MAKEUP | Auric Cosmetics Smoke Reflect Cream and Powder Eye Shadow Duo

Purchased by me

I think we were all pretty excited when local Vancouver YouTuber Samantha Ravndahl launched her brand Auric Cosmetics. As her popularity has grown over the years from a young MUA fighting with L'il Kim when the latter stole her work without credit (I remember following that reddit thread when Sam posted asking for help) to YouTube/Instagram star, one thing that has remained consistent is her honesty about products and brands. I feel like she has always been genuine here even though her livelihood depended on getting sponsorships and deals. She has also been honest about her use of Photoshop and commenting about what really happens behind the scenes with many of the seemingly perfect IG photos and brand trips (when they used to happen monthly!). Having met her in person a few times over the years at events, I don't think we would be best friends, but she is fun to listen to on camera and I will always like her somewhat cynical and refreshing take on the beauty industry. 

 

It took me a bit of time to bite the bullet on picking up something from Auric as the pricing is in US dollars so it needed to be something I KNEW I would use and not something I would review just for the sake of posting and then never use again. There are sales fairly often during major holidays so I waited until I think Boxing Day 2021 to purchase the very gorgeous Smoke Reflect Cream and Powder Eye Shadow Duo in the shades Defiance and Temper.

In true Sam form, the quality of the packaging is nothing short of luxurious and well-planned. As the name of the product indicates, within each eyeshadow, two looks can be created. The bottom glass half houses a smooth and creamy matte cream shadow and the top half contains a light-reflecting micro-glitter infused with high-shine pearls. There is also a little mini mirror under the lid which is a detail I really appreciated since I realized that I often have to put everything down and grab a smaller mirror whenever I use eyeshadows in pots. 

Temper

Temper is a rose gold metallic shadow that looks beautiful on its own, but I feel like on my skin tone it can look a little "same-y" so I always use the micro-glitter on top to make my eyes pop.  The micro-glitter is best applied with fingers and though the micro-glitter feels a bit hard and it doesn't feel like much product is getting onto your fingers, rest assured that juuuuust the right amount of product will go onto your eyelids to give a perfectly sparkly look! 

Defiance

Defiance is a deep bronze and is the one I use the most as I feel it shows up on my skin tone whether I use the micro-glitter or not. This cream shadow truly transforms when the micro-glitter is applied on top so I really have a hard time NOT using it! This shade is also very pretty along the lower lash line to create a smoky eye.

Both the cream and micro-glitter formulas are awesome with the cream shadow being so creamy and pigmented that I prefer a flat brush to control where most of the product goes and then blending with my fingers or a fluffy brush. You also do not need that much product so even though these eyeshadows are $40 each, I think they are most certainly worth it! 

I am wearing the shade Defiance with the micro-glitter topper in the photos below and it is evident why I love it so much! 

Final verdict: Obviously, I am a big fan of these eyeshadows and while there are three other shades in the collection, I'm not sure how often I will wear silver, olive green or cranberry on my eyes. Since cream formulations dry out, I am hesitant to get anything that I won't use fairly frequently though I know how stunning the other shades would be. Should Auric release more brown shades or even purples, I would definitely consider purchasing more! The next thing I would like to try is the Glow Lust Radiant Luminizer! 

You can find the Auric Cosmetics Smoke Reflect Cream and Powder Eye Shadow Duo at www.auriccosmetics.com