Yes, the title of this post means I finally got my hands
on the James Charles palette. I’m definitely a little bit late to the game on
this one, but these things sold out quicker than the Greggs vegan sausage roll
so what was a girl to do?
I think it has been
out for around two months now but every restock sold out in minutes so if you
follow me on Twitter you’ll know I only got the set last week. Although I haven’t
had it for very long, I played around with it all weekend and I
couldn’t wait to write down my initial thoughts.
I’ve wanted the palette
ever since James released the trailer for it because it is just so aesthetically
pleasing to look at. I love makeup but I don’t buy new products all that often
because in my opinion a lot of eye palettes end up looking quite similar in
their shade range. Not this one!
In his Youtube videos, James has
talked about how he wanted it to be a palette to create any look and I don’t
think you can argue with that, he’s got it spot on.
Obviously the fact there
are 39 shades really helps, but I find so often that palettes will include the
classic neutrals, a couple of shimmers and then one or two token bold colours that
make it difficult to actually incorporate them into your makeup unless you’re
someone who’s very confident in out-there looks. I am not one of these people.
Yet.
But, because this
palette has such a range, it sort of guides you as to which shades go together so
you can stick two bold colours together, or blend it into something more subtle
with more of a transition colour.
When I was trying it
out over the weekend, although not everything I did worked out, I did surprise
myself by putting colours on my lid that I would never usually have reached for
because I wouldn’t normally know what to do next. This palette just somehow makes it easy.
The pigment is incredible,
the shadows are so easy to work with and they blend like a dream. Although I was playing around with bolder shades when I had
nowhere to go, I've also used it to create my everyday eye look and the colour
pay-off makes it so much more vibrant and fresh than the usual palettes I reach for (sorry Modern Renaissance, I promise I still love you).
When I talked about
wanting this palette, I did have a few people ask me if I’m going to use all
the colours and I kind of think that’s a silly question, because how would I
know unless I get it and try?
I’d love to be more
creative with my makeup because it’s something I really enjoy and I’ve sort of
fallen into the pattern of doing the same eye look over and over. Everyone has
got to start somewhere and that’s a great thing about this product.
Whether you’re an
expert or a novice, it’s got everything there all in one place for you to try.
You can create a range of different looks without ever having to reach for
another product if you don’t want to.
I also love that
there is a larger row of transition shades because I have hit pan on so many of
the similar colours in my other palettes. It just makes more sense to have more
product in the most-used colours and it’s a great idea.
And, because when I
bought it I was feeling in a very ‘treat yourself’ mood (and panic at the
thought of it selling out again), I also ended up adding the brush collection
to my basket. I mainly use ZOEVA brushes with a few Real Techniques and Eco
Tools mixed in, but I’ve always heard amazing things about Morphe so I
was really looking forward to finally trying them and they didn’t
disappoint.
There are 34 brushes
and a makeup sponge in the set and a number of them are duplicated, which is so
handy if you’re creating a look using bold colours, or if you’re just someone
like me who is rubbish at cleaning their brushes very often.
They’re all super
soft and there’s a fantastic range, from crease to precision to face to brows
and everything in between. They also come in a handy travel case, which I didn’t
really feel I needed when I ordered them because it’s a bit too large to travel
with for my liking, but now that it’s arrived I’ve realised that when you take
the two sides apart, it doubles up as a great holder for your brushes.
It’s also good if you
have a cat like mine who likes to try and eat your brushes (my ZOEVA ones have
to be kept high on a shelf) as I can close it and keep it away from her pesky mitts.
I really like
that he included a beauty sponge too. The only one I’ve used it the Real Techniques
one because I don’t have the money to drop on the Beauty Blender when my cat
tries to eat them every chance she gets, but I am now a big fan of the Morphe
sponge. It’s a bit firmer than the RT one and has two flat edges which is
really handy.
The one thing I wasn't a fan of with the brush set is the amount of plastic packaging that came with it. Obviously your brushes need to be protected, but they were all individually wrapped (standard) and then any duplicates were wrapped together in ANOTHER plastic bag and then all of the brushes together were wrapped in more plastic again.
Considering they arrived in the travel holder anyway, surely individually wrapping them would have sufficed without all the extra plastic.
The one thing I wasn't a fan of with the brush set is the amount of plastic packaging that came with it. Obviously your brushes need to be protected, but they were all individually wrapped (standard) and then any duplicates were wrapped together in ANOTHER plastic bag and then all of the brushes together were wrapped in more plastic again.
Considering they arrived in the travel holder anyway, surely individually wrapping them would have sufficed without all the extra plastic.
At £39 for the
palette and £152 for the brushes (even cheaper with code James for 10% off of
course), it’s a lot to spend at one time, but it’s pretty good value in my
opinion and I would recommend it if you love bright looks or if you want to
give them a try.
