Hello Waffle Swatches and Reviews

Disclaimer: I am currently in the process of reswatching duochromes and photographing them differently to give my readers a more accurate depiction of the shifts. Please be patient while I go through the process of updating my past reviews. :)

Hey, everybody! Right around the time I finished up my last Hello Waffle post, my next order arrived. C'est la vie. So, here's my second round of Hello Waffle swatches and reviews!

All pictures are taken by me, and all quoted descriptions are taken directly from the Hello Waffle site. As per usual, swatches are bare skin on the left and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the right.

Mendelssohn: "light pink with golden sheen"

The description pretty much says it all! A pretty flush peach with a subtle gold shimmer.

Yup!: "matte light mocha"

This matte mocha hails from Christine's Archer inspired collection, which consists of all mattes. As with all indies matte I buy, it seems, this applies fairly patchy. Any advice on applying mattes?

Bae (formerly Fresh Lacquer, discontinued): "dark stormy copper with silver sparkle"

I know this isn't based on Baelfire from Once Upon a Time, but every time I put this shadow on I find myself gazing dreamily into the distance.. until I think about his father. I'm not picking up too much copper here. For me, it's a stormy grey with a cool silver shift.

"Uh, Duh!": "matte burgundy red"

Another matte from the Archer-inspired Duchess Collection, this is a burgundy that screams "grunge", and that is NOT a bad thing. This applied a little patchy, but not nearly as patchy as Yup! This shadow tends to clump up in the jar, similar to Fyrinnae's shadows, but that's normal as far as I can tell. Give the clumps a little tap with your brush, and they'll fall away.

Ethereal Voice: "warm purple with noticeable golden shimmer"

This is definitely one of Hello Waffle's tried and true purples. A warm, almost smokey purple with a golden sheen, this pairs well with so many of Christine's other gorgeous purples. A must-have for purple junkies! How many times can I use the word "purple" in one review? Purple, purple, purple.

Well, this wraps up my second Hello Waffle swatch and review post! It certainly won't be the last, especially with the Kitty Kingdom restock creeping up on us. You can check out Hello Waffle's adorable website here.

Aromaleigh Swatches and Reviews

Disclaimer: I am currently in the process of reswatching duochromes and photographing them differently to give my readers a more accurate depiction of the shifts. Please be patient while I go through the process of updating my past reviews. :)

Happy Monday, everyone! Today I'm going to be reviewing my latest purchase from Aromaleigh Cosmetics. Aromaleigh was founded in 1998 (wow!) and their company has a lot to offer an indie newcomer or veteran. The company offers products ranging from shadows to blushes to finishing powders and primers. With collections inspired by neurodiversity, Ancient Rome, Blade Runner, and Sherlock, Aromaleigh has a little something for everyone.

Alright! Onto my swatches and reviews! All pictures are taken by me, and all quoted descriptions are taken directly from Aromaleigh's site. Swatches are bare skin on the left, and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the right.

Marguerite: "a rosy buff pearl frost with sparks of gold"

This is such a gorgeous frosty peach. A little hint of flush and a soft shimmer. Perfect for a one-shadow eye look or easily incorporated into softer looks.

Pyroclastic Flow: "a warm rose with a copper duo chrome highlight, and golden sparkles"

This is Marguerite's pinker cousin. I'm not able to pick up the copper highlight, so this reminds me of Hello Waffle's Purr-ide and Purr-ejudice quite a bit.

Hesperides: "a plush terracotta shade with a strong golden to chartreuse color traveling duochrome"

On Aromaleigh's site, this shadow is a gorgeous autumny orange-yellow with a strong golden shift. However, for me this is falling flat as a dull semi-matte terracotta. I'm suspicious this may be from a bad batch, as it looks like this shadow is just the base. It's lacking the dramatic shift entirely.

Lucky Cat Emporium: "a smooth cinnabar frost with bright shades of jade green"

This is such a funky shade, and I love it. A rusty red with bright jade sparkles. I don't know if any other indie company makes a shade like this! The contrast between the warm base and the cool sparkles is so unexpected, yet it seems like they were meant to be.

Experimental Drug: "a rich warm reddish brown with cool silvery iridescence of green, blue and violet"

This is another color that captures the beauty of contrast. From some angles, this shadow is an earthy red-brown, but in the light it transforms into a reddish lavender with a shimmer of cool hues.

Pool: "a rich greyed neutral blue matte"

I really wanted to love Pool after being disappointed by Beauty for the Win's Okay, but this shadow is patch city. The hunt for a periwinkle matte shadow continues.

Faunus: "a soft mossy green with gold tones, and interference shimmers of blue and violet"

Mermaids, rejoice! This is the shadow for you! My picture does the shadow no justice. In sunlight, it's a soft turquoise with a shift of gold and subtle blue and violet sparks. This shadow is definitely made from mermaid scales.

