The Maybelline Lemonade Craze eyeshadow palette includes colors that are spot-on perfect for summer! But, is it actually any good? Let’s try a sip.

I’ve had my eye on the Maybelline Lemonade Craze eyeshadow palette for over a year now. And honestly, who can blame me?

The whole concept of the palette and color selection is simply too fun for the summer months. So obviously I had to finally satisfy my curiosity and put this lemonade-inspired beauty to the test. So I’m sorry if this post comes off as a little “old news” as the palette did come out last summer – but it’s just too darn pretty to ignore.

Maybelline Lemonade Craze Eyeshadow Palette

In the Lemonade Craze palette, Maybelline is serving up twelve summer-inspired shades with a variety of finishes. Four of the shades (Sherbert, Citrus, Main Squeeze and Sweet Tea) come in a larger pan as well…meaning you definitely can get a lot of use out of those colors.

It’s well and truly my first time using a Maybelline eyeshadow palette in years, so breaking into the Lemonade Craze palette I was eager to learn more about the texture and pigment of these shadows. On the surface, they’re gorgeous. But when it gets down to it, I wanted to know just how well the eyeshadows would PERFORM atop my eyelids.

Before we get into the nitty gritty details, let’s quickly look over the shades we get:

Sherbet: Matte ndue
Citrus: Shimmery champagne gold
Berry Ice: Matte soft rose
Strawberry Lemonade: Shimmery soft pink
Ice Pop: A vibrant matte fuchsia
Old Fashioned: Matte medium brown with warm undertown
Sherbert: Matte muted yellow
Lemonade Craze: Matte vibrant yellow
Coral Punch: Matte coral
Sugar Coated: Metallic burnt orange
Main Squeeze: Shimmery soft yellow
Sweet Tea: Matte warm brown

Pigmentation

Let’s get to pigment straight out the gate as it’s something we all know is very important! When swatching these shadows on my arm, I was immediately impressed. As I made my way through the palette, though, I realized some inconsistencies between the shades.

For example, the larger shimmery shades Citrus and Main Squeeze didn’t pack as much punch as counterpart shimmer shades like Strawberry Lemonade and Sugar Coated. It seems odd to me that the outer shimmer shades would perform differently than those in the center of the palette, but that’s definitely the case.

As for the mattes? They’re phenomenal.

Soft Texture with Quite a Bit of Fallout

Fair warning: the Maybelline Lemonade Craze eyeshadow palette comes with quite a bit of fallout. At first use, I was pretty stunned by it to be honest — but as I grew more comfortable with the palette was able to work around it with little issue.

The most breakable shades are the same shades mentioned above with pigment issues: Citrus and Main Squeeze. Those two shades apply very similar to a glitter. As such, I recommend you dampen your brush when applying for more control!

Long Lasting….with an Eyeshadow Primer

It’s pretty much a given that I use an eyeshadow primer everyday, but I did want to stress this point just in case you’re not in the habit.

It’s summer time. It’s HOT and humid outside. The circumstances of the season mean this palette is fighting an uphill battle in how long it will last on your eyes…and I’m happy to say it’s winning. Using an eyeshadow primer that’s tacky like this one from Wet n Wild or this one from Lorac will really help seal the deal with your makeup look.

I can get a full day’s wear out of these shadows IN the heat and IN the humidity. That’s pretty remarkable for a drugstore palette, I must say! Impressive job, Maybelline.

My Experience with the Palette

I was SUPER excited to dive into this palette. Having picked it up on a Saturday, I was saving it to give myself something motivating on a Monday morning and it certainly did the trick. The color selection of the Maybelline Lemonade Craze eyeshadow palette alone is something worth waking up to. It’s a vibrant fun palette that SCREAMS summer!

While first using the palette, I was immediately impressed with the quality of the matte shadows. I started out neutralizing my eye by applying Sherbet all over my lid with a large flat shading brush. Then I went in my crease using the warm matte brown Sweet Tea. Sweet Tea is actually such a phenomenal shade it makes the whole palette worth it right there if I’m being honest. It’s the PERFECT warm brown.

