Aromaleigh Victoria's Revenge swatches and a look

Miss K from Aromaleigh sent me samples of her new collection, Victoria's Revenge, for me to swatch and review. First off, my camera freaked out by the complexity and the sparkle of these colours and is now on medication and demanding an all expenses paid holiday to Bora Bora. I tried to tell him that he's just a camera and he has no right to demand such things and how could he even handle himself on a holiday but you know cameras. Demanding little buggers.

The collection is inspired by Victoriana, steampunk and gothloli themes so the shades are all very deep, complex and edgy. As said, these are very hard to photograph or even describe accurately because so many of these colours change according to lighting or application. Colour descriptions aren't available because there's a contest going on. Bloggers, such as I, who received samples for review and customers who have ordered samples can participate to write shade descriptions. More about the contest can be found here. I've swatched all the eyeshadows on top of TFSI + Pixie Epoxy. I'd strongly recommend using a sticky base with most of these because there's so much sparkle in them.

(L to R) Infernal Chaos, Cyanide Sorrow, Oleander Vapor, Airy Ethos

(L to R) Brazen & Bitter, Perpetual Motion, Magick & Metal, Bleeding Poppy

(L to R) Scratched Scruples, Frigid Gloom, Obscura, Mayhem's Trilogy

(L to R) Private Lunacy, Freakshow, Tarnished Strychnine, Splintered

(L to R) Skeleton Key, Gaslight Tears, Mania's Locus, Mourning's Whimsy

(L to R) Apocalypse Pansy, Phantasm, Ruthless Indulgence, Poison Utopia, Nightshade


I also did a look with Oleander Vapor, Private Lunacy, Tarnished Strychnine and Splintered yesterday.

Sweet Poison

Face:

Aromaleigh Glissade foundation in ICL
Aromaleigh Pure Mineral Rouge blush in Rosette
Aromaleigh Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder in Clear

Eyes:

TFSI (as a primer)
Aromaleigh Victoria's Revenge eyeshadow in Oleander Vapor (inner 3/4 of the lid)
Aromaleigh Victoria's Revenge eyeshadow in Tarnished Strychnine (outer vee and crease)
Aromaleigh Victoria's Revenge eyeshadow in Private Lunacy (to blend in Oleander Vapor and Tarnished Strychnine)
Aromaleigh Victoria's Revenge eyeshadow in Splintered (to darken the crease)
Aromaleigh Carolina Summer eyeshadow in Oyster (below brow to highlight)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Rich Black

Lips:

Aromaleigh Botanical lipstick in Rosebud

I somehow like to combine pinks with greens and even though this is not my best attempt to pull it off, it looked really cool irl.

Here you can see that although Oleander Vapor looks bright-ish sweet pink in the swatch photos, it has that murky undertone that makes it very dramatic.

No, I haven't gotten a perm or curled my hair. This is what happens when I crunch my hair dry when I blowdry it. I wanted to look a bit more girly than usual and is this collection is so decadent and luxurious, I figured that wavy hair would only be appropriate.

I love Aromaleigh's Glissade foundation. It makes my skin look so glowy and even. BTW, what do you think about the colour of the foundation on me?

Victoria's Revenge is a really different than other collections that come out during the spring/summer season. Usually you get bronze, turquoise, peach, lime green and pink so Victoria's Revenge is really standing out. There are so many colours that have a contrasting shimmer to them (like Mania's Locus and Frigid Gloom) and black-based glitter explosions (Nightshade, Ruthless Indulgence, Poison Utopia) that it'll make any person who craves darker shades really happy.

My favourites from this collection are Infernal Chaos, Cyanide Sorrow, Perpetual Motion, Frigid Gloom, Private Lunacy, Tarnished Strychnine, Skeleton Key, Mania's Locus and Phantasm.


What do you think about this collection? BTW, if you want any swatch photos re-taken, let me know in the comments!


