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Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette ($59.50 for 0.298 oz.) includes twelve eyeshadows and an eyeliner. The eyeshadows all had good color payoff or better with soft, blendable textures that were easy to use. When the weakest performers come in at B+, you’re in good shape. I’m a big fan of the Artist Shadow formula, and in general, only the mattes have any issues (some are lovely, some could use improvement). They can be so soft that they turn powdery, which makes them harder to apply on bare skin or the color payoff is just weaker, but many of them are good, just not perfect. That was the case with the two mattes here–good but not great–and the rest were quite nice. Most of the shades wore between eight and nine hours.

They are pretty consistent with the permanent versions I have, and I524 performed better in this palette than in my other palette (though that one isn’t full-sized). For those who picked up the Artist Palette, there are two overlapping shades in this set (I524 and D926). For those who nabbed the 30th Anniversary Palette, you’ll find these repeats: M100, ME108, and ME122.

The eyeshadows are 0.024 oz. each, which makes them a little larger than a dime, for a total value of $75.60. The eyeliner is full-sized, so it’s worth $19. The total value of the set is $94.60 for the actual products. It comes in a small, but substantial, “traincase” that unlatches to reveal a large mirror and a removable tray of eyeshadows. Underneath is a compartment that could hold whatever made sense to you–it’s about an inch and a half in height–so it could fit blush, lip colors, eyeliner, primers, and even some bottles of foundation (depends on the size of yours). This would only be travel friendly if you used the space underneath the eyeshadows, otherwise it is bulky and unnecessarily large. I would have rather a slim, travel-friendly palette with just the eyeshadows myself. (In which case, you might consider the Artist Palette, which is $42 for 8 eyeshadows in a very travel-friendly format.) Edited to add: You can actually take a pair of tweezers and grab the edge of each pan to remove. They don’t seem glued in, and the bottom of the foam insert may be slightly magnetic, as they pull back in slightly.

M530 Eggshell is a soft white with subtle warm undertones and a matte finish. It had decent to good color payoff with a slightly powdery consistency but was blendable. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

S516 Sand is a light, yellowed beige with warm undertones and a satin finish. It had good color payoff with a really soft, smooth consistency. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

I544 Pink Granite is a medium-dark taupe brown with warm undertones and a pearly sheen. The pigmentation was incredibly rich, while the texture was really smooth and applied evenly. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

ME122 Snow is a bright, cool-toned white with a metallic sheen. It had fairly good color payoff, and the texture was smooth and blendable, but it was a little thinner than other metallic finishes in the range.
See comparison swatches / view dupes.

ME108 Steel is a dark, cool-toned gray with a frosted finish. It had fantastic pigmentation that went on smooth as butter. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

M100 Black is a dark black with a matte finish. The color payoff was decent to good, and the texture was soft without being powdery. It blended out well. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

D236 Lagoon Blue is a medium-dark, brightened blue-teal with a frosted, metallic finish. It had good pigmentation that went on smoothly, as the texture felt creamy and blendable. The permanent version of this seemed slightly richer overall. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

D926 Blueberry is a brightened violet purple with subtle, cool undertones and a frosted, slightly metallic, finish. The color payoff was nice, but the texture wasn’t perfectly smooth compared to other shades. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

I218 Indigo Blue is a brightened, dark blue with cool undertones and a frosted finish. It had good color payoff, though not perfect, with a soft, blendable texture. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

I524 Pinky Beige is a light peach with a hint of pink and a soft, frosted finish. It had excellent pigmentation that went on easily and evenly due to the soft, smooth texture. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

D826 Fig is a medium-dark plum with warm, brown undertones and a sparkly, metallic finish. The consistency was smooth but there were noticeable sparkles in it. Most of the sparkles stayed on the lid, but there were a couple of stray sparkles at the end of wear. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

ME828 Garnet Black is a deepened brown with subtle, warm undertones and a pearly sheen. The pigmentation was amazing with really rich, smooth results that glided on evenly and easily. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

