so after delaying finishing up this review for a month, i realized i had to go about it a different way.  i’m not going to give you a full review with a detailed breakdown of colors.  i’m going to give up a pros and cons breakdown of what i think of the palette and who i think it’s good for.

first, let’s play a game! in each of the photos below, i’ve applied the eyeshadows in the new Smashbox Double Exposure Palette.  each look sports one side with the eyeshadow applied dry and the other side wet.  Wetting the eyeshadow will either intensify, metallicize, or sparklify.  can you tell which side is dry and which is wet?

Veiled and Expresso

Flushed and Copper with Veiled as highlight and inner corner

Mauve and Fig

Quartz and Midnight. Veiled as highlight

Mauve, Silver and Haze

so can you tell the difference?  it’s not much of one, if any, right?  for the record, all on the left was applied dry and the right side wet.  this flaw leads to my lackluster response to this palette.  after all, if you’re going to advertise that you’re really getting 28 shades instead of 14, it should be more than a subtle difference on at least more than half the shades.  i’ve swatched them all in a previous post, click here to check them out.  in reality, a lot of the shades just look like you’ve built it up a bit more when wet.  some of the shades are more difficult to work with when wet too.  Copper, especially, will get muddy and splotchy on you if you try to blend it when wet.  for best results, lay down a layer of dry shadow and use the wet on a small area for intensity.

the quality of the shadows is above average and easy to use (when dry).  i’d say it’s almost comparable to my Urban Decay shadows.   i do like the color selection.  although, i wish we could have had a green instead of Haze, a medium/dark grey toned mauve.   however, that’s a personal preference.  i like my palettes to have a wider range of colors.

i’d recommend this palette for someone just starting out their collection.  the balance of color is nice and the Full Exposure Mascara sample is also pretty good.  i think anyone with a large collection of makeup would be better served passing on this palette as the colors of the palette are not that unique.

Readers, how much change do you expect in a shadow that can be used wet/dry? do you think i was expecting too much?  what is your favorite palette?