And now for something completely different. This is my knee today:

Storming the Castle: Shiro Cosmetics swatches and mini-review

I was approached on Twitter by Caitlin, the owner of Shiro Cosmetics, asking if I were interested in trying out and reviewing her products. I found out that she had just opened her store and that her eyeshadows were named after Pokémon which made me giggle, in a good way. I agreed to swatch her products and write a review. Since she's a new company owner, I offered to show my review before publishing it but that she couldn't alter the contents of the review or I wouldn't publish it. She agreed to this so here we are :)

Disclaimer: these products were sent to me for review by Caitlin of Shiro Cosmetics. However, this does not affect my opinion of the products nor the tone of my review.

I thought I'd be getting a few sample baggies. Instead I got this:

A LOT of products, samples AND full sizes. Everything was packed neatly in a red organza bag with business cards. The jars were secured with scotch tape to prevent any spillages. The jars have no sifter so opening them is a delicate job and there may be spills (this happens with Fyrinnae, too since they don't have sifters, either). I saw Caitlin mentioning that she would add sifters to her jars which is a good move. The jars were filled to the brim and there were no concave bottoms so no need to fear that you're getting less product than expected.

Now onto the swatchies! These colours are very intense, some more opaque than others. These are all swatched on Too Faced Shadow Insurance + Pixie Epoxy. Shade descriptions are from Shiro Cosmetics website.

(L to R): Pikachu, Charmander, Mew, S.S. Anne

Pikachu: Vivid, opaque, shimmering yellow with eye-safe red glitter sparks. Chuu!
Charmander: Soft yet bright shimmery orange, like a candle's flame, with yellow undertones and just a hint of gold.
Mew: Cheerful, bright strawberry-bubblegum pink with a slight peachy tone.
S.S. Anne: Lovely, shimmery, subtle yet rich golden brown with a peachy-copper tinge - appropriate for all ages and occasions, universally flattering, and pretty much just gorgeous. 

(L to R): Vulpix, Brock the Rock, Squirtle, Acid

Vulpix: Gorgeous shimmering coppery red-brown, soft but intense - kind of like hugging a Vulpix, I imagine.
Brock the Rock: Dark, rich, shimmery chocolate brown with red tones.
Squirtle: Bright, clear, shimmery pool blue. Apply it wet to get a gorgeous metallic effect!
Acid: Vivid, opaque, shimmery yellow-green with golden undertones and just a touch of darker green eye-safe glitter.

 

(L to R) Bulbasaur, Zubat, Team Rocket, Lance the Dragon Trainer

Bulbasaur: Bright, opaque, shimmering grassy green with a hint of a gold undertones.
Zubat: Dusky, shimmery, semi-sheer blue with a violet tinge.Team Rocket: Opaque, shimmery red-toned purple, kind of a cross between the Team Rocket uniform and Jessie's hair.Lance the Dragon Trainer: Deep, rich, shimmering indigo with golden sparks of eye-safe glitter.

(L to R): Articuno, Mewtwo, Hyper Beam

Articuno: Pale, powdery silver-blue with plenty of shimmer and sparkle.Mewtwo: Sheer, shimmery, medium purple with blue tones.
Hyper Beam: Sparkly opaque black, absolutely loaded with silver eye-safe glitter.

What I LOVE about the ingredients listings on the sample baggies is that they mention if the colour is lip-safe or not. As you can see from the photo above, Pikachu is lip-safe and Zubat is clearly marked as not lip-safe. Awesomeness for those who are like me and are too lazy to check the website.

I like the colours, my favourites are Mew, S.S. Anne, Team Rocket, Charmander, Articuno, Mewtwo and Bulbasaur.

These colours are extremely long-lasting with TFSI+Pixie Epoxy combo. I wore Mew with Team Rocket for our company's cruise to Tallinn. I sat on a sunny terrace for about 2 hours, I dragged my shopping bags... My foundation has melted a bit but my eyeshadows were intact except from the outer corners because my allergies caused my eyes to water. Other than that, these shadows lasted from 6am to 9pm and they still looked vivid when I took them off at night.

