Smashbox Studio Pop Eye Palette and Brush Trio

Last year I missed out on Smashbox's Photo Op Mega Palette so when I saw this, although, slightly smaller, I jumped at the chance to order it.

I'm thrilled because this marks three firsts:
1. First Smashbox eyeshadow
2. First Smashbox palette
3. First holiday '12 makeup set

In the past, all I had tried from this company were the eye liners, which I love. In fact, I've exclusively worn the Limitless Liner in Onyx on my waterline for several years.
I figured that this would be a great value as I could try their shadows, cream liners, and brushes all at once.

To the best of my knowledge this is exclusive to QVC. Yes, I have seen the palette in other locations, however, I haven't been able to find the trio anywhere else.

 The Smashbox Studio Pop Eye Palette and Brush Trio comes with:

-3 Brushes

-Palette consisting of 16 Photo Op shadows and 4 cream liners

-4 Lesson Cards ranging from easy to pro

~Brushes~

* #7 Tapered Shadow Brush: Oh my I love this brush!!!! It's incredibly soft and since the bristles are looser, I use this to apply a lighter shade all over my lids.
* #15 Definer Brush: I like to use this to apply shadow in my outer v blending into my crease. It's small enough and yet, is perfect for a precise application.
* #20 Double-Ended Smudger Brush: It took a little getting used to but I like how easy it is to apply cream liner with the smaller bristles. Even for a first timer like myself, the application looked flawless. I also enjoyed the smaller rubber tip on the other end for smudging pencil liner...it created a cleaner line.

~Shadows~
At first I had a tiny bit of buyers remorse and, while very pretty, I couldn't help but wonder about what the big deal was with these shadows...I quickly found out. Upon first swatch, I was immediately impressed. I have never encountered eye shadow so smooth and pigmented. All I have to do it lightly tap the brush and I get tons of product, but without any fall-out. The quality is just amazing, not to mention the fact that there are a lot of different looks that an be created with this palette.

~Shades~
*Nocturnal: Shimmery Deep Navy
*Lunar: Shimmery Silver
*Emerald: Shimmery Light Green
*Nude: Matte Caramel
*Vanilla: Matte Vanilla (great for highlighting!)
*Obsidian: Shimmery Slate
*Champagne: Shimmery Beige
*Bark: Shimmery Deep Brown
*Cinder: Shimmery Violet
*Pastel: Matte Soft Pink
*Orchid: Matte Dark Purple
*Flamingo: Shimmery Coral
*Smoke: Matte Dark Gray
*Amethyst: Shimmery Violet
*24K: Shimmery Gold
*Nutmeg: Shimmery Golden Bronze

~Cream Liners~
At first I was a little afraid because I had never used any kind of cream liner before, however, I've really been enjoying this product a lot. They've lasted all throughout the day without smudging and is probably the easiest to apply out of all the other liners I've used in the past. My only concern is whether or not they dry out in this palette...time will tell (hopefully not).

~Shades~
*Bronze: Shimmery Bronze
*Royal: Deep Purple
*Picasso: Deep Blue
*Nightlife: Shimmery Black

(shadow swatches)



(liner swatches)



Overall, I can't really find anything wrong with this set. I've been using it for several weeks and continue to find new color combinations...the possibilities seem to be endless. My only complaint it that this came out after my vacations as this is perfect for travel.

Unfortunately, I waited too long to post this as it seems to be no longer available, however, you can get the palette itself at these other locations:
-Macy's
-macys.com
-Nordstrom
-nordstrom.com
-Sephora
-sephora.com
-smashbox.com (I haven't seen this on their site as of yet)
-Ulta
-ulta.com

As always, I thank you for reading my blog.

Note: I purchased these products with my own money. The opinions expressed in this post are those of my own. I have never accepted any kind of compensation in exchage for a positive review. For more information, please check out my Disclaimer.