I recently made my second order at Brija Cosmetics, bringing my total collection to 8 full size shadows, 13 minis, 3 highlighters and a blush – so I figured it was about time I did a post about them!

There’s a ton of shadows to get through, so I’ve split this post into two parts. Part 1 (this post) will cover all the full size shadows, the highlighters and the blush. Part 2 (coming soon) will contain all the mini size shadows.

Of the 7 indie brands I’ve purchased from, Brija is the only brand I’ve purchased from more than once. I think that says a lot about them – I really love the silky soft formula, there are some fantastically unique (but still wearable) shades, and the quality is really consistent. The owner is also really friendly, and fulfils all orders herself (impressive!) – every time I’ve ordered she’s generously bumped up at least one of my shadows to a larger size. Turnaround time is as advertised, if not faster, shipping is reasonably fast, and you can track your package all the way along it’s journey.

Just for reference – every product here will be swatched over Essence’s I ❤ Colour Intensifying Eyeshadow Base. Most loose shadows are helped to their full intensity by using a primer, and I wouldn’t do an eye look without one.

Get ready for some serious macro makeup porn – ‘cos this post is gonna be chock full of it…

Highlighter in ESPN

My first order back in 2016 contained ‘ESPN’ Highlighter, and it quickly became my favourite everyday highlight!

This is a champagne-toned highlight that leans a little on the pinky side. It’s stunning on the skin – it never looks powdery or cakey, and seems to just melt into the skin, no matter how much powder you have on underneath. It’s also really versatile – you can put a little on for a subtle, but ethereal glow; or you can build it up for a highlight that still looks natural in tone, but seriously glows to the gods when the light catches it.

It looks a little more peachy in the jar than it actually is – it has peach, pink, gold and white shimmers, and looks fantastic on really pale skin.

Please excuse how grubby the bottom of the jar looks.. this is one well-travelled highlighter! These are actually fantastic to travel with, as you don’t have to worry about them smashing in transit. They’re also super small so don’t take up much space in your makeup bag – there is a larger size but I have the smaller version.

It’s tough to catch the multi-dimensional shimmer on camera, but you can definitely see some of them in this close-up.

Highlighter in Moonrock

Moonrock is said (on the website) to be a dupe of Becca’s Moonstone – I don’t have them to compare, but looking at swatches of Moonstone on Google, I can say they’re pretty similar. It leans more golden-champagne than ESPN, with a neutral undertone – almost beige. I don’t suit super golden highlights, so this toned-down gold really works well for me.

The more neutral shimmers in this highlighter – mostly white and very pale gold – make for a more intense highlight than ESPN, although it still looks like a ‘lit from within’ natural glow when applied.

Just… How pretty is that?

Aura Glow in Intuition

The Aura Glow formula is a little different to the highlighters – it’s more of a satin finish with micro-shimmers. The website says to use this as a highlighter or an all-over face powder for a natural glow, so it makes sense to be more of a satin finish – but it makes a beautiful highlighter too, and melts into the skin just like the regular highlighters do.

Compared to the other two highlighters, this leans more to a true white base, with orange, red, gold and pink shimmers. If you prefer a more toned-down highlight, difficult to over-do, which looks more like a natural sheen to the skin –  this is the one for you!

As you can see from the comparison swatches, Intuition is the most soft and neutral, while ESPN leans peach, and Moonrock is more golden.

Blush in Beware of Plastics (Mean Girls Collection)

If you’re into peachy blushes, this is absolutely stunning. It’s equally beautiful built up or sheered out on the cheeks – just be sure to apply a light dusting of face powder first, or you might struggle to blend it evenly.

The coral-peach shade of this blush is perfectly complimented by the golden microshimmers – just the perfect amount of shine to give your skin a naturally flushed glow without looking like your dunked your face in glitter.

This shadow actually got me interested in the idea of duochrome blushes…

Look at those gold shimmers! Is this blush making you as excited as it’s making me?

