Studio Gear Cosmetics Holiday Smokey Eye Palette Review and Swatches

The Studio Gear Cosmetics brand was new to me prior to this review.  I was interested in reviewing their Holiday Smokey Eye Palette because I thought the eyeshadow shades were really pretty, and I had read good things about them from other reviews.

The palette's packaging consists simply of an outer sleeve, pictured above.  The actual palette cover is a simple black, white, and gray, which I was actually a little disappointed in.  Overall the packaging isn't too big of a deal to me, but I think it would have been fun if they kept the design consistent with the bokeh lighting on the outer sleeve, especially for a holiday product.

The palette contains four eyeshadows and one blush, which could also double as an eyeshadow if you wanted it to.  The shades are (going clockwise from top left): Platinum, Frost, Glimmer, and Coal, and the blush is Snowy Glow.  Well, at least, that's how they're listed on the inner flap (pictured below).  I think this is mislabeled, though, and that the order should actually be: Platinum, Coal, Glimmer, and Frost.  This caused me a brief moment of confusion when trying to recreate the look they have on the inner flap, but I'm pretty certain I'm correct in thinking that it was mislabeled.

I think this look is perfect for a holiday party, or really for any night out.  It's a little too dark for my work routine, but I had fun playing around with the different shadows when trying to recreate this.  My eyes are monolids, so shading in the crease doesn't work quite as well for me, but I can definitely adapt it to fit my eye shape.

Here are swatches of the eyeshadows without primer (I neglected to swatch the blush, sorry!).  As you can see, they aren't very pigmented, which I found to be very disappointing.  Their texture was very chalky, and I had to build up the swatches with three or four swipes of the shadow.  Applying these with my brushes was almost pointless since they barely picked up any color.  Applying them with my fingers worked better for pigmentation, but then of course you lose the precision of a brush.  Overall, I was not pleased with these shadows.

• Purchase a Holiday Smokey Eye Palette on the Studio Gear website (currently on sale for $25).  Use code SGHOLIDAY for 10% off; this coupon never expires.
• The palette will also be available at select ULTA locations starting this month!
• Enter the Studio Gear Cosmetics "Holiday Hottie" contest to win even more free makeup!

Bottom Line: I wouldn't say I loved this palette, but I wouldn't completely disregard it, either.  I think it's a good starter palette for people who are just getting into makeup, and it has fun colors to play around with.  I do wish that the shadows had a smoother texture and more pigmentation.

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