Natasha Denona Biba Eyeshadow Palette Review
The Insider Score
Eyeshadow palettesThe cool bottom row earns its place among the browns.
Biba is worth a look if neutrals are the shadows you use up. Fifteen large pans take in warm browns, wine shades, greys and black, so a smoky eye can look quite different from the daytime one.
I liked being able to switch from a warm neutral eye to a cooler smoky one.
Insider Beauty tester- Colour and finish range
- 4.7/5
- Blending and shade layout
- 4.5/5
- Value per palette
- 3.5/5
How the score adds up
Our editors awarded 88 of 100 available points across these six criteria. Divide by 20 for the five-point rating.
- Colour and finish range
- 28 / 30 pts
- The matte, metallic and cream-powder finishes cover considerably more territory than a brown-only palette.
- Blending and shade layout
- 18 / 20 pts
- Three rows of five separate browns, wine tones and cool greys, with room to pick up a single shade.
- Value per palette
- 14 / 20 pts
- At $129, each of the fifteen 2.5 g pans works out to $8.60.
- Support for product claims
- 13 / 15 pts
- The brand maps every shade and finish, including the black cream-powder shadow.
- What sets it apart
- 10 / 10 pts
- The cooler row changes the kind of smoky eye you can create with an otherwise warm neutral palette.
- Shade and formula disclosure
- 5 / 5 pts
- Natasha Denona lists the pan weights and distinguishes full-size Biba from the mini.
What the full-size Biba palette buys for $129, from its three colour rows to two ways to use the matte and metallic pans.
- Rank
- Not ranked
- Current price
- $129.00
- Listed size
- 1.32 oz
- Updated
Reviewed byInsider BeautyEditorial team ·
Editor’s cut
At a glance
Try Freckle and Shine for an everyday eye.
Place Spot close to the lashes to control depth.
Buy the full size if you’ll use the warm and cool rows.
Why the bottom row changes Biba
Cover the bottom row of Natasha Denona Biba with your hand and you’ll see a handsome palette of browns, coppers and wine shades. Uncover it and the buying decision gets more interesting. There are greys down there and a proper black. That’s why I like Biba as a neutral palette. When dinner calls for a cooler smoky eye, you can leave the peach-brown crease you wore that morning behind.
This is the original fifteen-pan palette, with three rows of five full-size shadows. Each pan holds 2.5 g. The proportions matter here. The compact takes up space, but a brush can get into one colour without catching its neighbour, and a favourite matte won’t disappear after a handful of generous looks. If a palette needs to fit in a little handbag, look at its dimensions as carefully as its colours.
A soft eye and a smoky one
For an everyday version, blend Freckle through the crease, then press Shine onto the mobile lid. Freckle is a matte neutral and Shine is metallic champagne. Keeping the reflective shade below the crease lets you see the difference between the two finishes even after you’ve softened the edge.
For a darker eye, start with a grey from the bottom row. Build it close to the upper lashes, then press a little Spot, the black, into the outer lash line with a short brush. Work from the lashes upwards rather than beginning with black in the crease. You’ll use less shadow and keep more control over how dark the finished eye looks. A little Monroe at the inner lid brings a pink-champagne light to either version.
The $129 question
At $129, Biba costs $8.60 a pan. I’d pay that for a palette someone uses as their main set of neutrals, especially if they move between warm browns, burgundies and cool greys. The texture and generous pans are wasted on a shelf if the only shade you actually reach for is champagne.
Anastasia Soft Glam is a less expensive way to get warm neutral mattes and metallics. I’d choose Biba when the cooler row and the depth of the darker shadows are shades I’d regularly wear. Those are the pans that give the price a reason.
Useful details
Frequently asked questions
How many shades are in the full-size Biba palette?
There are fifteen pans arranged in three rows of five. Each holds 2.5 g.
Does Biba have a black shadow?
Yes. Spot is the black shade in the bottom row.