I *really* tried not to buy the Uh-Huh Honey palette on an impulse. I held off for two whole days after it launched……needless to say, my will power is not where it should be.
But ColourPop is one of those brands that are so affordable that it kind of encourages you to try products that are more “wants” than “needs”.
The yellow eyeshadow obsession began when I got the ColourPop Yes Please palette. After that, I was powerless against anything bright and sunshiny. Almost two years later ColourPop released this entirely yellow palette. One big difference between Uh-Huh Honey and Yes Please is the packaging. Yes Please came in carboard packaging, while Uh-Huh Honey comes in plastic packaging with a mirror. The pans in Uh-Huh Honey are held in with magnets, but with a tap, they will fall out (two did for me as I was typing out this review). Because they use magnets it makes the pans wiggle when you are dipping your brush or finger in the shadows. In a time where makeup enthusiasts are more conscious of the waste that goes into the packaging of products than ever before, I don’t see why ColourPop made the switch to plastic packaging. So, I sincerely hope they go back to cardboard packaging as it is more environmentally friendly.
Before I get into reviewing this palette, it should be noted that this is not marketed as an eyeshadow palette. Nowhere on the palette do you see the word “eye”, which I imagine is a way for brands to protect themselves in case someone has some sort of bad reaction to the product that impacts their vision. It is being marketed as a “pressed powder palette”, but I think it’s fair to say that 100% of customers will be buying this palette with the intention of using it on their eyes (and it should be noted that this palette appears on the ColourPop website on the “eyeshadow palettes” page). The palette comes with 9 shadows, each containing 0.9 grams of product (each pan is about the size of a nickel). There is a mix of mattes, metallics and glitters.
When swatching these shadows on my arm I found that the mattes required about 3 layers of product to really show up. However, when applying the matte shadows to my eyes, the pigmentation was buildable (very smooth) and only needed 2 layers of product.
One thing to call out immediately is the shade Palooza, which is the shade in the middle of the palette. The reason I’m pointing it out is because this shade is not at all eye-safe. The palette notes this on the pack of the packaging in fine print, saying “not intended for use in the immediate eye area”. Many brands do this and I see no reason why shadows that are dangerous to have near the eyes are included in palettes when the brand fully knows that people use the products as an eyeshadow. Many people will see the note about not using it around their eyes, will shrug it off and use it on the eyes anyway because it looks good, but this is a big mistake, especially with Palooza. Palooza is a straight-up glitter containing sizeable chunks of plastic. I remember washing the swatches off my arm and noticing how gritty the glitter shade felt, almost like sandpaper. This is because the glitter pieces are big and shaped either like a square or hexagon, meaning that they have sharp corners and can cut your eye if it gets in the area. I can’t stress enough how much I discourage anyone from using the shade Palooza around the eyes. I really don’t understand why brands include shadows that aren’t eye-safe in these palettes and I think it’s insanely irresponsible. ColourPop has a lot of beautiful shadows and they could have easily put a shifting multichrome shade in place of Palooza. Another thing I noticed about Palooza was its poor quality. When I swatch shadows I use a slight bit of pressure when rubbing my finger into the shadow, to pick up a good amount of pigment. I used the same amount of pressure when swatching Palooza and my finger almost went right to the bottom of the pan. It’s like it was barely pressed, or there was not enough glycerin used to keep this shadow in one piece. It’s like I was dipping my finger into wet sand. In the photo below you’ll see how the first swatch made a big groove in the palette.
Alright, I’ll get off my soapbox about non-eye-safe products and get to the looks. For look #1 I used the shade Totally Buggin’ in the crease and lower lash line, Oh Beehave in the outer V and Sunburst (which has micro glitters that lean blue and looks super cool) on the lid.
For an all-matte look #2 I used Stinger in the crease, Buzzkill in the outer V, Sweet Spot on the lid and Queen B on the lower lash line.
I am beyond torn about this palette. I like the concept, I like the shade story and most of the shadows, but the execution is so disappointing. This is the first time I haven’t absolutely loved a ColourPop palette, so I’m sincerely hoping this was a blip on the radar and the brand goes back to the drawing board. I’ll continue to use this palette because I like all the shades besides Palooza, but I definitely won’t be purchasing the other 9-pan shadows from this collection like Orange You Glad?
If you’ve tried Uh-Huh Honey I’d love to hear what you think of it. I feel like I’m a bit of a lone wolf in my criticism of this palette, so if you’ve had a good experience, let me know!
