Jaclyn Hill strikes back [reviewing the Jaclyn Hill Volume II eyeshadow palette, by Morphe]

"This palette is embracing the past, owning the present and dominating the future" - Jaclyn Hill

"When Jaclyn Hill goes big, she goes all the way. Our OG Morphe Babe never half-sasses somethin’. It’s extra to the extreme. Just like her brand-new, dramatic-AF palette. She’s created 35 vivid shades to help you live your best life, 24/7. These bossy brights won’t back down (and that’s just the way we like it). So, are you ready for the ultimate glow-up?" - Morphe

Congrats to Jaclyn Hill and Morphe, as the creative vision has sucked me in; the colour story for the new volume in the JH palette line really speaks to me, to the point that I overlooked the facts that I've become a bit bored by the original Jaclyn Hill palette & that I didn't want to buy any more larger palettes, and they had me placing my order on the day that Morphe launched it on their site...

  They've already won with me with the sunset colour story, but can the shadow & pressed pigment formulas deliver the goods?

Certified (matte pearl), I'm In It (satin cotton candy), Love Handles (matte peach cobbler), Comfort Zone (matte nutmeg), Perfectionist (matte nectarine), Ride-or-Diamonds (shimmering rosy copper),Thick Skin (matte terracotta)

No Joke (matte dandelion), Taliya (shimmering gold leaf), Feelin' Myself (matte tangerine), GRWM (shimmering natural copper), Boujee (shimmering peach bellini), Drama Queen (shimmering pink diamond)

Flawed & Awed (shimmering marmalade), G-Money (matte mustard seed), Positivi-TEA (matte electric coral), My Man (matte neon orange), Grateful (matte clay brick), Heart On (matte strawberry daiquiri), Livin' My Best (matte cherry with pink sparkle)

A Moment (shimmering lilac), Therapy Sesh (matte orchid), Lolli Mama (matte fuchsia), Tipsy Girl (matte hot pink), Empowered (shimmering raspberry jam), Next (matte sangria), Dance Party (matte fruit punch)

Stay True (matte berry), Not My Journey (matte amethyst with pink sparkle), Good Place (satin purple tulip), Paolo (shimmering fig), Oh, Hello! (matte black raspberry), Crazy (matte merlot), Temptress (glinting pitch black)

I bought the palette on the day that Morphe released it on their site at the end of February, but waited until I had experience working with & a decent wear‐time with every single shade, before reviewing it - less page views this way, but I prefer knowing that I really have had experience with the formula before commenting on them. 

The matte shadows and pressed pigments [the vivid matte shades] all apply and wear very well - both Morphe and Jaclyn Hill have less-then-great reputations when it comes to the quality of their products, but this time they've pulled it off really well. The shimmery formulas all show up well, without the need to dampen the applicator - I have found finger application brings out the intensity of the formulas more than brushes do, but that's the case with most brands anyway. Oh yeah; I'm In It makes a great cheek highlighter. 

As someone who really doesn't think that every eyeshadow palette needs a black shade, I ask myself why include one again? Even then, I'm surprised that it's not a 'new' shadow - Temptress also appears in the Dark Magic palette, in the JH x Morphe The Vault collection... Never mind my rambling, folks - at the end of the day, this palette has a superior black matte, in comparison to Volume 1. 

Taliya is one of the shades that calls to me the most and has a formula looks & feels molten, but unfortunately the formula doesn't do anything for me in terms of application + wear; when it is faded into another shimmer it looks & wears great, but when worn alone it can move over the lid and disrupt matte shadows around it [I'm planning an EOTD post using this shade, to give you a better look at what I mean]. I don't have any complaints with the other formulas in this palette; yeah, the purples, the pinks and the reds are a bit thinner & dryer compared to the neutral shades, but that's a standard issue for those shades of pressed pigments with most brands, not just a problem for this brand in particular - once applied they look & wear great, it just takes a bit of building up, rather than being one-sweep-and-you're-done.

This palette does share a niggle with the Jaclyn Hill volume one palette - there are some shades that are overly similar to each other. The two pink mattes look pretty much the same once applied [see below] and the matte neutrals are quite similar - but I was expecting that with a 35-pan Morphe palette. A bit disappointing, but not a surprise.

I'm enjoying this palette more than the first one; like with the first one there are a few shades that look very similar when applied, but not as many as last time. There are also fewer problematic shades for me in this volume - just the one shade I discussed above, whereas all of the mattes on the bottom row of the first palette are under pigmented and patchy. 

The colour story is much more inspiring to me, in comparison to Volume I; I honestly think that I have used this palette more times, and am confident that I won't quickly become bored by it. A great buy.

The palette is £39 and is sold at Morphe UK, Selfridges, Cult Beauty and Boots (online only).