Sydney Grace x Temptalia Radiant Reflection Palette | Everything You Want to Know (and More)

Radiant Reflection (Deep)

The concept of this palette was to create something rich in jewel-tones and almost rainbow-like, but I didn’t want it to be a neon rainbow or use typical rainbow hues we’ve seen in past palettes. I wanted more depth and interest, so a lot of the richness comes from the more shimmery shades, while the depth comes from slightly muted mattes, which are more to ground the palette than add to the richness.

This was the hardest color story to create and develop because there are so many different colors and undertones, so it was harder to unify them in a way that made sense. It is still a palette designed more as a complementary one than standalone, though it can be used on its own but will be best paired with some of your favorite neutrals and transition hues.

I knew from the beginning that I’d be pushing the possibilities as I had berry-purple and violet purple mattes that likely would require adjustments over time to use them with FDA-approved color additives only.

When I described the colors I wanted for each palette, I provided a written description along with links to swatches of similar shades that were closer (either in color or in the “vibe”) and referenced Sydney Grace’s existing line if there was anything nearby (like “A deeper, darker version of A with a cooler undertone and more of a metallic shine with less sparkle”), which I figured would give them a good reference point to start from visually.

Note: Palettes are being sent to official swatchers this week, but as I was first to receive palettes (duh), I figured I’d recruit my husband’s and my sister’s arms for swatching, so I have those ready now. We will have very light, light/light-medium, medium, medium-dark, and dark skin tones represented before launch.

P.S. — I did not intend to rate the products from my collaboration, mostly because who would believe my ratings? It felt almost silly, but I had SO many requests to rate. Sydney Grace eyeshadows are fairly consistent (one of the reasons I wanted to work with them), so you can also check out past reviews that were written well before the collaboration process started as well.

• Ingredients
• Look

Radiant Reflection (Light)

• Ingredients
• Look

Unstoppable Love (Deep)

Unstoppable Love (Deep) is a deep eggplant with subtle, warm undertones and matte finish. The consistency is slightly more loosely-pressed, so there was light powderiness in the pan when picked up, but it has enough substance to have minimal to no fallout during application but retains its depth (which was what made this shade harder to get right — to be dark but still have brightness).

Inspiration: I wanted to get something as purple-leaning as I could without using color additives that aren’t approved (by the FDA) for use on the eye area, and this was the result. It reads as a true eggplant on me and can appear a bit cooler, warmer, or muted depending on skin tone and undertone. I felt like this type of hue helped to marry many of the more vibrant shimmer shades.

Behind the Name: “Love is unstoppable” is a motto between my husband and I–it is engraved on his wedding ring.

Development

Originally, this was the shade I was trying to push toward a brighter, violet purple kind of hue (with a matte finish) but couldn’t get there while using FDA-approved color additives, which was very much as I suspected, so my backup was more of a plum/eggplant color–as rich and deep as we could get it. The first round of color samples included two loose versions, though neither was quite what I was after.

The third, hand-pressed version wasn’t as deep as I wanted (and went lighter than the prior version). The fourth, machine-pressed version went lighter, even though the undertone was more where I wanted it.  That being said, I felt like it would work well for the Light version of this shade.

The fifth version was purpler and more what I had in mind, and the texture was quite lovely (better than it had been previously), so it was approved in late April 2021.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Unstoppable Love (Light)

Unstoppable Love (Light) is a medium-dark, rosy plum with warm undertones and a matte finish. It is slightly more loosely-pressed, so there is a bit of powderiness in the pan, but it keeps its coverage level and can blend out for more of a diffused look. I’d recommend a light-to-medium hand when working with the color to ensure no fallout during application.

Inspiration: When we determined that a light/deep version was going to exist, I kept pushing to go deeper and richer for the Deep version but found that we had arrived at the right depth for the lighter version. The inspiration was the same, ultimately: I wanted matte shade that offered depth and unified the palette, particularly in the left half of the palette.

Behind the Name: “Love is unstoppable” is a motto between my husband and I–it is engraved on his wedding ring.

