Coronavirus lockdown and its socially-distanced aftermath has been the longest period I’ve gone without a daily full face of makeup for a long time. I love to wear bold eyeshadow and I’ve got a weakness for brightly-coloured eyeshadow palettes. One of my go-to everyday palettes is literally Editorial Brights by Viseart.
Living in Barbados it’s not as easy to shop online for my favourite eyeshadow brands. I’ve held off on doing it so far, especially after my grandmother told me that a parcel sent to her initially went to Christchurch, New Zealand instead of Christchurch, Barbados!
So since I came here I’ve been looking longingly at some of the new makeup releases that have come out. (I’m so behind on my posts that things have changed since I created the draft – went ahead and bought some of the palettes, so less of a lust list and more of a haul list!)
Sydney Grace – Enduring Love
One of my favourite Indie brands, California-based Sydney Grace makes gorgeous eyeshadows. The mattes are pigmented, blend beautifully, and stay all day — even on my crease-y, wrinkly eyelids. The shimmers are stunning and literally made me start using non-mattes again, after I went off any kind of sparkle because of said crease-y eyelids. They make an overwhelming range of single eyeshadows, and they curate palettes perfectly, so I tend to gravitate towards the palettes.
The shades in the Enduring Love palette had me swooning when it was released late last year, but because I was preparing to embark on my nomadic travel plans I restrained myself from buying it. But those teal and purple tones, those shimmers? I can’t let it go.
Sydney Grace – Chase Your Dreams
Remember I said I love bold eye looks? So yeah, the Chase Your Dreams palette is dreamy. I mean, that purple and that yellow, plus that orange-red? I’m all about it.
So this palette made me cave. It was launched during the brand’s annual Christmas in July sale and my resolve immediately crumbled. Sydney Grace palettes tend to sell out on launch because they’re that good. The sale offer snagged this palette for free with a purchase above $50, so it was also an opportunity to pick up Enduring Love.
So on launch day there I was, placing my order before it predictably sold out, and sending it to my address in London — even though I don’t actually know when I’ll be back there, but at least the palette will be waiting for me!
Mel Thompson x Sydney Grace – Tiny Marvels
Ok so, I thought I was done after the sale; two palettes when I’m out of the country in tropical heat and wearing pared-down makeup is more than enough, right? Yep, that was a joke because then Sydney Grace released a collaboration with Mel Thompson — one of the best beauty YouTubers out there and one of the influencers that led me to discover Sydney Grace in the first place.
Mel always comes up with stunning eye looks, and in this palette, inspired by her love of insects, she’s created a range of lush earthy tones dotted with pops of bright pastels that I can’t wait to play with. Again with the purple, and those greens are something else. I’ve got a thing about green eyeshadow and I’m slowly collecting every variation on the spectrum, it seems. This time I hesitated and the palette sold out, but it’s on backorder and will still reach England before me!
Makeup Geek – Matrix Color
This one is still a wishlist item, and it will stay that way because it’s sold out. Makeup Geek said on their Instagram in July that it will be replaced by a remixed version that has soft-focus mattes in the top row instead of the shimmers, but there’s no information on a release date.
I’ve been wanting to try Makeup Geek shadows, and these lovely jewel tones look like the perfect introduction to the brand for me. I can never get enough purples, teals and greens. I would actually prefer the shimmers for the inner corner of the eyes, but when the new version comes out I’d still be interested in taking a look.
Salt New York – The Palette Mini
Another favourite Indie brand. These are not strictly eyeshadow palettes, but a stylish way to store and protect them! Salt New York started by making these luxe vegan magnetic palettes for eyeshadows and other makeup pans that are perfect if like me you have a tendency to do your makeup on the move. I’ve got 3 of the full-size palettes, where I keep my favourite Sydney Grace and Viseart eyeshadows, as well as Salt New York’s own Lip + Cheek Crème Tint Pro colours. They expanded beyond the palettes to launch a range of beautiful lip and cheek cream products in lush berry shades along with rich contour and highlight shades for a range of skin tones.
The new mini size palettes are cute, and a great option for carrying just a few essential shades in your handbag. I wouldn’t mind filling one with the Radiant Crème Tint Pro contour and highlight shades and having another for a go-to eye look. The mini palette and the lip and cheek shades are currently out of stock, but available for pre-orders that they’re aiming to fill in October.
You can use my referral link to get $5 off Salt New York products here.
What eyeshadow palettes are you lusting after?