★★ODEN'S EYE★★ UNPOPULAR OPINION III MAYBE A SECOND CHANCE?★★

★★Mini Review★★ 

In the last year and a half, Oden's Eye has made quite an impact on the Indie Makeup Community, propagated by trusted mini and midi YouTube beauty-related channels. I say trusted, but are they? Some of them I believe absolutely, although they may or may not be receiving PR. Some of them, I am not quite sure about. Either way, this review is about my experience and my thoughts on the eyeshadow palettes that I tried, and perhaps my reasons why I may or may not give the brand a second chance.

Hype -  Hype can be quite a dangerous thing to the consumer. Are consumers more likely to purchase a product from an unknown average run-of-the-mill person, or a well-known YouTuber or celebrity? When you think of things on a grand scheme, most consumers are more likely to purchase items based upon a well-known person because they are "trusted and recognizable," however, does the consumer ever stop to think about the motivation behind the sponsorship of these "trusted and recognizable" indviduals. The answer is simple, trusted and recognizable individuals are the very epitome of influential persons that consumers see as reliable, knowledgeable, and honest about the products they are marketing. But how true is this notion? What about the products, the overwhelming amount of products these individuals receive, so much that it is impossible to accurately and fairly review each and every single part of whatever the campaign is compromised of. Secondly, what about the commission or payments received for promoting said products? This is certainly a contingent factor on how the reviewer may rate or perceive these products.

Getting back to my initial notion about the average American consumer viewing another average American consumer provide uncensored reviews and details about a product. Now please understand that I not specifying this to just my experience with Oden's Eye, but with any product that is promoted with such enthusiasm, avidity, and eagerness. I personally would find a review to have validity when presented by someone who has little to nothing to gain by being free with their opinion and providing both constructive criticisms as well as attributes of the product.

My personal assessment: The three palettes I bought were fair to decent. I didn't care for the packaging and I didn't care for the split pans in the middle of each palette. I also find the names of each palette a bit confusing, or maybe annoying is a better word. I did not care for the textures of the shimmer/metallic shadows at all. They are either too chunky creating a hellified mess on my face or too thin requiring an absurd amount of layering and even if used as toppers it's difficult to do so because of the chunkiness of the other textured shadows. I did, however, really enjoy the color stories, not just of the palettes I chose, but also of all the other palettes on the website and that does make me want to maybe give this brand another go, but I am undecided at this time. 

The moral of this review as with any product that is over-promoted by various individuals is to take your time and read multiple reviews, some by experts, but most by average consumers. Overhype culture is real and is easy to get caught up in, so buyer beware.

Price: $65 (8/10) 

Color Story (7/10)

Inclusivity (7.5/10)

Application (7/10)

Wearability (7.5/10)

Matte to Shimmer Ratio (8/10)

Packaging (10/10)

Brand Reputation (10/10)

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★★MBA COSMETICS★★MINI REVIEW★★

★★MBA COSMETICS★★MINI REVIEW★★

Dreamtopia Collection Duochrome Eyeshadow

I am a big fan of MBA Cosmetics in general, but I wanted to highlight this particular collection. With the creativity and evolution of duochrome, triochrome, and multichrome eyeshadows, it's always of special interest to me to examine shadows of these types from Indie brands. The explosion of independent brands over the last 2-to 4 years has cataloged variations in shadow types, textures, and pigmentation as well as a special knowledge of the application process and the composition of these types of shadows.

With that being said, I own several MBA Cosmetics premade and custom palettes which include richly pigmented matte shadows, that have virtually no fallout, as well as a type of shimmer shade referred to as "Silk" shadows but remain pigmented and apply smooth and are not chunky or flaky.

As seen from the swatches and short video below, the shadows range from a type of topper shadow to a rich pigmented striking intense color. Even as a topper, which let's be honest, I am not a huge fan of toppers in terms of utilizing them in an eyeshadow look. However, the shadows that present as toppers meld well with the more intense shadows. The shadows are unremarkable and include a simple magnetic palette with the MBA Cosmetics logo that fit all the shadow perfectly and the closure magnetic is well made.

I am not a big fan of all shimmer or all matte palettes either, because I do not like to use multiple palettes to create one eye look, however, these shadows can be used as a simple one shadow look or simple crease color, and the shadows used as a lid shade and voila, full eye look. I would definitely take a look a look at MBA Cosmetics and their full collection of makeup and body care collection on their website by clicking HERE or you can find them on Etsy by clicking HERE !!

Price: $31.50 (9/10) 

Color Story (10/10)

Inclusivity (10/10)

Application (7.5/10)

Wearability (8/10)

Packaging (8/10)

Brand Reputation (10/10)

 

★★PINK CRUSH COSMETICS ★★★★MNI REVIEW★★FINISHED

★★Mini Review★★

Both of these palettes I purchased directly from the brand off of Etsy. One always takes quite a gamble when they purchase from brands that are not as well known or not known altogether. But, I myself am a gambling gal, so when I ran across Pink Crush Cosmetics which you can find by clicking HERE, so I decided to give the brand a chance. The two palettes that I chose to purchase were the MultiChrome Eyeshadow Palette (which is no longer available on the site but is available as individual shades) and the Metaphorimis Palette (which is still available on the site). There are an additional 8 palettes on the website that are listed at the bottom of this page.

