Today is the day I’ve been waiting for since the Sir John Masterclass. Today Sir John’s collaboration with W.beauty will be available in all Woolworths stores. How exciting?

I was so thrilled to know about this launch and even more happy that we (those who attended the masterclass) had to opportunity to purchase the items included in this collection.

Included in this collection:

• A highlighter stick
• An eyeshadow palette
• A creamy lipstick
• 4 bold liquid eyeshadows
• Metallic nail lacquers
• A shimmering highlighter compact and
• A brush set

The makeup addict in me wanted the whole collection. Lol. But then again, what’s new?

I received the eyeshadow palette and the brush set as a gift from someone special and I can’t thank her enough. The minute I saw Sir John swatch the shadows, I was sold. It became a need ( is it ever? lol).  Let me stop rambling and let’s get to my review on these two items

Sir John x W.Beauty Volume 1 Eyeshadow Palette -R299

Packaging

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the packaging? I love the green and black with gold accent, especially the little Beetle, which holds so much meaning behind the inspiration for this collection,

Here’s what he had to say when asked about the inspiration behind the collaboration.

“For me, there was only one emblem. One day I saw a scarab beetle and I thought ‘wow, that’s such a beautiful, regal insect’. So something that’s seemingly not beautiful, something that we might run away from, exudes such majestic beauty … that’s where I started,” says Sir John.

“In ancient Egyptian mythology, it has to do with religion, but for me, the beetle symbolises renewal; a journey we have with ourselves daily and a sense of wanting an optimistic new approach.”

Eyeshadows and Pigmentation

The palette contains 16 shadows, a mix of mattes, satins and metallic finishes. It has a lovely array of contrast shades: natural tones followed by sparkling colours like the petrol blue shade, the green that has this mesmerising shift and a gold shade which is a staple these days.

These shadows are BEAUTIFUL. He wasn’t joking when he said that he wanted the perfect formula. The matte shades are soft and blend beautifully. There’s a little kick up but that’s known to happen with really soft shadows. The formula of the satin and metallic shades feels soo soft, almost wet. They’re all highly pigmented and don’t require a wet brush to show up vividly.

I didn’t experience any issues with the shadows, just that the one light pink metallic shade was much softer than the rest and has quite a bit of kick up. Just don’t press too hard or else you’ll pick up a lot of product, resulting in fall out on your face.

Four Piece Brush Set-R450

This set includes four brushes

1. a dense foundation brush
2. a blush brushes
3. a tapered blending brush and
4. a flat eyeshadow brush.

I’ve used all four and they work really well. The foundation brush has these really slim soft bristles that are tightly packed together. I’ve never owned one of these dense foundation brushes and I’m happy it was included in this set because it applied one’s makeup beautifully. It feels like a sponge and doesn’t soak up a lot of product.

The blush brush has soft bristles and my ideal size for a blush brush. Both eye brushes work perfectly. I love that they aren’t too stiff, this allows for great blending work. I use the tapered blending brush for my crease and the flat brush to pack on shadow, to darken my outer corner or to blend out my lower lash.

Final Thoughts

I was quite shocked when I heard the price of the palette. With such great quality, I would say it’s easily worth R350. My only con is that it only has 3 matte shades. I would’ve loved a few more.

Then again, this is Volume 1 and also limited edition, so hopefully, there’ll be more matte shadows in “volume 2” (hint hint).

The brushes are great, the handles are sturdy and they are decently priced as well. The whole look of this collection just gives an exclusive feeling. That’s at least how I feel with the 2 items I’ve purchased.

I’m lusting over the liquid eyeshadows, the lipstick (lipstick addicts will understand) and the shimmering highlighter compact.

Have you seen the collection? Are you eager to go swatch these products and maybe purchase an item or two? Thoughts on the ones I’ve purchased, especially the eyeshadow palette?

Let me know in the comment section below.

XoXo

Yolanda