Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette

This was my first ever more high end purchase and boy was it a good one. This palette has stood the test of time and will continue to do so for many more years to come. I still remember the giddy feeling I got after buying it. I was in France (we don't have Too Faced here) and I was doubting so much because I didn't want to spend more after a pretty expensive citytrip so I initially walked away and continuing talking about that palette. So when we were in a shoe shop and I was still going off whetever or not I was wise to pass up on it, my friend turned to me and said:'''Please, just walk back and buy it. This is the only chance you will have and maybe then you will shut up''. So I basically ran back to Sephora, grabbed it and took a beeline for the cashier. Never regretted it.

The packaging is on point and for sure the trendsetter. The smell immediately got to me and when I first bought it, I often found myself just grabbing it, looking at it, smelling it and then putting it away lmao.
The shades are really good, with a few misses. The brown mattes are all on point. Good to blend, barely any kick up and the perfect base shades Then you have your pops of colors that could do with more pigmentation, but are good enough to build up and give you a beautiful eye look no matter what. However, the light pink matte Strawberry Bon Bon however is a let down and I feel like this could have been replaced by a rich, deep brown or something. Cherry Cordial is also slightly on the too chalky side and I have noticed this shade to fade sooner than the rest.

I reach for this palette more often in the fall and winter than I do in spring or summer, but I will forever treasure it and the moment it runs out, I will order a new one, for sure.

The selection of mostly brown shadows presented in a tin shaped like a Hershey bar was a stroke of genius – this is a top seller that spawned sequels: Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar, Chocolate Bon Bons, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Peanut Butter & Honey, and the Sweet Peach palette.

I didn’t hop on the bandwagon right away so I ended up buying the second generation of the original Chocolate Bar palette. The colors are the same but the packaging is slimmer and the names are printed above the pans. The first run was in a bulkier tin and the names were printed on an easy-to-lose plastic insert. It still comes with a little pamphlet that includes diagrams of three eye designs.

Performance:

Too Faced recommends using their Shadow Insurance eye primer as a base. If you already own a tube of something similar such as Urban Decay’s Primer Potion or MAC’s Prep + Prime eye base, you can procrastinate buying their primer, but it does help the shadows last longer without losing intensity. In lieu of eye primer I’ve been able to use Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick in Vanilla Kiss with good results. The texture of the Caviar Stick is ever-so-slightly tacky so powders cling to it.

Some of the shadows have better pigmentation than others. Most of them blend nicely with good brushes. I like to use the Wayne Goss eye brushes, but MAC 221 and Laura Mercier’s Ponytail brush are also great for the crease. Charlotte Tilbury’s Eye Blender and MAC 217 are blending brushes I reach for often. Tilbury’s smudge brush is good for running color along the lower lashline.

Colors:

My favorite mattes in this palette are:

White Chocolate: This is a cream colored base shade. I’m glad they made this pan larger because I include this highlight color every time I use Chocolate Bar.

Salted Caramel: This peachy tan goes on smoothly and it’s a wonderful transition shade. You can apply the darker colors over it and they never look muddy. I will probably hit pan on this one first.

Milk Chocolate: Another warm beige but less peachy than Salted Caramel, another good transition color.

Semi-Sweet: Great matte brown crease color - I rely on this one a lot, along with Hazelnut.

Triple Fudge: Fudge is rich and dark but surprisingly easy to blend with soft brushes.

I also like Cherry Cordial, a burgundy which is a nice change from some of the more predictable browns, and Strawberry Bon Bon, a cool pink that is easy to work with.

My favorite shimmers are:

Gilded Ganache – this looks olive in the pan but easily blends with the browns and doesn’t look crazy green on the eyes.

Crème Brulee – a gorgeous antique gold with great pigmentation.

Haute Chocolate – a shimmery brown, similar in depth to Hazelnut.

Marzipan – a pale peachy beige shimmer.

Champagne Truffle - a shimmery base shade.

I usually love purple, so I’m surprised that my least favorite shades in this palette are Candied Violet and Black Forest Truffle. Both are smoky, greyish and metallic. There are more vibrant purples in the Peanut Butter & Jelly palette. Amaretto looks promising in the pan but I have to work to build it up.

Fallout:

These are soft powders and when you pack them on you are bound to get a light dusting of cocoa-colored shadow on the cheekbones. Tapping the excess off your brush before applying color to the lids reduces the amount of fallout, but even so I frequently find myself tidying up afterward. So when I’m working with this palette I actually prefer to do my eye makeup first and my foundation afterward. I've noticed that Charlotte Tilbury's shadows are neater, less dusty. Even the Too Faced Peanut Butter palettes seem to generate less fallout than Chocolate Bar.

The Fragrance:

These powders smell like chocolate...in an artificial way. I bought this for the colors and usually prefer fragrance free shadow. However, the scent doesn't bother me. I enjoy Chocolate Bar and I use it a lot.

The Verdict:

The adorable packaging and step-by-step instructions make this an irresistible gift for teens. It’s a nice range of neutrals that doesn’t put you to sleep.

I’ve been especially pleased with the wear of these shades: Crème Brulee, Haute Chocolate, Triple Fudge, Semi-Sweet, Salted Caramel, White Chocolate, Hazelnut, Marzipan, and Gilded Ganache when packed on for a smoky eye.

Although I trust the magnetic closure at home I prefer something that clicks shut to go in my suitcase. When I pack for trips I’m more likely to grab Too Faced’s smaller nine-pan tins.

