Jaclyn Hill

Morphe x Jaclyn Hill Eyeshadow Palette ($38.00 for 1.98 oz.) contains 35 eyeshadows with most of them living within the warm, neutral family, but there were a few pops of color as well. The eyeshadows are supposed to have "the best color payoff" and "amazing application."

The shimmery shades had a denser, creamier consistency--the kind that you can tell there are silicones in it--and will work best with someone with a slightly heavier hand or uses firmer brushes (I was able to use my go-to MAC 239s for the most part). If you use a really light hand with this type of formula, you just won't pickup much product on your brush. The shimmers were quite pigmented with seven- to eight-hour wear (without a primer).

The matte eyeshadows weren't thin but were not quite as creamy as some of the best matte eyeshadows on the market. The pigmentation varied from medium to opaque, but the majority of the matte eyeshadows that seemed less pigmented were buildable and blendable on the lid. They largely performed much better in practice than just swatched, which could be a matter of surface area (a third of the lid is far less than one's arm) or difference in overall texture (my arm is dry, my lids are normal), even though I used similar brushes for swatching and applying.

There has been some drama with respect to color selection, naming scheme, whether the formula is different or better than Morphe's products typically, and the increase in pricing. Here are some of my generalized thoughts:

The color selection is predominantly warmer neutrals with a mix of shimmers and mattes, and then there are a few pops of color thrown in--and those pops of color actually run cooler. While the pops of color are undoubtedly pretty, I actually found them harder to incorporate with a lack of coordinating more cool-toned/neutral-toned transition shades. I also thought it was odd not to have more of a satin-to-pearl finish in a beige color, especially given that Enlight and Beam were rather similar--one could have been more of a satin, which I think would have made it a more versatile piece in the palette. Like all palettes, whether the color selection will work for you will depend on how you expect to use the palette, whether you want it to work as a standalone palette or will pair it with other products, and what your coloring and preferences are. Overall, if you're really into warmer neutrals, there are plenty to choose from.

There's no reason for me to address the names as Jaclyn Hill, who is the collaborator for the palette, outlines her choices in her video here, so you can get that information first-hand if you are so inclined. For those who had no idea what the acronyms meant (that included me), M.F.E.O. stands for "Made For Each Other" and S.B.N." stands for "Smoky But Natural."

I'm not overly familiar with Morphe's formula but saw such a high number of requests to review this collaboration that it inspired me to finally give the brand a try. I picked up one of their popular 35-pan palettes (35O) as a point of comparison, but it is actually their 25-pan palette formula that is more comparable with respect to ingredients to the formula used in the Jaclyn Hill palette. The lists are very similar, but kaolin is added in the Jaclyn Hill palette's ingredient list as the third ingredient, which may or may not have a notable impact. I did make a second purchase for the 25-pan palettes to see but don't expect to have those for a week or longer (I expedited my original order). With respect to the 35O, the shimmers in the Jaclyn Hill palette were similar but sometimes denser or "thicker" in a way--like they were more cream than powder, while the mattes varied as well with some being comparable and some being more substantial in the Jaclyn Hill palette (smoother, not as thin).

Jaclyn Hill spoke in her video (linked previously) about the price increase and said that Morphe used new machinery and more expensive colorants to create the product and that every shade was pressed specifically to make that shade the best it could be. I personally think that it is on the brand to manage their costs of development with respect to new machinery, securing time on a line, or whatever--those are costs of production, and investing back into your business is part of growing and improving your business. As far as the grade or quality of particular ingredients, I'm certainly not sophisticated enough to notice it specifically ("ah, there's the Rolls Royce of blue pigment!") but like most things in life, there are tiers and grades of products (it reminds me of when I learned about carpet and different pricing tiers and why).

I spoke with a few insiders and they said that it isn't uncommon to adjust the press from shade to shade or finish to finish. I can speak from experience that the pressure used to press a powder product can sometimes impact how it performs, but it really varies. For example, MAC matte eyeshadows have a much firmer press compared to LORAC matte eyeshadows. MAC matte eyeshadows often perform much better on the lid and are more buildable while still being quite blendable, but I have encountered stiffer/firmer eyeshadows that translate into products that look patchy and do not want to blend out at all. LORAC eyeshadows are so soft that they can feel powdery, dusty, or thin, and they can sometimes sheer out on their own or melt/fade quickly on the lids, but others love them for how blendable they are, as they are also rather forgiving.

I also talked to someone who produces eyeshadow palettes about the packaging, as the Jaclyn Hill palette uses cardboard compared to plastic on the 35-pan and 25-pan palettes Morphe has in their line-up. They actually said that cardboard can be more expensive than plastic. The actual cardboard used for the exterior of the palette also gets dirty very quickly as well (doesn't seem to wipe off completely). A lot of brands that sell at $40+ have used cardboard (Too Faced, Tarte all come to mind), but I know some people prefer plastic over cardboard and vice versa. What I found odd about the palette at this price point was the lack of a mirror and names printed on the palette (even just on the back, though right under each shade would be ideal with 35 shades!). I think there could also have been more information included about the colors/names chosen on the palette (I mean, the back of it has a lot of real estate) as a more personal touch.

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