REVIEW: Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette

I recently purchased the travel-size Smashbox Full Exposure palette. I was VERY excited to receive this. It had a decent price tag of $22 which I felt was fair for being a seemingly perfect portable neutrals palette. I expected to be able to build day and night looks however the mood strikes.

The first thing I notice when I open it is that it is TINY. I could carry it in a pocket if I wanted. (I wouldn't, but I COULD.) It's very slim which excites me because in a few days I'm taking a loooong international flight and packing as light as possible is always my focus.

At first glance, it seems pretty nice. From left to right you see warm to cool colors, sparkly shades on top and matte on the bottom.

I thought the matte shades were decent. Nothing special, they didn't have that buttery texture I expected from Smashbox. The shimmer shades, though... I do not like them. With the exception of the third from the left (light tan with gold/silver pearl), they are AWFUL. I can't even call them eyeshadows, they're like crappy glitter with ridiculous fallout. I tried them wet and dry, didn't matter. They suck. I'm not returning it because I really did need a portable little neutrals palette but if I could go back in time, I wouldn't buy it again.

Positives: mattes are okay, soooo portable, not too expensive

Negatives: not high quality powders, shimmer shades are crappy glitter and not pigmented, case flimsy

0/10 would buy again.

I will use it begrudgingly. I'm not likely to use most of the shimmer shades. What a waste! Also, if you were wondering, they're not the same size pans as in the full-size. They're smaller, which is okay with me, I wanted something tiny. But for the price tag and the quality, I expected SOMETHING better than what I got.

BOOOOO Smashbox! You can do better!

NINJA EDIT: Okay, I'm returning this. This is a travesty. I expect much higher quality from Smashbox. I will be returning it and possibly going for an Urban Decay or Too Faced neutrals palette to replace it. I say again, BOO SMASHBOX.

Sephora Haul!!!

Ahem..

I think we all know what this means. :)

Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo in Orgasm/Laguna

Funny the color comes out better in the mirror than the actual picture. But yeah.. I've been looking at this for awhile. Funny the only version of the well-known Orgasm shade I own is in Super Orgasm. Yeah, go big or go home I always say. :P

Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette

I am SO excited about this! Especially since I'm flying in two weeks and trying to learn how not to overpack. This will be the only eyeshadow I bring. Yay!! :)

Briogeo Curl Charisma Conditioner 

Yeah I think it's pretty obvious that I have an obsession with this brand. I LOVE Briogeo!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Always happy to try out a new brow product. This one caught my eye because a) I don't have to sharpen it (evidently I suck at sharpening pencils) and b) it as a spoolie attached. How handy is that?!

Half the fun is in the sample haul. Woo hoo! :)

Upcoming Sephora Haul: Smashbox, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Fresh, DKNY, Briogeo, Ole Henriksen, NARS, DESIGUAL, Makeup Forever, Lancome, Sephora.. omg so much!

So I did it. I dropped another hundy at Sephora which both extended my VIB into next year and gives me something fun to blog about in a week or so. Eyeshadow palette, brow pencil, bronzer, blush, skincare, curl stuff, samples out the wazoo (of course). It promises to be fun. Stand by for a haul post!

Here's a little bag of samples coming my way. Woo hoo!