Development

Because Radiant Reflection is more of a colorful palette, it wasn’t designed to need as many anchoring/neutral matte kind of shades. It’s also hard to find blendable plummy tones, so I used one of iterations from working on the Deep version for here.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Operose

Operose is a medium-dark red with warm undertones and pearl finish. It has a particularly smooth consistency, which helps it look almost “melted” on skin while being fairly reflective. It is not quite as metallic as most of the metallic shades I have in the palettes overall.

Inspiration: Originally, I had a cooler red for this palette and a warmer red for Quintessence but felt that something with some warmth was a better fit for Radiant Reflection after working with the colors in person. This was also a shade that underwent a lot of iterations over time, partially because an ingredient became unavailable after it was initially to my liking!  The color represents rubies and the brilliance as light, which is often warmer, shines through.

Behind the Name: I love the “rose” in the word to tie to a red-hued shade, but its origins are from the Latin operosus, which means industrious and painstaking–and I feel like that describes what I’ve put into the blog over time.

Development

It was initially described as a “vivid berry-red” and ideally, it would have been matte, but I was hoping for at least getting there with a low satin-like sheen.  I loved the first loose color sample I received but ended up using the color in Quintessence instead, opting for a warmer red here. I did this in mid-2020 when the first pressed version of the shades were made.

The third, machine-pressed version wasn’t dark or rich enough for my preference, and the texture was a little too slippery.  The fourth version was deeper and richer, while still being warm and red-based, with the right texture and was approved for production mid-March 2021.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Temptalia

Temptalia is a medium, strawberry milk pink with muted, warm undertones and high-shine, metallic finish. There is a touch of golden sheen to it, which gives it more warmth in action. The texture has a moderately-firm feel to it, which ensures minimal to no fallout but gives it great shine and shimmer.

Inspiration: Originally, this shade was conceptualized as a brighter magenta, but after several attempts, it was always too close to existing Sydney Grace (either Once in a Lifetime or Magic Act). I decided to take it into a different direction–something lighter and brighter–and thought about rose quartz, pink sapphires, and pink diamonds.

We tried something with a lot of sparkle to it, but there was more fallout than ideal, and I felt like it was prone to applying unevenly so after a few different tries to balance binder, sparkle, and firmness of pressure… another direction: higher-shine, less sparkle, refined pearl. This color was actually something I was originally thinking of for Quintessence but moved away from!

This was the last shade finalized, and in a way, it was crowd-sourced, because I shared the four options provided by Sydney Grace where I knew one of them would be what I’d approve. This ended up being shade #4 as I shared on Instagram. (Shade #3 became Dear Reader!)

Behind the Name: Who could possibly explain how I arrived at this name? 😂

Development

I wanted a “vivid, pink-toned purple” in either a matte or shimmer finish. The first loose color sample I received was exactly what I wanted, but then the second, hand-pressed pan went very violet (which was certainly pretty but not my vision!). The third, machine-pressed pan was closer to the original color sample but was so close to Once in a Lifetime.

On the fourth attempt, it still remained far too similar to Once in a Lifetime, so I went in a different direction: more of a lavender with heavier sparkle. Unfortunately, that introduction of sparkle made it hard to balance binder, fallout, and even application; this encompassed the fifth and sixth versions. The seventh version was still too chunky/hard to apply, so I decided to go for a more high-shine finish and lose the sparkle.

This was the last shade to be approved, so for the very last set of color samples, Sydney Grace created four versions of this shade. The first two were very similar, while the third was cooler-toned and more lavender while the fourth was warmer, almost like strawberry milk. I shared some of this on Instagram, and sharing actually made this more challenging to decide between.

There was tremendous support for the third version, but ultimately, I felt the fourth version was the right mix of depth and undertone to work with the color story overall. I asked if Sydney Grace would consider making the third version a single, and they said yes; it’ll be named Dear Reader in honor of Temptalia readers’ feedback.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Forget-Her-Not

Forget-Her-Not is a deep violet with cool undertones and pearl sheen. The finish is subtler and more of a satiny-sheen than intense metallic, which makes this shade easier to use in the crease and still be able to get depth out of it, and it doesn’t blend out to pink/red at all. There just aren’t enough cool-toned purples in the makeup world!

Inspiration: What are jewel-tones without a vivid violet? It felt necessary to dream up cooler, more blue-based purple options, and I wanted real depth but less shine so that it could be used in place of a matte (for those who aren’t 100% committed to true matte) but has all the blendability of a shimmer.

