Smashbox Double Exposure Palette Review

If like me, you have what can only be described as an unhealthy obsession with eye shadow palettes, it’s time to get excited. The Double Exposure Palette* from Smashbox has just hit the shelves and let me tell you now, you’re going to need it. 

The follow up from their Full Exposure palette, Double Exposure takes fourteen wearable shades and bundles them all into one, must-have item. 

As the name hints, this palette is a little bit special – all of the shadows transform into something different when applied with a damp brush. Now, we’re not quite talking a chameleon colour change here, but the shadows will either deepen in intensity, become more vibrant, turn metallic or create sparkle. Each one does something slightly different, so although there’s only 14 shadows in the pot, you’re effectively getting 28 to play with. 

The shadows themselves are soft, easy to blend and have a decent amount of pigmentation when used dry. My grumble with the Full Exposure palette was that a lot of the shades were a bit wishy-washy in terms of pigment, but this is something that has definitely been corrected for this palette. There’s a good mix of shimmers and mattes included, and it’s good to see a mix of shades that don’t just fall into the classic ‘nude’ territory (although to be honest, I love me a brown eye shadow, so that wouldn’t be a problem for me!). 

I’ve swatched up all of the shadows dry so you can get a good idea of their natural state, but I’ve tested a few with a wet brush and can confirm that they really do transform. I used the light pinky-beige shade when wet and instead of getting a soft wash of colour, got something much stronger that could easily have been used as a solo shade. 

A lot of wet/dry shadows can end up losing their texture and getting those horrible hard patches on the surface where the water has been, but Smashbox have created a formula that dries back to its original powder state, leaving it unaffected by the water no matter how many times you use it.

There’s a double ended brush included which is decent quality, although not my favourite shape for application; plus a mini Full Exposure mascara for a full eye look. 

At £37 it’s definitely an investment buy, but one that I’d really recommend. Don’t be put off if you weren’t a fan of the Full Exposure palette – give this one a swatch next time you're near a Smashbox counter and you’ll definitely see the difference! 

You can find the Double Exposure palette online from Smashbox and Boots and in larger Boots stores with Smashbox counters. 

Do you like the look of the new palette? 

*PR sample