If you’ve been into a Sephora this year, you’ve probably noticed a very shiny and sparkly (emphasis on the sparkly) eyeshadow palette from Smashbox! When I first saw this palette a while back, I thought it was beautiful! I loved the colors selection – all very neutral colors with half of the colors being matte and the other half being sparkly. Right of the bat I think that gives this palette a notch above lots of other palettes. Too many times, I see palettes with about a dozen shadows and only one or two of them are mattes. Maybe people just don’t understand how important mattes are. I’ll get into that a little bit later.
Packaging
Packaging, surprisingly, can really make or break a palette sometimes, at least for me. You want something that’s relatively compact or it can make it too hard to use sometimes. A good example of this is the UD Vice Palette (the original). When this first came out, I snatched it up like it was a hamburger and I hadn’t eaten anything for a week! As much as I used it when I first got it, it quickly became one of those palettes that I love to own (because of all the pretty colors) but I hardly ever use.. You might think that it’s because of the wild colors, but if you look closely, there’s actually a really nice range of neutral colors. The reason why I stopped using it is because the thing is just way too big. It doesn’t fit too well in the hand. Certainly not like any of the Naked Palettes.
The Smashbox Full Exposure palette on the other hand is quite the perfect size. It’s a little bit smaller lengthwise and a little bit taller and wider than the original Naked Palette, but I think that size suits the hand very well. It makes for a very nice layout of the colors inside, and I actually appreciate the taller mirror on the inside, which makes it easier to use.
The palette has a magnetic closure, and I like that the packaging has kind of a satin-y feel rather than the velvet or the hard plastic of the Naked palettes. It’s a lot like the Lorac Pro Palette, which means that yes it catches finger prints. So if that’s a big deal to you, then that might be a bit of a con.
And last thing, I do wish it was a little bit thinner, more like the Naked palette, but it really isn’t too big of an issue.
Glitter Eyeshadows
These eyeshadows are gorgeous. And I mean it. They’re so sparkly! Not really a satin, but they aren’t the kind of sparkly that leaves you with chunks of glitter on your eyeshadow brush that makes it really hard to apply it without getting sparkly chunks everywhere. I’m not saying that you won’t get fallout on these shadows, you certainly will. But I think that the consistency of these glittery shadows is really nice.
Now all this being said, they’re no UD eyeshadow. At least in a sense. When you get a swatch with just one swipe of the finger, it’s not as pigmented as something you’d see from UD’s line. BUT! I will say that when you build these shadows up you do get a really nice glittery eyeshadow.
In my experience with the Full Exposure Palette, I think that it’s best to apply the eyeshadows with your fingertips. I’m not sure why, but I almost always seem to get a better application of my shadows when I’m not using an actual eyeshadow brush – like my MAC 239 brush.
Matte Eyeshadows
I can’t say enough good things about these matte shadows. They are a HUGE improvement from the regular Smashbox trio eyeshadows. Some of those mattes I just find very hard to blend, but the matte shadows in this palette are very creamy and blend-able. I love the range and how many of them you get.
I was ranting about people not understanding the importance of mattes, so here I’ll tell you why:
Dark colors usually go in the crease, right? What you’re really doing when you work dark colors into your crease is you’re creating dimension to your eyes. And if you’ve read my bronzer post, you can probably guess what’s coming. Think about what we use glittery/satiny colors for – such as what you might find in a highlighter. The point of all the glitter and sparkly is to draw attention to that area. Dark colors are supposed to do that exactly opposite, which means that by putting a brown glitter in your crease, you’re really contradicting the purpose of that color.
Now, I’m not saying that you can never use those dark shimmers, but to use them as your main crease color, I think is a big mistake that a lot of people make.
Who would benefit from this palette?
I really think this palette is good for every one. I know that I’ve pretty much said nothing but good things about this palette, but there are a few drawbacks. Like I said I think that it could be a little thinner, and honestly, the shadows could be a bit more pigmented. But I do think that the shadows are good quality and an improvement for Smashbox eyeshadows. The reason why I love this palette so much is more about the versatility that it provides. The range of matte colors allows you to create lots of very natural looks along with lots of very glamorous looks.
The very warm toned nature of this palette makes it a great palette color-wise for most people. It complements both people with brown eyes and people with lighter eyes.
Palette Comparisons
I think I mostly did this already, but I would definitely make the strongest comparison of this palette to the Lorac Pro Palette. There’s one thing I’m going to say about the Lorac Pro that I can’t say about the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette (and I hope I never will be able to). The Lorac Pro Palette could be a lot sturdier than it is. I’ve only dropped it a couple of times onto soft carpet, and I’ve had a couple of the eyeshadows break on me. That sucks to lose half a shadow just like that. They’re expensive.
I also think that in a way the Lorac Pro’s matte shadows are just a little too on the powdery side? I’m not sure that’s quite the best word for it, but there’s something about them that I just don’t like. I think that overall they’re not too bad to use and I definitely like them overall, but compared to these shadows in the Full Exposure Palette – you’re getting better quality.
I also happen to like the colors a lot more in the Full Exposure palette. I don’t find myself using them too much, although I will say that Garnet is absolutely beautiful (and almost reason enough to by the Lorac Pro!).
Included Items
The palette also comes with a really nice brush. A lot nicer I think than the brush that comes with the Naked 2 or 3. The bristles on the blender end of the brush are of natural hair which is really nice and I think makes it a much better brush than the cheap synthetic hair that is used on the Naked palette brushes. I never use them, but I think I might find myself using this one!
It also comes with a deluxe sample of the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara, which I happen to own and think is a really great mascara! Oh and I almost forgot.. It comes with an eyeshadow book to help you out with creating looks too!
Conclusions
Basically if you’re in the market for a neutral Naked-like palette, I think this is a good option to consider. It’s a little cheaper, and the shadows aren’t quite as nice, but I think the addition of the mattes and the creaminess of the glitter shadows makes it a great alternative or addition to your collection!