Behind the Name: It is a nod to my mother-in-law, who has always loved flowers and often knows the names of them (she also loves purple!), so it is a play on forget-me-not flowers.

Development

It was originally described as a “satin purple.” The first loose color sample was very similar, just bluer-based than I had originally envisioned, but I actually preferred it that way. The second, hand-pressed version needed to be softer and more yielding. The third, machine-pressed version was the right balance of texture, pigmentation, and blendability and was approved in January 2021.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Our Starry Night

Our Starry Night is a bright, sapphire blue base with flecks of gold sparkle over metallic finish. This is the most sparkly shade and most prone to fallout from all the 42 shades developed, but it was fine-tuning that balance between having visible, gold micro-sparkle coming through and being both embedded but still visible on top and getting totally lost and overwhelmed by the blue base. It is very workable with a dry brush but will have light to moderate fallout, and it works better pressed/patted more firmly to the lid. I would recommend using it with a dampened brush or fingertip, though.

Inspiration: I wanted something to represent sapphire blue, and I loved the idea of it also being an ode to the night sky with gold through it to represent stars. The trick with this shade was finding the right balance of amount of sparkle (so it wasn’t overwhelmed by the blue base) and the press (so that the sparkles were visible but didn’t have tons of fallout during application).

Behind the Name: One of my husband’s favorite pieces of art is Starry Night by Van Gogh, so much so that we had elements hand-painted onto our wedding menus and place cards.

Development

From the beginning, it was described as “rich, cobalt blue base with flecks of warmer gold and light blue shimmer/sparkle.”  The first loose color sample came through and was perfect in base color but not quite as sparkly as I wanted. The next round included two more versions, and I ended up leaning into the third version (still loose).

The fourth version, which was hand-pressed, wasn’t as creamy nor as sparkly as I wanted. The fifth version, which was machine-pressed, seemed to strike the right balance of press while allowing the sparkle to come through while minimizing fallout.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Glossover

Glossover is a glowing, light-medium blue with cool undertones and iridescent sheen. It may be tempting to use it damp, but I actually think this shade has the most glow and luminance when applied dry! (It can be applied with a wet brush but gets a little more metallic.) The press is slightly firmer to keep it from being too powdery.

Inspiration: I wanted something to have more of an iridescent sheen that wasn’t metallic or sparkly but smoother. This was always part of my color story for this palette, but it was surprisingly challenging to describe to Sydney Grace to achieve the end result that we did! I also found that it took a few revisions to get the texture to be a smooth sheen without being too thick.

Behind the Name: It is a nod to the rating system used on Temptalia, The Glossover, which I felt fit with how glowing the sheen was on this–a lot like how pearl looks in a lipgloss.

Development

I wanted this to have a “high-shine, smooth/reflective blue base with blue-violet shift.” The initial version had a great finish but I wanted the overall color to be lighter to give more of a halo/brightening effect. The second version was still on the darker side, while the third, hand-pressed version was closer but felt too thick/dense in texture. While the fourth version was better, it was still too thick and didn’t apply evenly.

It was the fifth version where the texture was where it needed to be–smooth, satiny, and not too thick–and was approved for full production in early March 2021.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Sumptuous Serendipity

Sumptuous Serendipity is a medium-dark, red-plum with contrasting micro-sparkle and metallic finish. It has a light-to-medium firmness to it, so it shouldn’t be powdery and picks up easily with a dry brush but is firm enough (without being too thick) to “melt” more for a smoother sheen on skin.

Inspiration: Pink tourmalines and warmer amethyst put me in the mind of a twinkling plum.

Behind the Name: More of my favorite words!

Development

I described this shade as a “deeper, reddish-plum” with “surprise shift.” The initial version that arrived was very close to what I wanted, and the second loose sample was on the nose. When the third version, which was hand-pressed, came through, the contrasting shimmer/sparkle got lost.

The fourth, machine-pressed version had the right finish and texture, but the color was darker and warmer, which wasn’t what I was looking for.  The fifth version was significantly warmer and had larger sparkle in it than desired. The sixth version brought us back to a slightly cooler version but with the right pearl-level, and it was approved mid-March 2021.

