(ursa)major love for dark matter makeup.

Sample vials from Dark Matter Makeup

I experienced a miracle today.

It might not seem like much of one, but if you're anywhere above, like, Kentucky, you'll probably understand what I mean when I describe the miracle as "the sun". Yes, the sun. Today, I finally saw the sun for the first time since about mid-November. That's not even an exaggeration, because I distinctly remember the day in mid-November when it appeared and my girlfriend said, "This is the first time the sun's been out since Halloween".

I haven't even been longing for the sun in terms of wanting it to be spring so much as it's just been driving me bonkers how hard it is to get gloriously glittery swatches without it. There's just nothing else that's quite the same as that giant yellow sky-ball.

So, naturally, when the sun came out today I rejoiced, and then I grabbed my Dark Matter samples I'd recently received and my camera.

"Now," you might say. "When you say you went outside to swatch do you mean you went out in the snow in a sweater with rolled-up sleeves and took pictures of your glittery arms while strangers walking their dogs looked at you funny?"

And in an ideal world I would answer no, I did it from the comfort of my living room with large window/sun porch/balcony.

But this is not an ideal world so yes, that is exactly what I did.

Over UDPP & Pixie Epoxy, L to R: Betelgeuse, Ursa Minor, Ursa Major.

Dark Matter Makeup is a newer company on the indie scene, filled with gorgeous shadows named after various star- and space-related people and things. The owner, Dom, is incredibly nice and the fastest shipper this side of the ol' west. The aesthetic of the brand is really nice too, everything is coherent and packed fantastically. Samples come in tiny centrifuge-style vials that snap nice and tightly for travel, and the fullsize shadows come in elegant bottles rather than flatter jars. I also appreciate that each sample vial has a little flagged label with the logo and the shade handwritten on it, it's a nice touch that makes the samples feel very professional. Everything also comes in a sweet like star-and-moon print drawstring bag, and to finish it off I got Dom's business card and a Dark Matter ingredient card (very handy and a great little touch) sealed up with an extra small baggie sample of shadow in a neat little transparent envelope. It was the extra touch that really made the whole package feel amazingly put-together and I was very impressed.

I apologize for how uneven they came out,
these were applied with a finger and no tape, unlike my usual method.

I ended up picking up six samples.

First here we have Betelgeuse, a deep burgundy type color with a gold shift. The shift comes out best over Pixie Epoxy, applied over just primer or bare skin it's rather sheer and sparkly but not at the full potential it could be. It applies decently enough and blends well, it just requires a sticky base to avoid any patchiness or sheerness, as you can see around the edges of my swatch.

Ursa Minor is a lovely and slightly rose-y gold that applies nice and smoothly over pixie epoxy or just plain primer. It's very smooth and easy to use. It is, quite obviously, very lovely paired with Ursa Major.

Ursa Major is a slightly rose-y coppery shade with a red glow. On the eyes it's really gorgeous, it just has that "glowy" factor when the light hits it. It's very smooth and applies well over bare skin or primer, or foiled over Pixie Epoxy.

Over UDPP and Pixie Epoxy, L to R: Galileo, Neptune, Polaris

Galileo is a silvery grey color in the tube, but on the skin it's more of a silvery brown with a red shift. It applies weak without a sticky base, but foiled over one it's incredible. I couldn't stop staring at it while taking pictures in the sun, it just glowed!

Neptune is a bright blue with a slight green shift. I couldn't resist the opportunity to have a Sailor Moon reference! (Michiru is one of my favorites, along with Haruka.) The shadow is obviously named after the planet, but still. Y'know. Priorities. This one is very smooth and metallic over any base, just like the Ursas, but still looks brightest foiled over a sticky base or primer. I love how bright it is.

Close-up of Polaris. It has coppery sparks/a slight copper shift, but they proved a bit hard to capture.

Last is Polaris, another deviation from my usual staple neutrals and golds. I couldn't resist the coppery duochrome in this one, and the bright blue-tinged purple color is fantastic. This applies alright without a sticky base but can lack punch. For maximum color effect, a good sticky base is best.

Galileo has quite the duochrome power, it's amazing.

I'd also implore you to not worry too much about the sample vials. At first I struggled applying, but I've figured out the easiest way to do it: cap it tight, turn it upside-down, give it a little shake. Turn it back over, tap the lid lightly with the fingernail a few times, then pop it open. You should have a nice little reservoir of product inside the cap! (If that still isn't your thing though, you can also of course depot them at your leisure.)    

And, of course, what good is a shadow if you can't turn out a few good looks? Here are some bonus pictures of some looks I did playing with these gorgeous gems:

Ursa Minor on lid, Ursa Major in mid and outer third of lid, Polaris in outer  v.
All over UDPP, Polaris intensified by applying over Pixie Epoxy.

She blinded me with science.

Ursa Major in center of lid, on lower lashline, Neptune in inner corner and outer v.
 Blackbird Cosmetic's Lucid used as a liner on upper& lower lashline.
All only applied over UDPP.

Just look at that Ursa Major glow. It's...wait for it...
out of this world.

Overall, Ursa Major is my favorite, hands down. Someone actually asked, "What eyeshadow would you save in a fire if you could only save one?" and I felt inclined to pick it out of my entire stash. (Though I said first I'd probably be too busy saving my bottle of Arcana's Holy Terror. My sweet, sweet smoky love....)

Wakenda replied to me and said, "You've sure fallen hard, huh?"

I guess if it's that obvious it must be true! (I promise you'll all be invited to the wedding.)

If you're one of those hard-hitting copper lovers like myself, Ursa Major is very much the way to go, and Ursa Minor won't disappoint either. And these are just six of the large repitoire of shades Dom already has, so I guarantee that if something here does not appeal to you, there is something else in the shop that will! There's even the newly-released Zodiac collection, which I am eyeing with reckless abandon. (Must...hold...self...back...until...tax return...arrives...)

Time to go get yourself intergalatic glamorous!

Where to buy: Dark Matter Makeup is available here at their store on Etsy!