At the rate that I’m currently posting, it would be impossible for me to showcase my entire makeup collection. The reason I started this blog in the first place was to help others find swatches of products that I had a difficult time finding on someone with my skin tone. However, there are parts of my collection that I’ve had for well over a year and are still completely untouched.

So, I had the idea to start a Swatchfest series for products I know that for whatever reason I’ll never get around to reviewing. These posts will focus on arm swatches and will not replace my usual Monday reviews.

Give Me Glow, Menagerie Cosmetics, and Storybook Cosmetics are the three brands I’ll be swatching today. I decided to group them together because they are all brands I hold in somewhat negative regard for terrible customer service (Storybook), poor social media presence (Menagerie), and questionable brand owner choices (Give Me Glow and Storybook). Despite my negative experiences, I don’t dislike them enough to not feature them here, but a brand like Jeffree Star Cosmetics will never be on my blog.

Give Me Glow

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In the case of Give Me Glow, the Instagram swatches looked otherworldly levels of gorgeous. In person, the shimmers weren’t as texturally smooth and rich in color as I expected. They’re still pretty though, and those mattes swatch beautifully! I haven’t tried them on my eyes yet, so I have no idea how they actually perform, but that’s why this post is just about the swatches!

Menagerie Cosmetics

My only reason for not being excited about these shadows is due to the chunkier texture. I find them cumbersome to use with a brush, but when I use them with my finger (as is easier) the texture is unpleasant. They just aren’t a formula I like, but I can see why so many other people would love them and be happy with them.

Storybook Cosmetics

The Robin Hood and Little Red Riding Hood palettes were in Boxycharms about a year ago. They were made in the PRC. The Wizardry and Witchcraft palette I bought from Ulta was made in the US. Although Witchcraft and Wizardry is an older palette, I bought it exactly one year ago. How it swatches now is how it swatched back then, which was that some shimmers aren’t fully opaque and the mattes are crumbly and powdery. The mini palettes swatched better and felt smoother. Swatches don’t tell the whole story though, so how they work on the eyes might be a different story entirely.

That’s everything for Part 1! I couldn’t resist putting a little bit of my two cents into this post, despite my intent to keep it strictly about the swatches. I’m grateful you took time to look at my blog and I hope you have a great day!

-Lili ❤