Smashbox Light It Up 3 Palette Set Review

 

The last couple of years, I’ve really admired how bold and eye-catching Smashbox’s holiday packaging has been. Last year was the Art. Love. Color. collaboration with abstract painter Yago Hortal, and this year their Light It Up theme’s packaging is really fun as well. I love that this Smashbox Light It Up 3 Palette Set comes in a cool, bright orange, semi-transparent case that can easily be reused. I’ve already added it to my Alex drawers to store makeup! Anyways, onto what’s inside and my thoughts.

Let’s start with the lip palette. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I hate lip palettes. However, the reason I hate them is simply because they’re inconvenient. They’re usually big enough in size that they’re annoying to throw in your bag and touch up later on, which is my whole deal with hating them. However, this lip palette in particular is tiny, so I would be way more likely to use it and bring it along with me during the day in my bag. It also has super gorgeous, totally wearable shades (mind you, they are a bit sheer)- and a nice variation of shades at that. Not bad, Smashbox, not bad!

Surprisingly enough, the eyeshadow palette is what is kind of “meh” for me in this set. The colors are pretty, nicely pigmented and easy to blend, but I feel like if you own a few eyeshadow palettes from various brands already, you’re going to have dupes for these. Regardless, it’s nice to have them in a small, easy to travel with palette.

I’d say the highlight of this set is definitely the contour palette (that was unintentionally a bit punny, haha). The shades are perfect for contouring, bronzing and highlighting your face, and they all blend super nicely. This makes me want to buy the Smashbox Step-By-Step Contour Kit just so I have a bigger version that’s easier to fit a brush into!

Now, don’t get me wrong here- this is a nice set. With that being said though, I don’t think it’s an absolute MUST have if you already have a decent collection of makeup- simply because at the very least, you probably have dupes for the shadow colors and a fair amount of lipsticks to choose from. I think this is a great set to pick up if you are new to makeup or don’t own a lot of makeup and want to get some bang for your buck variety-wise, or if you plan to use it to travel, as the palettes themselves are all very small and can easily be thrown in a handbag or suitcase.

The Smashbox Light It Up 3 Palette Set retails for $45 and you can find it at Sephora, ULTA and Nordstrom.

Also part of the Smashbox Light It Up holiday 2016 collection:

• Smashbox Light It Up Primer Set ($36)

• Smashbox Light It Up Mascara + Primer Set ($22)

• Smashbox Light It Up Lipstick + Mattifier Set ($29)

• Smashbox Light It Up L.A. Lights Palette ($39 and I NEED THIS!)

• Smashbox Light It Up Glossed To Go Set ($25)

• Smashbox Light It Up Essential Brush Set ($55)