Another holiday palette!
smashbox - this is the first product that I've ever tried from the brand. I have tested things at the store, but nothing has ever really stood out to me before this.
This is the inner packaging. There's a leaflet inside that shows you how to re-create the looks on the top right corner.
It opens up like a book, and features 28 eyeshadows on the left, and 4 eyeliners, 6 blushes and 2 highlighters on the right. Both sides are covered by a clear plastic film listing the names of each product, and recommending combinations to use them in. I will go through these row by row, rather than the recommended combinations.
First Row: Linen, Nectar, Champagne, Vanilla
Second Row: Golden Orchid, Peacock, Flamingo, Ambient
First Row: Linen is shimmery, Nectar is matte, Champagne is shimmery and Vanilla is matte
Nectar is another one of those shades that is almost the same colouring as me. There seems to be a lot of those around! I really like Champagne.
Second Row: All shimmery shades in this row. Peacock is a really cute colour, but I'm not too sure how I would go about using it. I'll have to scour the internet to see if there's any looks that might work on me. The other three are great, easy to use colours.
Third Row: Chestnut, Mocha, Java, Serpent
Fourth Row: Flirt, Mist, Parfait, Opal
Third Row - only Java is matte (although its picked up a bit of glitter from the other shadows). Kind of patchy compared to the other shadows. Not too sure why, but whenever I swatch dark matte shadows, they usually always look patchy. The only time I haven't experienced this is with the Urban Decay Basics palette. I do like the look of that green - I wish it was winter again in Australia.
Fourth Row: Only Parfait is matte. Opal is pretty cool in that it looks white in the pan, which I was a little hesitant of, but has this light pink shimmer to it when swatched. I'm not sure if you can see it too well in the photo, but it softens the harshness of a white shadow.
Fifth Row: Dusk, Rose, Amethyst, Anchor
Sixth Row: Haze, Obsidian, Aubergine, Ultramarine
Fifth Row: Rose is such a pretty shimmery pink. Amethyst is also pretty, but the purple base is a bit patchy.
Sixth Row: I really like Obsidian, but I'm not usually a fan of black shadows, so that's odd. Or have my tastes been changing subconsciously? Haze and Aubergine are the mattes in this row. Haze swatched quite smoothly, but Aubergine was quite disappointing. Not only is it patchy, but you would expect it to show a bit of purple. Its a bit more murky brown.
Seventh Row: Bliss, Wheat, Sable, Blackout
Seventh Row: So unlike the other rows, no glittery shadows. Bliss is not a complete matte, but it definitely does not have the glitter content of the other shadows. These mattes went on pretty smoothly and would be great for a natural look on a casual outing.
So, overall the eyeshadows are pretty great. I'm a bit disappointed with the mattes, but I never really have high hopes for matte shadows anyway.
Next the eyeliners. I know there's marks on the liners, but I don't think its a defect. We've been hitting the 30 degree mark quite consistently the last month of spring, and its either from transportation to the department store, or my walk home after work. But that's ok. My only concern from now is that they will dry out.
The four colours are Bronze, Midnight Purple, Picasso and Caviar. They all applied quite smoothly with an eyeliner brush, but I will need to test the longevity of them. Will they be able to last the Australian summer?
Top Row: Carnation, Flush, Geranium
Bottom Row: Rosy, Suntan, Warm Apricot
Top Row: All very pretty! I love peachy coral pinks, and this palette does a great job in that aspect.
Bottom Row: Warm Apricot is soooooo pretty, but I feel a bit intimidated to use it as a blush, especially with this pigmented swatch. To be applied with a light hand and blend blend blend. Rose I feel may be better for Autumn and Suntan speaks for itself as a bronzer.
Finally, we have the highlighters Lens and Shimmer. Unfortunately no swatches for this one - but they are very very shimmery. Lens has a more golden shimmer, and Shimmer more of a silver. That's the only way I can describe it with my limited artistic knowledge.
Overall, a great palette. I love the shimmery, glittery products, but I do wish the mattes performed a little better. Aubergine was a complete no. I don't really mind the lack of mirror, but maybe a brush would be nice (I know I never use the things, but it would help a beginner - especially for the liners.) Still, I feel its a great introduction to the brand, and I hope I'll get a lot of use from the palette in the years to come.
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