Destiny: "a frost finish in a rich deep neutral forest green shade"

Let's be honest: I bought this because my name is Destiny. Anyway.. this is a frosty neutral green that almost borders on metallic for me. I love using this as an outer v shadow with Faunus as the base.

Et Tu, Brute?: "a rich Tyrian purple with red duochrome and shards of red sparks"

Even in the pictures on Aromaleigh's site, this shadow has no red shift or sparks. I wish it could be a little.. bloodier looking. (I was stage manager for a production of Julius Caesar, and the front row of seats were labeled the "splash zone".) Despite the lack of red, this is a pretty lavender with a slight pink shift when the light hits it just right.

Walpurgisnacht: "a deep blue which shifts to violet due to it's strong reddish/violet duochrome. It also has fiery copper sparks!"

Fans of Madoka Magica, you know what's up. Walpurgisnacht is a dusty grey periwinkle with subtle copper sparks. I love blending this shadow into my crease for.. witchier looks. ;) (If you haven't watched Madoka Magica, please do.)

Despite a few shadows not matching up with site photos or descriptions, I'm pretty pleased with my little haul! Check out Aromaleigh's website here.

Hello Waffle Swatches and Reviews

Disclaimer: I am currently in the process of reswatching duochromes and photographing them differently to give my readers a more accurate depiction of the shifts. Please be patient while I go through the process of updating my past reviews. :)

I'm sure we all know that Hello Waffle is an amazing brand, and today I decided to reinforce why it's my favorite brand after reading that Hello Waffle won numerous awards this week! Here's what Hello Waffle won in Portrait of Mai's 2014 Best of Indie Reader's Choice Awards:

Best Up and Coming Indie Brand

Best Powder Blush

Best Highlighter

Hello Waffle took second place for Best Realized Theme Color Collection for the amazing Catssic Literature Collection! Hello Waffle also took third place for Recommended Beginner Brand, Best Beauty Brand for Vegans, Best Loose Eyeshadow Formula, and Best Pressed Eyeshadow Formula.

Hello Waffle just celebrated its first birthday, and the brand has totally taken the indie world by storm. With collections ranging from fairytale to fandom, and products from glosses to highlighters, Hello Waffle is a beautifully balanced brand. (Ahh, alliteration.)

Alright, I think I've established that I'm pretty smitten over Hello Waffle. Onto my swatches and review!

T-B, L-R: Double Trouble, Purr-ide and Purr-ejudice, Box Cat

Kai, Rainforest, Edgar Allan Prrr

This is only the beginning of my growing collection! I received my newest order a few days ago, and plan to make a separate post around those sometime this week. As usual, swatches are done over bare skin on the left, and over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the right. Any quoted shadow descriptions are taken directly from Hello Waffle's site. (My teddy bear is named Duffy and he loves to photobomb my swatch pictures.)

Double Trouble: site description unavailable

This shadow was part of Hello Waffle's Kitty Kingdom Collection, which is now unavailable on the site. Rumor has it that the collection will make a reappearance sometime soon. Double Trouble is a sheer salmon with a hint of sparkle. A perfect base for neutral eye looks.

Purr-ide and Purr-ejudice: "lady-like blush pink"

The site description pretty much says it all! A delicate pink with a hint of sparkle. I love using this shadow along with Double Trouble for a simple eye look.

Box Cat: site description unavailable

Also hailing from the Kitty Kingdom Collection, this shadow is a metallic bronze, chockful of gold sparkle. Out of these six shadows, this is the worst when it comes to fallout. A sticky base is a must for Box Cat.

Kai (formally Hans): "reddened copper with green, silver and gold sparkles"

This shadow is a coppery magenta with lots of sparkle. I can't really pick up the green sparkles. Kai in particular applied very buttery, and I was impressed with how smooth the texture was for having so much sparkle.

Rainforest: "vibrant green-blue with sparkles"

Available in The Nature Duo alongside Fusion on Hello Waffle's site or as a standalone through Femme Fatale. For me, this shadow was a blackened semi-matte teal. It had more of a shimmer effect than a sparkly one.

Edgar Allan Prrr: "matte black base with blue, turquoise and violet microshimmers"

This is a shadow that works great on bare skin as a matte black, but over Pixie Epoxy, this shadow is a gorgeous explosion of deep blue and holographic sparkle. Pictures really can't do it justice. It makes me think of a psychedelic night sky.

You can check out Hello Waffle's website here.

Alrght, that wraps up my first post on Hello Waffle! I'd love to start doing in-depth eyeshadow reviews on the shadows you'd like to know most about. Let me know if any of these shadows catch your eye, especially with a potential restock of the Catssic Literature Collection coming up!

Solstice Scents: A Review of my Ever-Growing Collection

Alright, here's my first go at a scent review! Today I'm going to focus on Solstice Scents, a company that quickly won me over with its unique and high-quality products. Who doesn't want to smell like a hayride, or a dusty attic? Solstice Scents produces scents that, to me, feel nostalgic whether or not the smell is necessarily familiar. I think it's just because the scents smell so incredibly true to life.