M10 Matte Black is a medium-dark black with a satin finish. The formula is lightly creamy, so it goes on without tugging at the lash line, and it lays down a fair amount of pigment in one stroke. It was fully opaque after two layers. On me, it lasted for eight hours without smudging. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette

Make Up For Ever M530 Eggshell Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever M530 Eggshell Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever M530 Eggshell Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever M530 Eggshell Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever S516 Sand Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever S516 Sand Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever S516 Sand Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever S516 Sand Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever I544 Pink Granite Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever I544 Pink Granite Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever I544 Pink Granite Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever I544 Pink Granite Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever ME122 Snow Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever ME122 Snow Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever ME122 Snow Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever ME122 Snow Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever ME108 Steel Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever ME108 Steel Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever ME108 Steel Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever ME108 Steel Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever M100 Black Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever M100 Black Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever M100 Black Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever M100 Black Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever D236 Lagoon Blue Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever D236 Lagoon Blue Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever D236 Lagoon Blue Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever D236 Lagoon Blue Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever D926 Blueberry Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever D926 Blueberry Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever D926 Blueberry Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever D926 Blueberry Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever I218 Indigo Blue Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever I218 Indigo Blue Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever I218 Indigo Blue Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever I218 Indigo Blue Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever I524 Pinky Beige Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever I524 Pinky Beige Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever I524 Pinky Beige Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever I524 Pinky Beige Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever D826 Fig Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever D826 Fig Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever D826 Fig Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever D826 Fig Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever ME828 Garnet Black Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever ME828 Garnet Black Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever ME828 Garnet Black Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever ME828 Garnet Black Eyeshadow

Make Up For Ever M10 Matte Black Artist Liner
Make Up For Ever M10 Matte Black Artist Liner

Make Up For Ever M10 Matte Black Artist Liner
Make Up For Ever M10 Matte Black Artist Liner

Make Up For Ever M10 Matte Black Artist Liner
Make Up For Ever M10 Matte Black Artist Liner

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
D926 (inner lid), D236 (middle of lid), I218 (outer lid), M100 (crease),
M530 (brow bone), I524 (brow bone), Marc Jacobs Ody(sea)

Make Up For Ever Studio Case Eyeshadow Palette
S516 (inner lid), D826 (middle of lid), I544 (outer lid), ME828 (crease),
M530 (brow bone), I524 (brow bone), Marc Jacobs Plum(age)

48 Comments

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Larissa Avatar

Love love LOVE that I chose this one out of all the holiday palettes, and I’m glad you like it, too. I think it’s a great introduction to the MUFE Artist Shadow formula, especially for those (like me) who are overwhelmed with the full selection and don’t know where to start. I do use an eye primer every day and I have no trouble getting exceptional color payoff and blendability with every shade. 😀 I’m actually surprised that the light matte shade performs for me, since I have such fair skin!

Anyway, it’s definitely convinced me to go back and buy more make-your-own duos/singles in the future.

Larissa Avatar

Oh, dear….! Making me choose! 😉 I’m really in love with bold looks in general so I love playing around with the ‘bold’ column. I did create a really fun and showy look featuring the Blueberry/purply shade, Fig, and Garnet Black the other day. Today I wore Lagoon Blue with Steel in the outer third and various warm browns and Fig in the crease. I just find it so versatile! And it’s definitely an easy palette to pick up when I want to go for a “nude” eye, because the natural shades are a pretty darn good match for my complexion.

Sadra Avatar

These type of palettes annoy me. There’s too much wasted space between the shadows, so it looks too large. I would be irritated every time I opened it. That’s why I was never tempted by the Mrs. Mia Wallace palette. Too much box-to-shadow to make me comfortable.

Christine Avatar

It seems like foam! You can actually take a pair of tweezers and grab the edge of each pan to remove. They don’t seem glued in, and it actually seems slightly magnetic. It seemed pretty tightly packed in the foam, but I took four or five out no problem.

