every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness.

It is hard to believe but my husband and I got married two months ago. Time has definitely flown by. There has been so much going on lately. Between trying to unpack and set up the apartment, get into a normal routine, balance work, and write all of those thank you cards...life has been a little bit hectic lately. I am only now just starting to get settled and check things off of my to-do list. One of the things I have been enjoying the most? Using some of the makeup that has made its way into my life recently. Like the two palettes pictured above.

Both came courtesy of a friend. They were actually part of her wedding gift! Amazing or what? Honestly, I was so excited to open them up. It was such a lovely surprise. I was very touched by her sweet gesture. Which is why I am super excited to review both palettes on my blog. Today I am going to start with that massive Pro Palette. (Expect a full review of the Stilla palette in the weeks to come!) It immediately took my breath away. There were a ton of eyeshadows and blush shades to look at, play with, and use. An overwhelming amount! Here is a peek at the inside of the palette....just so you get a better idea of what I mean by a ton. 

Talk about makeup overload! There are 72 eyeshadows and six blush shades. Even looking at the palette now, I get this rush of excitement. The possibilities are absolutely endless. There are so many makeup looks to create. It is just a matter of time before I get through them all. Over the last several weeks I have been trying to use as many as possible. I really wanted to get a feel for this palette. How it performs, the pigmentation, texture, and quality. So....without further ado, here is my review!

Let's start with the eyeshadow shades. Sixty of them are small and round while the other twelve are long and rectangular in shape. Personally, I love the way this was laid out. More neutral, every day shades came in that rectangular shape. Like white, black, and brown colours. This was such a smart detail. It makes them so much easier to use and access. Plus it gives you more product for those must have shades. What I love about the rounded eyeshadow shades? The colour selection. It ranged from yellows and greens to smokey shades, gold tones, purples, blues, neutrals, and more. There really was a bit of everything! The versatility alone is spectacular. I can create bold colourful looks, classic looks, or super smokey and dramatic looks. There is more than enough variety. 

Now for quality. Let me sum it up in one word: impressed. Sometimes large palettes like this end up with so-so textures and pigmentation. Not this! Every single eyeshadow I have used, swatched, and incorporated into my makeup looks has been soft, smooth, and extremely pigmented. They look exactly like they do in the pan. Which as any makeup lover knows is not always the case. I was extremely impressed and happy with the quality of these shades. Most of them have a shimmery finish but there are a few matte shades thrown in there as well. That adds to the overall versatility of this palette.

Moving on to the six blush shades! Three are shimmery and three are matte. Each one is very unique. I own a lot of blush so I always appreciate shades that are a little bit different. This set has a soft shimmery pink, a shimmery coral, shimmery gold, matte mauve, matte strawberry, and matte bronze. Each one is easy to apply, blends well, and looks gorgeous on the cheeks. My favourites? That shimmery gold and matte mauve. They are absolutely stunning! 

Ready to see the makeup look I created with this palette? Here goes....

Love? That doesn't begin to describe the way I feel about this palette. Versatile, pigmented, and easy to use. I could not be happier. Every time I reach for this set, I smile. Partly because the makeup is so beautiful....and partly because of the person who gave it to me. This is one of my all-time favourites.

What do you think of this palette? Do you have a large eyeshadow palette in your collection?

xo Shannon