This is an awkward post to create; primarily because I’m doing it for one very specific reason: I’ve never heard anyone ever say anything bad about Morphe‘s products. I feel like since I’ve had such a completely different experience to everyone else that I needed to get my viewpoint out there and share it.
So to get right to the point… I do not feel that Morphe makes quality eyeshadows. I know everyone is bonkers for the Jaclyn Hill palette, but I can only speak to my own experience using the 35B.
I picked up the 35B Morphe palette at IMATS in 2014. It was $20 CAD, how could I resist? Vibrant, beautiful colours that range from shimmery to matte. I was especially drawn to the bright matte shades because those are the kinds of colours I like to play with the most.
Unfortunately, the quality just isn’t there. Mattes, by their general nature, can be quite difficult to work with. Tough to blend, sometimes hard as a rock, etc. But never in my life have I encountered an eyeshadow that applied as if was made using blackboard chalk.
I first ran into issues when I decided to create a look for Zoe when she was going on vacation and needed some guest posters. She had suggested I do something vibrant, and I knew just want to use, my new Morphe palette! I pulled it out and got to work. I applied my usual Urban Decay eyeshadow primer and then started applying the colours. I immediately ran into issues. The colour would just not adhere to my lid despite the primer. I tried to pack it on to get more impact, but whenever I’d try to blend the edges, the shadow would just literally fall off my lid. I’ve never seen anything like it. There was just no adhesion to my lid whatsoever.
I tried a few different shades, to see if any of them would stick, but had no luck. Irritated, I wiped everything off my face and started again. (A smarter person would’ve chosen a different palette, but I’m too damn stubborn.)
This time I used two primers and NYX‘s Jumbo Eyeshadow pencil in Milk to get a sticky base going. From there, I was able to pack on the colour enough to an intensity that was suitable, but blending became the perfect nightmare. I mean, how exactly do you blend chalk? Or a product that treats your eyelid as though it’s made out of teflon?
I know what you’re thinking (or maybe not)… you’ll likely think this looks quite blended and perhaps quite pretty. And I’ll admit, it does. But if you look closely, you can see the patchiness. Nothing is so much blended as it is layered. There are jagged edges that reflect where each colour starts and ends. Hell, there’s even a bald spot in the middle of the bright blue.
And maybe that’s good enough for some people. But I think it’s unbelievable that I had to use three bases to get this. There are brands out there that can do vibrant mattes far better than this and they DON’T require that you spend twenty to thirty minutes on each eye lid. (I’m looking at you Sleek – you and your brights – you’re awesome!)
Even though the price point ($20) of these palettes makes them a very cheap buy, this isn’t the sort of eyeshadows that a beginner should be using. Even if you have a ton of experience, you probably don’t want the hassle of these either. There’s nothing fun about using products that don’t want to be there in the first place.
Well, I had another guest post coming up (this time for Jodi) and I was like “okay, let’s give this another go. There has to be something worthwhile in this palette!” So I tried completely different shades, anxious to make this work.
Once again I had to pack on the bases to get the shadows to stick. While blending the shades together, more and more of the colours kept lifting off my lid. If you look at the shot above, this is a far better example of the pain I had with blending. This isn’t even blended – this is mashed together in an attempt to make it look like I was able to blend anything.
I want to love this palette so much. The colours are gorgeous in the pan, but they are just not worth the effort. It’s an arduous task to blend out the shades and that’s only if you can even get them to stick to your lids in the first place. I don’t consider myself a total rookie when it comes to makeup, I mean, I was able to get something decent out of these colours after all, but I can’t really recommend this particular palette to anyone. It’s not even helpful if you want to dabble in colour because you’d probably get so irritated with the application you’d be totally turned off of vibrant shades.
If you’ve tried out this palette, or others from Morphe, let me know what your thoughts are. Maybe the shimmers are better?
I’m so glad that I found your blog! Your comment about how this isn’t a good palette for beginners helps a lot. I have noticed beauty bloggers rave about Morphe palettes, which is what first drew me to them. However, I couldn’t find any negative views expressed about them. Personally, I like to take in both the good and the bad when purchasing products, so I appreciate your honest review.
I know… I’ve also rarely ever come across negative reviews for Morphe and it’s really strange. I was so disappointed with this palette and I just couldn’t understand why other people love them so much!
