A while back during my dupe-finding research for my Christmas haul, I discovered MAC's Vintage Gold pigment and that started it all. I spent HOURS on a tangent, looking at all sorts of sights and oohing and ahhing over the beautiful colors. It just seems like mineral eyeshadows and pigments are so much more complex than most pan-eyeshadows. Eventually, it recurred to me that my favorite website, www.etsy. com, had a category of mineral makeup, so I began my trek there. I looked at several sellers, but one stood out to me. Seller
torik2009 of Spectrum Cosmetics runs a very easy to navigate, organized store. I really like the variety of products and the range of colors. Here is how she describes her company, "
All of these products are 100% Natural Cosmetic Grade Mineral Pigments. They are PURE, and do not contain chemicals, fillers, talc, or any other ingredients that will harm you or your skin. Mineral Makeup is very light, it's actually GOOD for you to wear it! It provides a barrier, and protects your skin from particles in the air, while still allowing your skin to "breath" unlike other types of makeup. Spectrum Cosmetics Products are also VERY versatile! When you purchase an eyeshadow from the drug store, that's what you get....an eyeshadow. When you purchase a pigment from Spectrum, you get a shadow, a blush, a bronzer, a lip stick / lip gloss, an eyeliner, and even a nail polish! All of these pigments are cosmetic grade! With the exception of a few colors ( noted in listings) theses are FDA approved to be used on the Eyes, Lips, Face, And Nails. Apply Dry for a shadow, blush or bronzer, apply wet for an INTENSE shadow, or eyeliner, or mix with clear gloss or nail polish and make your own colors! All pigments mix well with each other, so you can even experiment and come up with your own colors,that NO ONE else has!! Such an Amazing product! Get the biggest Bang For your buck!! TRY IT! ". Plus, she charges a flat rate of $3 for shipping (to the US)! The shipping was fast and quick, even though it was the holidays, and she was very helpful and a delight to shop with.
When I received the package, I noticed how well everything was packaged. She included a business card and hand-written thank-you note that (this is what caught my attention) were wrapped separately to prevent from getting messy should anything happen during shipping. That small detail really made my experience rate even higher. As for the eyeshadow samples, they were a decent size, and I expect to get several wears out of each. They were very smooth and very pigmented.
(applied dry and then primed-artificial light)
T-B: Ferric, Forrestry, and Envy
I love all these colors! Forrestry is especially beautiful, but I would probably only wear this one with primer.
(artificial light, applied dry then primed)
Merlin, Poe, and Lenore
I would also only wear Merlin with primer.
They are all more beautiful than the photos can show. I would recommend them all. My top five would be Ferric, Forrestry, Envy, Merlin, and Poe.
Other colors I would like to try include: Crocus, Haze, Sultana, and Cupcake.
A three gram jar is $3, a five gram jar is $5, and a sample is $1. She has pre-formed listings where you can purchase 5 five gram jars for $25, but if you want, say six, all you have to do is message her for a custom listing, which she responds to lightning fast.
Spectrum Minerals also carries a variety of other products, such as solid perfume, perfume oil, primer, lotion, bath salts, etc. I would love to try:
- Solid Perfume or Perfume Oil in the scents Blackberry Vanilla, Cedarwood Amber (mmm), Exotica, or Strawberry Lemonade
- Bath salts or sugar scrub in the same scents
- and the shadows I mentioned above (Crocus, Haze, Sultana, Cupcake)
Overall, I would purchase anything from her store, as impressed as I was with my samples.
Ratings:
Product: 5/5
Price: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Disclaimer:
These samples were provided for me for review by Spectrum Cosmetics. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion. Remember,this was one of my first mineral/loose pigment eyeshadows, and I was extremely critical from beginning to end, because I did not want to believe the hype about mineral eyeshadows. However, through testing these shadows, I sincerely believe I like them more than samples I have purchased from Fyrinnae.
