Here we go again — a new brand on my platform. Sigh, discovering Monolith has been so much fun, but it's costing me a fortune xD As I've mentioned before, Monolith lets you buy a huge range of brands that aren't from the EU and are mostly indie. The first thing I bought there was a palette from Singe Beauty. Ever since, I've been keeping an eye on the site with a lot of makeup-fueled affection. So when they went all out with Black Friday discounts too, that's how I ended up with my first palette from Gourmande Girls, Call of the Siren.
Alright, I'm going to open with a fairly harsh and critical note right away. This is the second time I've bought a palette from Monolith that has a warning on the back. On the back of Call of the Siren's sleeve and palette, there's a chart indicating which shades can or can't be used around the eyes?! On Monolith's own listing, there's only a warning saying not to eat the eyeshadow and to stop using it if irritation occurs. Fine, sure, that's obvious. But why does nothing anywhere mention that half the eyeshadows in this palette aren't actually considered eye-safe?
Gourmande Girls
Who or what is Gourmande Girls? Gourmande Girls Cosmetics, owned and distributed by The Foxy Rose, LLC in Austin, Texas, is a globally inspired, cruelty-free beauty brand devoted to high-quality formulas and collectible artistry. Every product features unique packaging, designed in collaboration with our graphic designer Doodles by the Bunny, where imagination and craftsmanship come together across a range of affordable price points.
Rooted in a proud Mexican-American heritage and shaped by influences from the United States, Mexico, South America (where our owner Christina has lived) and the South of France (where her husband is from), our brand reflects a world of culture, color and creativity. Our founder holds an MBA in International Business and speaks English, Spanish, French and Italian — a global perspective that drives everything we create.
We specialize in richly pigmented eyeshadow palettes, color-shifting duochromes, multichromes, holochromes, marbled special-effect shades, matte lipsticks, nourishing lip oils, and lash-lengthening mascaras. Inclusivity is at the heart of who we are and what we design.
According to their own website.
Call of the Siren palette
The word "siren" is often associated with mermaids. In some legends, mermaids use their song to lure you in and pull you down into the depths — a bit different from Disney's classic Little Mermaid 😉 So it's no surprise the theme has a bit of a magical feel, and the palette itself looks like a treasure chest. In this case, it's a treasure chest full of darker and lighter shades for creating a magical look with seriously intense pigmentation. Perfect for letting your inner mermaid fantasy run wild!
The outside of the palette
The palette comes with a cardboard sleeve, and I'm already completely obsessed with the vibe. The front features five mermaid tails in various sizes, in a beautiful rich purple with deep dark sea-green tones. The palette itself has the same artwork on the front as the sleeve. The packaging is made from fairly sturdy cardboard and closes with a magnetic clasp.
Inside the Call of the Siren palette
The mermaid tails repeat on the inside too, this time framing a fairly large mirror. The eyeshadows are edged with a glittering gold trim. What I really love is that the outside of the palette mirrors the inside — the vibe matches, and so does the use of color families. The names they've given the shades also fit perfectly into the magical underwater theme. I love that they went with fairly dark, rich, matte shades, like the color.
The prints on the eyeshadows are of course amazing and really add to the atmosphere. The only downside is that they wear off after a few uses. All in all, every time I open this palette, it's a little celebration. I'd almost say it's inspiring.
The swatches
The photos show the rows from top to bottom, so the first photo is the very top row. Those shades are: Spellcaster, Unicorn, Sea Nymph, Lorelei and Menagerie. Unicorn, Sea Nymph and Menagerie are matte formulas. Unicorn is a slightly deeper raspberry shade, Sea Nymph a gorgeous sea green, and Menagerie is grey. Spellcaster leans more shimmery, and Lorelei is a beautiful metallic purple that almost seems to have a black undertone.
In the second photo you see the palette's second row. From left to right: Fairy, Moonlight, Bewitch, Undersea and Starfish. Fairy is a candy-floss pink matte eyeshadow. Moonlight is also matte, and in my opinion has a lovely minty green tone. The last matte shade in this row is Starfish, a dark purple.
The final row: Elixir of Life, Seahorse, Femme, Sirene and Lagoon. This row also has three matte shades. First up is Seahorse, a rich milky-coffee shade. Then there's Femme, a rich aubergine shade, and Lagoon, a very dark blue with a grey undertone.
In conclusion
I still think this is a gorgeous palette, and I was seriously impressed by the eyeshadow. The shades are rich, great quality, and have genuinely good pigmentation. That said, according to the brand you're only supposed to use Sea Nymph, Menagerie, Moonlight, Undersea, Starfish, Sirene and Lagoon around the eyes. The others are pressed pigments, which they strongly advise against using there. Still, I've seen plenty of people online using the pressed pigments around their eyes anyway? Either way, consider yourself warned that it can cause irritation ^^
Call of the Siren palette, Gourmande Girls, €45.50, via Monolith
