Georgia Phelps This is a post that I’ve been holding off for a little while due to the fact that I’ve been waiting to receive these! I’m lucky enough to be a Smashbox crew leader (all opinions are still my own don’t worry) and I recently won a competition through work and my prize was all 7 Covershot palettes! I consider myself extremely lucky to work for such a generous company and was so overwhelmed with happiness that I almost cried.
Anybody who personally knows me will be able to say how much I absolutely love my job and to win this incredible prize made me happier than anybody will ever understand. So Smashbox, thank you so much. I’m so lucky to work for you guys and receive such a generous gift from you.
About the palettes:
For those who don’t know, these palettes were co-created with the beautiful Shay Mitchell and are designed to easily achieve a day-to-night look on any skin tone and in true Smashbox style, they look flawless in any light. They all consist of 8 different shades and the two base shades are bigger in size so that you won’t run out of them quicker than all the other shades which for me personally, is always a huge pain in the ass.
They have a handy little mirror inside them and they’re the perfect compact size for travelling or getting ready on the go. They’re also an absolute steal at just £24 each!
Ablaze:
I’ve decided to start with this little beauty simply due to the fact that most readers have probably tuned in just to read about this star of the show. Undoubtedly and just as I expected, this palette has been the most popular of them all and can be quite a tricky one to get hold of due to it’s high demand.
As I’m sure most people know (unless they’ve been living under a rock or quite simply never use social media – in which case I’m not sure how you’ve come across this post!) the most sought after shades currently are rich, warm neutrals. Everybody seems to be after burnt reds, rusty oranges and chocolatey browns so it’s quite clear why this palette is flying off the shelves and constantly being posted about on Instagram.
Golden Hour:
In my opinion, this palette is the most versatile of them all and can help anybody to achieve such a wide variety of looks in the easiest way possible. The two matte base shades look beautiful on any skin tone and even just these shades alone enable you to create a two-toned natural matte eye in seconds. With a mixture of neutrals, golds and even deep, rich plums this palette can create the most seamless day-to-night looks suitable for any occasion.
Softlight:
This palette is possibly the softest palette of them all. With light pastel tones, any looks created with this palette will be natural and easy on the eye. It wasn’t until I properly swatched this palette on my hand that I realised a few of these shades are actually slightly duo-chromatic. To me this was such a pleasant surprise as anything with a duo-chrome finish always wins my heart and I couldn’t wait to start using the palette.
I’m so used to using bolder colours on a day to day basis that using this palette made a really nice change. I think it’s so important to step out of your make-up comfort zone from time to time and experiment with new things and different looks. Whilst using this palette I found that I absolutely love using every single shade on my inner corner and/or brow bone for that bright pop of highlight.
Bold:
I can’t even begin to tell you all how devastated I am that this beauty is limited edition and now super hard to get hold of. The second I set eyes on all 7 palettes, I knew that this was what I needed more than anything. Due to not owning anything else like it (or even remotely close to it) I made it mine the very first day it launched in the UK and I’ve been obsessed ever since.
Honestly, never in my life have I come across such highly pigmented matte bright shades. Normally the pigmentation is pretty shocking and so mediocre it feels like a complete waste of money but these shades are so far from this it’s crazy. One light swipe of a brush and so much product is picked up.
Similar to the Softlight palette, the lighter base shade is duo-chromatic and looks stunning on the inner corner and brow bone as a highlighter.
Metallic:
Anybody who knows me well will know how much I love a good metallic shadow. Anything with a bit of sparkle and reflect turns me into some sort of magpie and I just have to have it so you can imagine my excitement when I saw this palette. There are a few colours within the palette that personally I don’t tend to wear very often (such as the dark yellowy shade and smoky grey) due to always sticking to my comfort zone and always reaching for warm tones but this palette has definitely encouraged me to use a wider variety of shades and I’ve found myself experimenting with cooler toned looks much more frequently.
I do find the shades in this palette very versatile in the sense that it’s easy to create so many different looks without feeling the need to dip your brush into other palettes which I find to be an issue quite often.
Smoky:
Officially the only ‘smoky’ palette that I own is the Urban Decay one which if I’m perfectly honest, I’m normally quite disappointed whenever I use it. I guess it kind of baffles me that it doesn’t have a true black within it – just a lot of deep greys, so I find it difficult to get a good classic smoky eye in a quick and easy manner.
This palette is everything you could ever want (and so much more!) from a smoky palette. Not only does it contain 2 neutral matte shades for setting your eye primer, the most perfect glittery jet black but it also has the most STUNNING deep forest green shade I’ve ever seen in my life. All over the lid, this colour is just simply b e a utiful.
Matte:
This palette is the one that I thought I would be least likely to reach for as typically, I never really wear matte shades other than to set my eye primer or to shape my crease. I always tend to find comfort in a bit of sparkle so didn’t expect to like this palette as much as I do.
Although I was right to a certain extent, I have surprised myself and I’ve found myself reaching for this palette much more often than I thought I would. Sometimes I even completely step out of my comfort zone and rock a full matte eye – who would have thought it aye?!
This palette is perfect for the who like a neutral eye, something soft and easy to create a look with in minutes before rushing out the door. When I’m in a rush, this is my go-to.
That’s it! All seven palettes explained and reviewed one by one. I hope you’ve enjoyed the read and thank you so much if you’ve made it this far!
Until next time,
Georgia x