Bailey Morrison
News Editor
Many of the makeup products I’ve written about have been on the pricier side. Once in awhile, I find a product that is not only affordable but functional and worth reviewing. My newest find is the Carli Bybell x BH Cosmetics 14 eyeshadow and highlighter palette. This palette comes with a mix of matte and shimmery eyeshadow colors that are versatile and perfect for the fall and winter. These eyeshadows, for the most part, are darker shades that work well to accentuate the eye and bring a pop of color to your face. This palette is worthwhile because many of the eyeshadow colors can be used as highlight, and all the highlight colors can be used as eyeshadow.
The highlight colors range from a light shimmery pink to a deep golden bronze shimmery color. Because of the four varying shades of highlight, this palette works for many skin tones. While many highlighters tend not to show up on darker skin due to the pigmentation and light shading, these ones have deeper colors that can be used on darker skin tones. The four highlight shades in this palette are all shimmery, but subtle shades that are long-lasting.
Overall, I like this palette because at $14.50 it is a very affordable alternative to many of the more expensive palettes being sold by makeup brands found in Sephora and Ulta. This palette comes with a full-sized mirror. The pigmentation is not intense for all of the colors. The shades that really have an immediate pigmentation are the darker, shimmery colors of which there are three. The lighter colors need to be built up in order to acquire the pigmentation shown in the palette.
The matte colors leave something to be desired. They are very faint when first applied without any primer or layering of the shade. While they create a successful, subtle day look, these colors require a little more work to create the traditional smokey-eyed look.
This palette, for the price, is a steal. You’re getting 14 makeup pots that can be used for more than their intended purpose. One major downside to this palette is the smell. There is a distinct but unrecognizable chemical smell. It could be a fluke in the manufacturing process, and just have affected my palette, but the smell is rather strong when your face is up close to the palette. Reading through other makeup blogger’s posts, I’ve found a few people who have noticed the same thing, but didn’t read that many reviews of the chemical smell. This downside, paired with the lack-luster matte shades don’t make it a to-die-for makeup product but is definitely a fun palette with which to try different looks.