Touch of Glam Beauty, Hit or Miss?
Today, I received my first order from Touch of Glam Beauty. In case you haven't heard of it, Touch of Glam Beauty is a small business / cosmetics company on Etsy that is cruelty-free and vegan. It sells unique, sparkly, holographic, duochrome, multi-chrome, and metallic eyeshadows. You can save 15% off with the code TOGB15.
Glass Slipper is described as "a pastel lilac with gold shift." Lucid Lavender is described as a "twisted pastel multi-shifter." Ghost Holo is described as a "holographic multi-shifter pigment." Prince Charming is described as "duochrome multi-dimensional eyeshadow." Unfortunate Souls is described as a "brown base that shifts to green."
Touching the eyeshadows, their formula is very soft to the touch. Though, I noticed that Prince Charming is more firm and flakey than the others. A little bit of these eyeshadows goes a very long way, which is what I would expect at this price point. The least expensive eyeshadow, Glass Slipper, retails for $6.50, while Lucid Lavender retails for $18.95 and Ghost Holo retails for $25.90. I believe in transparency, especially when it comes to the cost of a cosmetics product.
The formulas are more on the chunky side, which I prefer, personally. When it comes to indie eyeshadows, chunkier formulas tend to have a more intense, foiled, sparkly effect on the eyelid compared to eyeshadows that are hard-pressed. On first impression, these eyeshadows seem promising.
But, if you are familiar with Pat McGrath Labs, you know that swatches do not tell the full story.
I will be the first to say that I don't love all of the colors I picked out, but that comes down to personal preference, not quality or formula, which is what I paid for, and what I'm going to be reviewing here.
First up, we have Glass Slipper.
Glass Slipper is described as "a pastel lilac with gold shift." I applied the eyeshadow with a flat eyeshadow brush from elf. The brush easily picked up the product and applied it to full opacity with one dip. On the eyes, there is a pale gold shift, which leans the slightest bit silver and cool, which I'm guessing is the lilac? It is a very beautiful eyeshadow, but the lilac in the shadow is practically nonexistent once applied to the eyes. Even in swatches, the lilac appears more bluish silver.
The quality is top-notch, and it is one of the best metallic formulas I have tried. People, who love applying shimmer eyeshadows with a flat brush, like myself will love this formula. It is stunning on the eyelid and perfect for a subtle, natural look. I also imagine it would also make a lovely highlighter on the eyes or face.
Next, is Lucid Lavender.
Lucid Lavender is described as a "twisted pastel multi-shifter," which is a bit vague for my liking. At its core, it is a blue shadow with a strong pink/purple shift. The base is a very opaque grey-blue that does tend to stain skin. With some gentle scrubbing and makeup remover, I was able to remove the staining. Unlike Glass Slipper, this eyeshadow did not pick up well on my flat eyeshadow brush. Although that is not uncommon for sparkly, multi-chromes, it was disappointing after how well Glass Slipper performed. I managed to make the brush work, but it took SEVERAL layers. I would definitely recommend using a finger with this one.
I prefer a sheerer base myself, which is why I used a brush, but I would expect the color payoff and foiled/metallic effect to be intense and beautiful with finger application.
Personally, this eyeshadow is not my cup of tea, but it is pretty. By far, I think the arm swatches did it the most justice. Its base is unique to my collection, but it is not so unique that I would pay $18.95 for it. You can find similar eyeshadows that are lower quality, but much cheaper from brands such as Looxi Beauty. Unless you are a die-hard eyeshadow user that favors blue eyeshadow, I don't think this one is for you.
Next, is the one I was the most excited to try: Ghost Holo.
Touch of Glam Beauty is known for their holographic eyeshadows, so when I had the chance to try one, I was ecstatic.
Ghost Holo is described as a "holographic multi-shifter pigment," which is again, vague. Especially for the price tag. It's difficult to see in the photos, but there is a slight holographic shift in person. I wouldn't call it insane or ... even noticeable from an outside perspective. Ghost Holo is a green-leaning grey with holographic sparkle that shifts green-gold. It is beautiful and holographic, but for the life of me, I could not get it to pick up on the brush. After the fifth attempt, I gave up and applied the pigment with my finger. Again, this isn't a "fault" with the eyeshadow. I just prefer to apply foiled eyeshadows with a brush.
