REVIEW | Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette

I got this two months ago during the Sephora VIB Rouge Sale and I've used it a couple of times since then. Today, I'm going to review the Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette. It's been out for quite some time but this is the first time I've tried Smashbox's products, so needless to say, I was quite excited. I was interested in the Full Exposure Palette but before I invested in the full size, I tried the travel one. Does it live up to my expectations? Read on to find out!

First of all, the compact size is adorable! When they said travel, they definitely meant it. It's is the thinnest compact I have in my collection. It's about the size of a business card and has a snap closure that chips my polish >.< That's a bit of a pain in the rear but at least it stays secure. The mirror inside is useable. My only issue is that the shadows get on it and when I try to wipe it off with a wet wipe or my fingers, it leaves a residue that makes the mirror blurry. 

The formula of these shadows is on the stiffer side. Despite that, there's still powdery kick up with the shimmer shades if I'm not careful. If I swirl my brush in these, the fall out is like a dust storm--using gentle patting motions to pick it up will minimize that. The mattes don't have that issue but I do get fallout if I pack my brush too heavily (as with most shadows). But don't worry, pigmentation of these shadows are not lacking. The more sparkly shades can be built up but either way, they are intensely sparkling (♥_♥) I am wary of glittery shadows as they tend to not be as pigmented as I want but these glittery shadows are not lacking in pigment. As the day wears on, the sparkles do drop a little onto my under eye but they do last all day for me. Of course, wear time is very subjective for each person so I would recommend wearing a tackier eyeshadow primer to help the sparkles adhere to your lids better.

Color selection is on the neutral side, of which I have no qualms. There are 8 shadows, split evenly amongst matte and shimmer. The shadows themselves do not have a specific name other than their finish and position in the original palette, i.e. S4, M4. There's a variety of tones, from warm to neutral and enough contrast amongst the shades so that your eyeshadow doesn't get muddy. The colors go well together, which makes this a breeze to pair up in a rush. 

THE SWATCH

S1 is a chocolate brown with warmer multi-colored sparkles. I would describe this as a glittery shadow. For nighttime, I love wearing this shadow all over the lid for a glamorous look. S3 is a soft gold with warmer, multi-colored sparkles. It's a more glittery version of Lt Bronze from the LORAC Pro Palette, and you all know how much I love that shade, so of course, this is my favorite shade from this palette as well. S4 is described as a light tan with golden silver pearl. I'd say it's more of a beige on my light-medium skin tone. Unlike the other shades, this one doesn't contain any visible sparkles. To me, it's a frosty finish that doesn't emphasize finer lines. S6 is a mid-toned slate with silver sparkles. Similar to S1 and S3, the sparkles are very visible and catch the light in a beautiful way. This is one grey shade that I can wear that doesn't clash with my skin tone--much love!

M1 is a matte, warm chocolate brown. It's on the stiffer side but I don't get powder kick up with this one. M3 is a matte mid-toned tan. I like this shade in particular to blending out my shadow. Since it's quite close to my skin tone, it serves that purpose well. Now the next two shadows are different from the previous two mattes because they feel soft, much like my LORAC shadows. M4 is a creamy matte beige that appears white on my skin tone. Since it's so pigmented, I only need a little bit for highlight. Lastly, M6 is an ashy dark brown. I like to use this for my eyebrows but since it's quite pigmented, a little goes a long way unless you want Sharpie brows! I actually don't have a shadow quite like this, which is exciting.

THE LOOK

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette // Daytime
LID -- S3
CREASE -- M1
OUTER CORNER -- M1
INNER CORNER -- S4
LINER -- M6

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette // Nighttime
LID -- S6
CREASE -- M1
INNER CORNER -- S4
LINER -- M6

OTHER THOUGHTS

All that having been said, I was able to dupe most of the shadows in this palette with my Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral Limited Edition Palette. I found exact dupes for pretty much all of them except 3. S3 had a few that were similar but as I mentioned before, Lt Bronze is similar so adding a more glittery shade on top will suffice. S6 also had a similar shade in the Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutrals Palette but that one is slightly darker. Adding Slate and Silver from the two LORAC PRO Palettes also provided an almost exact dupe. S6 has a taupe-y undertone and is slightly more glittery.  M6 is the only shade that I couldn't find a dupe for but I'm sure with a little mixing and blending, I could find something adequate.  

My biggest gripe would be the mirror. Since the shimmer shadows get quite messy no matter how careful I am, it's unusable for the most part. I was a bit surprised that I was able to dupe many of the shades so easily. I'm a bit picky when it comes to dupes. For me, it has to be exact; not only does the color/tone have to match, so does the finish. When I swatched the SK and the Smashbox side by side, I couldn't tell which was which. Even the feel of the shadows was identical, which makes me wonder if SK and Smashbox buy from the same factory...

Each shadow contains 0.026oz of product, for a total of 0.208 oz. This palette retails for $22usd, putting it at $105.77usd per oz. The full size palette contains 0.49oz for $52usd ($106.12usd per oz) but it does come with a double-ended brush and mini eye primer. 

THE BOTTOM LINE

I'd recommend this palette if you're looking for a versatile, neutral palette in a compact size. I'm a neutrals lover but I love playing with texture, which this palette definitely provides. The shimmer shades contain more glitter than I'm used to but they are amazing for glamorous looks. I can wear them all over the lid for a simple look or add the browns for some added definition. I don't need to pull shadows from different palettes to create my looks, which is a must more travel.

Now this begs the question: will I buy the full size? At the moment of this writing, no. While I love this tiny one, there isn't much occasion for me to wear the glittery shades out in the daytime. I prefer more subtle satins and pearls to not draw too much attention to myself. If you couldn't tell from my post, I am a die-hard fan of my LORAC Pro Palettes and nothing (so far) can top them. If I had tried this before my LORAC, I might have been more likely to spring for the Full Exposure but as it is right now, I'm satisfied with this travel one. Smashbox has done a sequel with more color in it but I have heard polarizing reviews on that one. It doesn't follow the previous top row of shimmer and bottom row of matte but it definitely excites me, especially the plums (can't get enough plums!)

WHERE TO BUY

Macy's | Nordstrom | Smashbox | Sephora | ULTA

XOXO,

MWAH ♥

Have you indulged in this palette?

 What's your favorite travel palette?

 Let me know down below!

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