Review: Manly 120 Eyeshadow Palette

I've torn myself away from the books (ok, and my garden chair bathed in sunshine) to review this beautiful new gem of a palette for you, which includes so many bright and juicy colors it'll make your head spin! It did mine anyway, and I was happy to play and come up with some vibrant looks, like the chartreuse and brown Elie Saab inspired make-up.


Although the packaging states 'eyeshadow and blush', I wouldn't use the palette for blusher due to the size of the pans, unless you have very small cheeks (and blush brushes). It's one of those double-stacked palettes, which comes with two inserts, 60 shades each, housed in a solid black plastic case. I like this solution, because it saves a lot of space without compromising the size of the eyeshadows, which is approximately 1cmx1cm.

Bottom insert

Top insert

But what about the pigmentation, I hear you ask? Well... it's good and it's bad. Some shades, especially the darker ones with a pearl finish, perform amazingly well with a strong and smooth shade application. Others, like the light colors with a matte finish, need a couple layers to build up the instensity, and seem a lot more powdery and dry than the frosts and pearls. It is not very surprising to me, given that most of my matte shades perform worse than the shimmery ones, which I'm sure has something to do with the ingredients.

Dry swatches of shades across the palette, no primer, including matte, satin, glitter and pearl/frost finishes.

The palette retails for $23.46, which is comparable to other similar palettes on the market. Compared to my Coastal Scents Eyeshadow and Blush palette, I feel it is just as good in terms of quality, but lacks a wider selection of neutral shades. This makes it perfect for the more adventurous looks I like to create for the blog, but not that useful for everyday wear. If you're a fan of brights, I feel this is worth investing in, otherwise I would probably look for something else.

What is your favorite palette for the more colorful looks?

Disclaimer: The eyeshadow palette was provided to me for review consideration by kkcenterhk.com. I am not compensated to feature them on my blog nor am I affiliated with the brand. All opinions are my own and 100% honest, as always!