Sorry it has taken me sooooo long to do the review that I talked about on Facebook and Instagram. So what was in my Sephora Bag?....
Smashbox: The Master Class Palette-
It includes 28 shadows, 8 cream liners, 2 blushes, 3 soft lights (highlighting powder) and 4 lipglosses. It was $59.00 but apparently the value is $250.00
As most of you know I worked for MAC Cosmetics for a long time and I have a hard time being blown away by another brand. Do not get me wrong I think every brand has something special but MAC takes the cake across the board. My boyfriend once asked if I could only use one brand for the rest of my life would it be MAC and without hesitation I said YES! Not every single thing that MAC sells is amazing. But as an artist there is a lot that I can count on with MAC. I can always trust the brand, the price, and know they will more often than not deliver the most bang for your buck. However, this is not about MAC, this is about Smashbox....
I have been having a lot of fun stepping outside my MAC box and that is why I snatched this palette up. I get to try A LOT of Smashbox for not a lot of money. It's going to give us a good welcoming to the kind of cosmetics they sell. Please dont get me wrong, I havent been living under a MAC rock or anything (or maybe I have) I know what Smashbox is famous for. I once ordered their cream liner off QVC (or HSN - dont exactly remember) and I sent it back. I wasnt too impressed with it. I bought a highlighting wand and returned it (nothing is better that Benefits High Beam and a dust of MAC's Dazzlelight shadow...NOTHING!) But I give things a try and I am honest on whether they fit my needs. I have over 500 MAC shadows so I haven't tried the Smashbox shadows. This palette is a good introduction to them. Please note: as much as I love a palette and a deal I am well aware that companies can water down the product when they pack 28 shadows in a palette for $59.00. I compared the colors in this palette to their single eyeshadows they sell at full price and they both seemed to have the same color payoff. Im not even going to buy a palette if I know they have watered the product down...becuase then, its not a deal at all!!!!!
Now, on to the review.
Shadows: I liked the shadows that I used in this look. The shadows are a little softer than I am used to and they create a bit more dust (you know what Im talking about, that shadow dust you blow off of your compact after you have dipped your brush in it.) It seems loosely packed in the pan. I also had a little more fall out than normal because of the soft powder. The color payoff was good though. They are true to color and they blend well (a benefit of soft powder)
Cream Eyeliner: I didn't like this. My feelings havent changed since I bought it off QVC. The color payoff is not that good. I kept having to go back for more product because the colors I used (purple and black) didn't show up the way I would have liked. I am going to stick with my MAC liners (and one that I just purchased- but I will be doing a review on that at a later date) Keep in mind if you dont like a strong line like I do then this may be a good option for you. Its definitely a softer color payoff and some people may like that. I on the other hand typically like something with the blackest black or the richest brown. Any eyeliner color that I wear I want the payoff to be intense and this was just a soft wash of color. It did stay well once it set. (By set I mean, dried down.) They will work well as an eyeshadow base as opposed to an eyeliner. I just use a large shadow brush and utilize the more sheer color payoff as an all over eyeshadow base instead so the product doesn't go to waste.
Blush: The blush was nice. Intense color. A little went a long way. I don't think its the selling feature of this palette but I do like the colors and they will work well with a lot of different looks.
Softlights Powder: These powders are for highlighting the cheek bones. The color was soft and gave me a little glow. I typically like to have a "guide ships home" glow or a matte matte look and this was a nice subtle glow for everyday wear.
Gloss: I like the feel of the gloss. I used "Buff" for the look in the photos but they all have a pretty color and feel super smooth on the lips. They work well with lipliner too.
All in all: I like this palette. I am going to keep it in my wedding kit. It has a lot of great natural colors along with some pops of color that will be great for weddings. The look I did with this palette was a good "wedding" look. Not that it can only be done for weddings. When I started doing the look I wasn't even thinking "weddings" I was just trying some of the colors but by the time I was finished I thought to myself "this would look really pretty on a bride." It has golds and browns with a POP of color in it. The cheeks and lips are soft. All in all I think I am going to LOVE the palette in my kit. I probably wont use much of the eyeliner but all the other shadows, blushes, lips and softlights powder(oh the softlight powder will be so pretty in photos) will work BEAUTIFULLY for weddings and photo shoots. Good purchase and all in all I think Ill use a the heck out of it when Im on the location doing makeup :)
This palette will be good for anyone who wants a lot of bangs for little bucks and who likes to "play" in makeup, try new colors, or to have a good neutral "base" look (this palette has a lot of good everyday neutral colors) but would like to see what a pink, green, merlot, or blue would look like added to their neutral "base" look without wasting money on full size experimental colors (if it turns out that you like the green or merlot then you can buy it in a full size!)
On a side note: I do like the packaging. Easy to carry and its solid black (I have a thing about packaging. I don't want it to be cheap and I don't like it too flashy) This has a good look to it and is super user friendly. It also includes directions on how to get the three looks on the front of the box!
If you like the idea of a palette too or as a good intro to a new line you are not familiar with then head to Sephora because they are only there for a limited time!
If you would like to see how I achieved the look then read below...if not, then don't read below. But hey, if youve gotten this far in my blabber, might as well stick around and learn some more :)
I first primed my eyes with a little concealer and set it with primer. The concealer helps even out the skin tone on the eyelid. It helps cover up any redness or darkness you may have and gives the skin an even appearance. You can always use your foundation to do this as well. Always set the base with powder afterwards. You can just use face powder. Dont put the shadow right over the concealer it wont last as long throughout the day. I used (see top picture to the right) Golden Orchid (light shimmery pink with a hint of gold) all over the lid and crease and then in the crease over the Golden Orchid I used Ambient (a true medium tone shimmery gold) I blended that into the crease and far enough up to where you can see the Ambient when my eyes are open. This is going to give a soft color to the entire look. I used a MAC #217 brush for this. Its a nice fluffy brush that is perfect for blending in the crease. In the outer corner of the crease I used Chestnut (darker golden brown) this can be seen in the picture collage above-bottom right corner. This adds depth to the look and the golden tone blends with the golden Ambient color. 
As you can see in the picture to the left the look lets a little darker and gets a pop of color. Slightly above and also on top of the Ambient I used Frambois (shimmery raspberry) I also patted a little on my outer corner I added a small amount in the outer most corner of the crease Sumatra (darkest matte brown.) Just build on what you have worked on. I like to build my colors on top of one another and it is ok to use the same #217 brush. Just use little bits of color on your brush at a time and build slowly. 
I typically like to do my eyes first so that I can come back through with a q-tip and clean around the eye in case there is any fall out. This perfects the look of the eye before I apply the rest of my makeup.
(You can really see the pretty raspberry color here for that pop of color when the eye is open)
The finished product with the eyeliner and mascara. I used Caviar (black) first then went over it with Midnight Purple. the I used Warm Apricot on my cheeks and the buff lipgloss with MAC Pink Treat lipliner.
If you have any questions, comments, or you are already a lover of this palette I'd LOVE to hear from you!!
PS- apologies for any typos. Its after midnight and I have a 5 year old asleep on my lap while Im trying to type. But those moments are heavenly and dont come often enough!
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Thanks again. I hope everyone has a beautiful day and a Happy Thanksgiving
from my family to yours!
from my family to yours!
-A
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