Dany Avatar

This is just lovely. I really like their makeup cases, so sturdy and professional looking. This can be a great travel set, just put some other stuff you need (mascara, brushes, etc)underneath and you are good to go.

Hayley Avatar

Thanks for the great review! I was wondering how easy you think these would be to depot? I love the eyeshadows and the case but not together. It would be nice to pop them out and put them in a separate Z palette.

CeliaV Avatar

Hehe I knew you’d cave 😉 I might too. Three repeats isn’t too bad, especially since I’m not keen on depotting anything from the 30 Years Palette (it’d be very easy I just like it all setup the way it is) and this I could travel with. I actually really appreciate the extra space. Now I’m dreaming of filling it with the customized Artist Shadow compacts in other colors so I could bring a large array with me. This would be ideal for me for work since this is actually way more convenient than filling my backstage work train case with shadows (with greasepaints and other stage products, there’s less room for shadows than I’d like).

rashmi Avatar

An “A” rating after a long time for a palette …
baby you are coming home with mamma .. who is not in good shape to use eyeshadows these days , but collect them crazily 🙁 🙁
mind blowing

Olivia Avatar

I want I-544 and ME-828. So those are going on my list 🙂

I have the UD 15th anniversary palette so I definitely don’t need any more bright purple or blue eyeshadows… forever haha.

Mimi Avatar

Thanks for getting this to review Christine. 🙂 This is 1 of the things on my want list and have been debating if I should get it since it looks like I might need to scale it back a bit. I just picked up the Vice 3 and Naked 3 (might be the 1 of the last few that doesn’t own a Naked palette yet lol), do you think it is worth having both the Vice 3 and this or am I pretty covered with just 1?

Rachel R. Avatar

Thank you for reviewing this so quickly! I’m so glad this is up to MUFE’s usual standards. This is definitely going to my hubby for my Christmas list. I would probably actually depot the shadows into a Zpalette and use the case to store my loose mineral shadow overflow.

Blueberry, Indigo, Fig and Garnet Black are my favorites.

Helene Avatar

Nice looks! I like when you do the real colourful looks. Very pretty.
I don’t think I’ll buy this palette. I went by the MUFE counter today, I survived and managed to walk away without getting any new eyeshadow, the ones I wanted to try was obviously popular as they were out of them.
I did swatch away quite happily though, and I think a build my own palette is better for me. That said, I might change my mind if they get this so I can see it in person.

Liz Avatar

Unfortunately, while I was going to purchase this palette instead of wading through 200+ individual MUFE shadows, I’m not going to anymore. I had a salesperson at Sephora apply it for me. While she did a good job and I liked the look she created, the fallout was intense. The main feature of the look was Lagoon Blue, but while the color payoff was amazing, it immediately fell below my eyes. The salesperson had to clean up below my eyes twice, and even though I was wearing primer (the anti-aging UDPP), it continued to migrate to my undereye area in the most unflattering way. Perhaps a different primer would work better, but I’m not going to switch primers just for one eyeshadow.

She also used the eyeliner to tightline. I know everyone has different experiences with tightlining and what their eyes will accept and reject, but sadly the liner also migrated to my lower waterline. Well at least I knew ahead of buying, so I won’t waste my money or time on this. But I’m still interested in some of the individual shades; I just don’t think the diamond finishes agree with my eyelids. She used some of the neutral-colored iridescents and shimmers and those seemed to stay in place better.

Fran Avatar

I’m so glad they didn’t skip on the quality with this palette. I love the new formula, and this palette has enough jewel tones and cool colors to keep me happy (most of the holiday palettes seem to be endless variations on the color brown, with only one or two colors thrown in!). Finally a holiday palette I can get excited about this year 🙂 Plus I think it’s great that it’s easy to de-pot these into a more convenient-to-use palette.

Tiffany Avatar

I just bought the artist palette last week, and now this is marked down to $39. Oy. I keep telling myself I still like the shades in the artist palette better as well as the sleek packaging vs this bulky case. It’s still tempting to get this too, but my makeup budget is done for the year…

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