Hey guys! I hope you’ve all had a fabulous week. A few days ago, the Kat Von D Serpentina palette launched on the KVD brand and Sephora websites. Naturally, I had to get it to try out for you guys! I ordered it Tuesday and it was waiting for me when I got home from work today. Sephora never lets me down with that Flash 2 Day shipping.

I should start by saying that I had some reservations about this palette. I wanted to purchase it regardless so I could review it for you guys, but based on my experience with some of KVD’s previous palettes, I wasn’t sure I would end up liking it!

Let’s discuss the packaging first. It’s a very long palette, similar to the length of Jeffree Star’s Beauty Killer. Serpentina is constructed out of cardboard but it feels very sturdy, especially with its magnetic closure. The palette itself is pretty weighty in-hand. I didn’t expect the pans to be set so deeply inside the palette, but I suppose it’s necessary in order to make room for the jar of pigment and the mirror. The sifter jar of pigment pops out of the tray and is made of plastic, which doesn’t bother me because it feels fairly sturdy. I like that the top of the lid is transparent so you can see the pigment inside.

I swatched all colors the same way to show the differences in pigmentation between the shades:

Bloodmilk: Great pigmentation, very creamy. A little kick up in the pan after swatching, but nothing major.

Great pigmentation, very creamy. A little kick up in the pan after swatching, but nothing major. Medusa: Great pigmentation. Nothing negative to say about this shade except that I would have preferred a different color, given that we have Prophet!

Great pigmentation. Nothing negative to say about this shade except that I would have preferred a different color, given that we have Prophet! Ankh: Fairly pigmented for a black glitter eyeshadow, but we have hella fallout with this one. It’s definitely the worst with fallout in this palette!

Fairly pigmented for a black glitter eyeshadow, but we have fallout with this one. It’s definitely the worst with fallout in this palette! Queen: Very nice, beautiful shade. Good pigmentation, good application, no chunkiness to the formula. Nothing negative to say!

Very nice, beautiful shade. Good pigmentation, good application, no chunkiness to the formula. Nothing negative to say! Hieroglyph: Performs similarly to Queen, only a little less pigmented. There’s nothing glaringly awesome or glaringly negative to say about either of these shades.

Performs similarly to Queen, only a little less pigmented. There’s nothing glaringly awesome or glaringly negative to say about either of these shades. Nile: Absolutely beautiful color, but the formula leaves a lot to be desired. Probably the 3rd worst with fallout in this palette. While really pigmented, the formula balled up under my finger while in the pan. Lots of kick-up in the pan as well.

Absolutely beautiful color, but the formula leaves a lot to be desired. Probably the 3rd worst with fallout in this palette. While really pigmented, the formula balled up under my finger while in the pan. Lots of kick-up in the pan as well. Scarab: Great color, but the 2nd worst (or maybe tied for 1st?) about fallout in this palette. The same issues as Nile, honestly. You can see the clumps in the swatch picture below!

Great color, but the 2nd worst (or maybe tied for 1st?) about fallout in this palette. The same issues as Nile, honestly. You can see the clumps in the swatch picture below! Venom: A decent matte. I know purples are hard to formulate, so I will take it easy on this shade. It could have certainly been worse.

A decent matte. I know purples are hard to formulate, so I will take it easy on this shade. It could have certainly been worse. Prophet: I was a little skeptical to try Prophet, as this was my first loose shadow that I’ve ever messed with. I swatched it loose on my arm, but when I applied it to my mobile lid, I dampened the brush with Fix+ first. LAWD. The pigmentation, the shine. A little went a very long way and it blended easily with the other shadows I used.

In the future, I will definitely use a transition shade before working with these colors. I was able to do a decent job on my quick & dirty EOTD above, but that was mostly thanks to a previously used blending brush covered with a peachy neutral shadow haha. It’s a bummer that this palette doesn’t come with a transition shade included, but I also think that helps keep the palette extremely versatile. You can literally pair it with anything! I will certainly continue playing with this palette, but so far I am very impressed and very much enjoying Serpentina. I think this palette is an excellent alternative for those who want to start wearing colored shadows but aren’t interested in neon brights. The colors in this palette also seem like they’ll look perfect on all skintones and would look great for fall!

Who else managed to get their hands on Serpentina? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to see the looks you come up with! ❤