BH Cosmetics Zodiac Love Signs Palette Review

Baked eyeshadows really had a moment a few years ago, but they’ve sort of tapered out recently. Even at their peak, though, I always considered BH Cosmetics to have the best baked eyeshadow formula around. While other brands had stiff shadows with little color payoff, the BH Cosmetics baked shadows were always extremely pigmented with the option of a metallic finish using a damp brush.

Their awesome baked shadows make another appearance in their newest launch— the Zodiac Love Signs palette. This is the second installment in their Zodiac palette collection, I wonder if there will be even more to come? The Zodiac Love Signs palette leans more pink than its predecessor which focuses on earthy tones. This one is a bit brighter with pops of bold shades like turquoise and fuchsia. But, I appreciate that they still included neutrals that will help add definition and “ground” looks. It’s definitely well balanced so you can do neutral looks or bright out-of-the-box creations all in the same palette.

Speaking of balance, ya’ll know how important it is to me for my eyeshadow palettes to have a proportionate amount of shimmer to matte shades. Just like the original, this palette has twelve mattes, twelve baked shimmer shades, and a shimmery champagne highlight to use on either your eyes or face that is slightly larger than the other pans. You actually get three finishes in this palette— matte, shimmer, and metallic if you apply the baked shades wet. They become much more smooth and reflective when applied with a damp brush. I spray my brush with setting spray before dipping into the shade for this type of look. Check out the difference between dry vs. wet in the video at the top of this page.

Even when you apply them dry, however, the baked shades are pigmented and catch the light beautifully. The mattes are also pretty impressive, with even the lighter shades applying with nearly solid color payoff. They all blend really easily with each other without any muddiness as well, making for endless possibilities for mixing and matching.

I only have a couple of gripes with this palette. One thing: the packaging. The palette is large and square, making it pretty awkward to store in standard drawers with your other palettes. For that reason, I often forget about it— at least that was the case with the original Zodiac palette. I also don’t travel with it due to space. My second issue with this palette is that the baked shadows create a lot of kickup in the palette, and produce fallout during application. Damp application helps with this, but you’ll still end up having to sweep away shimmer. The gold Cancer shade is probably the worst offender when it comes to this, though it’s my absolute favorite shade in the palette.

You can find the BH Cosmetics Zodiac Love Signs Palette for $24 on the brand’s website and at Ulta Beauty.

Have you tried either Zodiac palette? Do you have a favorite?