A Polished Palette: bareMinerals Ready 8.0 Power Neutrals

(Product was purchased by me.)
I've been going through a neutral phase in terms of eye makeup. My Shiseido BE213 palette gets a lot of love (I've hit pan, ha!), but it is shimmery, as is the YSL Afrique palette; the latter is also thoroughly warm-toned. I wanted some mattes - both light and dark - in easy, hard to eff-up shades and a smooth formula. I also had a Sephora gift card, so I picked out this the bareMinerals Ready 8.0 Power Neutrals palette ($40).

Top row, L-R: Boss Lady, Moneymaker, Schmooze, Boardroom
Bottom row, L-R: Exec, Payday, Magnate, Get Ahead
It runs toward the cool, gray end of the neutral spectrum. Five of the shades are matte - Moneymaker, Boardroom, Payday, Magnate, and Get Ahead. Schmooze has a shimmer/pearl finish, and Boss Lady and Exec have specks of glitter/sparkle. The shadows are all powdery soft (Magnate swatches the driest, but still performs nicely on lids), smooth, and easy to blend and layer. I feel like the texture of these shadows is a bit thin, somehow, which also keeps them from turning heavy on lids.

L-R: Boss Lady, Moneymaker, Schmooze, Boardroom.

L-R: Exec, Payday, Magnate, Get Ahead.
This is the kind of palette that I think is easy to pack up on trips or keep in the Daily Tray, as it contains fool-proof shades that can be mixed and matched in many ways to create an effortless, refined "natural" look. Something low-key and office appropriate, or complementary to a bright/vampy lip. It's not going to necessarily take you "from day to night" like some other neutral palettes promise, but I've got a multitude of other colors and textures and finishes that I can mix in to amp it up. I also like layering shades over shimmery/matte cream bases to add dimension. And on its own, the palette provides a shade dark enough for the crease (I use both Boardroom and Get Ahead for the crease), as well as a few to highlight.

The included pamphlet has some looks to try.
Overall, I'm happy with this. I've worn it here with a vampy lip (Magnate and Get Ahead over Laura Mercier Rose Gold Caviar Stick).

Lipstick from this post.
For another opinion, you can hop on over to Monika's blog.
How do you feel about shades like this? Do you prefer a "neutral" palette with more oomph, or do you like the inclusion of mattes?