Phosphenes

This shade wasn’t part of the original color story and was developed later on but in mid-2020 was me trying to get something sparkling, full of nuance, and kind of smoky beige or iridescent pink.  There were two early versions that just weren’t quite what I was looking for, and the third was a darker pink that was pretty but didn’t really jive with the rest of the palette in practice. It was in February 2021 that I switched gears and leaned into a smoky, pewter bronze with some pearl.

The fourth, machine-pressed version had the perfect, smoky pewter bronze base but I wanted the pearl/shimmer to be more contrasting, which was the same no te I had for the fifth version.  On the sixth version, the color, level of pearl, and texture were perfected, and the shade was approved in late March 2021.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Phosphenes

Phosphenes is a medium-dark, rosy taupe with intense, metallic sheen and subtle twinkle. It has some depth, but there’s a lot of shine, which makes it appear brighter and more complex. It can look almost purplish and rosy sometimes, while looking more like a true taupe at other moments. It’s a total bear to photograph.

Inspiration: I wanted to capture the qualities of smoky quartz–depth, sparkle, and a color that was hard to pinpoint. It’s smoky bronze, it’s purple-taupe, it’s bright and it’s dark.

Behind the Name: The definition of phosphenes is the flashes/shapes of light seen when there’s mechanical pressure on one’s eyes (e.g. rubbing them or closing them very tightly).

Development

This shade changed a lot over time. There was a lot of moving around between different iterations of this shade, Glossover, and Temptalia. This was originally going in more of a golden-beige with green-gold shift with a more transparent base, but the base wasn’t working quite right for Magellan’s Light (from On the Horizon) so I wanted to rework this.

The more I worked with the palette, though, the more I felt it needed something more grounding but still brightening, which is how we ended up moving in the direction that came to be. Impressively, Sydney Grace got really close to the final color and finish I was conceptualizing based off this description, “[Existing Shades] Albert and John and Phoenix Awakens layered together… a rosy bronze with a dirtiness to it.”

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Dearest Constant (Deep)

Dearest Constant (Deep) is a medium-dark copper with balanced red-orange undertones and matte finish. The texture has a creaminess to it, almost silky to the touch without being powdery… yet being very readily picked up and blended out. The color itself is not the Most Unique, but the way it sits on skin is particularly flattering.

Inspiration: I wanted something with enough depth to work on dark skin tones as a crease/transition shade that was more neutral but still had some color to it that would work with several of the hues in the palette.

Behind the Name: It is in reference to my husband, who is a constant source of love, support, and comfort in my life.

Development

This shade wasn’t part of my original color concept but was added when it was extended from 10 to 12-shades. It was described as a “matte copper-orange” — I wanted something not too orange, not too red and a little muted, which was exactly what I got in the second round of loose color samples.  Once this went to being hand-pressed, the texture was overly firm. The fourth, machine-pressed version was the right color and balance in firmness/softness. This was the Deep version.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Dearest Constant (Light)

Dearest Constant (Light) is a light-medium peach with muted, warm undertones and matte finish. It’s firm enough that the color holds its pigmentation for anyone wanting true-to-color opacity out of it, but it’s still soft enough that blends out readily.

Inspiration: Late in the process, we decided to create light and deep versions of the palette. The Deep version of this shade was designed to be more of a softer crease/transition shade on dark skin, so I wanted to create something similar for lighter skin. I find a lot of peachy shades to be too yellow or too orange, while a lot of beiges are too light. I ended up layering several more muted, slightly cooler peach/beige shades from Sydney Grace’s existing range to come up with a concept for this shade.

Behind the Name: It is in reference to my husband, who is a constant source of love, support, and comfort in my life.

Development

The Light version was supposed to be more of a sandy beige–not cool-toned but not too warm-toned either. It was initially too warm-toned and too firmly-pressed. The second version was just right!

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Exquisite Opulence

Exquisite Opulence is an intense, molten gold with metallic finish. The world probably didn’t need yet another gold eyeshadow, but the color story felt incomplete without it. It adds so much contrast against some of the cooler blues and greens while coordinating well with the warmer red and plum kind of hues. It has a light-to-medium press to it, so it is pretty much easy to use however one might reach for it, and we kept it from being too firmly-pressed to ensure some of the micro-sparkle came through.

