I’ve not actually really heard a lot about this palette, but when my boyfriend surprised me with it at Christmas I was very pleased indeed – He is well aware of my love for the brand and this was a definite welcome addition to my collection.

The palette comes in the usual NARS rubberised casing, with a black embossed logo on the lid – it’s around the same size as a NARS bronzer.

American Dream contains six shadows, five of which are shimmer/satin finish, and one is matte. The shades are fairly neutral, but there are a couple of shades which have a twist and add interest to the panel. I have definitely noticed that my tastes are veering more towards the neutral as far as eyeshadows go. When I first started this blog I had massive love for more colourful eyeshadows, but as time has passed I have changed a bit – I have big eyes anyway (honestly, I have lost count of the number of times people have actually asked me “do you have a thyroid problem?” – I try not to be offended!), and I find that if I go overboard with colour my eyes look a bit cartoonish, so over the past year I’ve definitely been on a neutral bender – Naked palettes, MUA Undressed and Heaven and Earth, and Clarins Odyssey palettes have all been well used. When I do add colour, I tend to go for warm shades like bronze, gold’s and coppers. So yep, this is another neutral palette, but in the way only a  makeup obsessive “gets”, its different enough to want to add to the stash.

The top row has the shades Belissima, Alhambra and Silk Road.

On swatching, Bellisima is a good highlight shade – not too stark, and not too golden. Alhambra is a lovely creamy gold shade, and Silk Road actually looks a lot better in real life than in the photo, which doesn’t really show this shade off to its best – I’d describe it a s pink bronze with a gold shimmer.

The bottom row contains the shade Glapagos, Bali and Tzarine.

Galapagos is a dark, warm brown with golden shimmer, Bali is a matte medium brown with neutral undertones and could possibly double as a brow shadow, whilst Tzarine is a duochrome green- brown shade – it reminds me of a darker version of MAC’s Club eyeshadow, and would pair well with many shades for a smoky eye, as well as the “Dogon” duo which was a massive hit in the blogosphere from the Summer 2011 collection).

All of the shades in the palette are available in already existing duos (Belissima, Alhambra, Silk Road and Tzarine) or as singles (Galapagos and Bali) – I didn’t previously own any of them, so this was a great palette for me.

Admittedly NARS shadows can be a little bit sketchy at times, in terms of payoff and falldown, but so far I’m really happy that these are six of NARS better shadows – they feel creamy smooth and blend well.

The palette is sold out on many NARS counters, but is still available online, and retails at £39.50.

Cruelty Free? This depends on your view of Parent companies – The brand itself claims to be CF, however is owned by Shiseido, who do test.

Disclaimer – This was a gift.