Sample.

Sydney Grace ‘Autumn’s Reign’ Palette ($52)

Sydney Grace (formerly Feather River Body) is a brand that I’ve been meaning to try for YEARS. A month or two ago I started chatted a bit with the owner, Heather. When I mentioned my interest in doing a review she sent over a staggering amount of eyeshadows. Like my jaw was on the ground when I opened the package. Their line is absolutely enormous. While I’ll definitely being writing a seperate review for their single shadows, I wanted to get started with their first ever eyeshadow palette, Autumn’s Reign. Sydney Grace is owned and operated by two sisters that live on the outskirts of Paradise, California. Yes, the town that was nearly destroyed by the Camp Fire a few weeks ago. Blessedly their homes were spared but they’re still dealing with the devastating loss of their town. They’ve decided to help their neighbors whom were less fortunate by donating 25% of the proceeds of this palette (until December 31). How cool is that?? Since it’s nearly Christmas, I figured that I had better get this review up because I’m sure that many of you would love to support such a worthy cause.

It’s a cardboard palette with a white interior and a navy and white striped exterior with floral accents. The palette is cruelty free but not vegan. It has 15 full sized eyeshadows that are 1.8g each for a total weight of 27 grams. It works out to about $1.92 per gram which is a very reasonable price point. I love the mix of finishes and warm and cool tones. I think that their inclusion of colors and neutrals will appeal to most consumers regardless of age or skin tone. And the quality is amazing. I’m going to make a bold statement here… Sydney Grace makes the best indie mattes that I’ve ever tried. This is not to shade any of my other beloved indie brands. Most of them make great mattes too. But these are just the best. I would never, in a million years, guess that they’re handmade. Okay let’s look at the swatches already and I’ll elaborate as we go!

Queen of the North is a matte ivory. I’m often disappointed by the matte highlight shade found in the palettes that I review. I love a strong brow bone highlight and I have fair skin so I need a shade with intense pigmentation that doesn’t fade. Queen of the North met all of my expectations.

Palace is a bright coral pink. It has excellent pigmentation and minimal fall out. Most handmade mattes are fragile with a lot of kick up in the pans. SG mattes are intensely pigmented but also pressed firmly enough to be strong.

Supreme Harvest is a deep terracotta matte. It has a velvety texture that blends easily without sheering out.

Nature’s Crown is a mid-toned brown with yellow undertones. It applies smoothly without skipping and blends out with minimal effort.

Golden Wheat is a medium dark, neutral brown. The color pay off is opaque but also buildable, meaning that it’s a medium brown that deepens when layered.

Amber Jewels is a ruby red metallic. The shimmers in this palette are excellent as well. They’re dense and richly pigmented but they apply effortlessly with a brush.

Magnificent Chestnut is a rich coppery bronze. The texture is dense and creamy but with enough slip to glide on smoothly without tugging

Golden Specter is a sunny yellow gold. All of these shimmers have that perfect density. Smooth and lightly creamy but not so thick that they crease or emphasize texture

Wondrous Knight is a medium pewter metallic with a hint of sparkle. Same great texture and ease of application as the others.

Majestic Breeze is a deep blue with subtle green undertones that become more apparent when you blend it out

Countess is a mid-toned pinky mauve. I love this color. The pink undertones add just a hint of warmth. I’ve been using this as my crease color then defining my eye with Majestic Breeze. It’s a beautiful combination

Brilliant Realm is a deep plum matte. I was super impressed with how easily this one blended as deep plum mattes are notoriously patchy

Sovereign Rain is a rich red violet. It has a satiny finish so it works great all over the lid or in the crease.

Fallen Splendor is a medium green with subtle yellow tones. Again, excellent pigmentation and ease of application

Moonlit Kingdom is a deep blue with a satiny finish. Similar to Sovereign Rain, it blends out to a nearly matte finish.

Recap- As you’ve probably guessed, I highly recommend this palette. Every Sydney Grace eyeshadow that I’ve tried has been perfection. They’re all around user friendly, perfect for beginners and experts alike. Their mattes are on par with major brands like MUFE, ABH and DOC. Their shimmers have the pigmentation of a foiled shadow but with enough slip to apply easily with a brush. And get this… they’re so sure that you’ll love their products that they offer a 7 day money back guarantee, if for some reason you’re not satisfied with your order. How phenomenal is that?? An offer like that is unheard of for an indie makeup brand. If all goes as planned, I should be posting a review of their matte single shadows next week and then a review of their single shimmers some time in January!