I’ve been anticipating this Studio Gear Holiday Palette ever since I heard they were coming out with 4 smokey, sexy shades. I finally got my hands on it a few days ago and have been playing with it since. The palette retails for $25 on the Studio Gear website and you get 4 eyeshadows and 1 blush. One of the shadows was designated as an eyeshadow/highlighter combo.
Studio Gear Holiday Palette Review 
There is “Frost” which is a uber-shimmery white, “Platinum” is a creamy silver metallic, “Coal” is a deep black with silver sparkles, and “Glimmer” is a gold, sheer highlight. The middle cheek color is called “Snowy Glow” and is beautiful coral with gold sheen – my favorite of the bunch.
I swatched and compared the Studio Gear Holiday Palette shadows to the MAC shades that (I thought) closely resembled or was a dead match. I matched the Studio Gear cheek color to E.L.F.
- MAC’s White Frost is an absolute dupe for Studio Gear’s Frost shadow. I seem to have misplaced mine at the moment so I couldn’t photograph it.
- MAC’s Black Tied is an absolute dupe in the pan. However, when swatched the Studio Gear beat out MAC in quality and pigmentation.
- MAC’s Electra is a very, very close dupe to Studio Gear’s Platinum. MAC has just an (ever so) slight warmth to it. The quality and pigmentation are the same. Very good quality, very creamy. How many times am I going to say “very”? Ugh!
- MAC’s Patina is the closest shade I had to Studio Gear’s Glimmer. Patina is a bit warmer and more gold. It is also more pigmented, which is understandable considering Studio Gear was going for a dual purpose shade and consistency.
- E.L.F. cheek color in Twinkle Pink is a close match to Studio Gear’s Snowy Glow. Studio Gear has less glitter than Twinkle Pink, but better pigmentation, and better consistency. I would say that this color, in all categories, beats out NARS Orgasm by a long shot.
Top shadows from left to right: MAC Electra, Black Tied, Patina, ELF Twinkle Pink, NARS Orgasm
Bottom shadows from left to right: Studio Gear Platinum, Coal, Glimmer, Snowy Glow
Studio Gear Holiday Palette Review
The packaging is very slim and made of solid cardboard material on the outside. It closes with an invisible magnetic closure. It’s approximately 4 inches long, which is about 2/3 the size of a MAC Pro Palette. Great for on-the-go women, fits nicely in a handbag or clutch, and a perfect size for travel. ***HOWEVER…***
On the inside, the material is a very cheap paper with the Studio Gear pattern. If you look closely you can see the folds of paper on the sides and back. I will admit that I was discouraged by the packaging!
I think they could have done a much better job and should have put more thought into it. If I were to give this as a gift to someone without knowing the craftsmanship, I would be embarrassed when they opened it. I’m sorry but for a holiday gift, half of the excitement is the packaging! Here’s what I’m seeing:
Studio Gear Holiday Palette Review
You can easily see the glue and folds. Not pretty!
Overall, I think the Studio Gear Holiday Palette was lacking. For $25 there should have been at least 1 matte eyeshadow to accompany the shimmery shadows. Without any matte shades it could go very disco, really fast. In fact, my first look that I created (following the palette insert instructions) I was right outta the 70′s. I played with the colors again tonight and blended in some matte shades of my own (MAC Carbon and MAC Cork) and created the most glorious smokey eye (false lashes would have made it more appealing) using this palette! It had so much potential. I’m sad!
Studio Gear Holiday Palette Review
The only light at the end of the tunnel is the cheek color, Snowy Glow. It is fantastic! NARS blush is super expensive and this color knocked it on it’s ass! I love it. Do I think the blush is worth $25? That’s for you to decide. You get to invite 4 other really decent shadows to the party so I would say go for it. Just keep this gift for yourself.
If you are interested, there is a 10% off coupon code: SGHOLIDAY Click here to visit the Studio Gear Holiday Palette website.
Thanks so much for visiting! Please check out my review of Mineral Hygienics makeup or my review of these really terrible hair extensions. If you have any questions regarding my Studio Gear Holiday Palette Review, please feel free to contact me below.
