Umbra

Umbra is a deep black with a matte finish. It is my hope that this shade represents a matte black eyeshadow that is soft and silky enough to blend out easily but still packs an inky, true black hue. It tends to run quite pigmented but can sheer out slightly in practice with slight fallout, and it's best used with a lighter hand and built up as necessary.

Inspiration: There was a little part of my heart that was pained at the idea of using a matte black, which seemed infinitely basic, but there was no better choice to add depth, without altering the other colors, across the diverse set of shades in the palette.

Behind the Name: The word "umbra" refers to the complete shadow of a celestial body.

Development

Once it was determined that some of my dream mattes weren't going to happen in the intensity I wanted with FDA-approved color additives, I had to readjust and figure out how I wanted to incorporate matte shades to anchor all the shimmer shades. This was totally expected and planned, so I had some ideas, but there's no reason not to shoot for the moon (or beyond) first!

Ultimately, a matte black would pair well with any of the shades and would work to darken some of the more vivid shimmers and give the effect of a more satiny purple (e.g. when layered with Celestial Bloom). This call was made after the first round of samples, so spring 2020 was when it was first added to the shade line-up.

Enjoy the Ride in a recent Sydney Grace palette had a particularly extraordinary texture for a matte, which was the kind of texture and application I wanted for Umbra, but I wanted it to be as intensely black as possible, which would make it richer than their existing black (Midnight).

The first color sample for this shade came through in October 2020, which was when we started to work with pressed pans rather than loose colors. These were hand-pressed rather than machine-pressed, so the next time I revisited this shade, it was after being machine-pressed in January 2021, where it was too firmly-pressed and seemed to lack the slip/creaminess I so enjoyed from Enjoy the Ride.

Through the process, I found that when matte shades are too firmly-pressed, they can lose some intensity/richness in their hue, but the softer the press, the more powdery and prone to fallout it can be. The third version came in March 2021, and the color seemed richer/deeper but the texture still lacked the slip from the first version. The fourth version came in late March 2021, and the texture was where I wanted it but the color had lost some of the depth again!

Finally, the fifth version, which came in late April 2021, was the winner--approved for color, finish, and texture!

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview, which is a detailed review of the range as a whole.

• Brand Description
• Ingredients