Smashbox Softlight Cover Shot Eye Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
Softlight
Smashbox Softlight Cover Shot Eye Palette ($29.00 for 0.27 oz.) is a small, travel-friendly palette that features a smoky take on “soft” shades of gold, peach, and brown. The formula is supposed to be “highly pigmented” with a “beyond blendable” texture. Some of the eyeshadows have a dustier or thinner texture, which can make them prone to sheering out (and difficult to maintain their intensity) or fade faster than other shades.
This was the worst palette in the bunch, as it did not work well even over primer–the formula was just too dusty and dry. The eyeshadows ran together, sheered out, and faded within five hours of wear. No matter whether I used two shades or five shades, it looked like the same faded, shimmery beige eye.
Softlight
LELimited Edition. $28.00.
Keeper
Keeper is a light gold with warm, yellow undertones and a frosted finish. It had good pigmentation, but the consistency was drier and prone to sheering out, so it left just a wash of semi-sheer shimmer once I started to blend it. If I patted it on and barely touched the edges, it looked opaque for three hours–then it seemed to just fade and fade and fade.
Top Dupes
- Gucci Beauty Tuscan Storm #1 (DC, ) is warmer (95% similar).
- Makeup Geek Rapunzel (DC, $6.00) is darker (95% similar).
- NARS First Taste (LE, $19.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (95% similar).
- Disney by Sephora Sand in the Glass (LE, ) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Tarte Shine On (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- Viseart Champagne (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter, brighter (95% similar).
- LORAC Dream Girl #1 (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, brighter (95% similar).
- Anastasia Legend (P, $12.00) is more shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- Natasha Denona Limoncello (LE, $29.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- NARS Do It Again (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
Keeper
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Spectacle
Spectacle is a pale lavender with cooler undertones and a frosted finish. It had semi-sheer color coverage with a dry, dusty consistency that did not apply evenly, blended away to next to nothing, and had little staying power even when just patted and left unblended on the lid (four hours).
Top Dupes
- KVD Beauty Gravitron (LE, ) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- ColourPop Steele (LE, $6.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Fresh Ice (LE, $21.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Ghost Story (LE, $17.00) is darker, more muted (95% similar).
- Anastasia Touch of Lilac (P, $12.00) is more shimmery, warmer (95% similar).
- Make Up For Ever I916 Frosted Mauve (DC, $21.00) is cooler (95% similar).
- MAC Triple Impact (LE, $20.00) is more shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Make Up For Ever D914 Crystalline Mauve (DC, $21.00) is more shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Fyrinnae Unicorn (P, $7.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Sydney Grace Mystery (P, $6.25) is more shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
Spectacle
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Starlight
Starlight is a light-medium peachy beige with warmer, yellow undertones and a soft, frosted finish. It had decent pigmentation, but it had the same dry, dusty texture that sheered away as soon as I attempted to blend it on the skin. The color lasted for five hours on me.
Top Dupes
- Smashbox Straight Up (PiP, ) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- ColourPop Moony (PiP, $4.50) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild Silent Treatment #2 (PiP, ) is more muted (90% similar).
- MAC So, So Saucy (LE, $22.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Blaze (PiP, $19.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- MAC Indian Moon (LE, $17.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- LORAC Cava (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, lighter, brighter (90% similar).
- Make Up For Ever I524 Pinky Beige (P, $17.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Viseart Moonstone (PiP, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Pretty Vulgar Shine (PiP, ) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
Starlight
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Fresh Take
Fresh Take is a medium peachy orange with warm undertones and a satin finish. It had sheer color payoff with a dusty, thin texture that was difficult to apply, as there was not much that adhered to the lid, even when patted and packed onto the lid. The color seemed to vanish by the fourth hour.
Top Dupes
- Dior Matte Nude (PiP, ) is lighter (95% similar).
- NARS Hammamet I (P, $19.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- LORAC Pirates Chest (LE, $19.00) is darker (90% similar).
- KVD Beauty Galore #2 (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Milani Tan-tation (PiP, $5.99) is darker (90% similar).
- Sephora Latergram (DC, $10.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- LORAC Brulee (PiP, $19.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- MAC Mortal #2 (LE, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Caution (PiP, $19.00) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Warm (Winter 2016) Eyeshadow #1 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, more pigmented (90% similar).
Fresh Take
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Cascade
Cascade is a muted, medium pinky-coral with gold shimmer. The texture was very powdery and thin, which resulted in the eyeshadow sheering out very easily over the lid, despite having good pigmentation–it just didn’t stick! This shade faded within five hours on me.
