Is the James Charles palette worth the hype?

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.

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!