The lovely Phyrra got to check out these colours before I did and I went through the comments becasuse some people were worried about these colours being repacked TKB stuff. Here's Caitlin's reply (taken from Phyrra's blog):

Dropping in to clarify a bit: I consider the wax part of the base. I do use the C-SMAX from TKB, which is mica coated in carnauba wax, but I blend that with titanium dioxide and occasionally, depending on what I'm working with, additions like zinc oxide, magnesium myristrate, or silica. So it's a pre-mixed base within a base, I guess. I wanted to use the wax because of the finish it gives, and I thought the best way was to use the C-SMAX.

As for the colors themselves, I do get what you're saying about them not being especially unique. All of my colors have at least 3 unique colorants in them, but as you said, several are at least somewhat based on the Pop! colors. They're noticeably different when swatched side by side, though, and not just because of the inclusion of the base. That said, most of them are in fact fairly basic - I'm attempting to create higher levels of complexity as I learn more about how the colorants interact, but these 15 colors are my first attempts.

I appreciate Caitlin for her honest and friendly response and also the fact that she's admitting that she's still learning the art of making more complex colours.

I can't comment on the customer service since these were sent to me for review but Caitlin seems very friendly and is willing to answer any questions about her products and she's also taking new colour suggestions.

I'm sure I'm going to order some stuff from Shiro Cosmetics in the future. I already saw a swatch picture of a cool pink shade called Jigglypuff on Twitter and I've read some pretty interesting shade suggestions Caitlin may be working on in the future.

 Have you tried Shiro Cosmetics? What do you think about these swatches?

Lip Lustre swatches: The Summer Edition

I have more funky lip photos for you to laugh at! As you know, I love Fyrinnae Lip Lustres. Well, I love Fyrinnae stuff in general but the Lip Lustres are pretty awesome. So I pulled out a couple of shades I've been wearing lately and noticed that they all are pretty lovely for this spring/summer season. So I ended up swatching 10 Lip Lustres on my lips. The neighbors must've thought I was a crazy person, taking photos of my lips in my balcony wearing my jammies. Oh, the things I'd do for my lovely readers :)

So swatches are on bare lips. That's the great thing about these lippies: they're so moisturizing that you don't need to wear lipbalm underneath. Some of them last longer than others but you can get more miles from them if you blot after the first layer and then apply another one. Colour descriptions are taken from Fyrinnae website.

Very Berry Happy: Semi-sheer "milky" pink shimmer (vanilla cream scent)

This shade gives your lips a bit of "frosty" look. It's a very cool pink but somehow I don't end up looking like a corpse wearing it. I use it by itself or on top of another lippie for a cool plumping effect (dab it in the middle of your lower lip when wearing a darker cool pink/mauve shade and you get an instant lip plump).

Romantique: Semi-sheer soft warm pink with gold shimmer (toasted marshmallow scent)

This shade is like Rapunzel Had Extensions for lips. Unfortunately I can't wear this own it's own because it clashes with my skintone (which is odd because I have pink/peach tones in my skin). I do use it on top of other golden pink lippies.

Bare Shoulders: Sheer sandy rose shade with lavender highlights (cafe au lait scent)

Although this should be sheerer than Rapunzel, it's a lot more opaque on my lips. I love this shade and I can't quite explain why. It looks taup-ish but it also has this pinky metallic finish to it. Also, I love and hate the scent. Everytime I apply it, I'm like "eeewww, hate this scent" and then I have to sniff it more. This is definitely one of my favourite shades.

Lace Gloves: Sheer pink with red highlights (melon scent)

Another favourite of mine, this shade makes lips look rosy and luscious. I pick this shade quite often when I want that "my lips but better" look. It gives you the nice pink afterglow...

Devil Horns: Warm coral-pink with a brighter pink shimmer, which changes to a sizzling coppery-coral shade as it gets close to light (vanilla rum scent)

I couldn't capture the colour change on camera but if you look at the corners of my mouth, it does look a bit more coppery there. I use this colour a lot, it's a lovely warm coral that makes my skin glow.

Flavor of the Day: Semi-sheer light peach-pink with gold shimmer (strawberry cotton candy scent)

Utterly delicious. This looks almost matte peach in the container but the shimmer and the pink undertones become very visible on lips. I've noticed that lot of blogettes have fallen in love with this shade.

