Large eyeshadow palettes can be very appealing, especially if they include pigments for the face - which is why the UCanBe Mirror palette caught my eye.
It appeared to cover all the bases and some more.
I had visions of creating endless new looks. With make-up brushes and sponges included, this promised to be my cue to get really creative.
Here's a weird thing about this palette - it's called Mirror, but there isn't one in the kit. It is not jam-packed with all-shimmers, either. So, why it's called Mirror is a complete mystery. Maybe, it is the inclusion of glitters or the embossed silver branding on the packaging. Or it could be the reflective panels either side of the main pigment selection. I am not sure.
About the Palette
Price: £26.99
Measurements (closed) Height: 23.5cm. Width: 22cm
Measurements (open): Height 23.5cm. Width: 45cm
Eyeshadows: 108
Blushers/bronzers: 4
Highlighters: 2
Eyebrow products: 0
Lip colours: 0
Eyeshadow primer: Yes
Make-up brushes: 15
Make-up sponges: 2
My initial reaction when the palette arrived was one of abject disappointment. So much so, I left some feedback pointing this out. It is a lot smaller than I expected. A bit bigger than A5 in height, it opens out to reveal three panels of make-up.
There is definitely plenty of choice, but the pan sizes are very small.
Even the rectangular pans are pretty insignificant. You would struggle to swirl a bigger brush in one without picking up pigments from other pans at the same time.
The brushes included with this palette aren't bad quality - a definite bonus.
The palette is front opening (in the middle) with a magnetic close.
Mirror Palette Eyeshadows
The quality of the pressed pigments in this palette is good. In fact, excellent. The fallout is minimal, and you benefit from UCanBe's trademark buttery formula.
You can read more about the brand's pressed pigments in our review of its sell-out gold beauty case in REGIME Magazine.
Because of their size, I have never tried the face pigments in the Mirror palette.
With such a vast array of eyeshadows, you can create tons of looks.
The palette contains six colour themes - nudes, including greys, tropical heat shades, greens and blues. It offers day to night variations as well as seasonal switches.
With plenty of mattes (always important), it also has some striking shimmers and a good selection of glitters.
What I like about it: The palette is original. It's not attempting to be a dupe of something else. It's delivered in unique packaging and does offer plenty of shade choices. Due to its size and slim cardboard packaging, this palette is ideal for travel. It's not going to fit in a clutch bag, but it will easily fit into almost any other size bag.
What I don't like about it: The price and small pan sizes.
UCanBe Mirror Palette Takeaways
UCanBe delivers good quality make-up but has struggled to get the right price point. While it did relent with its filled gold make-up case (originally priced at £50-plus, later reduced to £19.99), this Mirror palette has rarely swayed from £26.99. The lowest offer price I can recall is around the £22 mark.
It does deliver on quality, but I think the current cost is a bit steep - especially if you don't necessarily need the brushes and sponges. Having said that, eyeshadow devotees will pay it - because, as previously mentioned, the shadow formula is good and is easy to work with. It blends well and lasts. So, if you are a fan of creative makeup, it's pretty much the real deal.
I would like to see this palette made available on its own, away from the current bundle - to bring the price to below £20.
Overall, it's good to see a brand coming up with its own, original palette design. If you are a collector or creative MUA, this one is worth taking a closer look at.
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