The mid-range prices of Too Faced are easier to afford than brands like Tom Ford, whose quads are $85 each. If you’re interested in this palette, look for sales on the Too Faced website as well as Ulta, Sephora, and Macy’s. The retail price of Chocolate Bar is $49 but I bought mine during a promotion for $39.

I liked Chocolate Bar enough that I went on to purchase the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar, both of the Peanut Butter nine-pan tins, Just Peachy Mattes, and Kandee Johnson’s Candy Eyes. I don't think Chocolate Bar is a perfect palette (hence the 4 out of 5 rating) but it's certainly a good one and I reach for it often.

I was excited about these palettes when I first got them in my hands, but the more I try to use them, the less I care. Chocolate Bar in particular i find lacks quality for the price ($59CAN). Ill still use it, the shadows are workable but I dont find they make a great impact. Im very light NC20 or lighter, I use es primer and a lot of the shades need to be packed on to show up, and they're quite lackluster. The browns are decent for definition. Regardless, they can still work well for every day use, but out of all these palettes, Bonbons performed the best. I adore the packaging and the smell though.

EDIT: after trying this again after some time, something changed. Perhaps my expectations were different at the time I wrote the review. Ive been really enjoying this palette lately and all the colours seem to work fanatically. The shadows are not what I'd call buttery soft and they are really pressed in, but I've been enjoying every single look I've gotten out of it since I picked it up again. Cherry Cordal has been a staple and I'm loving Strawberry Bonbon as a transition/blending shade. I also realized that Champagne Truffle makes a fantastic subtle champagne highlight on my cheekbones. I'm getting a ton of use out of this now!

I adore the shades in the palette! Each one looks so exciting and like it would be fun to work with...however.. this does not meet my pigmentation standards AT ALL. Several shades look like they should be lighter than other shades but go on darker. Some are chalky, some won't blend. The quality just isn't there. Now the best part I think is the scent and the sturdy packaging. In my opinion only half of these shades actually go on and show up to do their job. I'm bummed because I was so SO excited to get this palette but it just missed the mark for me :/

What's not to love about this incredibly lush palette? I've not felt the need to review it as there's been a massive buzz over it since it's release. But, I just repurchased the chocolate bar and I've fallen for it all over again, so I thought I'd share the love! The colors are decadent; the powders so buttery soft and blend like a dream! As a new MUA I find this palette works on every person, young or mature, and every skin type/color. The mattes are smooth and pigmented and the shimmers literally melt onto the lid to give that soft glowy (not glittery) pop! This palette has been a huge investment, as you can create every seasonal trend out there with it. You can do a soft, dreamy summer bridal to a dark smokey, club look. I reach for it time and time again over all of my other palettes. I will most certainly continue to repurchase!

On a side note: I wish Too Faced would bring out a trio palette with Salted Caramel, Marzipan and Semi-Sweet. Hit pan on these three too quick, and I could use a couple of backups! 😄

This was the palette that introduced me to high end makeup. I remember looking everywhere for an eye-shadow palette that had great colours with excellent pigmentation and performance. This palette ticked all the boxes. I have bought drugstore eye-shadows before to much dismay, as they looked great in the pan but were bland on the eyes. This palette was and continues to be my favourite eye-shadow palette and formula. Whenever I wear this it always gives me beautiful looks. I can do darker more sultry styles and Light everyday work makeup.

The shadows are creamy and soft without kickback or fall out. I love the shades and the pigment is as beautiful on the lid as in the pan. The shadows last all day with my Elf eye-shadow primer and they never look muddy. I love the smell and enjoy applying eye-shadow because of this palette. I will definitely always have this palette and can happily say I own other palettes like the semi sweet and peach because I love the line.

This palette is a gorgeous neutral palette with very wearable warm and cool neutrals for all complexions. The pigmentation is excellent, and I've used every single color in this palette, which is something I've never done with any eyeshadow palette. The warm colors are neutral enough to be used for cool skin tones, which is unusual from my experience. Warm colors, even neutrals, pull orange on me, but I can wear these with ease.

The reason I didn't give this palette a 5 is that the shimmery shadows are too metallic looking for my aging eyes, and there are a couple of glittery colors, which aren't OTT glitter, but just enough to make me not want to wear them because the glitter is noticeable. This is unfortunate because the color combos with this palette are endless. There are a few matte shades, but not as many as I would've hoped.

I would still recommend this palette to anyone, and I will still use it, but I will reserve the high shimmer shades for evenings out.

I actually really love this palette! The packaging I hate to be honest but I don't let that affect my rating too much because I use this a lot. The purple color isn't the best. Probably the worst out of the palette not gonna lie but the rest are really great! Excluding the purple they are very pigmented and smell of cocoa! As my second too faced palette, I could not have chosen a better one.

I don't get this. I don't get the hype. This palette is so boring to me. Not enough warm tones, they all look similar. The browns are nothing special. The purples are hopeless to work with, the olive green colour shows up as a brown on the eyes, marzipan doesn't even show up properly on my lids and that was the colour I was looking forward to the most. Just such a boring palette. Not worth the money

Terrible quality for the price and overly hyped in my opinion. It looks pretty in pan, but most colours barely show up on my skin and can be duped with many other palettes or singles.

Would not purchase again or recommend.



Off topic, I just purchased Smashbox Cover Shot palette in Golden Hour and it's incredible. It was only $35 CDN and is just gorgeous. I would rather buy 2 Cover Shot Palettes than spend the money on a dud like TF Chocolate Bar.