Puppy Love: Vibrant cool pink with tiny reflective sparkles, offering an almost "holographic" appearance. The sparkles are varying hues of blue, making this a multi-dimensional shade, but at different angles will appear pink or even orange and gold (candied kiwi scent)

This one I got as a freebie sample gift from the Fyrinnae boys. It's a very lovely colour and I love the shimmer. It's very very shimmery so don't be surprised if you find the shimmer on your cheeks and your nose when the colour wears off!

Lollipop-Pop: Fun vibrant light pink with a blue highlight (lychee scent)

I believe this was one of the first Lip Lustre shades I ever tried out. As it is pink with blue highlight, it's obviously one of my favourites although I lately I haven't used it as much.

Trickster: Vibrant fuchsia topped with shimmering blue highlight (creme de menthe scent)

This is like Lollipop-Pop's outgoing big sister. This shade was requested by Phyrra and like Phyrra herself, the shade is awesome and edgy.

Fanservice: A matte, vivid milky lavender (sweet rose scent)

I love this shade but I can't wear it alone because it makes me look slightly hypothermic. So I either blot it so it turns into light lavender lip stain OR I wear it on top of another lippie. This shade makes me think about milkshakes. Yum yum.


Some people are not fond of Lip Lustres, saying that they don't last well or that they feel oily on lips. As with any cosmetic product, people are very different and react differently. I personally love Lip Lustres. Some of the shades last longer than others (for instance, Puppy Love wears off quite quickly on my lips) but I like the formula and it feels moisturizing to my lips. All of these lippies are vegan.

What do you think about Lip Lustres? Any favourite shades?

MAC Tissueweight swatches

My dear and lovely Welsh blogger friend Chloe was kind enough to get me the much-coveted MAC Tissueweight eyeshadow. Thank you, Chloe! She also sent me and my boyfriend some yummy chocolate treats which I ate all by myself. My boyfriend didn't even get to see the wrappers.

I wanted to swatch this delicate beauty to you all (and to Chloe since she was debating whether to send it to me or keep to herself, lol). Tissueweight is a frost eyeshadow so it has that lovely shiny finish. I've swatched it only over TFSI (I use epoxy only with loose pigments).

This first pic was taken outdoors. Look at it glow. I'm sure I'll be using this a lot this spring/summer. It looks lovely combined with darker shades but it's light enough to use as a highlighter, too.

This pic was taken indoors. Drool. Nothing more to say really. This is what delicate, light shades should look like: simple but not bland.

Do you have Tissueweight in your stash?

Morgana Minerals lippie swatches

This doesn't necessarily mean I'm not going to post an FOTD this weekend. I've just meant to have done this ages ago so I'm starting this Saturday by giving you some swatches of Morgana Minerals lippies.

As most of you probably know, the lippies are vegan. This affect the formula by making the lippies feel a bit harder. Not to worry, it's not a bad thing. You don't have to use the force to get some colour on your lips. However, if your lips are a bit chapped (like mine), you may want to use a lipbalm underneath. These are quite longwearing and the colour payoff is amazing. These lippies cost $10 a pop which is a steal because of the rich pigmentation. Morgana also offers non-traditional colours like green, blue, silver and different shades of black.

First off a skin swatch (on bare skin). Shade descriptions are taken from Morgana Minerals website.

L to R: Azalea Blue, Coraline's Kiss, Very Cherry, Watermelon

Azalea Blue: Hot pink with a blue sheen
Coraline's Kiss: A luscious, stunning coral with a pink highlight
Very Cherry: Rich, medium red with a cherry scent

Watermelon: Pink with subtle green twinkles and a watermelon scent

Azalea Blue on lips. As you can see, the blue sheen is visible and OMGgorgeous. I love pinks with blue sheen/shimmer because my brain has decided that my lips look fuller in that colour.

Coraline's Kiss on lips. No, it's not the lipstick, it's my application. I put these on straight from the tube (bad kitty, BAD KITTY!) so they may appear a bit patchy. This is a nice, golden coral shade.

My camera refused to zoom on Very Cherry so this is the best pic I got. It's very red and a bit metallic.

