These Shadow Palettes Are Taking Over Instagram — & We’re Hyped

Update: Yesterday, Insta-famous brand Juvia's Place finally launched the palette we've all be patiently awaiting. The 12-pan palette contains a slew of neutral, bright, matte, and shimmer shades. It can be purchased on Juvia's Place's website for $28.

Update: Get ready for your Instagram feed to flood with all the likes: The Juvia Place Saharan Palette is dropping one day earlier than predicted — and you can pre-order on its website now. But act fast, because this kind of makeup magic tends to disappear in the blink of an eye.

This story was originally posted on December 23, 2016.

Instagram knows what it likes: Tumblr pink, Naked palettes, intense strobing. But, just when everything was starting to look the same, indie brand Juvia Place released a sneak-peek of its Saharan Palette. Rather than fifty shades of brown or peach, the shadows are uniquely created to pop against darker skin tones. The result is some serious #blackgirlmagic.

The palette’s inspiration — from the colors to the outer packaging — hails from Africa. “I’m originally from West Africa, which is a big influence on my ideas,” says brand founder Chichi Eburu. “We try to exhibit the beauty of Africa while appreciating its culture. Makeup is such a vital component of the African culture. You see makeup everywhere in Africa, some made out of natural plants.” Eburu hopes to satisfy a void for Black beauty consumers, including herself. “It felt odd [walking] into the cosmetic store or drugstore aisle with so much excitement, only to [walk] right out with very limited products that actually work. It was quite a challenge finding fun products that spoke to me personally, but more importantly, products that were very flattering on deeper skin tones and women of color,” Eburu says. “In reality, I bought products that were popular, not necessarily because it complimented my skin tone beautifully. It was at that point I made a decision to make fun products that actually complimented me beautifully.” This year, the brand is celebrating its second anniversary with the release of three exciting new palettes. And there's more to them than meets the eye. “The Saharan Palette is about the nomadic tribe in West African Saharan Deserts called the Fulani People and Tuareg People,” notes Eburu. And it couldn’t be more beautiful. Like the brand’s other much loved palettes, it comes housed in a bright case adorned with an illustration of a Nubian queen. The shadow collection is set to launch January 31, according to Eburu, but for those who simply can’t wait, now marks the perfect time catch up on the brand's other offerings. Two of our favorites are priced at less than $40: The gorgeous Nubian 2nd Edition Palette (which Eburu says was crafted to honor the Egyptian Empire and Queen Nefertiti) and its much-loved Masquerade Palette, which is designed with an African royal goddess in mind and features four shades of Carribean blue and a purples to match African violets. And, maybe the best part? You're supporting women and beauty inclusivity in the process.