And, a tip for anyone
looking out for the palette in the next restock, I refreshed the Morphe website
a few minutes before the hour (they were supposed to go live at 4pm) and was
checked out and paid up by one minute to. It was such a smooth process so, if you
missed out last time, don’t necessarily trust the exact time they tell you for
the next restock and I hope you manage to get one if you’re still waiting.
Do you have the
palette? What do you think?
See you next
Wednesday!
I've heard mixed reviews about the palette, but it is absolutely beautiful! The brushes are gorgeous too and for the amount you get it's a really good price!
ReplyDeleteLove, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
I'd heard mixed things too but I absolutely love it, I can tell it's going to become my new everyday product!
DeleteThis palette has so many shades!! I'm glad it's just as awesome inside as it is outside. It's pretty pricey but for those number of shades, I get it. I love the brushes too!
ReplyDeleteTaiwo | https://www.alifestylenerd.wordpress.com
Sooo many shades. My bank balance definitely wasn't happy when I made the purchase but for what you actually get for your money, it's well worth it
DeleteOoh I've been looking out for reviews of this because I saw his video swatching all the colours and fell in love with the palette a bit! I'm not usually a bold colour kind of girl but this looks like it's perfect for building things up bit by bit and still has some amazing colours for more everyday, neutral looks too. I looove the row of larger pans, genius. I'm glad these worked so well for you, I think for the price it's a really great palette! I'm intrigued by the brush collection too but I'm so rubbish at makeup that I don't know that I can justify them quite yet! Great review and gorgeous pictures!
ReplyDeleteBeth x Adventure & Anxiety
It's just so pretty isn't it?? I want to start using more bold colours so this palette is the perfect middle ground, you get the brighter shades but you also get the neutrals so you don't have to go into the bolds all at once. I feel you on that, I'm hoping the brushes will help me be less rubbish!
DeleteI’ve not actually heard very much about this palette but I’ve seen a YouTube video here and there about it and it looks gorgeous so it’s great to know it’s good! The shade range is beautiful too x
ReplyDeleteKayleigh Zara ����Www.kayelghzara.com
It's amazing, I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something new to treat yourself with
DeleteI've seen so many mixed reviews on this palette so it's great to know you're a fan. This palette isn't for me, I don't like warm tones or colour so that pretty much rules out the entire thing š. The brush set looks amazing though x
ReplyDeleteSophie
www.glowsteady.co.uk
Yeah definitely doesn't sound like the palette for you in that case! Luckily there are so many more out there. The brushes are amazing, I've always heard great things about Morphe
DeleteGlad to hear that it's worth the hype! My sister really wants them and I've been keeping an eye on the restocks for her, so I'll keep in mind that refreshing thing!
ReplyDeleteJas xx | https://thoughtsfromjasmine.co.uk
I absolutely love it! Good luck to your sister, hope she manages to get one on the next one
DeleteI may have to invest in these brushes but they will be a three week save up for me. *Bills*
ReplyDeleteYou're blog is very pretty hun.
https://kewteepye.blogspot.com
They were definitely a post-Christmas splurge for me but oh so worth it. Thank you very much!
DeleteI LOVE this palette and have dabbled with it so much since I got it. Didn’t purchase the brushes as I got the gilded collection last year but the palette is well worth the momey!
ReplyDeleteMelanie || www.melaniewithanie.com x
I'm just so glad it's a permanent item! I can totally see myself repurchasing it in the future
DeleteI’ve been seeing this palette just about everywhere - there’s so many different looks you can make with just this one palette! As I’m still new to using makeup and only put it on once in a while, not sure if this would be the perfect palette to start off with but it is a great palette with amazing colors!
ReplyDeleteSahara
http://saharas-dreams.blogspot.com
I know what you mean, it was starting to feel like everyone had it except me! Definitely a good one to work up to, Makeup Revolution have some lovely shade ranges in their palettes and they're great value for money too if you're looking for some inspiration!
DeleteOh after the mixed reviews I have heard this is really interesting, it sounds like an amazing palette, thanks for this review :)
ReplyDeleteMy recent post: https://lifeofellabella.blogspot.com/2019/01/my-go-to-natural-makeup-5-minute-makeup.html
I don't know too much about James Charles, but I absolutely love this palette. Like you said, it's got a mix of everything in there, and caters for everyone's needs. As someone who loves bolder colours, I'd love to try the bottom couple of rows, but I can understand how they'd be too daring for anyone else. Those Morphe brushes look good, too; I love the sound of the sponge! I use the real techniques one, too, but the idea of having two flat edges on the products sounds so much better.
ReplyDelete