Clionadh Cosmetics: Brand Profile

Hello, hello, and welcome to another brand profile! This time, it is for Clionadh Cosmetics, a Canadian indie brand that creates some of the most unique products I have ever seen! They are just now teasing their new Stained Glass collection on their Instagram and I cannot get enough; one day, I’ll definitely be adding some of those shades to my collection.

In the meantime, however, I am lucky enough to own their perhaps most famous products, their Archeo and Paleo palettes. I remember when I first saw these palettes. It was months before Liv and I started running Indie Mood, and they were on my wishlist for months longer before I was able to get my hands on them. In the time since, they have become some of my favorite palettes I own in my collection.

These palettes are so amazing, and I just want everyone to know about them. So, without further ado, here is the brand profile for Clionadh Cosmetics!

Brand Based In: Toronto, Canada

Price Range: $6 – $145 CAN ($4.50 – $109 USD)

Shipping: based on postal company pricing

Best-Sellers: Their single shadows! (And mind you, I do really want to own every one of them one day. If that doesn’t give you a hint about what my review will be like, I don’t know what will. :P) Their Dreamweaver and 66.5° N collection in particular have done extremely well.

Products to Check Out: The highlighters that are a part of their Deity series, including their Pantheon Extension. This series has a shade for every skin tone!

Other: Cruelty Free and Vegan!

Our Thoughts: Well, if you couldn’t tell already, I am absolutely in love with the Clionadh formula. When I received the Paleo and Archeo palettes (a gift for Christmas) I was beyond ecstatic. I had heard so much about these palettes and the Clionadh formula, and they definitely lived up to my expectations. In fact, the quality was beyond my expectations (and my expectations were high).

First of all, the packaging. It is all hand made and hand painted. Hand. Painted!!!! I’ve heard a few people have had issues with flaking of the paint, but I haven’t had this problem. I do store these palettes very carefully, though, in their boxes and laying on a flat surface. I also plan on keeping them in a separate drawer from the rest of my palettes when I move to a bigger place with room for a vanity. So, I suggest to handle these carefully. I definitely believe that they can flake, hence my careful treatment.

But now, on to the exciting part! The shadows themselves. Let me talk about the matte formula first. This formula is so, so beautiful, one of my favorite matte formulas on the market for sure. It is very creamy in the pan, but it’s actually a harder press. I find that this makes the formula extremely buildable and blendable, while allowing for a whole ton of pigmentation at the same time.

My favorite way to use them is to either build up the colors slowly, or to pack them on wherever I want the color and then blend out the edges with a clean brush. These shadows create the most seamless, easy blend, ever.

And as for the metallics. Oh, my gosh. These shadows. First of all, they are so versatile, in that you can keep them closer to a very shimmery shadow or a full on metallic. For a more shimmery shadow, use a brush and back them on the lid. For an in-between look, use your finger. For a full-blown metallic look, pack them on your lid layered over an unset primer, such as the Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy or the Surreal Makeup primer.

But perhaps what I enjoy most about their shimmer/metallic formula is how easy it is to use, and how well it blends with their mattes (which makes sense, but still, hear me out, here). My favorite looks are monochromatic, one to two shadow looks, and these palettes and formulas are perfect (perfect!!!!) for such looks. Blend a matte through your crease, pat a matching shimmer on your lid and boom! You’re done!

Could you ask for anything more from an eyeshadow formula? I think not. And can we also talk about how well thought-out and how inspired and inspiring Clionadh’s collections are? Seriously, they have become one of my favorite indie brands (though let’s be real, pretty much every indie I’ve tried has become a favorite) and I can’t get enough. My low buy restricts me from buying their entire website for now, but one day, y’all, one day… let’s just say you can probably expect a massive swatch party with Clionadh products eventually. 🙂