Life's Entropy Cosmetics: Galaxy Glow Illuminators - Solstice, Comet, & Celestial

Life's Entropy Cosmetics is a brand that started last year with the theme of combining science and beauty. From their brand logo to their product names, you'll find references to science everywhere you turn. Run by Jane, a former beauty blogger, she brings her experience with makeup to create dupes of popular mainstream products while creating innovative products that make her company stand out amongst the indie makeup world.

Her dupes include:

• Lip Theories, an alternative to OCC's Lip Tars; and
• Brow Theory Pomades, an alternative to Anastasia's DipBrow

The brand also offers eyeshadows, contour sticks, as well as foundation color adjusters.

On April 25th, the brand released their latest product: Galaxy Glow Illuminators.

Photo courtesy of Life's Entropy.

The Galaxy Glow Illuminators are liquid highlighters formulated to provide a nice glow to your skin without it being too glittery or greasy. They come in 8 shades:

• Light Year - Bright pearl white
• Solstice - Pale gold
• Constellation - Golden pale pink
• Aurora - Pale pink
• Comet - Opal peach
• Solar Flare - Rose gold
• Celestial - Pearl white with a gold/copper/red shift
• Nebula - Pearl white with a pink/silver/green shift

Order TAT
When the collection was released on April 25th, I placed an order for the full-sized Solstice, Comet, and Celestial Illuminators. My order was shipped on May 13th and I received it on the 18th. I received my package a little over 15 business days from when my order was placed. This is on the edge of her listed turnaround time ("TAT"), but since it was shipped within the TAT, that's totally fine.

Packaging
The order arrived in a purple (yay purple!) bubble mailer. Inside, the order was neatly wrapped in the brand's custom wrapping paper, covered with cute pictures of science-related items with kawaii faces. A sticker with the brand's logo kept everything wrapped together.

Happy faces everywhere!

The products were then individually wrapped in black tissue paper, with a sticker on each identify what the product was. An eyeshadow sample (not shown here) was also provided in the semi-transparent envelope with the brand's card.

I do have to admit that it's obvious that a lot of thought was put into the brand and the products. The brand's name is clearly labeled on the cap and not obstructing the view of the product at all. Jane could've easily stuck the label on the bottle where we would've only had a glimpse of the shade. Each bottle is clearly labeled so if you ever lose the cap, you'll still have an idea as to which product you're using.

My only gripe is that the design is a bit too tacky for my taste. It's distracting and shifts the focus from the product to the brand name instead. In terms of design, it's a bit too "top-heavy."

The product is packaged in a pump bottle. Please note that the bottle can easily dispense a lot of product - more than you'll really need. I recommend pressing down lightly just to get a little on your skin.

Product Review: Celestial

The swatch is heavy on the top and slowly blended down over bare skin.

Please note: I have a medium warm skin tone with yellow (and a bit of olive) undertones. I use MAC's Matchmaster 5.0 (around NC 37/40?).

Celestial is one of their color-shifting highlighters. This is a pearl white with a gold/copper/red shift. From the bottle, it appears as an iridescent white with a red and copper shift. It reminds me of a mother of pearl and has a reddish copper shift depending on the lighting. This came out the least opaque of the three and blends wonderfully. It's a pretty shade, though it veers more towards the pink side.

Product Review: Solstice

Whoops. Too much there.

 So.... from the pics you can see what I mean by how much product can come out from one pump. That's seriously a lot of product right there. I ended up having to wipe off half and it was still enough to cover my arm.

Solstice is described as a pale gold. When applied, the Illuminator came out more pearly white with a slight yellow cast on my skin. My skin looks so shiny. I was a bit shocked by how shiny my arm was and wondered briefly if I could use this to reflect light when I'm out at night. Hmmm.... Anyway, the more blended out it is, the more more bearable it becomes and I can start seeing myself using this to achieve the "dewy skin" look. A little seriously goes a long way with this one. Too much and I would look like one greasy son of a gun.

So lesson of the day with Solstice: Just keep blending, just keep blending~

Product Review: Comet

Ahh.. Comet. Described as an opal peach, I wondered how it would turn out on my skin. After applying and blending down, I have to say - my skin looks... rough. It's like I went through a desert hike and my skin just took a beating. This shade is way too pink for my skin tone and as a result, it casts a reddish tint over it. This shade will work better for those with a cooler skin tone.

Heavy Swatche: All Three

Top to Bottom: Comet, Solstice, Celestial

Top to Bottom: Comet, Solstice, Celestial

Top to Bottom: Comet, Solstice, Celestial

Formula
For what is is, the product is very pigmented. A little seriously goes a long way. The Illuminators blend out easily and it doesn't matter if you're using a brush or your fingers - you will get the same result. Since the product's a liquid highlighter, it is a little wet upon application. As it dries down, it creates a moisturizing effect with the skin feeling plump, as if you had just used moisturizer. This is due to the oils in the product. There's no sticky or greasy feeling either. The formula's pretty light where you can easily forget that you're wearing it.

In terms of wear time, I haven't had a chance to test how long it can last yet, but once the product dries down on your skin, while there might be some transfer when you run your fingers over the area, the product mostly stays put. You really have to rub into your skin to remove most of it off. That said, it comes off easily when you wash it off with water and a little rubbing. Water alone does not remove the product.

Thoughts
I like the Galaxy Glow Illuminators. They are easy to use, easy to blend, pigmented, moisturizing, and light. It's also a liquid that comes in a pump bottle which makes it easy to transport without any fear of spilling it everywhere. You just need to be very careful how much you dispense out because you can easily overdo it and waste product.

Solstice is my favorite of the three and I can see myself using it often. However, it is also the only warm highlighter of the collection. The other shades are more geared towards those with cool pink skin tones. Hopefully we'll see future releases of warmer shades to play with! Maybe something to help achieve that golden summer glow? I wouldn't mind - not one bit - the release of a true golden highlighter. ;)