Whenever I purchase from a new brand, my thought process usually is"hope for the best, prepare for crap". You just never know what you are going to receive. Poor packaging? Underfilled or overfilled pans? Excess of glitters or terrible matte to shimmer ratio? Poor customer service/poor customer relations/poor brand communication? Or one of the worst considered by consumers is all of the above coupled with the horrible shipping time and poor packaging of the item your item. All of the issues are absolutely something that can make or break the relationship between customer loyalty and brand reputation. Some brands really do not take these issues into consideration as serious factors when managing their relationship with customers and merely see them as an order number with an address, and they rarely see the name (unless that person is receiving PR :)

 

I say all this to say that I personally did not experience any of the horrible things that come with trying a new brand or even reordering from brands a customer may already have a longstanding relationship with and consider the brand reliable. My experience with the brand was top-notch. and beyond my expectations. First, the order process was simple, no fuss, and easy to navigate. The palette arrived in perfect condition in a very, very timely manner. Although the packaging and the component of the palette is a bit simple, I will say that the names of the shades are on the palettes, which is a big deal for me when dealing with small indie brands, and the outer packaging mirrors the palettes color story.

In terms of the performance of the palette, one word comes to mind, outrageous. The MultiChrome Palette is so magnificent. the pigmentation and the strong, vibrant, sensational color payoff is something you just do not find in your ordinary "mainstream" eyeshadow palette. It's just beautiful. You can do a stunning one shadow look for a fun summer/spring look, or you can lightly add it on top of an existing shadow to give it a little umph.  Please check out the swatches, and video clip for a glimpse of the beauty of this palette. 

As far as the Metaphormis Palette, I was a little apprehensive. Due to the dark rich colors, my first concern was blending potential splotch patterns it could create a problem creating a well-done cohesive look. There is nothing worst than a dark shade that sticks and will not blend and seeing as these lean heavily purplish/blue gave me great cause for concern. However, my concerns were easily put to rest quickly and with ease. All of the shades (mattes) and I mean ALL of them work together and merge with simplicity and the shimmers are so liberal and bountiful with color that I personally did not even wet my brush because it wasn't necessary. It is perfect for date night or an evening out and could definitely be a go-to winter palette.

Impressive, 100% impressive. That's how I was sum up my experience with both the brand and the product and based on my vast collection of eyeshadow palettes, I feel comfortable saying that I am an aficionado and concessioner of a variety of palettes, regarding textures, color theory, color depth, application, etc. With this knowledge, I am confident in saying that Pink Crush Cosmetics, produces quality products, and realistic prices, with unique color stories. I highly recommend checking out this brand, as I am sure that you will not be disappointed.

Price: $35.95 each (9/10) 

Color Story (9/10)

Inclusivity (10/10)

Application (10/10)

Wearability (9/10)

Matte to Shimmer Ratio (10/10)

Packaging (9/10)

Brand Reputation (10/10)

Highly Recommend!

 

 Nocturnal Garden $35.95

  Lucid Dream $35.95

 Fairy Tales $35.95 

 Rainforest $35.95

Rainbow Reef $35.95

Romance $30.95

How Merlot Can You Go? $32.95

 Enchanted Garden $35.95

✬✬BOUGIE BRIE BEAUTY✬✬EYESHADOW PALETTE COLLECTION 2/3

★★BREAK THE RULES PALETTE PLUS SWATCHES★★ OUSTANDING!!

 

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★★Natasha Denona Pastel Palette★★Mini Review for Medium to Tan Skin★★

 

★★Natasha Denona Pastel Palette★★

★★Mini Review★★

I know that I am a little late to the game, however, my reasons for this will be explained in a following post regarding an "unintentional' low buy. If you know anything about me as a creator or personally, you are well aware that I am a Natasha Denona Super Fan. I own all and I mean ALL of Natasha Denona's palettes. This includes both her extra-large palettes, her Star Palette, her Ten Pen palette, ALL of her 5 pan palettes, including the holiday and limited/special edition 5 pan palettes, all of her Medium size palettes, her Midi Palettes, and all of her Mini Palettes. That's a lot of palettes and it's the only brand that I collect every palette regardless of the color story or price. Now, that is what is you call a true Super Fan! Nevertheless, over time it is true that Ms. Denona and her company have made considerable adjustments to her formula and from palette to palette, it seems as though there is a variation amongst several of the palettes, however, that is never a deterrent for my purchasing any of her palettes.

With all that being said, I was, in fact, very hesistant about purchasing this particular palette based upon my experience with pastel shades and my skin tone. I am an African-American female with what I would describe as medium skin with a significant yellow undertone. Pastels and I are generally not friends. They either do not show up, require a significant amount of building and rebuilding to obtain a modicum of color, or my skin tone completely washes out the intended color. So, one can understand my skepticism at purchasing a $65 dollar palette that is completely compromised of pastels from top to bottom.

Natasha and her team did do a couple of smart things to make this palette wearable for people of varying skin tones. Adding the shades "Bara", "Bubble", and  "Zest" were essential to making this an inclusive palette for many, allowing people with medium to tan skin to use pastel shades while adding a bit of depth to the crease and giving the wearer the ability to create a beautiful outer "v". The shimmers are spectacularly beautiful, rich and apply well, last long on the eyelid and add the finale touch to a very spring/summertime look. I know that the reviews for this palette can be considered polar opposites, but from where I sit I find it a well-done inclusive palette that one should give a try in you are in the market for a beautifully designed pastel palette.

Price: $65 (9/10) 

Color Story (9/10)

Inclusivity (7.5/10)

Application (10/10)

Wearability (9/10)

Matte to Shimmer Ratio (10/10)

Packaging (8/10)

Brand Reputation (10/10)

✬✬BOUGIE BRIE BEAUTY✬✬SMS MAY 2022

★★Natasha Denona Patel Palette★★ FINALLY GOT MY HANDS ON IT

★★Natasha Denona Pastel Palette★★