Review: Smashbox Master Class Palette II

Hey makeup cutie butts! I don’t often do product reviews, instead preferring only to share the products that I truly know I love. However, I know items like large palettes are products I personally research extensively online before purchasing. I wanted to give you my honest opinion on the new Smashbox Master Class Palette II, $59, sold at Sephora, Sephora.com and Sephora inside JCPenney.

I have been a fan of Smashbox products for a while now. My mom gave me a 6 shadow palette from Smashbox called the Classified palette years back and I loved the way the shadows blended out. I reach for the Smashbox shadow trios often at work and have had good luck with their shadow pigmentation and texture.

I remember seeing the original Master Class Palette months back and totes regretting not snatching it up. I knew as soon as I saw this second version that I had to have it! I was majorly amped to see blushes in this palette as I’ve had great experience with Smashbox blushes. I was equally excited to see the Soft Lights as these appeared to be universally-flattering champagne shades.

So, now you know I was all bananas over this palette initially. I have to admit though, I was disappointed on a few levels. I know. I know! It hurts my heart to even type it! Smashbox-you broke my heart boo. I will break down the positives and deltas (opportunities for change…it’s-Sephora-speak 🙂 and give you my straight up, no BS, real deal final verdict.

PLUSES

+ Sleek packaging that would travel well. The size and width of a medium hardback book.

+ Great range of eyeshadow and blush shades to flatter multiple skin tones and styles

+ Matte eye shadows blend well and have decent pigmentation

+ Clear plastic overlay sheet designating  trio groupings. This could take a lot of the guesswork out of coordinating multiple shades in a look.

+ $59 price tag is actually an excellent value considering one of the Smashbox eyeshadow trios retails for $27 alone!

+ Could virtually be your only palette and give you endless options, especially if you don’t currently own many shadows

+ Very smart move not to include lip colors/glosses in this edition. That never ends well when you have sticky lip products next to powders.

DELTAS

– A large number of the shadows have weak pigmentation and powdery textures. If you are accustomed to working with Urban Decay, Too Faced and LORAC shadows, these will feel labor-intensive.

– Both Soft Lights shades appear frosty/chalky on skin with yellow/olive undertones

– Cream liners are not preserved well enough not to dry out over time. The navy and black are not rich enough in color to be dramatic.

– Plastic label overlay is cumbersome and annoying after a few uses

– The exterior packaging seems a bit lazy. I am all for simplicity but a more complex design would have made the palette feel much richer and more special

– Blushes did not seem to wear as long as the Halo Longwear or Blush Rush singles.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

If you are just beginning to build up your own personal eye shadow collection, this would be a smart value buy. As long as you don’t mind building up a shadow a bit more for true pigmentation, this palette will give you hundreds of look options.

If you are a professional makeup artist ,or have worked with some of the aforementioned shadow brands, you will find this palette to be frustrating as well. I was shocked as hell that I didn’t love the shadows in this, trust me. I’ve had nothing but good things to say about Smashbox in the past! If we’re being real, and I always am, I didn’t love this. In the future, I will stick to tried-and-true eyeshadow brands that require far less building and blending.

Thanks for reading party people! I’m always picking up new goodies, you know me, so I will share more product reviews in the future if you dig. <3

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