Sydney Grace Glee, Joyful Day, Optimism Loose Pigments Reviews & Swatches
Glee
Sydney Grace Glee Loose Pigment ($6.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a deep purple with neutral-to-cool undertones and a metallic sheen with moderate, green sparkle. The contrasting sparkle is what made the shade harder to dupe. It was richly pigmented with a finely-milled, lightly creamy texture; it was a denser, weightier powder (so it didn’t have a bunch of product that dispersed as soon as you opened the jar) that applied best by pressing and patting onto the lid, which avoided most of the fallout. The product adhered evenly to bare skin and “melted” so that it had a very smooth, highly-reflective finish that didn’t emphasize my skin’s texture. It wore well for eight hours on me before fading noticeably.
Top Dupes
- Pat McGrath Smoked Amethyst (LE, $25.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Ciate Wicked (P, $24.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Tarte Graphic (LE, ) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Coloured Raine Black Butterfly (LE, $6.99) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Dior Gravity (094) (P, $29.50) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- MAC Victorian Plum (LE, $19.50) is more shimmery, warmer (85% similar).
- MAC Panthertized (P, $22.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar).
- Urban Decay Spandex (LE, ) is lighter, warmer (85% similar).
- Sydney Grace Beauregarde (P, $15.00) is more shimmery, lighter (80% similar).
- Too Faced Shady Bitch (LE, $16.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (80% similar).
Formula Overview
$6.00/0.14 oz. - $42.86 Per Ounce
It's designed to be worn alone, though the brand recommends a "mixing medium or a glitter glue" to avoid fallout. The loose consistency was denser and more weighed down, which made it less messy to work with than some more finely-milled (but very powdery) loose eyeshadow formulas available. They were very pigmented without much product, and they had similar coverage applied dry as well as wet.
The wet application typically yielded smoother, more metallic finishes and less fallout compared to dry application. Dry application required a bit more finesse as the product applied best by patting and pressing it on and then gently smoothing it into place, otherwise it had some fallout during application. A few shades that were more sparkly looked a bit chunkier applied to my skin when I used it dry (but were smoother and more forgiving when used wet). They lasted between seven and eight hours on me before creasing.
Browse all of our Sydney Grace Loose Pigment swatches.
Joyful Day
Sydney Grace Joyful Day Loose Pigment ($6.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a bright, bluish-teal base with warmer, gold-to-green shifting sparkle and shimmer. It had a loose consistency that was weighted down by binders, which helped keep it from fluffing up and out of the jar (so less messy than some loose powders). The larger particles of shimmer/sparkle did make it seem a bit “drier” to the touch and more prone to some fallout unless applied with a wet brush or fingertip. I’d recommend applying the product by pressing gently into place and pulling the brush outward to spread the color out. This should minimize fallout while giving it a smooth, even application of opaque coverage. It stayed on nicely for eight hours on me before creasing very faintly with a touch of fallout over time.
Top Dupes
- Anastasia Seychelles (LE, $12.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- MAC Steamy (P, $17.00) is more muted (90% similar).
- Colour Pop Banana Daiquiri (P, $5.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Makeup Geek Constellation (P, $12.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Arctic (LE, $19.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar).
- Juvia's Place Yara (LE, ) is darker, more muted (85% similar).
- Sydney Grace Narrow Path (P, $5.00) is less shimmery, more muted (85% similar).
- Juvia's Place Zulu #6 (LE, ) is less shimmery, lighter (85% similar).
- Urban Decay Heavy Water (LE, $19.00) is less shimmery, darker (85% similar).
- Make Up For Ever D236 Lagoon Blue (DC, $21.00) is less shimmery, darker (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$6.00/0.14 oz. - $42.86 Per Ounce
It's designed to be worn alone, though the brand recommends a "mixing medium or a glitter glue" to avoid fallout. The loose consistency was denser and more weighed down, which made it less messy to work with than some more finely-milled (but very powdery) loose eyeshadow formulas available. They were very pigmented without much product, and they had similar coverage applied dry as well as wet.
The wet application typically yielded smoother, more metallic finishes and less fallout compared to dry application. Dry application required a bit more finesse as the product applied best by patting and pressing it on and then gently smoothing it into place, otherwise it had some fallout during application. A few shades that were more sparkly looked a bit chunkier applied to my skin when I used it dry (but were smoother and more forgiving when used wet). They lasted between seven and eight hours on me before creasing.
Browse all of our Sydney Grace Loose Pigment swatches.
Optimism
Sydney Grace Optimism Loose Pigment ($6.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a rich, emerald green with subtle, cooler undertones and warmer golden sparkle that gave it more of a neutral-to-warm tone overall. The texture was soft, finely-milled, but it had larger sparkles, too, so it was a touch “drier” to the touch in the pot. You could tell that there was more to the formula, and there was a creaminess to the product as soon as it touched my skin that helped it adhere evenly and retain its full opacity in a single layer. I had slight fallout when I worked with a dry brush, despite pressing and patting on, and fallout could be further minimize by using it with a wet brush or patting on with a fingertip. It lasted well for eight hours on me before fading noticeably, and there was a smidgen of fallout over time.
Top Dupes
- Coloured Raine Unexpected (P, $6.99) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Natasha Denona Jubilee (271M) (LE, $29.00) is darker (90% similar).
- Sydney Grace Levy (P, $6.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Persona Driven (PiP, ) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Pat McGrath Supernova (LE, $25.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Sydney Grace To Earth (PiP, $6.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar).
- Lit Cosmetics Yoda (P, $12.95) is darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Urban Decay C-Note (P, $19.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Melt Cosmetics Mean Green (LE, ) is less shimmery, warmer (85% similar).
- Ciate Twisted (P, $24.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$6.00/0.14 oz. - $42.86 Per Ounce
It's designed to be worn alone, though the brand recommends a "mixing medium or a glitter glue" to avoid fallout. The loose consistency was denser and more weighed down, which made it less messy to work with than some more finely-milled (but very powdery) loose eyeshadow formulas available. They were very pigmented without much product, and they had similar coverage applied dry as well as wet.
The wet application typically yielded smoother, more metallic finishes and less fallout compared to dry application. Dry application required a bit more finesse as the product applied best by patting and pressing it on and then gently smoothing it into place, otherwise it had some fallout during application. A few shades that were more sparkly looked a bit chunkier applied to my skin when I used it dry (but were smoother and more forgiving when used wet). They lasted between seven and eight hours on me before creasing.
Browse all of our Sydney Grace Loose Pigment swatches.
I ridiculously want them ALL! But, especially Glee. That one is super special and quite different.
I agree — Glee is the most interesting of the three!
Glee and Optimism just want on my wish list.
I love the idea of pigments, but I never reach for them. They just seem too fussy for my routine. These are beautiful though.
I love Joyful Day and Optimism – blue and green are my favourites, but I don’t like the formula. The shadow dupes for these colours are perfect.