Linnaeus Cosmetics Review: The Vaquita Collection

Left to Right: Ecco, Coy, Hope

It's been a while since I've reviewed a collection from Linnaeus Cosmetics. The last time was over a month ago, I think, with the Orchid Dottyback Collection in samples (by the way, I purchased the whole thing! Woohoo!) Being that they're some of my favorites, it's about time I got down to reviewing some new Linnaeus shadows, am I right?

I first got samples from this collection a long time ago (Ecco and Coy). Like, with my second order, and I could never remember to swatch the poor guys. Shame, because I loved them!

In any case, I really liked the smooth texture of these. To me, the texture is pretty much a hallmark of Linnaeus shadows. Very easy to blend and work with in general, with few exceptions. The wear was the usual for Linnaeus shadows; all day both with and without primer.

Left to Right: Ecco, Coy, Hope

The above shows the shades patted on. In the jar, Coy looks more silver, but when you use it you can see some clear blue tones. I really like the way Hope looks in direct light, like this. In general it just looks like teal, but when you get it in the light you can see some gold to it. Very pretty (and definitely nothing like it looks in the jar!)

Left to Right: Ecco, Coy, Hope

Sorry about the slight cutoff. I edited these pictures at 2 AM. These things will happen when you're only 10% awake, unfortunately. These are the shadows swept out with a brush. They adhere well and have great slip even without primer.

Left to Right: Ecco, Coy, Hope

The above shows all three shades foiled. They're left with deeper color and a bit of a metallic-y finish. Coy looks a lot bluer. Ecco, while it was very blue to begin with, looks bluer as well. However with Hope, the green tones become a lot more apparent.

On to the colors:

Ecco is a very true shimmery blue with medium depth.
Coy is a light-to-medium toned grey with blueness (more apparent when foiled).
Hope is a pretty teal with gold tones. It looks a lot like a blackened sort of shade in the jar, but it really isn't.

Of these, the only lip safe shade is Ecco. Sorry, but I think I'm skipping the lip swatch for this collection. All of the pictures I took turned out terribly. I may come back later to add one in, though (I'll let you guys know if/when I do).

The Good:

• Great wear: these wore fine both with and without primer.
• Love the texture. Smooth and blendable!
• Strongly pigmented.

The Bad:
Nothing here.

The Neutral:
Nothing here, either.

Overall, Linnaeus Cosmetics' shadows are becoming a standby for me. If you're looking for some lovely blue loose shadows, I don't think you'll be disappointed in these.

The Linnaeus Cosmetics site is currently down, but at the moment the collection is priced at $16.00 or $6.00 for an individual shadow.