After being blown away by the matte shades, I dipped into the large shimmery shade “Citrus”. That’s when I started to feel a bit disappointed. The shade looked so beautiful in the pan and even swatched pretty nicely — but when applied to my actual eye I experienced a lot of difficulty getting the color pay-off I was hoping for. Because of how loosely packed the shadow is, it tends to kind of go all over the place as you try to build the color. I definitely recommend using a wet brush with this shade and Main Squeeze.

With peaked interest, I moved onto the shimmery shades in the center of the palette. Luckily, Strawberry Lemonade and Sugar Coated were more what I was hoping for. They have a good amount of pigment to them. They’re also more densely packed so you have any easier time building color.

Appreciation Grew with Each Use

Before we dive into the swatches (below), I want to say that this palette surprised me in how much more I liked it with each use.

After that first Monday morning, I was thinking the palette was pretty mediocre. As I got to know the way the colors perform, though, and saw just how well they last in the summer heat…I started to fall in love.

Maybelline definitely thought outside the box when they arranged this palette and I’m happy to say it’s more than just something pretty to look at. The Lemonade Craze palette actually performs really well, which is essentially all anyone can ask for at such an affordable price.

Maybelline Lemonade Craze Eyeshadow Palette Rundown

Priced from $9.49 to $13.99 depending on retailer
12 summer and lemonade-inspired shades with a mix of mattes and shimmer
Performs best with an eyeshadow primer (I’ve been using this one from Wet n Wild)
Available at drugstores, supermarkets and mass retailers like Target and Walmart — as well as on the Maybelline website

The Pros

All of the shades blend really nicely
The large matte-brown Sweet Tea is the perfect blending and crease shade!
A nice mixture of matte and shimmery shades
Long-lasting – even in high heat and humidity
Unique concept and a beautiful color selection for the summer months
Readily available and priced affordably
Very beautiful color selection for the summer months
Readily available and priced affordably

The Cons

Citrus and Main Squeeze are two rather inconsistent shades with less pigment than the other shadows
Quite a bit of fallout
Doesn’t include a mirror – which doesn’t bother me but y’know.

Overall Grade? B+

I have to say, when I first tried the the Maybelline Lemonade Craze palette I mentally was giving it a C. But with each and every use that followed, I fell in love with this palette more and more.

What most stands out to me is how well these shadows actually LAST in the summer heat. It’s been scorching hot where I live in the midwest with high high humidity. While the rest of my face might melt away throughout the day, I’ve been so impressed with how well these shades perform. I can go through an entire day of running around in the heat and trust that my shadows will not just stay put – but actually look vibrant still by the end of the day. That’s amazing!

What’s holding me back from bumping the palette up to an A- is the inconsistency between the shadows. Largely, I was most disappointed by Citrus and Main Squeeze. As those are two of the larger shades included in the Maybelline Lemonade Craze palette, I assumed that they would be winners…where in fact, they’re kinda duds. The color is buildable, but only to a certain degree. Because of how loose those shades actually are, the shimmer just goes all over the place and not stay put where you want it when building.

All-in-all though, I really love this palette and think Maybelline did a pretty bang up job. The concept is so fun and I have my fingers crossed their develop more creative concepts like this for more seasonal palettes in the future. I’ve been using this pretty much nonstop and continue to be impressed! Well worth the $10 I paid for it.

If you’re in the mood for more Maybelline goodies, check out this post where I review their newest foundation!

SHOP THE POST

Maybelline’s Lemonade Craze Eyeshadow Palette

Maybelline ($10.99) * Target ($9.49) * Ulta ($13.99)

Join the Dream Squad

Sign up for my weekly newsletter to receive exclusive dreamer content you won’t find on Dream in Lace straight in your inbox. Let’s be dreamers, together!