Huda Beauty's New Mercury Retrograde Palette Is About to Make the Hardest Time of Year a Little Easier

Devon Abelman

As Huda Kattan developed her latest eye shadow palette, she faced difficulty after difficulty, custom-making the formulas of every single shade to ensure maximum pigmentation, creaminess, and staying power. Some colors were more finicky than others, running too dry or dull. Ingredients arranged and mixed together in new ways over and over again until Kattan was finally pleased with the formulas.

Once the shades and textures were finalized, Kattan realized the palette was nameless. "One of my team members was explaining how tough it was to create and jokingly said, "It's like Mercury has been in retrograde,'" Kattan recalls for Allure. "It was that aha moment, and from there, we called it Mercury Retrograde. Turns out we actually were in Mercury retrograde, as well, so it's like the stars were aligning."

The Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde makes its debut on October 24 — just days before Mercury actually does go into retrograde from October 31 to November 20. During this time, the planet of communication starts spinning backward, making mishaps in travel, relationships, and technology more likely than usual, and the shade names Frazzled (metallic bronze with green glitter), Off Balance (matte rose), Hot Mess (matte raspberry), and Crash (matte taupe) in the Mercury Retrograde Palette reflect just that. Kattan wants to make sure this is a time of positive, personal exploration for you, though.

"Mercury Retrograde has a challenging reputation, but it can also be a time of true transformation, encouraging self-expression and empowering our inner diva," Kattan reminds me when asking her about the inspiration behind the palette. "That’s why we created an ultra-cool palette to help you express your creativity and slay during retrograde."

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of brand</cite>
Courtesy of brand

Stand-Out Shades in Mercury Retrograde

The palette's 18 dreamy hues draw inspiration from Kattan's current obsession: rhinestones (or "crystal AB," as she calls them). The pinks, blues, and purples are a nod to the way rhinestones shift colors depending on how the light hits them. "You’ll also notice a lot of multi-reflective and glass-like glitter powders to further bring that stunning crystal shine, sparkle, and glow to life," she adds.

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of brand</cite>
Courtesy of brand

One of my favorite shadows in the palette is an extremely shimmery peacock blue called Mercury. Kattan notes that it was one of the hardest in the palette to create since blue pigments are naturally dry. "It makes it really difficult for us to create both a creamy, glide-on texture that also has the pigment punch we always promised in our palettes," she explains. "Striking that balance is really hard, and it took us a long time to figure out." Well, she truly achieved just that. If you dip into Mercury with a fingertip, it seamlessly swipes on with dense, mesmerizing pigmentation.

Kattan loves the matte orchid pink dubbed Libra — "not just because it’s my star sign but because I foresee this color being a huge bet for 2020," she admits. "Shades like this, mint green, and pistachio are going to trend hard." Mint green is accounted for in the palette, too, with Haze.

How to Use Mercury Retrograde

When I first flipped open the Mercury Retrograde palette, I was overwhelmed by the possibilities. The combination of approachable neutrals and glitzy bolds had my mind feeling like Mercury was already in retrograde. I simultaneously wanted to do 28 different looks at once and didn't know which one to start with. Sure, I could have just coated my lids with one pigment as each shadow stands alone well. I was determined to flex my blending skills, though.

The first look I created was a vampy red, fall-inspired moment. Utopia (peach) was the base for Supermoon (foil-like copper red), which I focused on the outer corners of my eyes. Next, I defined the same area with Vortex (burnt brown) on a liner brush. Then, I highlighted the inner corners of my eyes with Cosmic (metallic petal pink).

<cite class="credit">Devon Abelman/<em>Allure</em></cite>
Devon Abelman/Allure

For my second look, my best friend told me to use all of them, so I blended as many of the shadows as I could onto my lids (with Jo Baker's tips in mind). Only Haze, Utopia, Supernova, Frazzled, Nebula, Off Balance, and Ultraviolet made the cut. I made sure to slather my lids with the VDL Expert Color Primer For Eyes before opening up the palette and to spritz them with the MAC x Pony Park Prime + Prep Fix+ to lock the look in. Some of the matte shades faded a bit halfway through the day, though.

<cite class="credit">Devon Abelman/<em>Allure</em></cite>
Devon Abelman/Allure

Kattan also tells me about "one of the easiest, most beautiful blue eye looks" you can create with the palette, too. First, coat your entire lid with a combo of Nebula (glitter-packed lavender) and Mercury. Next, pat Nebula onto the inner corners of your eyes to brighten them up. Then, brush Supermoon (prismatic pale pink) around your tear ducts for an eye-widening effect. "Try this, and you can't go wrong," she adds. "It's stunning."

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of brand</cite>
Courtesy of brand

The Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde will officially be available on October 24 on shophudabeauty.com for $67. It will be shoppable at Sephora (in-store and online) starting October 31.

Read more about Huda Beauty:

Now, take a peek inside Kattan's glamourous bathroom:

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Originally Appeared on Allure