The Most Covetable Palettes Have Arrived - Here's Our Thoughts

The Deer palette offers the lightest selection of shades, including three new blushes, along with the bestselling finishing powder. This range is ideal for complementing fairer skin tones – whether you have neutral, cool, warm or olive undertones – but are easily buildable, if you’re looking to enhance a medium skin tone. Not to mention, the exclusive deer artwork features Sasha Unisex’s signature watercolour style.

The Swan palette might be the most universally suitable range of shades – each as gorgeous as the next. As well as a finishing powder, this palette offers four new blushes and a warm-toned, golden highlighter to finish. With a buttery, blendable texture, it diffuses seamlessly into the complexion, adding a healthy, sun-kissed glow to elevate any look.

The Fox palette is undoubtedly the warmest and most glow-giving of the three. The shades are light enough to suit fairer skin tones but also grant medium and deeper skin tones a flawless bronzed, berry-toned look. With one bestselling blush and five new shades of finishing powder, blush, bronzer and highlighter, this is the palette for anyone looking for range, and a hint of shimmer in every layer of their base.

I recently tried the Deer palette and was genuinely impressed by how well the shades complemented my fair complexion. The colour palette features a beautiful mix of soft, neutral tones that aren’t overly pigmented - exactly what I was looking for. Since I prefer more subtle makeup looks, especially given my lighter skin tone, the palette offered the ideal balance: buildable yet gentle, and never overwhelming.

I typically go for light coverage in my daily routine, so usually opt for cream-based formulas as they blend more seamlessly into my skin and give a more natural finish compared to powders. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the powder textures in this palette worked for me.

My first reaction was simply: Wow. The shades are not only beautiful in the pan, but they also come alive on the skin - especially in natural sunlight, where the glitter particles really pop. I found that the shades applied more smoothly and had better payoff when I wore a bit more coverage (foundation or concealer), as the powder had something to grip onto. I tested application with both my fingers and a brush - both methods delivered great pigmentation and bendability, depending on the finish I wanted.

The staying power was another highlight. The shades lasted throughout the day with minimal fading, and I loved how they softened into a natural glow over time. It didn’t feel patchy or uneven by the end of the day – just a subtle, lived-in look that I actually prefer.

I found myself reaching for all the shades equally, which is rare for me with a palette. Each colour served a purpose - from base shades to sparkly toppers - and none felt redundant or out of place. Will I use it again? Absolutely! While it works for everyday wear, I see myself reaching for this palette even more during special occasions like events and holidays – especially Christmas – thanks to the soft shimmer and festive glow it gives.

Hourglass can do no wrong in my eyes, which means I approach every new launch with both excitement and, admittedly, a hint of bias. These limited-edition palettes have become an annual obsession in the beauty world, and this year, it was the Swan that caught my attention. With my fair-to-medium complexion and preference for natural, bronzy makeup, this unofficially “medium” palette felt like the natural fit. It has a luminous mix of blushes, a fairly flexible bronzer, and light-catching powders.

I expected nothing less, but these powders are super buttery and extremely easy to blend, and the colour payoff is just how you’d want it – easy to dial up or down depending on your mood. If I had one reservation, it’s that I wish I could create my own dream palette by plucking favourites from all three, as it’s unlikely I’ll get much use out of Mauve Fusion (the berry-toned blush) or Dim Light (the finishing powder). Still, Swan holds four standout shades I know I’ll wear down to the pan: Luminous Coral, Sunset Flush (the blushes), Natural Radiance (the bronzer) and Golden Hour (the highlighter).

As for wear, the pigments do soften over the day but in a forgiving way; there’s no patchiness, just a gentle fading that leaves you looking subtly pared back. But I'd say that’s true of most powder products.

I’ll definitely keep using it – and loving it. It gave me an instant radiant, ‘summer-struck’ glow – which isn’t easy to achieve in the turn of autumn – and it’s a luxury to do your whole face with one palette. These palettes sit firmly in the ‘treat’ category and aren’t essential to own, but if you’re a true beauty devotee, or you’re looking for a gift that feels special, they really are beautiful.

I opted for the Fox palette as it has some gorgeous, more warm-toned shades. Which should come as no surprise – I’m Australian and accustomed to the ‘bronzed’ look, so I knew this one was for me!

I’ll also admit to having a bit of a bias when it comes to Hourglass (their powder bronzer is the one product I’d take with me to a desert island) but since I normally go for a cream blush over powder, and I don’t really use highlighters, I was intrigued to see if I took to the palette as a whole.

Spoiler: I did. Firstly, I loved the tin packaging as it feels more durable, and I was super impressed with the variety of shades. This is probably a makeup artist’s worst nightmare, but I worked out my favourite look came from just getting a large fluffy brush, swiping it across the palette so I could pick up a hint of each pan, and blending it across the high points of my face. The result was a beautiful, almost sun-kissed finish with a lovely glow.

The pigment survived a good few hours as well, but with any powder product, I find it lasts better when it’s layered on top of a liquid or cream base. I can absolutely see myself continuing to use each shade as and they all seem to serve their own purpose, so I really think I could make use of the entire palette.

Although I don’t often wear highlighter (my base is usually dewy enough), this is perfect for when I really want to elevate my makeup, maybe for an evening out.