Smashbox Gold Spotlight Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
Gold
Smashbox Gold Spotlight Palette ($35.00 for 0.30 oz.) contains three powder highlighters that are golden in tone/hue. Smashbox describes the palette as having three finishes–subtle glow, moderate, and super sparkle–and that the texture is “ultra-blendable, velvety smooth.” The first two shades are better in quality, while the last shade had a firmer, drier texture and was more sparkle than powder. Whether one prefers or steers clear of sparkle is one matter, but this type of sparkle did not apply well to the skin, as it was looser and did not spread evenly.
Turn It On Gold
Turn It On Gold is a light golden peach with warm undertones and a pearly sheen. The highlighter was nicely pigmented with a very smooth, almost cream-like texture that blended out beautifully on my skin. The color started to fade after eight hours of wear.
Top Dupes
- NARS Navagio Beach (LE, $39.00) is darker (95% similar).
- Colour Pop Starflower (LE, $8.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment (Original) (P, $28.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Milani Sunglow (P, $10.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild Golden Flower Crown (P, $4.99) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Colour Pop Frosted (LE, $8.00) is darker (90% similar).
- Zoeva Liquid Clock (PiP, ) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- MAC TheBlonds (LE, $41.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Illamasqua Rush (P, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Milani Bronze Burst #1 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
Crank It Up Gold
Crank It Up Gold is a medium, golden copper with warm, brown undertones and a frosted sheen. It had excellent pigmentation with a smooth, blendable texture that was at touch drier to the touch but did not appear dry on the skin. The highlighter wore well for eight hours on me.
Top Dupes
- Viseart Highlight #3 (PiP, ) is darker (95% similar).
- Persona Del Mar (P, $24.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Here Comes Joy (LE, $34.00) is cooler (95% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild Let It Glow (LE, $4.99) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Paradise (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (95% similar).
- Milani Glowing (P, $10.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Colour Pop Parasol (LE, $8.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Deluxe Edition #20 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Beauty Beam #1 (LE, ) is cooler (90% similar).
- NARS Galet (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
Blow a Fuse Gold
Blow a Fuse Gold is a medium-dark copper brown with copper and gold flecks of glitter. It had sheer coverage, which was not buildable, and it did not feel or perform anything like the first two shades in the palette. The consistency was drier, stiff in the pan, and when I jabbed at the surface enough to get product loosened from it, the powder was almost gritty from the dryness and lack of pigmentation–it was more sparkle than anything else. Without more powder for the glitter to bind with, the glitter sat on the skin unevenly and migrated/fell off my face during the day. There was some color that translated, and from that, it seemed to last about seven hours on me.
Top Dupes
- Viseart Highlight #3 (PiP, ) (95% similar).
- Bobbi Brown Bronze Glow (P, $48.00) is darker (95% similar).
- Laura Geller Ballerina (P, $26.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Colour Pop Parasol (LE, $8.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- Becca Rose Gold (LE, $38.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Dior Bronze Glow (004) (P, $48.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Colour Pop Morning After (PiP, $8.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Colour Pop Dew Drop (P, $7.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- Sephora High Noon (P, $16.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- MAC Baby It's Gold Outside (LE, $34.00) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
The first two colors are really pretty. As for the third one, youtuber Casey Holmes whom smashbox created this palette in collaboration with, said that the third shade is supposed to be a topper . If someone want to add some glitter to the other two shades, she said that this one should do the job.so I don’t know if this color would perform better on top of the other two.
It’s really frustrating when a brand doesn’t seem to indicate what a representative/collaborator/artist might do in a one-off video – I place the most emphasis on descriptions at the point of purchase (because that’s where you’re actually buying the product). Highlighters are, in a way, all “toppers,” though Smashbox says they can be worn alone or layered.
The problem with Blow a Fuse isn’t that it has sparkle, it’s that the texture is terrible and the sparkle doesn’t have as much to bind with, so there was little sparkle that actually stayed on the face 🙁 Layering it on top of another powder won’t really help it (powder is dry) – your best bet would be to apply over damp skin, foundation, or over a cream blush (that hasn’t dried yet). Hope that helps!
So helpful ! Thank you 🙂
Well, that’s a bizarre palette. Two A’s and an F.
The texture is so different for the last shade – I was caught off-guard!
Yikes, what happen to Blow A Fuse?? The glitter looks so loose and chunky, it looks like a face scrub
The texture of it was SOOO bad!
That last one! YIKES. I love glitter, but not that much!!!
I wish the texture was more like the first two!
I find peachy golds really flattering, too bad this was poor 🙁
I know! It was promising initially, and then the texture of the third shade spoiled the whole palette.
Oh, the first 2 shades are so pretty! It’s a shame the last 1 is so bad.
I know!
In a market that is currently SATURATED in highlighter palettes and especially so gold highlighters, these needed to be solid. Not just 2 out of 3 with one epic failure.
I could not believe how different the texture of the last shade was – just so, so dry with nowhere for the glitter/sparkle to stick to!
There are too many beautiful, good quality highlighters/bronzers/blushes out there to release a dud.
I agree, Genevieve!
Hi Christine. In 2015 Smashbox released a palette that contained highlighters. My daughter tried her friend’s palette and loved the highlighter but I would not buy the pallette for her just for the one highlighter (I live in the U.K. And the palette cost £65 here!). Can you please compare these highlighters to that previous one? Thanks.
Hi Val,
Do you know the name of the palette? I’m not sure which one you’re referring to as Smashbox hasn’t been a brand that I’ve covered extensively in the last few years, so I’m not familiar with what was released or if I even reviewed it!
Hi Christine, it was called Shape Matters. Thanks x
I’d actually say that the powder in Shape Matters had a finer shimmer (more of a sheen) and was yellower!