Swatches + Review: Sonia Kashuk Instructional Eye Palette in Eye On Neutral

Every time I go to Target, I have to see if there are any new items in stock from Sonia Kashuk's cosmetic line.  It is actually my favorite "drugstore" brand. I absolutely LOVE her black handled brushes, so I didn't think twice about purchasing when I saw a display of her matte eyeshadows. The Instructional Eye Palette in Eye On Neutral is not a new product, but I couldn't buy it until about 3 weeks ago because it has always been out of stock whenever I was at Target. You know that it has to be an awesome palette since it's flying off the shelves. Also, currently, there are nothing but positive reviews about this palette and I would have to agree with the other reviewers, for the most part.

Pros:

• not expensive compared to palettes from other brands, such as Mac or Urban Decay
• doesn't crease when used with a primer
• these eyeshadows have not been tested on animals
• good color payoff when layered and when used with a primer
• blends easily
• applies smoothly
• no fallouts during application
• lasts at least 10 hours before it starts fading (when worn on the crease or outer corner & using a primer)

Cons:

• starts to fade in the inner corners after 6 hours (when used all-over the lid as an all-over wash of color)
• wish it had at least 1 shimmery neutral shade
• palette gets really dusty and messy because the eyeshadows are too soft
• highlight shades (first row) barely show up on my NC30/35 skin tone 

The palette comes with step-by-step instructions on how to create 3 different looks, which can be useful for those who are clueless on where to begin. The eyeshadows are numbered 1 to 12 and they don't have individual names, which I don't mind because the quality of these eyeshadows are great for the price. They have good color payoff when layered & when used with a primer, and they apply smoothly & blend easily. I don't have any issues with fallouts during application. They also last at least 10 hours when I wear them on my crease or outer corner.

The issue that I have with this palette is that it gets dusty because the eyeshadows are really soft. Also, the highlight shades may swatch nicely and look pigmented on the back of my arm; however, these shades barely show up when I apply them on my brow bone. Furthermore, the eyeshadows don't wear as well on my lids as they do on my crease or outer corner. They start to fade in the inner corner of my eye after 6 hours when I use it all-over the lid as an all-over wash of color, even with a primer. (Please keep in mind that I have oily lids. Also, the fading doesn't bother me because I rarely wear matte eyeshadows on my lids anyways. I just tested it for review purposes only.)

I also wish that the palette came with one shimmery neutral shade so that it could be truly travel friendly and so that I wouldn't need to bring any other eyeshadows with me on trips. (I usually liike to wear a shimmery champagne shade on my lids and matte shades on my crease & outer corner because it creates a balanced eye look. If I use only matte shades for an entire eye look, the result ends up looking too "flat.")

The Sonia Kashuk & MAC eyeshadows may look equally pigmented when swatched on the back of my arm; however, when worn on my eyes, the Sonia Kashuk eyeshadows were clearly not as pigmented as the MAC ones.

I also did a comparison test between Sonia Kashuk's eyeshadows and MAC's matte eyeshadows. On my left eye, I wore Number 1 on my brow bone, 4 on my lids, 9 on my crease and 12 on my outer corner. On my right eye, I wore MAC's Blanc Type on my brow bone, Soft Brown on my lids, Espresso on my crease and Carbon on my outer corner. When compared side by side, MAC's matte eyeshadows were hands-down much more pigmented, while Sonia Kashuk's Eye On Neutral eyeshadows needed more layering. However, I still could not build up Number 1 to be as pigmented as Blanc Type.

The Sonia Kashuk & MAC eyeshadows may look equally pigmented when swatched on the back of my arm; however, when worn on my eyes, the Sonia Kashuk eyeshadows were clearly not as pigmented as the MAC ones.

Bottom Line: Although these eyeshadows are not as pigmented as MAC's matte eyeshadows (and I don't expect them to be), it's still worth it to check out Sonia Kashuk's Eye On Neutral palette, especially if you're on a tight beauty budget because the quality of these eyeshadows is great for the price. 

Note: The Sonia Kashuk Instructional Eye Palette (0.34oz/9.6g) costs $19.99 and is only available at Target. 

I've also been on the hunt for the Eye On Fall Color palette, 

but it's never in stock at Target or their online store. =( 

Were any of you beauties lucky enough to find it?

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