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In January 2020, Clionadh Cosmetics launched the Deep Iridescent Multichromes as part of the Stained Glass collection. I’ve posted some of these swatches on Instagram, but recently decided to update my swatches of this collection. So more photos, more lighting conditions, you know the drill.
This formula is a unique concept in the multichrome market. While typical iridescents are made from “translucent” or white bases, making them more unflattering the more you use build them up on dark skin, the Deep Iridescents all have tanned bases. The tanned bases make these ideal for use as lid shades and highlighters for those with dark skin.
Out of all of the formulas in the Stained Glass collection, the Deep Iridescents are in my top 2 favorites. Not only are the shadows beautiful, but they also give me the Feel Goods. I appreciate that Clionadh though of dark skinned customers and created a solution for the ashy problems caused by “regular” iridescent shadows. While consideration for dark-complected makeup enthusiasts should be the norm, it isn’t, so being thought of this feels so nice to me.
I’ll stop gushing about Clionadh now…maybe.
The Deep Iridescent Multichromes have tanned bases, which make them ideal for medium to deep skin tones. Unlike with “regular” iridescents, the Deep Iridescent will not show up ashy on dark skin tones because they lack the white base typical of the usual iridescent formulas. All of the shadows can be used on the face, eyes, and lips.
Like the Series 2 Iridescents, the Deep Iridescents are smoother and more glowy than the Series 1 Iridescents.
Azure does not seem as saturated or bright as the other iridescent shadows in this set.
All of the shadows may be purchased individually or as a bundle.
- Vermilion: Light, warm tan base that shifts pink-orange-gold-lime
- Burnt Sienna: Light, warm tan base that shifts hot orange-gold-lime
- Ochre: Light, warm tan base that shifts gold-lime-turquoise
- Verte: Medium, cool tan base that shifts emerald-turquoise-purple-pink
- Azure: Medium, cool tan base that shifts teal-blue-purple
As stated above, these shadows are so special to me because of the thought that went into them. Not only did Clionadh go the extra mile to create iridescent shadows that would flatter those with dark skin in the same ways their other iridescent shadows flatter those with light skin, but they also nailed the execution.
Verte is one of my favorite and most-used shadows in this set. If I could be a shadow, I would most *definitely* be a green-to-purple multichrome.
Azure is beautiful, but tends to be outshined (literally) by the rest of the Deep Iridescent shadows. I’m not as impressed with it, but the other four shadows set the bar pretty high!
I would love to see Clionadh expand this line of multichromes in the future. I want ALL the deep iridescent shades! I also find it interesting that these were separated from the Series 1 and Series 2 Iridescents in name. I get that the bases are different, but I still dream of a day when “white” is not the default and “deep-skin-friendly” is not thought of as a separate category. It would have been nice for these to be given a number in the series (like “Series 3”) or for the other series to have some adjective placed in front of their names (like “Light”). I think that would have been a great way to commit to inclusivity even more. I don’t mean to be nitpicky and I don’t think Clionadh is necessarily wrong for how they named these three iridescent sets. I’ve talked about this concept before when brands have released Regular and “Deep” options for products, but I think this situation is a bit more nuanced since iridescent shadows typically don’t have tanned bases, so I am not faulting Clionadh at all. I am extremely appreciative of Clionadh for creating deep-skin-friendly iridescent shadows, but I just found myself wondering what could make me could love this set even more. I’m curious to hear what you all think!
Now you got me thinking of what kind of shadow would I be if I were an eyeshadow lol. I can’t decide on a color now, but I know I would be glittery for sure.
I completely agree with you that there needs to be a shift in the beauty community where light skin is not the default. These were such a hit and not only for tan-deep . It’s so funny how dark skin is not catered to but when we are, people love the results; Pat McGrath and the Jackie Aina palette come to mind. I am also not too opposed to the naming and separation of the line because they have so many shadows on their site, it would be easy to over look these. I also think Clionadh should expand the line, like can we please get more than 5 shadows!?