spectrum cosmetics

matte, highly pigmented eyeshadows in a variety are hard to come by at an affordable price.
my secret is spectrum cosmetics.
this little etsy shop is run by Erica out of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
these are mineral based shadows in virtually every color of the rainbow!
and even better: no bismuth-oxychloride in the major of her colors.
i am so impressed with the color payoff that it is totally worth it.
at $3 each for the small, and $5 for the larger size, it's very affordable to pick up the full collection of mattes.
(which I did)
i'd like to try out some of the other finishes she offers in the future.
some thoughts on applying these:
these are loose pigments so it can get messy and it can/will stain clothing, brush bristles, etc.
expect fall down, so use shadow shields or don't finish your base until your done with the eyes (this trick is actually pretty standard among pros)
when layering over cream shadows use a patting motion with a flat shader brush the blend with a fluffy brush.
without a cream base, it's a good idea the lay down a skin tone matching eyeshadow as a base; a dense fluffy brush works best for this.
these can be used wet or dry and can be mixed together for unique shades and it plays well with other brands.

it's a 10

i am normally a fan of multitasking products because typically you lose efficacy and performance with every additional task. for example, a mascara that does 2 things will only do those things half as good as 1 specialized mascara. hence, most in the know layer different specialize mascaras.
i found an exception: it's a 10. a multitasking hair care line that continues to wow me. the miracle leave spray conditioner was my first dip and I was blown away that it was so lightweight and effective. did what it said it was going to do, smelled good and did weigh anything down. my hair has multiple personalities: color-treated, a slight natural wave, slight oily scalp and dryer ends from heat tools and the horrid winter ends; so to have 1 product that can tackle all of it is really just a gift. my other favorite thing is that there are several collections that they offer for different hair needs. i love this because i can switch out collections as my hair's needs change, which tends to happen seasonally.
the best part is that they are cruelty-free, a *very* important thing for me. performance and critter-friendliness so go so well like this all the time.