I recently purchased the Smashbox Photo Strip Eye Shadow Palette as part of my Sephora haul during the 20% discount event. 

This palette was one that I really wasn't sure I wanted. I loved the look of the shades, but I've been disappointed with some Smashbox eyeshadows before so I really had to think about whether to order this or not. The combination of it being a limited edition and it was only $27 CND before the discount swayed me to go for it. Was this the right decision?

Smashbox Photo Strip Eye Shadow Palette

First off, let's take a look at the packaging. It comes in a pretty box and when you open the box the palette is wrapped in black tissue paper. When I unwrapped it, I could perhaps see why Smashbox felt the need to do this. The actual palette has quite a cheap feel to it. It is made of plastic and looks like an old-fashioned film strip, hence the name. 

It opens from the shorter end and the catch is quite poor and I doubt that it will stand the test of time, but I could be wrong. The lid flips over, so you end up with double the length of the palette. Not the best idea in my humble opinion. The hinge feels equally feeble and I can really see this lid cracking or simply falling off. The base of the palette is fine, but I really think the lid leaves a lot to be desired on every front.

The palette has 10 shades in both matte and shimmer finishes. The shades range from cream to deep purples with peachy, oranges and pinks in between, so how do they stack up? Well, I have to say, I've used this palette several times over the last few days and I'm really pleasantly surprised. 

I've done some swatches in different lighting to try to show the shades, but I have to apologize for my pale skin as the lighter shades really don't show up as much as I'd like them to. All the swatches have been done using a brush and the top half of the swatch is over Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer and the bottom half on bare skin.

All the shades work equally well on primed or bare skin, but I did find there was more fallout with bare skin. Without exception, the colour payoff was great for both the matte and shimmer shades. The shades blended really well and lasted over 7 hours on my oily lids (with primer). 

Overall, I'm really impressed with these shadows and they have really won me over. I really thought this might be a palette that I ended up returning, but that will definitely not be the case. I know for sure this will become one of my staple palettes.

I do have concerns about the longevity of the palette construction, particularly the lid, but as long as it is handled carefully I'm sure it will be okay. If you will be wanting to throw this in a makeup bag or handbag, I would seriously think about putting a hair band around it to keep it closed. I may even repot this into a z-palette, just to be on the safe side. It's a shame this is the case, but at the end of the day the palette was only $27 less the discount, so I only paid $21.60 and to be honest, the actual eyeshadows are worth every cent and more. 

If you want this palette, I suggest you get it quickly as it is limited edition and when I looked on the Sephora website in Canada it was no longer available. But, I have seen it in all the local stores, so you can still get hold of it. I'm not sure of availability in the USA or elsewhere. 

So, this palette has exceeded all my expectations and comes with a TOMUBLOG seal of approval!