Review (4/5): Lovely palette, poorly named.
I really like this palette, but feel it should be noted that it is NOT as expected. Very nice colors, but more subdued than bold, more satin/shimmer than metallic. This is my first Ulta palette and I am happy with the quality. I only deducted one star because the colors are somewhat other than expected. I paid $12.
I specifically bought it for the green color, and I still like the green color, but it's not as bright or as metallic as the collection name caused me to expect. The finish is something of a shimmering satin, not metallic. The colors are somewhat subdued. The package says "jewel tones" which may be more accurate than the "metals" description, but still (to me) implies more brightly colored shades, with fewer earth tones. I would also expect a "jewel toned" palette to include a strong purple, and this only has the lilac (Dynasty). (The Royal looks purple but swatched brown with a hint of burgundy.) The colors are more woodsy than jeweled. The green is more mossy than emerald, the purple more floral than jeweled, the blue more night sky than sapphire.
The quality of the shadows is good. Neither buttery nor powdery, it's a slightly dry formula that nevertheless doesn't kick up a lot of product or cause a lot of fall out. I wear them over a primer, but I have been happy with their wear time. As stated above, pigmentation is good in that you don't have to build heavily, but it's also not a bright coloring.
A lovely bonus is that I actually love the brush that comes with this item! How often do you say that about a brush in a palette? It's not only soft and usable, it's unique among my brush collection. It's flufflier and less flat that most brushes of it's size, and it's also smaller and more pinpointed that most brushes that have a bit of fluffiness to them. Overall, I feel like it gives good control while still blending well. It's quickly become a favorite brush.
There may have been a naming crisis when creating this palette, lol. As the palette name is Metals, the subtitle is Jewels, and every individual shade is named with a royalty/gentry theme. The shares are: Noble (white), Lady (pale pink), Reign (earthy pink), Crown (gold), Dynasty (lilac), Royal (brown), Honor (platinum), Jester (silver), Armor (bronze), Fortress (green), Duchess (navy), and Duke (off black). No mattes, all satin/shimmer. All smooth, no fall out, some apply more evenly than others (drier formula). Swatched dry on dry skin in photo. Will build to brighter, more shiny finish.
I ordered this palette on a whim, and I've enjoyed it. However, if you are wanted super metallic finishes or bright colors, you should manage your expectations.