120 Eyeshadow Palette

This eyeshadow palette is a hit among youtubers and bloggers. My guiding principle in purchasing cosmetics or any goods for that matter is that you get what you pay for. I don't usually fall for cheaper alternatives unless the feedbacks are really good, otherwise they'd end up gathering dust or locked up in the closet. By scrimping, I end up paying for more.

As a makeup artist, branded products are the easier way to go, but the ability to hunt for more affordable but good products is a skill to be learned. Otherwise, your fees will keep on surging to keep up with the pricey arsenals. If practicing, it's good to start with cheaper alternatives. Think of it this way: when practicing how to drive, using a cheaper, less advanced vehicle like a jeep, will make you a more adept driver who knows how to work it in difficult circumstances. If you start on an automatic transmission, power steering and all, you will enjoy the comfort of it that you will no longer be willing to drive a less powerful and cheaper car because it will put you in a very stressful situation. Same goes with makeups: if you know how to make an ebay 120 eyeshadow palette work, you will have no trouble shifting to a Mac or Make Up For Ever palette. If it's the other way around, you will complain a lot and might even ditch the 120 palette and stick to the branded stuffs and practice on really expensive products. For me, the 120 palette is a good buy for practicing creative makeup because of the striking colors but you will have to deal with its weaknesses.

When my 120 palette arrived, there were about 10 colors that cracked. It was enveloped in a very thick layer of bubble wrap yet it didn't prevent them from cracking. When I dipped my brush on some intact colors, they went phloof and disintegrated as well.

Here's my assessment of it:

PROS:

• Cheap- I spent less than P1000 or around $21 including shipping (which was pricier, by the way)


• Wide color selection.  You get a variety of dime- sized 120 colors. You won't need  pool-sized eyeshadows to practice, anyway.


• Highly Pigmented- no need for a primer on this one. Bold, striking colors in a single wipe. You will enjoy making rainbow patterns and let your creative mind go wild. You can go face painting using this palette.


• It came with a free gift- a travel size brush set

CONS:

• They crack big time-It was a good thing I still had my binder and pressed them back together.


• Some colors are not that great- when I tried fuschia pink on my model, it wasn't as good as it looked. It won't pack and kept falling off. I had to keep retouching only to fall off again. It was too powdery.


• They won't blend when used on top of UDPP. I didn't get the look that I wanted in my model because of the blending problem. Lesson learned: No primer should be used for this palette.


• It has a scent. A baby powder but not an overpowering kind of scent.

Verdict: 3.5/5.0. A little messy to use with the powdery consistency of some but the pay off of most colors is worth it. Good for practicing.

Do I regret purchasing it: At first, when I saw the cracked colors but when I started practicing on them, the colors were amazing.

Will I repurchase? Maybe not in a long time. By the time I consume all the colors, I will be skilled enough  to move on to Ben Nye, Kryolan or other professional theatrical makeup lines.