Hello again loves!

I ordered the Fall 2016 bundle of nine shadows to try out the brand Feather River Body (now Sydney Grace) back in the summer, so I have had the shadows in my collection for quite some time now.  As I write this post, I am waiting on another order of two of their bundles to arrive in my mail, so I will have another post coming soon on those.

So let's talk a little about the company.  I discovered Feather River Body on Instagram.  I was scrolling through my feed, and someone had posted some very nice looking swatches and I proceeded to try to find the brand.  According to their Instagram post announcing the new brand name, Sydney Grace, the brand began by selling girl's accessories. The owners had made soaps with their mom while they were growing up, so to expand the brand they began making soaps and other bath products.  Steadily by playing with colorants in the soaps they began to develop and interest in making makeup.  They began selling on Etsy, and eventually opened their own website.  Like I mentioned above the brand changed their name in the last few months to Sydney Grace, apparently a nod to the owner's children and in the transition you may be receiving the old packaging as the new is phased in.



When I decided that I wanted to try the brand, I came across the Fall 2016 bundle of eyeshadows and immediately put it in my cart.  I wanted to gather a decent amount of their eyeshadows to swatch and play with before sharing my opinion.  This bundle contains four pressed pigments, three mattes, and two shimmers.  All of the nine shadows come in the sleeves pictured above, but they come as just the pan.  You will need to buy a palette for these to stick in, otherwise you can leave them in their sleeves.  Sydney Grace offers an extra large palette that you can fill with shadows; however, there are plenty of other places across the internet offering these same magnetic palettes.  All of the shadows are hand pressed, so there are some slight imperfections from pan to pan, but that doesn't bother me.

According to the Sydney Grace website, the Fall 2016 bundle is still available; however, you will have to pre-order it.  The bundle is $34 for nine shadows making each shadow approximately $3.78.  The matte and shimmer shadows are regularly $5 each on the website, and the pressed pigments are $6.  Each shadow is 1.8 grams which works out to this bundle weighing approximately 16.2 grams.


The first four shadows in the bundle are below:

• Sunset - Matte - "Red Orange" shadow in a 26mm pan.  This shadow is really pigmented and blends out nicely, but I found it works best when using only a small amount at a time.  If you try to blend out too much of it at once, it tends to be a bit difficult to blend.  
• Blushed - Pressed Pigment - Rose Gold shadow in a 26mm pan.  The finish of this shadow is absolutely gorgeous.  Highly metallic and applies best with a wet brush, a finger, or a foam applicator to keep that foiled finish.  
• Saturn - Shimmer - "Purple base with a pink shimmer" shadow in a 26mm pan - Purple shadows are so hard to press, so it's not all that surprising that this one will require a bit of building and patience.  This particular shade is a gorgeous purple that doesn't end up being so dark that it looks black like many other purples of this tone.  The color in the pan on this purple is the shade that you can build this shadow to.  
• Chocolate - Pressed Pigment - This is a warm toned rich brown color in a 26mm pan.  This shadow is listed on the website, and in the bundle on the site as "Chocolate Bar" so I was a little confused trying to find more information on this shade, but if you are looking for it search "Chocolate Bar".  This shade is a staple shadow that I use on the outer half of my lid to deepen that area.  This shadow is not as metallic as the Blushed pressed pigment, so you won't have to worry about using a damp brush or your fingers with this one.  The sheen in this particular shadow is more along the lines of the brand's "shimmer shadows". 

The next five shadows from the collection are below:

• Dark Chocolate - Matte - this is a dark matte brown eyeshadow in a 26mm pan.  This is the type of shadow that I like to use as a liner, to set my liner, or just in the outer corner of the eye.  This particular shade, like the others in the collection, only requires a little product.  It's easiest to take just a small amount of the shadow on a brush and build up the color to your desired pigmentation for an easier time blending.  
• Peach Crush - Matte - I actually couldn't find this on the website; however, it is listed in their Etsy shop in a single 26mm pan and in one other bundle (the "bundle similar to the Just Peachy Matte Palette").  This peach is light enough that I can use it as a very warm transition shade.  I just have to use a small amount on a fluffy blending brush and build the color slowly, but the shade blends out smoothly.  
• Queen of Hearts - Pressed Pigment - This shade is a gorgeous metallic ruby red shadow in a 26mm pan, and it was the one that caught my eye the most when I opened the package.  The name is absolutely fitting for this shadow, and it is such a smooth formula.  It will blend out smoothly and evenly if you wish to have a less intense shade.  If you want the intensity of the shadow you should apply the color with your fingertip, a foam applicator, or a wet brush.  However, if you are like me and like less intense red shades, you can blend this shade out easily.  
• Elegance - Shimmer - This shade is a gorgeous cream that is incredibly smooth and silky.  The shadow comes in a 26mm pan, and makes the perfect subtle highlight for the brow or inner corner. 
• Laura's Memory - Pressed Pigment - "Orange Bronze" shadow in a 26mm pan.  This is such a gorgeous metallic amber color that I reach for often.  The shade really works well on my blue eye, and I really love the metallic sheen this particular shadow gives.  If you want the intense metallic finish it is best used with a wet brush, a finger, or a foam applicator.  If you want a less intense finish, this shadow does blend out nicely.  

As I mentioned at the end of my previous post I have so many new posts planned, and I am really excited to share them all with you!  As I write this I am waiting on several packages to arrive in the mail, and believe me I will be swatching, playing, and reviewing all of them in the coming months!  I am also planning on doing a weekly, or bi-weekly post of the upcoming releases in the beauty world.  With it being close to Christmas, there are so many things releasing that the posts could get rather lengthy.