Review: The Chequered Lily Apothecary


I know a lot of people don't like using loose eye shadows, but aside from the stress of traveling with them, I don't find them any more difficult to work with than pressed.  Which is a good thing, since if you've ever looked for natural pressed makeup, you'll know just how difficult it is to find without silicones and other nasties.  

Today, I'm excited to show you these shadows from The Chequered Lily Apothecary, an etsy-based store that makes what is possibly my favorite eye shadow shade ever.  More on that later!



Ingredients
Vary by colour.  The five I have do not, but some colours contain FD&C dyes, so please refer to the individual listings if these are something you choose to avoid.   

Price
$6.50 for a 5-gram sifter jar (about 1 gram of product.)  Samples are also available.


No flash.  (L to R) Neverwhere, Mr. Wednesday, Gilty, Ivy, Alice
With flash.  (L to R) Neverwhere, Mr. Wednesday, Gilty, Ivy, Alice

My Thoughts
I guess I've already gone and spoiled things by announcing early on that one of my all-time favourite eye shadows would be making an appearance in this review.  Let's start there. Neverwhere is my my idea of a perfect neutral.  It's neutral but not boring; sparkly and shimmery, but not to disco ball standards.  It's dark enough that it works in the crease but light enough for a lid colour too.  The shop describes it as "warm, dirty pinked-grey with pink and gold reflect," but to me it's just the perfect golden brown.  It does have visible pink sparkles in it, but they blend in without looking gaudy or taking over.  Seriously, this colour is magic.  Even as just as an all over wash of colour, it makes you look perfectly sophisticated and put together.  And because my photos aren't doing it justice, here are a couple from the store:
(Source)
Alice, a beautiful pale blue with a golden duochrome, is the other standout among the shades I have.  I sometimes struggle wearing blues, but the gold somehow manages to make it more wearable.  Again, I borrowed these to give you a clearer idea of the colour:
(Source)
In terms of formula, these eye shadows are fantastic too.  They're nicely pigmented, apply smoothly and blend like a dream.  Even with the high sparkle content in some colours, they never feel rough or gritty.

The Bottom Line
The Chequered Lily makes top notch eye shadows.  The colours are complex and unique and I've received only the best service as well.  More specifically, Neverwhere is a favorite - certainly one of my most worn shadows.  If you're a fan of neutrals, you NEED it in your life.  I realized when taking the photos for this post that mine is starting to run out (cue eery music!)  I'll be ordering a backup (or three) and I'm interested in trying some other colours too.   Highly, highly recommended.

  
         

8 comments

  1. Neverwhere and Mr. Wednesday look really beautiful. I do not like loose shadows and powders, but those two look so pretty that they might become exceptions. Also, great swatches!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks! I guess loose powders take some getting used to, but I don't mind them anymore :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. oooh so excited about these! I love etsy. I am going to have to get the Neverwhere color! so beautiful!

    xo
    Britanie
    http://beautybybritanie.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Me too! So many great finds on Etsy :)

    Hope you like Neverwhere as much as me!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree with you, I don't think loose shadows are any harder to work with than pressed. Neverwhere is definitely awesome! Mr. Wednesday looks like a nice neutral as well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mr Wednesday is definitely pretty too, just not as much of a standout for me :)

    ReplyDelete