Top Dupes
- Too Faced Bellini (PiP, $16.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Laura Mercier Primrose (PiP, $22.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- Smashbox Turned On (PiP, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Fenty Beauty Mamacita (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- MAC Artistic License (LE, $17.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Make Up For Ever D750 Frosted Peach (P, $17.00) is more shimmery, lighter, brighter (90% similar).
- MAC Paradisco (P, $17.00) is more shimmery, lighter (85% similar).
- Urban Decay Bare (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, lighter, brighter (85% similar).
- Sephora Sandy Toes (DC, $10.00) is more shimmery, lighter (85% similar).
- Urban Decay Scene (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, lighter (85% similar).
Cascade
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Aglow
Aglow is a soft mauve with warm undertones and a pearly sheen. It had semi-sheer color coverage with a dry, dusty, and thin texture that lasted for a mere two hours on me. Even over primer, it was gone after four hours!
Top Dupes
- LORAC Lotus (LE, $19.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Tarte Haunting (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Clarins Silver Pink (05) (P, $24.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- LORAC Soft Plum (LE, $19.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Virgin Orchid #3 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, cooler (85% similar).
- Pat McGrath Lilac Dusk (PiP, $25.00) is cooler (85% similar).
Aglow
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Well, Hello
Well, Hello is a medium brown with warm, yellow undertones and fine copper flecks of shimmer. It had sheer pigmentation with a dry, dusty texture that sheered out as soon as I attempted to blend it out. The color lasted for two hours on me.
Top Dupes
- Tarte Messy Bun (LE, ) is lighter (95% similar).
- Chanel Empreinte du Desert #1 (LE, ) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Dior Rivage #3 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Dior Ambre Nuit #2 (LE, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Burberry Gold Copper No. 100 (P, $30.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Laura Mercier Moonlight (PiP, $29.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Anastasia Belize (P, $12.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Make Up For Ever I538 Pearly Gray Beige (DC, $21.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Too Faced Jingle All the Way Eyeshadow #4 (LE, $16.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Sephora Selfie (DC, $10.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
Well, Hello
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Beach House
Beach House is a medium-dark brown with warmer undertones and a golden shimmer. It had semi-opaque color payoff with a dusty, thin texture that was prone to sheering out when I worked with it. The color just didn’t adhere well to the lids at all for me. I noticed fading within five hours of wear.
Top Dupes
- Chanel Intense #2 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- MAC Chains of Love (LE, $17.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Sephora Brown Sugar (LE, ) is warmer (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Casterly Rock (LE, $19.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Auric Defiance (Cream) (PiP, ) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- NARS Telesto (P, $29.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Tarte Firecracker (PiP, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- LORAC Cinnamon (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, brighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Pat McGrath Enigma (PiP, $25.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Edward Bess Cosmic Bliss #2 (PiP, $30.00) is lighter (90% similar).
This is really weird, since Smashbox is capable of making decent to good eyeshadow! Maybe this is their idea of ‘soft’?
The fading/dustiness is still a huge problem, I think, even if we take the assumption they are supposed to be sheer!
Yes, it really sounds miserable 🙁
So happy you posted this today … was seriously considering buying it lol! So, thank you for saving me money :p
This may be asking much, but do you know of a similarly-themed palette? I love soft pastels and the like but oftentimes they’re dusty as all hell. My search continues…
You might try looking to see what bareMinerals Ready palettes are available – they do a lot of softer neutrals!
whoops I did mean neutrals .. anyway thank you for the recommendation! Cheers
I was googling spring releases and kvd is doing a pastel goth palette. It’ll be interesting to see what she can do with pastels. Hardly what we think of from kvd. If that comes out ok, then Kendo should have done a better job with the Sephora watercolor palette. Well, they should have, anyway. I still might get that COTY palette remaindered. There has to be 19$ worth of decent shadow in it. But that did not fare well here on T. I’d love a decent pastel palette as well.
For soft neutrals (also a favorite of mine) I immediately think of Viseart Paris Nude, which has similar colors to this palette but with amazing textures . Also the NARS dual-intensity shadows–some gorgeous muted colors that are nonetheless bright and glowy-looking. Laura Mercier, Chantecaille, Rouge Bunny Rouge, and Cle de Peau also come to mind. If you love Tarina Tarantino shadows, I adore Floriculture (and Christine’s eye look with it, which I’ve worn oodles of times since discovering it); out of 8 pans, only one is dark, and it’s a beautiful plum. The rest remind me very much of what I thought this Smashbox palette would be.
