The Dark Side of Beauty: Review: Brija Cosmetics Sherlock Collection

Greetings from the Dark Side!

You should all be used to seeing indie brands on my blog by now, and you should all know how much I love indie brands over drugstore/department store makeup brands. Indie brands are usually vegan/cruelty free which is great for all of you who are vegan and/or prefer to buy cruelty-free makeup. They are also more creative with the inspirations for their makeup collections, which is the main reason why I just love indie makeup!

Brija Cosmetics is a relatively new brand to me, although I was already familiar with the owner. Brianna, the owner, makes Youtube videos as iluvjesse444 which I had watched prior to hearing about her makeup company. It is really interesting to see the owner of a makeup company make videos about other indie makeup! Anyway, I digress. Brinna gave me the opportunity to try some of her products some time ago and I've been using the products since then. The first set of products I tried was the Sherlock collection. I am pretty sure this was inspired by the BBC show called Sherlock, I mean look at the two photos below! The Sherlock and Watson from the labels have the same exact hair as the actors. The proof is in the hair my friends xD

iluvjesse44as

iluvjesse444

The Sherlock collection consists of two eyeshadows and one lip juice. You can get the 3 piece set for $15 or the two eyeshadows separately for $5 each. The two eyeshadows are called 'Bachelor Watson', a warm beige color, and 'Consulting Detective', a red-tone plum color. The lip juice is called 'Satisfied Grin' and it is a sheer grape with a bronze undertone.

Using 'Satisfied Grin':

Using 'Bachelor Watson' and 'Consulting Detective' eyeshadows:

I hate to put the same standards I would put on a larger collection on this because it is a very small collection. There are only three products in total, completely unlike the collections I am used to. However, it is easier to review each piece in detail. What I also like about having this type of collection is that it is more affordable and manageable for the normal person who doesn't want/can't afford a huge 10-20 piece collection.

The products are exactly what you would expect from a good quality indie brand. Both eyeshadows are smooth and nicely pigmented; they don't have fallout or chunky glitter. The eyeshadows aren't particularly bold or crazy with shimmer, but they fit really well together. The colors are simple and pretty and are fitted for the average woman who likes more neutral makeup. The same goes for the lip juice: it looks intimidating in the pot but it looks very classy on the lips; It is a sheer grape with a slight bronze undertone that makes the lips look flushed with a nice neutral sheen. I wore this to work meetings and I got a lot of compliments from women who tend to wear "natural" makeup. A small note on the lip juice, you can build up the color, but it is not as pigmented as I thought it might be. It will stay more of a sheer grape color rather than a darker grape.

Probably the best thing about this collection is that you can actually use all three products in one look and know that they will look good together.

I know that I personally tend to love collections that are based on things I love (like Star Wars, Pokemon, Doctor Who, etc.). So if you love Sherlock Holmes or the show Sherlock, you will probably really want to own this regardless of the colors! That aside, I see this as a collection for someone who is looking for eyeshadows that are not too shimmery or crazy and for a lip color that gives a tinge of color without being too overbearing. If you are, however, someone who loves crazy colors, glitter, and all kinds of madness, this is probably not your cup of tea. I am in somewhere in the middle: I love both crazy colorful eyeshadows and classy neutral shades. So I do love the colors in this, particularly the lip juice, but my crazy side decided that I wish this had something else that was either a bit brighter or a bit darker. But for all purposes, this is a really pretty and compact collection.

*Brija Cosmetics is having a 30% off sale for Black Friday! It is going to be Friday-Monday. Use the code FRIDAY2013 at checkout.