I know I’ve been kind of missing from the blog lately but it’s because I don’t have any new products to share with you because I’ve been sticking to my favorites. Luckily, I do have one small thing to show you. I went to my local DM store to get some cleaning products and, of course, I had to browse through the clearance section and I saw these little palettes and I had to get one to try it out.

Packaging:

The packaging is very simple, just a plastic case with a clear lid. It contains 4 shades and it’s just a cute little quad that is easy to pop into a makeup bag if you want to have it on the go.

Texture:

At first, they may seem a little bit chalky or dusty, but they do feel quite creamy in a weird way, even though they are pressed powders. They are all matte shades, but they don’t have any names. So there is a light beige color, like a dirty white, that doesn’t show up well in the picture on the far left because it’s so similar to my natural skin tone. Next is a pale pink shade that does show up better on the lid, an olive green and a light brown shade.

Ingredients:

No 1: INGREDIENTS: MICA | SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE | CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE | MACADAMIA INTEGRIFOLIA/TETRAPHYLLA SEED OIL | COPERNICIA CERIFERA CERA | SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL | MAGNOLIA OFFICINALIS BARK EXTRACT | TIN OXIDE | TOCOPHEROL | HELIANTHUS ANNUUS SEED OIL | CI 77891 | CI 77499 No 2: INGREDIENTS: TALC | MICA | SHEA BUTTER ETHYL ESTERS | KAOLIN | RICINUS COMMUNIS SEED OIL | SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE | OLUS OIL | MACADAMIA TERNIFOLIA SEED OIL | MAGNOLIA OFFICINALIS BARK EXTRACT | TOCOPHEROL | P-ANISIC ACID | HELIANTHUS ANNUUS SEED OIL | TIN OXIDE | CI 77891 | CI 77491 | CI 77007 | CI 15850 | CI 77499 | CI 77510 No 3: INGREDIENTS: MICA | CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE | COPERNICIA CERIFERA CERA | MACADAMIA INTEGRIFOLIA/TETRAPHYLLA SEED OIL | SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL | MAGNOLIA OFFICINALIS BARK EXTRACT | TIN OXIDE | TOCOPHEROL | HELIANTHUS ANNUUS SEED OIL | CI 77891 | CI 77742 | CI 77007 | CI 77510 No 4: INGREDIENTS: TALC | MICA | SHEA BUTTER ETHYL ESTERS | KAOLIN | RICINUS COMMUNIS SEED OIL | OLUS OIL | MACADAMIA TERNIFOLIA SEED OIL | MAGNOLIA OFFICINALIS BARK EXTRACT | TOCOPHEROL | P-ANISIC ACID | HELIANTHUS ANNUUS SEED OIL | TIN OXIDE | CI 77891 | CI 77007 | CI 77742

Like in the case of many cheap DM brands, I was surprised to see some interesting ingredients in here that are not only there to add some color, but also to offer some benefits for the skin such as shea butter, castor oil, macadamia oil, and magnolia root extract.

Price and accessibility:

trend !t up is a brand that is available exclusively in DM stores. Usually this quad was sold for around 4 euros, but it was on the clearance shelf for only around 2 euros, so I really don’t think you can get something cheaper than this. I mean, it’s like 0.50 euros for an eyeshadow. Even if the quality is not the best, for that price, I think it’s great.

My overall opinion:

I would say that these brands such as trend !t up, Alverde, essence or Catrice are affordable drugstore brands for young people, that are new to makeup. This quad has natural, subtle shades (hence the name) that provide only like a wash of color on the lid so I think they would be very beginner-friendly. I like them because I don’t like to wear heavy makeup at work, but I do enjoy a little bit of something to enhance my eyes.

I tried the good old ”ask ChatGPT what makeup should I wear?” and I finally came to the terms with the fact that boring brown, beige and champagne shades do make my hazel eyes pop because they just enhance the colors that are already there. So now I’m really in my natural makeup era and such a little quad comes very handy.

The quality is so-and-so. While the eyeshadows are not chalky at all, even if they have a matt finish, they also tend to crease after a while. I didn’t expect the best quality for the price, so I would say these are good for makeup that you don’t intend to wear for a long time or for occasions where you have the possibility to retouch it. All in all, I don’t regret getting this quad and I do like the shades, especially that brown looks good on me and the olive green is also a nice fit.