Inspiration: I’ve always loved a molten gold, and it’s perfect for a jewel-toned palette. This color was part of my original concept, and I wanted it to be a deeper gold with warmth and a lot of shine and twinkle. The more challenging part was differentiating it from other Sydney Grace golds, of which there are a fair few!, but I think we managed to capture that darker, richer base while still keeping it bright in doing so.

Behind the Name: My kind of word salad. I’ve always loved words like opulent/opulence, and the palette is all about extravagance, so it’s not just opulence in color-form but exquisite opulence!

Development

I described this as the “richest, honeyed gold.” The initial round included one loose version of this shade, which was total perfection! The second, hand-pressed version was darker and more orange-based with less sparkle, so it had to be tweaked to get back to the loose version in color/finish.

The third version had the right finish and texture, but the color needed to be lighter and less brown/orange but was also too close to The Dream.  The fourth version managed to straddle a narrow space between the brand’s metallic gold shades that was different while still having all the sparkle and shine I was hoping for!

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Jealousy's Descent

Jealousy’s Descent is a deep emerald green with metallic finish. The press is moderately-firm on this–probably one of the firmer shimmers–and will be best picked up using a gentle pushing motion with the edge of a brush, if using dry. I really wanted that sheen to be really smooth but also reflective, which is how I landed on that level of pressure/texture. I have found it softens slightly over time, but the first few uses may seem a little firm to some!

Inspiration: I have always loved the richness of jewel tones, especially emerald green, which is far less common of a shade than it really should be (in my opinion, of course). I always knew that this was going to be a must-have in any jewel-toned inspired color story.

Behind the Name: The name is a nod to the shade I made with MAC many years ago, Jealousy Wakes, that was similar in color, though this is truer to what I was hoping to achieve at the time. There’s no reason to be jealous because this is the epitome of my dream emerald green, hence the “descent” part of the name.

Development

I described this shade as “rich, vivid emerald green” that was supposed to lean “slightly greener.” Sydney Grace’s very first attempt to get this color was perfection. The second version, which was hand-pressed, was perfect color and just needed to be slightly firmer as it softened up a little too much after a few uses. The third, machine-pressed version was approved in January 2021 for full production.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

Sublime Reverie

Sublime Reverie is a medium-dark teal with cool undertones and matte finish. The texture is particularly soft and silky, so there is a little powderiness present in the pan and potential for minor fallout if picked up more heavily. Firmer presses resulted in sheerer coverage and the color getting more muted/washed out, particularly on dark skin tones.

Inspiration: As we expanded the palette from 10 to 12 shades, I felt like a matte, blue-teal would help to tie some of the shades together while providing an in-between shade from blue to green.

Behind the Name: We used to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium often (and Monterey was the first vacation hubby and I took when dating), and when we’d go outside and look at the ocean, I thought about how looking at the vastness made me feel. I wanted to connect that feeling with the sentiment behind self-reflection as well.

Development

Originally, I had a lighter, brighter shimmering teal in the palette but removed it in favor of adding a matte teal instead, so after the first two versions, it went in another direction. The third and fourth versions were in the ballpark, but I wanted more saturation. The fifth, hand-pressed version was too dark, not saturated enough, and the texture was too firm for my preference. The sixth version was closer in color but too firmly pressed, while the seventh version had the right level of richness and was approved late March 2021.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

• Top Dupes
• Formula Overview
• Ingredients
• Look

The Lost Shades

• Radiant Reflection 4A: Fiery coral with flecks of gold/pink but ended up discarding the color concept entirely.
• Radiant Reflection 8A/8B: Metallic greenish-teal, but it was too similar to shades in the Quintessence palette.
• Boops & Bow Ties: Matte marigold (decided to forego this shade as I didn’t feel like it married as well as a cohesive color story)

Version History

• Unstoppable Love (Deep): 5
• Unstoppable Love (Light): 1
• Operose: 4
• Temptalia: 11
• Forget-Her-Not: 3
• Our Starry Night: 5
• Glossover: 5
• Sumptuous Serendipity: 6
• Phosphenes: 6
• Dearest Constant: 4
• Exquisite Opulence: 4
• Jealousy’s Descent: 3
• Sublime Reverie: 7

Looks