Of the five eyeshadows I tried, Ghost Holo is actually in my top two. Though, for the price, it should be my favorite. I am not knocking or judging anyone who would pay for this eyeshadow. Personally, I just can't justify $25.60 for an eyeshadow that is just "good." For that price, I expect to either have a buttload of product, or to be so impressed with an eyeshadow that the price doesn't matter to me. Unfortunately, neither was the case for me. This one is a pass.
Next up: Prince Charming.
Prince Charming is described as "duochrome multi-dimensional eyeshadow." In reality, it is a sparkly, cool yellow-gold, but I'm not mad about it. This formula was harder pressed with flakes rather than soft chunks. Since it is so sparkly, I'm not surprised. Glitter formulas tend to be a bit more gritty and flakey, which is what makes them so shiny and beautiful. Similar to Glass Slipper, the base is transparent. However, Prince Charming is one of those sparkly, glittery pigments, while Glass Slipper is more of a wet metallic. This is a stunning topper, and for the price of $9, I think it is a steal from an indie brand.
I wasn't impressed with the brush application, but it was decent enough for me to make it work. At the end of the day, it's a sparkly gold eyeshadow topper. I have no criticisms and no glowing comments.
If you have mature eyelids, this formula seems less likely to emphasize your texture than softer formulas from brands such as Looxi Beauty. But then again, there are many eyeshadows I would recommend purchasing before this one.
Finally, we have Unfortunate Souls.
By far, Unfortunate Souls is my least favorite eyeshadow. Unfortunate Souls is described as a "brown base that shifts to green." The brown base is very, very opaque, and it is very warm and red, which ... I don't like. Again, the color is a personal preference. However, I could get no product to pick up on my brush.
None.
And when I used my finger, the formula was extremely chunky, but not in a good way.
I will admit, between each eye swatch, I did use a makeup wipe and cotton round to clean and dry my eyelid, which made the swatch area tacky. However, eyeshadow primer is tacky, so based off of my experience, I'm doubtful that combination is optimal with this eyeshadow.
The eyeshadow did blend with my finger, but the process was "difficult." The product would collect in an area, making the eyeshadow patchy and uneven. So I applied more product to get "even" coverage. And then, there was brown, micro-glitter particle fallout everywhere around my eye, and I had much more coverage that I would ever want in an eyeshadow look.
Normally, I love brown eyeshadow with a green flip. Today I made an exception.
For me, the base has way too much pigment, it's difficult to apply, it's difficult to blend, it's a nuisance to clean up the fallout, and it's something I can't picture myself reaching for.
And this color combination is so common, I am certain you can find better for cheaper than $9.
The eyeshadow is fine. I don't want to pay almost ten dollars for fine. Klarity Kosmetics is cheaper, has incredible performance, and gives 36mm pans of product compared to Touch of Glam Beauty's 26mm pans of product.
Below, I prepared a comparison for four of the five eyeshadows reviewed. I don't have a comparison for Ghost Holo because it is a unique eyeshadow unlike anything else I own. The closest comparison I have from another brand is Vape by Klarity Kosmetics, but that shade has since been discontinued.
The first comparison I made is Glass Slipper to Pat McGrath Lab's Skin Show Divine Glow from the Bronze Seduction palette. Both are smooth, soft metallics with a strong gold flip. As shown in the comparison swatches, Divine Glow is shinier and has a stronger shift than Glass Slipper. Overall, they are very similar, and if you own Bronze Seduction, I think you can skip this one. On the other hand, if you were interested in a good dupe for Divine Glow, I think Glass Slipper is an excellent, affordable dupe.
Next, I compared Lucid Lavender to Star Sign by Terra Moons Cosmetics. Star Sign is the closest eyeshadow from my personal collection, but in reality, Lucid Lavender and Star Sign are completely different pigments. In the swatch, Star Sign is clearly much, much brighter than Lucid Lavender. The formula is also chunkier and less sparkly than Lucid Lavender. I think they are similar enough if you're comparing blue foiled eyeshadows with a strong pink shift. But really, their bases make each them different enough to justify owning both.
I compared Prince Charming to Astral Gold Lust from Pat McGrath Labs's Moonlit Seduction Palette. Both are sparkly, glittery gold toppers with a sheer base. Prince Charming is lighter, cooler, and less sparkly than Astral Gold Lust. I like the formula from Pat McGrath Labs better, but the Moonlit Seduction palette does retail for $128, which is pricey. I don't think you could go wrong with either. For the price, Prince Charming is a good eyeshadow.
