Review: Jaclyn Hill Palette by Morphe

Who else saw Jaclyn Hill's Morphe palette announcement video and just thought "ugh, take my money now!" Well, apparently, everyone because it sold out in 50 minutes. I was one of the few people who were fortunate enough to be able to get their hands on one of these palettes. However, Morphe has announced that they are going to restock it, so, if you didn't get it, and you want it, you'll have at least one more chance to get your hands on it. And, if you're not sure if you want it or not, I'm going to review it for you today, so hopefully you'll be able to make a more informed decision.

Look, I'm not one of those people who buys collab products just because they're collabs. When I saw the title of Jaclyn's video, I thought "oh, that's cool, she's coming out with another Morphe palette," then I started to watch the video, and I got progressively more excited, until, at the end, I was like "okay, I have to have that." So, did it live up to the hype? Stay tuned to find out.

First of all, let's talk about the packaging. Is the packaging very pretty? Yes. Is it going to get dirty in three and a half seconds? Yes. I've been keeping it in the plastic sleeve it came in to keep it clean, but I know that that will only last so long. As you can see, this palette's packaging is very different from the normal Morphe packaging. Ordinarily, Morphe palettes have hard plastic black packaging, but Jaclyn said that Morphe really wanted her palette to reflect her personality and sense of style. Thus, the palette is white and silver. It's also cardboard with magnetic closure, which I prefer to their normal, hard plastic packaging. On the inside of the lid, it says "This palette is dedicated to all my loving subscribers," which I think is really sweet and cute. It doesn't have a mirror, but that doesn't really matter to me. The only thing I really dislike about this packaging is that the names aren't printed on the actual palette, which always annoys me. The palette comes with a little card, which tells you the names of the shadows, but we all know I'm going to loose that in like a week.

But, of course, the packaging isn't the important thing. You're not buying this palette for the packaging; you're buying it for the product. Now, before I go on, I want to acknowledge some of the controversy around this palette. I know that a lot of people are criticizing this palette because it's more expensive than other Morphe palettes and because the swatches in Jaclyn's video don't seem to look the same as the swatches in real life. Lot's of people are also saying that the formula is the same as that of the other Morphe palettes, thus the there's only hype around this palette because it has Jaclyn's name on it.

To which I say: "of course Jaclyn's name is the reason there's hype around this palette!!!" Come on guys, she's Jaclyn Hill; she's famous! Of course people are going to be interested in her collabs! There's hype around this palette because people like Jaclyn and they're curious to see what she created. In my opinion, that's fine. I also don't understand why people are upset at Morphe for hyping up their palette; every brand hypes up their own products. If Morphe doesn't advertise their products, who will?

The thing to understand is that this is a Morphe palette. I have Morphe palettes and Morphe brushes, and I use them and enjoy them. However, it's unrealistic to expect a Morphe palette to preform the same as an Anastasia palette or a Lorac palette. It's just not possible. As I said, I like Morphe palettes and I think they're a good value for the money. You have to understand that you get what you pay for with makeup, and you're going to have to work harder when using a Morphe shadow than you will when using an Anastasia shadow. That's just the way the world works.

The cost is the other thing that seems to bother people a lot. Normally, a Morphe palette is about $23, and this palette is $38. Now, that is a significant difference, and I wish they could have released this palette at their normal price point. That being said, I understand why it's more expensive. The packaging is custom, the shadows are custom, and, according to Jaclyn, the shadows had to be pressed in special machines. Thus, it makes sense that it's more expensive. Also, for what it's worth, this is one of Jaclyn's cheaper collabs.

Now, let's talk about the actual shadows.

First of all, I think this palette has a nice range of shades. Essentially, this is a warm neutral palette with some pops of color, which makes sense for Jaclyn Hill because she wears a lot of warm, smoky looks. This palette is very versatile in that you can create bold, colorful looks or simple, "every day" looks. I would consider this to be a complete palette; you can create almost any sort of look you want without having to use another palette. There's also a good mix of matte and shimmer shades in this palette, which I appreciate. The only thing it's really missing is a matte white shade, and I feel like I can easily work around that or use one from another palette.

Now, let's talk about the formula. I know Jaclyn talked a lot about how each shadow is pressed in a different way for maximum pigmentation and creaminess, and I definitely believe that these shadows are different from ordinary Morphe shadows.

The difference is really noticeable in the shimmer shades. The shimmer shadows have an interesting texture; they almost feel wet, if that makes sense. Honestly, the shimmer is really intense and they swatch really nicely. However, they aren't as beautiful on the eyes as they are when you swatch them. Don't get me wrong, they still look really nice on the eyes, they're just not quite as beautiful as the swatches, which is true of a lot of shadows. Also, I will say that the shimmer shades apply much better with fingers than they do with brushes. These shadows are going to look like NOTHING on your lids if you apply them with brushes, but they're pretty poppin' if you use your fingers.

The matte shadows in this palette are almost identical to the normal Morphe mattes. These may be a little more creamy and a little more blendable, but, honestly, it really depends on the particular shadow. However, I like Morphe mattes in general, so I have no complaints. Are these the best mattes I've ever used? No, but they're pretty good, especially for the price. They're all pretty pigmented, pretty blendable, and pretty creamy. You can always make them work, you know what I mean? They're definitely among the best matte shadows at this price point. Like I said, I can't complain.

Long story short: is this my favorite palette? No. Is it worth the money? Yes. Do I recommend it? Yes. I think this palette would be especially great for someone who doesn't have a lot of eyeshadows and is trying to build their collection.

Final rating: 7/10