Press Samples
Hey everyone! We're picking up from last week's look at the line of mattes from Blackbird Cosmetics. We reviewed Volume I last week (first half here and second half here) and now we're back to look at Volume II. Thanks again to my fabulous co-blogger Kristin for doing the gorgeous, incredibly helpful swatch photos throughout! I'm jumping in with my comments and comparison eye looks.
Disclosure notes: Maleah provided all of the products shown in this series for free and requested that we do a comparison between her old and new formulas. We were not otherwise compensated for this series of posts.
Purchase Link
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Let's start with this set's eye look! To recap, I did the same look on each eye, using the old formula shadows on one eye and the new formula on the other. I used the same brushes for each color, wiping them clean between eyes. I started with silicone primer but skipped my usual base shadow (to test how the shadows blend on their own) and tightline/mascara (so all you're looking at here is Blackbird's shadows).
Old formula:
New formula:
In general, and contrary to previous posts, I actually saw less contrast in the new formula eye than the old formula eye. My lid and crease shades (Figment and Juliet, respectively) had more contrast in real life than is showing up in the new formula eye photos, but the two shades were definitely closer to each other in color after the reformulation. Atlas (shown here as a liner) also appears much softer in the new formula eye. My apologies that Everest (shown on my lower lashline) is so shy in these photos - it was much stronger in person!
I'll discuss the formula differences in greater detail below.
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Hey everyone! We're picking up from last week's look at the line of mattes from Blackbird Cosmetics. We reviewed Volume I last week (first half here and second half here) and now we're back to look at Volume II. Thanks again to my fabulous co-blogger Kristin for doing the gorgeous, incredibly helpful swatch photos throughout! I'm jumping in with my comments and comparison eye looks.
Disclosure notes: Maleah provided all of the products shown in this series for free and requested that we do a comparison between her old and new formulas. We were not otherwise compensated for this series of posts.
Purchase Link
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's start with this set's eye look! To recap, I did the same look on each eye, using the old formula shadows on one eye and the new formula on the other. I used the same brushes for each color, wiping them clean between eyes. I started with silicone primer but skipped my usual base shadow (to test how the shadows blend on their own) and tightline/mascara (so all you're looking at here is Blackbird's shadows).
Old formula:
New formula:
In general, and contrary to previous posts, I actually saw less contrast in the new formula eye than the old formula eye. My lid and crease shades (Figment and Juliet, respectively) had more contrast in real life than is showing up in the new formula eye photos, but the two shades were definitely closer to each other in color after the reformulation. Atlas (shown here as a liner) also appears much softer in the new formula eye. My apologies that Everest (shown on my lower lashline) is so shy in these photos - it was much stronger in person!
I'll discuss the formula differences in greater detail below.
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From the website: Dark slightly blackened chocolate brown.
Eye Shadow Ingredients: Talc, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Myristrate, Iron Oxides, Boron Nitride, Isoeicosane, Zinc Stearate, Mica, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Alkyl Benzoate, Lauryl Laurate, Caranauba Wax, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Jojoba Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil
Vegan & cruelty free. Eye, lip & face safe.
Personal Comments: I applied this as a liner along my upper lashline, with the same brush and method I often use for this task. Oddly enough, the old version of Atlas went on a little patchy, even after I applied a second layer. The new version went on just fine. Further experimentation showed me that the old version of Atlas needed two passes to build up to the same pigmentation as the new version got in one pass. In this way, the new formula is definitely a great improvement! However, I will say I had trouble blending both versions out, especially if I was applying with a dense brush and then going in later with a blending brush. The new version was a little easier to blend when I was applying it directly with a blending brush, but still not perfect. Color-wise the new version is slightly warmer than the old version and appears softer on the eye.
Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion. This picture was taken outside in natural light.
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From the website: Dreamy green beige.
Eye Shadow Ingredients: Talc, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Myristrate, Iron Oxides, Boron Nitride, Isoeicosane, Zinc Stearate, Mica, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Alkyl Benzoate, Lauryl Laurate, Caranauba Wax, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Jojoba Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil
Vegan & cruelty free. Eye, lip & face safe.
Personal Comments: The official description notes the green in this color, and the new version definitely looks a little more green than the old version. It also appears to be a little more pigmented than the old version. I was able to blend both versions just fine, but oddly enough, I think blending might have been a touch easier in the old version. I used this on my lower lashline in the look above and I really enjoyed how the green tint brought a kind of grunge aesthetic to the party.
Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion. This picture was taken outside in natural light.
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From the website: Light muted plum.
Eye Shadow Ingredients: Talc, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Myristrate, Iron Oxides, Boron Nitride, Isoeicosane, Zinc Stearate, Mica, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Alkyl Benzoate, Lauryl Laurate, Caranauba Wax, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Jojoba Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil
Vegan & cruelty free. Eye, lip & face safe.
Personal Comments: I used Figment as a lid shade in the look above. Both the old and new versions had some fallout as I applied them, but the new version had noticeably less. The new version felt almost a little sticky going on (all Blackbird's shades have a little more grip than your average shadow formula) but fortunately it also blended out better than the old version so I'm not concerned about the texture change. I think the new version is still not perfect at blending, though. The new formula Juliet appears significantly warmer in the bag than the old formula, but on the eye it looks softer and only a little warmer than the old version.
Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion. This picture was taken outside in natural light.
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From the website: Light whitened gold. A perfect highlight for any skin tone.
Eye Shadow Ingredients: Talc, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Myristrate, Iron Oxides, Boron Nitride, Isoeicosane, Zinc Stearate, Mica, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Alkyl Benzoate, Lauryl Laurate, Caranauba Wax, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Jojoba Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil
Vegan & cruelty free. Eye, lip & face safe.
Personal Comments: Half Full and I had a tough start to our relationship. I was definitely not a fan of the old version - I think it had the most "stick" of the whole line and was just generally tough to work with as a result. I'm relieved to say the new version is improved! It's got a bit more pigmentation and it blends much better, thank goodness. The site description mentions gold, but to me, this reads as a beautiful cream. It makes for a pretty bold highlight on my NC15 skin, and it's shown above on my browbone and inner corner.
Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion. This picture was taken outside in natural light.
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From the website: Dark muted pink.
Eye Shadow Ingredients: Talc, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Myristrate, Iron Oxides, Boron Nitride, Isoeicosane, Zinc Stearate, Mica, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Alkyl Benzoate, Lauryl Laurate, Caranauba Wax, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Jojoba Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil
Vegan & cruelty free. Eye, lip & face safe.
Personal Comments: Juliet wins most improved for this set of shadows! I used this shade in my crease in the eye looks above. As you can see from those photos, the old version of this shade got mostly concentrated in one little area and didn't blend out especially well. The combination of the color change (making Juliet much closer to Figment, the lid shade) and improved blendability means the new version of Juliet integrated itself much better into the look for the same amount of work. As I mentioned above, the new version of Juliet is fairly close to Figment, but they're different enough that Juliet was able to add depth in the crease next to Figment on the lid. The only downside to the new version of Juliet is I noticed it looked a bit more textured on my skin than the old version.
Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion. This picture was taken outside in natural light.
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Stay tuned - we'll take a look at the second half of Volume II in a couple days!
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