Finally, I compared Unfortunate Souls to Glass Bull by Colourpop Cosmetics. This, is by far the most affordable comparison, and for good reason. I will always recommend Colourpop Cosmetics when it comes to amazing matte eyeshadows at an affordable price. As shown in the swatches, the bases of Unfortunate Souls and Glass Bull are nearly identical, and they both have a green shift. Unfortunate Souls is much, much more sparkly than Glass Bull. Then again, Unfortunate Souls is also soft, chunky, and difficult to work with at double the price. I love insane sparkle as much as the next person, but, in my opinion, Glass Bull wins this round. It is smooth formula that is buttery and easy to apply. It clearly has much more filler in it than Unfortunate Souls, but for the easy, pretty application and nice shift, I would say its worth it.
Hopefully this review doesn't come off as me bashing a small business because that's not what I'm trying to do here.
I am just an average makeup consumer. Like so many, I am constantly looking for better products, than what I already own in my collection, to add to my daily routine.
In the beauty community, more often than not, I find it difficult to find "amazing" products because many beauty influencers will say a product is "amazing," when it's just good.
Of course, these are my preferences, and what I say here is not law. By no means is my opinion better than anyone else's. It's just my opinion.
And I sincerely hope that my opinion helps you choose the makeup product(s) that is right for you. All I want is a space, where I can be brutally honest about makeup products, to help you and give you more information, another perspective, on cosmetics products.
With that said, are Touch of Glam Beauty's eyeshadows good?
Yes.
Are they great?
I don't think so.
Glass Slipper is the only eyeshadow that I could possibly label as "great." It's smooth, easy to apply, affordable, and beautiful. Yet, it is also a "basic" shimmer with a gold shift, so it should be incredible for $6.50. And it's really good for what it is. I have zero complaints with it. But it isn't incredible. It isn't so much better than a similar $3 Colourpop Cosmetics eyeshadow that I would pay it again.
Lucid Lavender and Prince Charming are "pretty" and "good." But if I'm paying $18.95 and $9, I want more than "pretty" and "good". For the price of Lucid Lavender and Prince Charming, you could purchase two palettes from Colourpop Cosmetics that are also "pretty" and "good."
Unfortunate Souls is just ... "fine," in my opinion. Considering the price, it's "bad." It's really "bad." Not "bad," as in "bad quality" or even a "bad formula." Like I said, I think it's "fine" as an eyeshadow. But as a consumer, if I'm paying $9 for a 26mm pan of eyeshadow, I expect it to be incredible. And not only is it "not good," it's "fine." No one should pay that much for an eyeshadow of that size to be "fine."
Last, we have Ghost Holo. I had high expectations for this eyeshadow. It costs $25.90, which is the most I have ever paid for an eyeshadow, and I own plenty of eyeshadow. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't do it. It's "beautiful," but as far as eyeshadow is concerned, that isn't an unusual comment. Three out of five eyeshadows are "beautiful." If you're considering that high of a price for a 26mm pan of eyeshadow, someone should have something remarkable and unusual to say about that pigment, and I don't. There's a cool holographic shift, but being honest, its translation is almost nonexistent on the eyes, so what am I paying for?
I am paying for hard work, quality, and passion. I am supporting a small business.
But, that doesn't mean that I can't disagree with the pricing or criticize the product because it is a small business.
Here, I'm not going to do either.
I paid for the products and I tried them. There was nothing "offensive" about any of the products I tried. They clearly were made with thought and quality in mind.
I didn't like some of them, and I don't think that the prices align with what I would pay for those specific eyeshadows (as a returning customer), but that's just my opinion.
If you love Touch of Glam Beauty, I completely love and support you for it. Personally, it is not for me, and that's ok. It's part of the process of figuring out what you like and what you don't like.
With that said, I would not recommend purchasing any of these products unless you are experienced with eyeshadow, willing to pay higher prices, love chunky/sparkly formulas, and don't mind applying eyeshadow with your finger. If you fall anywhere on this spectrum and you're interested in Touch of Glam Beauty, this brand may fit your needs, I would recommend checking it out.
I can't see myself placing another order in the future from them, and that's alright. Some brands are a hit. For me, this one is a miss.
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