Eyeshadow in The Rose (Beauty & The Beast Collection)

This is one of my newer purchases – a beautiful, deep warm brown with tiny green shimmers that catch the light beautifully. Pretty unusual!

I LOVE warm tones and duochromes, so this shade is right up my street! It would make the perfect warm smokey eye, especially combined with a pop of bright green highlight…

Isn’t it lovely?!

Eyeshadow in There Are Worse Things I Could Do (Grease Collection)

Now this – this is a colour unlike any other elsewhere in my collection. It’s a really rich, totally matte, blue-toned purple – and I think it’s absolutely gorgeous!

I’m obsessed with how rich this colour is – I never usually go for blue toned eyeshadows, but this one just clicked a light on in my head. If you’re into purple, this is definitely a shade you need in your collection.

I honestly could look at pictures of this shade all day… If you need inspiration for a look, check out this photo from indie beauty aficionado @abajmiller – it’s what convinced me I needed the shade:

Used new goodies from @brijacosmetics! There Are Worse Things I Could Do on outer lids ,crease and lower lash line Paradise on inner lids Sunkissed in inner corners Punctuality in crease to transition Don't forget to use the code "AMBER10" at checkout for $$$ off! #duochromeeyeshadow #brightandcolorful #brijacosmetics #peach #purple #nontoxicbeauty #makeuplover #eyelooks #greeneyes #greenbeauty #indiecosmetics #crueltyfreemakeup #wakeupandmakeup

A post shared by Amber McManus (@abajmiller) on May 31, 2017 at 2:54pm PDT

Eyeshadow in The Girls’ Room (90s Collection)

Who doesn’t love a good pink? This is definitely my most used shadow out of my entire Brija collection – thanks to the strong duochrome shift, which still manages to be wearable!

This is a light pastel pink with green, blue and gold microshimmers – it looks stunning applied all over the lid.

And yes – I actually have a look featuring this one!

Eyeshadow in Two (Birthday GWP)

Originally a Birthday GWP that was added to the regular line, TWO is a peachy-orange with a golden duochrome. There’s a little pink in there too – and the golden shift is more muted than some similar shadows I own (which is good, because it makes it unique).

I might already have 4 billion peachy-orange shadows with a golden shift, but hey – this is a great addition to my collection.

Eyeshadow in Can I Keep You

This sheer white with blue sparkles is one of my staples – it’s the perfect inner corner, browbone or even face highlight. A light application will be almost invisible, with just a strong blue duochrome when it catches the light (these swatches are very heavily applied).

I’ll admit I originally bought this because it had Casper on the jar, but it’s become a staple in my collection simply due to it’s versatility.

The duochrome on this one is simply stunning! It’s mostly light blue with a little green.

Eyeshadow in Are They Made From Real Girl Scouts?

Admittedly I bought this because it’s an homage to Wednesday Addams – but it’s a warm-tinged deep brown with blue and green microshimmers. A really unique dark shade!

There’s a little bit of a pink shimmer mixed in there too – it’s really multi-dimensional.

This is a great shade if you love brown, wear smokey eyes a lot, or let’s face it – identify with Wednesday Addams…

Eyeshadow in Paradise (Spring 2017 Collection)

This shade is from their latest collection – it’s a super bright, bold summery orange with golden shimmers. Much more orange than Two which we saw earlier.

This shade is definitely more true orange than peach, which makes it unique in my collection. Plus – the gold duochrome is super pretty!

Eyeshadow in Premonition

This shade is similar to Can I Keep You? in that it’s a sheerer shade – but this time with a pink shift. It’s perfect for an inner corner highlight, a lid shade, a browbone highlight, shadow topper, or even a face highlight. Super versatile!

I love pinky shades so this is a great pick! There’s pink, white and lavender sparkles in this one.

I hope you enjoyed that swatch porn – if you did, please leave me a comment and let me know which was your favourite!

If you’d like to try some Brija shadows for yourself, you can check out their online shop here.

Stay tuned for part 2 – where we’ll be looking at all my mini sizes from Brija. Lots more to come!