are all kind of white-based, I think deeper skintones might find them problematic and jarring on their face. 

[cindyella]

love kat von D... shadows last