Watermelon is my favourite. You can see a bit of the green shimmer. It's gorgeous. Lipsticks with a green shimmer are another obsession of mine. There just aren't enough of those.

Sorry about the cruddy lip swatches, I need to practice taking lip photos more AND perfect my application method, at least for the sake of photography.

Have you tried Morgana's lippies? Any favourites? See anything you like here?

Aromaleigh Pure Mineral Rouge in Rosette swatches

I have never tried Aromaleigh's blushes before yesterday. And I realized that today. I almost feel ashamed because I'm a sworn blush hoarder and I usually make it my quest to try blushes from the companies I order stuff from.

Rosette is (according to the colour description on Aromaleigh website) "a warm peachy pink perfect for rosy cheeks!". In the jar, it almost looks like nude brown. On my cheeks it looks lovely and natural. I have to get some pics wearing this shade because the swatches seem so dull in comparison. The blush is very velvety and gives cheeks a nice glow (not discoball shimmer attack). As always, I have swatched the blush on bare skin.


This was taken outdoors, without flash:

It's a very fleshy peach shade which makes me want to wear it with strong purple smokey eye. It's also perfect for a natural look


This photo was taken indoors without flash:

This pic shows the "glow" a bit better. As you can see, it's not shimmery but there's definitely some illuminating action going on.

I've been wearing this blush whole day today and I have to say I love it. I've recently been drawn to peachy blushes and this is definitely my favourite one.

Have you tried Aromaleigh's blushes? Do you like blushes or do you opt for a bronzer instead?

It's Only a Model or Some 'Get Medieval' Swatches

I got some happy mail as well today! I ordered samples of some of the 'Get Medieval' colours and since the light was cooperating even after work, I did some swatching for you. As always, these are swatched on TFSI + Pixie Epoxy. First bact of photos were taken outdoors and the second indoors. Colour descriptions are from Morgana Minerals website.

(L to R, outside without flash) Fortress, Chivalry, Alchemy, Lady Godiva

Fortress: Russet-plum with a bright, silvery blue-green sheen
Chivalry: Lavender with a vibrant green sheen

Alchemy: Fuchsia with aqua sparkles
Lady Godiva: Plum on a charcoal background with violet-pink sheen & sparkle

Fortress is a duochrome, albeit a faint one.I love it. In some lights it looks like russet and in some lights it leans more to plum. Definitely one of my favourites. Chivalry is another fave. The green shimmer is visible and the shade is just soooo delicate and beautiful. Alchemy is a bright fuchsia but for some reason I can't see  the aqua sparkles in any light. Lady Godiva is such a stunner. It looks a bit murky in the baggie but on skin the pinkish sheen becomes more visible.

(L to R, outside without flash) Concubine, Guinevere, Byzantium, Drawbridge

Concubine: Maroon with flecks shifting gold, copper, and red
Guinevere: A rich coral with a pink sheen (this shade contains a small amount of Bismuth Oxychloride)
Byzantium: Metallic cinnamon brown
Drawbridge: Brown

Concubine is a very dramatic metallic colour. I don't know if I'll be able to pull it of in a makeup look but I can't stop staring it on my skin. Guinevere definitely delivers on the spring trend factor. It's lovely and bright. Another fave. Byzantium is another dramatic colour in the collection and makes my heart go pitter-patter. Drawbridge makes muddy brown look lovely. I think I can detect a hint of gold somewhere...

(L to R, outside without flash) Stonekeep, Beowulf

Stonekeep: Metallic olive with a golden sheen, sparks of gold and copper catch the light beautifully (contains small amounts of Dimethicone and Bismuth Oxychloride)
Beowulf: Deep, sparkling navy shifting to a dark purple. Shifting sparkles of silver and gold add brilliance to this dark shade

Stonekeep will probably be one of the big sellers from this collection (as will be Beowulf). Sparkly metallics are quite unusual because most of the time people want metallics to be more satiny but Stonekeep looks almost wild with the subtle shimmer. I don't see the purple factor in Beowulf but it's a gorgeous navy.


Now the same colours inside without flash (pics are taken by the window).

