IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Celebration vs Vol. 1 Matte Transforming palette swatches, comparison, photos

Which is the best matte neutral eyeshadow palette?

The IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Vol. 1 Matte Transforming Palette, which I had reviewed here last year, is one of my all-time favourite palettes ever. When IT Cosmetics released a new neutral palette last Fall, the Naturally Pretty Celebration Palette, I knew I had to buy it. And the packaging and the shades were so pretty that I took my own time and put off touching the palette for a long time. I had decided not to post about it as it went out of stock, but it is back on sale now! 
What long handles these palettes have! I wish IT Cosmetics would rename their beautiful palettes so my wordcount does not hit the skies. I'm calling them Celebration palette and Vol. 1 palette in this post.

Read on for the comparison of the IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Celebration Palette and the Vol. 1 Matte Transforming Palette.

Packaging of the IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Celebration Palette

I have already reviewed the Vol. 1 palette here, so let's take a look at the Celebration edition.
The Vol. 1 palette comes in a suede dust-magnet case while the Celebration edition comes in a holo cardboard case. That holo! Of the two, I prefer the packaging of the Celebration edition. Especially the silver background in the palette. The gold foil cover inside Vol. 1 looked a bit cheap.

I cannot find much difference in formulae. Both palettes contain easy-to-blend eyeshadows and have very good pigmentation. Both palettes contain super-soft eyeshadows, so soft that I leave fingerprints or brush marks when I swatch. The paler shades in both palettes have some in-pan fallout when I swatch.
Both contain peptides, collagen and other anti-ageing benefits.

Comparison of the IT Cosmetics Celebration Palette and the Vol. 1 Matte Transforming palette.

Like the Vol. 1, the Celebration Palette also has 14 matte shadows and one transforming shimmery shade. Only, the transforming shimmer in the Celebration palette has a gradient effect and includes a translucent shimmer and a gold shimmer, while Vol. 1 only includes a beige shimmer which washes out the shadows. Both have the same $42 price tag.
The Celebration palette is cooler while the Vol. 1 Matte Transforming palette has warmer shades, including caramels, rosy neutrals and orange. About half a dozen shades in both palettes are similar, as you will see in the swatches, with one pair very close to each other. The rest are complementary.

Swatches of the IT Cosmetics Celebration palette and Vol. 1 Matte Transforming palette.

This is the Celebration palette, swatched in accordance to the pans in the palette. Both shades to the extreme right of the second row are from the Transforming Ombre Radiance Ribbon pan.
As you can see, Champagne, the second shade to the left on the first row, has completely disappeared into my skintone. That is a perfect foundation match for me.

Take note of that intense purple - Sugar Plum - in the second row. Love that shade! Also, the gold shimmer is beautiful!

Here are swatches from the Vol. 1 Matte Transforming Palette, which I had reviewed here last year:

Similar shades in the palettes (shades in Vol. 1 are listed first)

1. Sheer Joy and Snow Angel: Sheer Joy is deeper while Snow Angel is more ivory beige.
2. Soulful and Miracle: The former is deeper than the latter.
3. Midnight and Starry Night: Both the deep blues are very, very similar.
4. Noir and Coal: Both are black eyeshadows; Noir has grey tones while Coal has brown tones.
5. Mocha and Gingerbread: The latter is more khaki while the former is paler.
6. Java and Spice: Both have the same intensity but Java has ruddy tones while Hot Cocoa leans brown.
7. Warmth and Warm Wishes: The latter leans more peachy while the former is camel-brown.

Within the Celebration palette itself, Peace and Wonderland (first row; second and third from the right) look close to each other. 

Verdict

I love both these palettes and have popped the Celebration version into my travel bag, but if you asked me to pick just one, I prefer the Vol. 1 palette over the Celebration palette. The vibrant sunny shades tipped the scales for me. But I would be glad of that khaki shade from the Celebration version, as well as Champagne, Sugar Plum and the ombre transforming radiance ribbon.
If, like me, you love matte eyeshadows and want a nice mix of medium, deep and light intensities, then you definitely should not regret buying both! The good news is, the IT Cosmetics website now has the Celebration palette back in stock here - quantities are limited!

Have you tried either of these beautiful palettes? Which did you prefer, Vol. 1 Matte Transforming Palette or the Celebration (silver) palette? Tell me in the Disqus comments widget below.