'Barry M - Sandstorm Eyeshadow Palette' - Review

Hello Readers,

I hope everyone is enjoying their Bank Holiday weekend with the lovely weather. Today I wanted to do a summer vibe blog post. So I have decided to blog about the 'Barry M - Sandstorm' eyeshadow palette. So let's get into the review.

[Image 1 : Barry M
Sandstorm Palette]

In the 'Sandstorm' palette you get 18 matte and metallic eyeshadows. I feel like the ratio between mattes and shimmers are great. You get 8 shimmers and 10 mattes. Pretty much the same as the other theme palettes that Barry M have released. It is a vegan palette. The only thing I am not sure about is if it is cruelty free. It doesn't say on the palette nor on the Barry M website. The palette also retails at a price of £12.99.

[Image 2 : Barry M 
Sandstorm Palette]

Moving onto the shade range. As you can tell with the palettes name 'Sandstorm' you can already see that you will be getting a warm tone palette. This palette contains a lot of browns, oranges, deep purples and golds. You do get a pop of color such as that stand out shade the silver shimmer, but majority of the palette is very warm tone. On a personal opinion, for me, this palette is too warm tone, I don't really like using oranges (on myself). But the golds, browns and purples are perfect for smokey eyes. I do really like the transition shades such as the pinkish matte and light off-white matte. 

The formula on this palette is a lot better than the previous ones. The shades are very soft and buttery. They blend very nicely, and are very easy to work with. The shimmers are slightly more improved than the previous palettes. I do find with the shimmers that there is quite a bit of kick back in the pans, and that there is quite a bit of fall out. I don't mind fall out, as for me it's not much of a problem. I have found that if I use a lose powder under my eyes first, that does help catch any fall out, so it doesn't blend into my foundation. You can always use shadow shields, these are normally pretty cheap and easy to pick up.

[Image 3 : Barry M 
Sandstorm Palette]

On the Barry M website, it does say that these can be applied both dry and wet. I have not tried working with the mattes wet, as I feel they don't really need it. They work amazing on their own. The shimmers on the other hand do work better with a wet brush. For this I just use a fixing spray or primer spray. This also in my case helped reduce some fall out. I have found for an even better pay off with the shimmers, I just use my fingers to apply them and a brush to blend them. 

With the packaging, I like that there is a clear lid so you can see the shades that you get. I am noticing that a lot more drug store brands are starting to do this now. Personally, I do like it when eyeshadow palettes have mirrors in them. But that is personal preference. The plastic case in which it comes in, is very strong. It also feels super lightweight, which makes it perfect for traveling with, or even just carrying in your bag. 

[Image 4 : Barry M 
Sandstorm Palette]

Some of my stand out shades in the palette are; obliviously the shimmer gold. It swatches great, looks beautiful on the lid, I have also used this in the inner corner as well which made the look really pop (I used this with a very dramatic smokey eye). I love the mauve shimmer, this also looks stunning on the lid with a purple-mauve smokey eye. I also love the pink matte. This is more of a baby pink, but it works really well as a transition, or sometimes when I want just a light color, I apply this on my lid. 

[Image 5 : Barry M 
Sandstorm Palette]

I do have a few negative points with this palette. First, the cost. At £12.99, you can find another drug store palette for less of the price. Doing this may not have the exact same colors, but I'm pretty sure you can find an alternative palette which is slightly cheaper. Second and final point, the color range could have been expanded a bit more. When using this palette, I did feel like some of the shades were slightly the same. Almost like some of the shades had 2 of each. I think the concept on 'Sandstorm' was there, but I just feel they should have added a few yellows and maybe a matte goldish color. 

Would I recommend this palette? If you like warm tones then yes. I can not fault the mattes in the palette. They work so well, the pigmentation is great, they are easy to blend, and work well on the brush. Even if you just get this palette for the mattes, you will not be disappointed.   

S.H.E. Beauty