I think I need more shades from this collection and some full sizes. I like that the shades I matched are not all the same. There are something for everybody, I'm sure.

Hope you like the swatches! See anything you like?

The Post That Had To Be Deleted

Yeah, you've probably noticed that I had to remove my latest rant post. I got an e-mail about libel, copyright infringement and reporting me to Blogger. The funniest thing was that the person who sent it to me, Jenna Whitman from Stardust Cosmetics, had confused my first name with another blogger. People, when you copy&paste an e-mail, change the name of the recipient so they'll feel more special receiving it.

FOTD: Sober May Day

Hi everyone!

May Day (and the eve) is kind of a big thing here in Finland. It's called both the working people's celebration AND students' celebration which means that practically everyone in Finland likes to take part in the festivities. Kids like to paint their faces and students proudly dress up in their overalls and everyone who has matriculated from either a polytechnic school or high school are wearing their student hats (the more tattered, the better). Usually May Day's Eve starts the binge drinking that continues until the next day when most people gather outside for a picnic. Of course, I couldn't take part in the celebrations because I'm still on the mend but my boyfriend got me a Hello Kitty balloon to keep me company as he went out to party with his friends. I burst out laughing when I was reading Nea's blog because I got the exact same balloon as her daughter :D

But I did paint my face today and since I mentioned that Hi-Fi Cosmetics hasn't gotten enough love from me, I did a pink look with Veronica's lovely pigments. I also used the new lipgloss. I have to say that I love the formula. My lips are chapped and the flake like all the time but because the gloss has moisturizing ingredients in it, my lips felt smooth and silky.

All of the products used here were bought by me except for Live Large which I got as a free sample from Veronica (and which I will need in full size).

FOTD: Sober May Day

Face:

Sassy Minerals foundation in Warm Fair
MAC blush ombre in Azalea Blossom

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer)
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy (on top of TFSI)
Hi-Fi Cosmetics eyeshadow in My Valentine (all over lid)
Hi-Fi Cosmetics eyeshadow in Celebrated Victim (from crease up to below brows)
Hi-Fi Cosmetics eyeshadow in Live Large (outer corners and crease)
Lumene Eye Graphic eyeliner pencil in Coal Black (upper lashline)
Hi-Fi Cosmetics eyeshadow in Things That Cannot Speak (upper lashline over black liner, lower lashline)
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Rich Black

Lips:

Hi-Fi Cosmetics lipgloss in Sober

If you think that this looks bright, you're wrong! The look was so much brighter in person. My boyfriend said that I looked like a bright pink May Day balloon! :) Live Large is like pink electricity, you cannot not notice it.

I tilted my head to show off how shiny My Valentine is. In the jar it looks like it has green shimmer to it but on lids it translates to extreme shininess that the surface of the colour looks almost like liquid.

I love Azalea Blossom. When I saw pics of it on Temptalia I knew I had to get it. I can post swatch photos if you're interested but it's a blush that has two shades in it, pink and lavender, that can be used together by sweeping a blush brush accross the whole palette or you might use just one of the shades. I used both shades and it's a lovely fresh cool pink with a hint of lavender in it. Some have said that it looks chalky but I didn't notice any chalkiness although I'm not sure if it's because I'm so pale. Because I've seen swatch photos of it on darker skintones and it does seem to be a bit severe-looking. Maybe it's the matte formula. But I love it, it gives a nice pink flush to my cheeks.

I wanted to show you a close-up of the lipgloss on my lips. The shade is called Sober and it's almost a milky sort of a pink shade. It's not opaque so it won't look snowbunny at all. It has a bit of shimmer. The shine is gorgeous, you don't even need to smother your lips with it.

The lipglosses I have (Sober, Gin&Sin, Ribbons and Bows) are all on the sheer side but all of them give a nice shine and shimmer to lips. I especially love Gin&Sin that on lips look like I had a bit of gold in them. These glosses also work perfectly on top of a lipstick. In fact, I used Gin&Sin with MAC's Ever Hip (a pinky peach shade) to give the shade a little shiny kick.

What do you think of this look? Have you tried Hi-Fi?