Swatch | Sephora | IT Palette in Smoky

SEPHORA IT PALETTE - SMOKY

Some of you may know that I was one of the lucky five to receive this palette during the opening of Sephora's Tampines 1 outlet. This set wasn't set aside specifically for me, it just so happened that the Vanity Case we picked up included it.
More on that here.

I have previously encountered this palette on my many trips to Sephora but have never had the desire to purchase it.

Why?
1) It didn't swatch great in store.
2) For something that didn't swatch great, it had a hefty S$49 price tag.

This palette includes;

- 12 x 0.033 oz Eyeshadow

- 01 x 0.039 oz Eyeliner Pencil in Black

- 01 x double ended brush: Eyeliner Brush + All-over Shadow Brush

It also came with a (unhelpful) insert, shown above.

Moving on to the product close-ups and swatches; 

Note: All shadows are layered twice in order for it to turn up on camera, which says something :/

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1 & 2: Almost identical but 1 was much patchier. Barely any pigment
3: Glided on relatively smoothly but needed two swipes to build up the intensity.

4: Excess needs to be shaken off else you will get the powder bits as seen on the top edge of the swatch above. Worth noting that this colour is extremely similar to Mac's Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Black Line

5 & 6: Glided on relatively smooth with good pigment.

7: Extremely powdery with larger chunks, more so than 4. It was also chalky.
8: Appears barney purple in the pan but actually a black base with purple glitter when swatched.

9: Difficult to build up.

10: Extremely chalky but the insert did label it as an eyeliner, though it did not feel like one.

11: Barely anything showed up. A chalky black base with sparse blue glitter. 

12: Barely anything showed up, though slightly better than 11. Black base with sparse silver glitter.

The black was not an intense black, more to a blackish gray.

Liner also smudges easily. Only had to run my finger over lightly for it to smudge.

The saving grace of this kit? The double ended brush!

The All-Over Shadow Brush was soft and non-scratchy. Not too dense and not too sparse.

The Eyeliner Brush was soft yet sturdy. I'd imagine it's be good for gel liners.

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Overall, I'd say only 5 out of 12 shadows (3, 4, 5, 6, 9) are worth your time. The liner for me was also a miss because not only is it not intense, it's smudges at the slightest friction! The brushes felt really well made but those alone aren't enough to justify the S$49 price tag.

ALTERNATIVES

Sleek Palette - Vintage Romace
Source

If you're out for something similar, check out the Sleek palettes. One of their palettes, Vintage Romance, contains shades that are Matte, Metallic and Satin finishes. Those are S$22 or even S$15 if you can catch them on sale. Not the best in the market but better than the IT Palette, in my opinion. Sleek palettes also comes with a sponge applicator. The money saved can be used to buy a good eye liner. You'd probably have money leftover as well. 

Urban Decay - Shadow Box
Source

Otherwise, another metallic paletter to consider would be Urban Decay's Shadow Box. Retailing at S$52, it is only S$3 more expensive than the IT Palette. Though it contains less product per eyeshadow at 0.01 oz, the quality makes up for it. Plus when was the last time you used up an eyeshadow?

Hope my brief opinions were helpful!

♥ Sheena V

Sephora IT Palette - Smoky, available here. 
Use code ZBAPC2h to get 15% off your first purchase. 
Sleek Palettes available here.
Create an account and use LUCKY30 to get 30% off your first purchase.