It’s funny because when I first saw the swatches, I thought most of these were highlighters, the pigment was so sheer. Well, skip for me, as these already look half-eaten, and my oily lids will take care of the rest in no time 😉
Even my lids ate these!!
Always get a chuckle out of an epic fail I avoided due to this blog. Thanks, as always. I can usually pick a couple of shades in each..like the big pan bluish in bold, the green and burgundy in smoky, and aglow in this one. Delving deeper into the dupes (excuse the alliteration) it looks as if Tarte metallics poker face is the one. The S SAs say those fit in their well palette, and poker face would be a good addition to my diy en taupe palette. See, there is ALWAYS a good take-away from Temptalia!
Haha! The Tarte Metallics formula is so much better, too!
Smashbox needs to recall this particular palette and reformulate this one from the ground up. Yikes! How abyssmal!
It’s sooo dusty!
I would not have ever thought to see a palette this bad!! So unfortunate to hear how poor performing these are – it looks like a well-made palette too! I like that the colours are far more low-maintenance!
They just disappear!
I wouldn’t have been interested in these colors anyway, but … yikes.
They were SO dusty and sheer!
Ouch, this is bad. I don’t think I have ever seen so many D’s and F’s for one product. So glad that I passed on all of these.
Phew!
That is really a shame – the brand should not have released this if they knew (and they would) it wasn’t as good as the others in the series. It lets the series down, because up until now, the palettes have been quite stellar.
It was sooo bad compared to the others I’ve tried!
Unfortunately I agree with your review. Ordered it early access because I was certain the colors would be great. Boy was I wrong on that one!
I could not get them to stay on 🙁
Eek! Epic fail! 🙁
Indeed!
DAMN! Why did they even release that?!?!?!
I wish I knew!
Oh i’m disappointed in this one! I’m really fair and I like a sheer wash of neutrals on the lid and was really looking forward to this lil palette. Looks like an easy skip. Dang it. I never got my hands on the original Rainforest of the Sea palette so I’m still on the hunt for the perfect pocket sized light neutral palette. I’d love suggestions, fellow readers!
OH SNAP I DID NOT REALIZE THE RAINFOREST PALETTE WAS STILL AVAILABLE.
Have you looked into any of the Buxom or Anastasia singles?
I haven’t but that’s brilliant. I didn’t even think of a custom palette.
Wow what a disaster! You know it’s bad when Temptalia doesn’t even put up a picture of a look from the palette!
Imagine a shimmery beige lid… and that’s about it, LOL!
Considering how “un-unique” (is that a word?) these shades are, it is embarrassing that Smashbox couldn’t do a better job.
Unoriginal perhaps? But I know what you mean – these should be easy to do!!
I completely agree. I somehow managed to collect all seven palettes, and this is the only one that I considered returning. However, because I have quite a few palettes that lack a highlight or brow bone shade, I know I can make use of this.
It is strange, isn’t it? I would say that, overall, their shimmery shades are a little softer than average, but they were not nearly as difficult to work with as this one!
Ouch! Epic fail!
It does indeed look more like a highlighter palette on most of the swatches. You’d have to have very pale lids for these to show up as anything except a pale beige shimmer.
Yes, this one feels like a complementary palette to others vs. standalone!
I was considering buying this during the Ulta 20% off sale also.If these were done right they could have been stunning.A small palette of inner corner,brow bone,and base colors in different soft tones would be great but it would have to be pigmented and have a nice shimmer to some of them.This just sounds so bad.So glad I did not purchase!!
They just fade away SO fast 🙁
Thank you for the honest review! The Smashbox cover shots really appeal to me and I’ve been trying to narrow down which ones I want. It is amazing how some influencers on youtube who got their PR package for free hyped this particular palette up :/
Of course! xoxo
Just to be clear, this was sent to me as well, though! It is disclosed at the top as sample. 🙂
Yes, the difference is you always disclose and are 100% honest and uninfluenced to give great reviews on mediocre products 🙂 I think most people like me don’t have tons of disposable income to spend on makeup and want to make the most of their money. For me it is a once in awhile indulgence. I know something is up when ytubers are saying the same palette you reviews and making it sound better than it is by saving it is an awesomely pigmented for a bridal palette for soft looks are full of it -_- I always use your reviews as the main point of research and branch off from there to see what others say. Thank you so much for saving so many people money with your reviews <3
Thank you! 🙂 Just wanted to make sure you saw the disclosure.
I totally agree – you have to approach all reviews with the idea that for someone, this might be the one product they save up for – maybe all month, maybe all year – and I don’t want people to waste their money!