I know this post is old, but I just came across it. I didn’t know Morphe was so big across the beauty blogging world. Although I have some old blogs that I love. Like Temptalia, but never with the whole YouTube thing. I’ve been using Morphe for years bc I live in LA. Never even heard of jaclyn hill till she did that palette. Then I never looked into her till just a few weeks ago. I’m not impressed. I have some decent Morphe palettes and some not decent ones.
I’m curious how people who aren’t into beauty blogging came across Morphe to be honest. Do you know how you encountered the company? Was it just because of their LA store?
It’s wild how the quality of their palettes can be so wildly different. I don’t mind Jaclyn’s palettes, but I had a horrible time with this 35B.
I love the honesty, I think Morphe has a looot of money in Youtube and other gurus. I ordered a palette in my ignorance but because MannyMUA loves them, and when I tried to find other reviews on Youtube, they were all positive. Can I ask a question though? Have you tried them with a moist brush? I find that even Urban Decay’s shadows are really chalky and nonpigmented unless I use them moist.
I feel like I’m one of very few people that have spoken poorly of Morphe, which is a bit odd since I can’t understand how people are getting their eyeshadows to work at all. I know some of my friends have bought different palettes by Morphe and didn’t experience anywhere near the same problems I had, but I still stand by my review – this palette was total shit!
Am glad to read this before paying money on something i would throw away specially that i did try also sleek matte the dark shades one and it was total shit to me … and many times i felt like those morphe palettes are pain in the ass and i was so afraid to pay any cent after trying sleek matte shades. Thank you…
Oh that’s weird – I did like the Sleek Matte Dark palette! I use it pretty frequently actually. That’s too bad it didn’t work out for you!
I know some people love the Morphe palettes, I’m just not one of them!
Yes it doesn’t work nice with ne i don'( know why! And am just sad because the shades on cod work as final touch or even basics or main! But i don’t know the material of mine was so powdery, and putting on like throwing something that never blends nice ! Thank you! I really loved your comments and felt interesting reading your blog and loved that you answered me ! Kisses
Thank You so much about this post! I’vr heard so much good things about their eyeshadows and only a few not satisfying comments! I’m not sure how quality shadows can be so cheap and now i got the answer! P.s. Sorry for my bad english! 🙂
I’m so glad you found it helpful! I don’t understand why people go crazy for Morphe eyeshadows… these were atrocious! (Also, your English was not bad at all!)
The one you bought was probably a fake because morphe eyeshadow palettes don’t come with mirrors
I bought it at IMATS Toronto at their own booth so it was definitely not a fake product unless Morphe themselves were selling fake products.
Morphe paelletes use to come with mirrrors. Then they stopped.
Funny story: I had some guy message me on Facebook to say my post was fake and featured a fake product (because of the mirror on the Morphe palette) because his sister was a Morphe aficionado and she knew better than me. It was absolutely hysterical. lol
Why would I listen to someone who doesnmt know how to blend or properly do eyeshadow?? lol, I love this palette. Your makeup looks are horrific.
I really have to wonder why you came looking for a review of the palette if you already love it. I’m not a fan of it because I felt it blended horribly, hence the bad looks. /shrugs
I recently purchased it on the official morphe website. However when I received the product it smells so chemically. The pigment was also crap.
I really think it’s frigging garbage. It doesn’t blend well, the colours are like chalk… ugh the whole thing is just BAD.
Omg I agree with your review 100 % I bought this based on exactly all the positive reviews on ytube and I really didn’t find any negative remarks about it. I have been trying to work looks with this palette now for the 5th time, and the colors still refuse to blend properly – like chalk, the bad kind! With a tacky base/wet brush it helps a bit, but in a few instances the shadows have still started to break apart, making it worse.. In addition, just after a few hours, the eyeshadow is creasing..I used Milani eyeshadow primer, and it works really well with my other palettes (ABH, Jeffree Star, Makeup Revolution etc.) Relieved I bought this on sale, not happy about the quality at all..wish I would’ve read your post earlier.
It’s seriously garbage. And I have no idea how Morphe took off as a brand based on some of their early products. They’re definitely better now, but some of the original ones are SUCH garbage.
Really odd because I’ve had really good outcomes with this palette so I’m curious on how that’s been like that for you…
Same. Exact. Issues!!!!! And I was SO excited about the Lisa Frank (recycled 35b) palette. I am now going to look for comparable shades in incomparable quality!!!!