Re-Designing the BH Cosmetics Mini-Zodiac Cancer Palette

When I first heard, many months ago, that BH Cosmetics' spin-off of their two large zodiac palettes was going to be a set of the mini-palettes for each of the 12 signs, I thought it was a rather creative idea that had the potential to be great.

Well, I was quite wrong. Beginning with the Capricorn palette, each palette has been mostly met with disappointment or ambivalence, primarily due to the fact that the color selections did not jive with people's perceptions/interpretations of the signs.

Before we delve a little deeper into what BH Cosmetics did for the Cancer sign, I do want to give a bit of a disclaimer. I belong to the camp that believes zodiac and horoscope stuff is fun, and the opposite of scientific. I don't think we can justify behavior according to someone's star sign.

That being said, if it doesn't hurt people and allows people to have a way to express and/or understand themselves in different ways, why not?

Personally, I do think that I am pretty representative of the Cancer sign, and I was someone who looked at BH Cosmetics' release and did not respond to it at all:

Based on the brand description of "lunar hues," they seemed to build the palette around the Moon. And while it certainly is smokey and cool-toned and evocative of the sea, it's definitely missing the warmth and prettiness I think a Cancer would appreciate.

The mock-up, which I have already posted to Instagram, is by no means a definitive Cancer palette, but something I tried to construct as more usable, interesting, and cohesive. I hope you enjoy!

1. The center shade is MAC Dazzlepink highlighter.  I think a lot of brands are playing with the idea of pink highlighter, and for a sign that is based on emotion and warmth, I think pink is a great color- especially a cooler-toned one with a more sheer base so that the highlighter can be used on a multitude of skin tones. I personally do not own Dazzlepink, but I do have a couple of highlighters in my collection that belong to the same family of pink-reflect highlighters: MAC Snowflushed (extremely glittery), Nabla Divinzer, Colourpop Everybody's Got a Weakness, Nabla Millenium (more of a peach reflect), and Looxi Stripped (has more of a white base but a strong cool pink reflect).

2. Then, moving clockwise at "12 o'clock", we have Nabla City Wolf. I chose this shade because it is a cool-toned medium gray that still evokes some of the feeling of the original palette- those sultry lunar vibes.

3. Speaking of lunar vibes, I wanted some gorgeous shimmers in there that were strange and duochrome and evocative of sea glass and shells, so I went with Earthshine by Colourpop. I do not personally own Earthshine, but similar colors are Glass Bull from Colourpop and Charmed by Looxi.

4. But I knew I needed a cool-toned red berry, to stand for passion, depth, the heart, and the crab. I chose Cascade from Lethal Cosmetics, because I almost bought it the other day, but stopped myself because I own the Modern Renaissance palette. That being said, I think Cascade is redder and warmer than Love Letter, but not enough for me to go and buy it.

5. I knew I wanted a neutral-ish shimmer, because I wanted to give the people options! However, I chose a silver-gold that I have been obsessed with for the longest time- Metallurgy from Pat McGrath. It looks nice and sandy in the palette, but also provides a bit of familiarity, color-wise.

6. Remember when I talked about sea glass? Well, this next shade is literal glass. It does not exist looking like this, but I really really wish something came out that is comparable. For the meantime, I am looking at Clionadh's multichrome shadows, specifically the shades Torch and Engrave. I thought this "shade" really captured the more imaginative side of Cancers.

7. MAC Uninterrupted- a classic Caramel shade. I think Cancers can be quite sweet and warm, and this shade is meant to capture that, as well as provide a neutral option for the shimmers, or even pair with the more vibrant mattes.

8. Papaya Juice by Prima Makeup. Prior to this project I had never heard of this brand, but I was on the hunt for a coral-like color that was the perfect balance of orange and red. I think this would pair brilliantly with Uninterrupted or Cascade, and definitely shows the passionate side of the Cancer.

9. Finally, Sydney Grace Officer. I wanted a cool-toned purple bruise shade- because (no joke) crabs also are blue, but also to represent the very deep funks and moods we can get ourselves in. Officer also functions as an excellent deepening shade for a variety of warm and cool colors.

This week I'll try to follow up with some looks inspired by this palette. And, who knows, maybe I'll make more mock-ups in the future!

Thanks for reading.