All reviews are based on my first impression, smelling straight from the containers. In general, Solstice Scent perfumes can fill a room, but aren't overbearing. I like their gourmands, and frequently I have people around me asking what the smell in the room is coming from. No one ever believes it's my perfume! I have to reapply once or twice a day when I'm out and about if I want to keep the delicious-smell-trail behind me going. Otherwise, the smell stays close to the skin but still smells nice. I just like watching heads turn when I walk by, what can I say?

All quoted scent descriptions are taken directly off the Solstice Scent website. You can check out their lovely site here.

From left to right, up to down: Sugarvale, Blueberry Muffin Batter, Lemon Ginger Creams, Cafe Mallowmel, Library, Cocoa Mallow, Blackburn's Parlor, Sycamore Sugarworks

Sugarvale: "candied pecans, butterscotch, buttered rum, brown sugar, maple syrup, hot pralines, and milk chocolate cocoa"

This perfume smells like straight-up Waffle Crisp cereal. If you haven't tried Waffle Crisp, it's essential to your well being. Go buy a box, enjoy a bowl, then come back and read the rest of this post. Okay, I need to get back on track.. First sniff, it's a mouthwatering gooey mix of candied nuts, butterscotch, and a hint of chocolate to round it out. It somehow smells.. fresh, like the pecans and butterscotch are straight from the oven, and you're enjoying a sip of cocoa as you wait for your desserts to cool. It's a very comforting scent.

Blueberry Muffin Batter, (discontinued): "blueberry, brown sugar, vanilla, cane sugar, batter"

When I was a kid, when Jiffy Blueberry Muffin Mix went on sale, my mom would snag a couple boxes and spend a whole morning making multiple batches. This is exactly what Blueberry Muffin Batter smells like. This is a Jiffy Blueberry Muffin tucked into my lunchbox as a child. Fresh blueberries, crumbly muffin, and a sprinkling of brown sugar. The kind of muffin that kinda melts on your tongue. Sadly, Blueberry Muffin Batter was discontinued a few weeks back. I made sure to snag a backup bottle. When it runs out, I'll probably beg Solstice to make me another. On my knees, with lots of money to give. A girl can dream.

Lemon Ginger Creams: "gingersnap sandwich cookies filled with vanilla-lemon cream"

This perfume smells like a freshly opened bag of gingersnap delights. A tart, zingy lemon whip followed by a pungent ginger. There's a slight vanilla wispiness tangled in the ginger crust of the cookies. This perfume contains real ginger essential oil, and has a very uplifting smell. I put this perfume on in mornings when I can use a pick-me-up.

Cafe Mallowmel: "rich coffee flavored with decadent caramel and sweet marshmallow cream"

Fan of how Starbucks smells in the morning, before the big rush arrives? You will love this perfume. Personally, I'm not a coffee person, but this scent gives me a caffeine boost just by smelling it. Bitter coffee balanced out with a fluffy topping of marshmallow cream and a heavy drizzle of caramel syrup. However, this perfume is the first (and hopefully only) from Solstice Scents that disappoints me in wear time. It smells wonderful upon initial application, but within two minutes the scent disappears on my skin. Even smelling from the vial, I had to reinsert the applicator in the vial and pull it back out again in order to get a good sense of the perfume. It almost makes me wonder if I received a vial from a bad batch.

Library: "leather bound books, a carved rosewood mantle, dying fireplace embers, wood wainscoting, cedar shelving and aged paper"

This perfume is essential for any book lover. Library consists of twenty oils, including sandalwood, agarwood, Virginia cedarwood, rosewood and more to create a perfume that envelops you in what can only be described as a luxurious library fit for a princess. Think the castle library from Beauty and the Beast. Imagine Belle slowly pouring over a pile of fantasy novels while her prince stokes a fire. THAT'S Library. Strong woods, leather book covers, glowing embers, and aging parchment make up this perfume that I recommend to everyone and anyone.

Cocoa Mallow: "devilish dark chocolate and fluffy sweet marshmallows"

This scent is so simplistic, yet oh so mouthwatering. Unlike Cafe Mallowmel, this is a hot cocoa scent that smells homemade. Rich, melted dark chocolate transformed into a piping hot cup of cocoa, topped with fresh marshmallows straight from the bag. This was my must-wear scent for Christmas.

Blackburn's Parlor: "vanilla waffle bowl, vanilla and chocolate ice creams, sliced bananas smothered in caramel sauce and topped with whipped cream"

This is such a staple product from Solstice Scents. Though many people compare this perfume to a freshly-made banana split, I've never been able to detect the banana in this scent. Gooey caramel sauce and cooled vanilla waffle bowls are the notes that jump out at me. This ice cream parlor is no Rite-Aid ice cream station, this is the real deal. Everything is made from scratch, and with fresh local ingredients. Somehow Solstice Scents is able to convey that in a perfume.

Sycamore Sugarworks: "caramelized pear tarts, banana apple muffins, spice cakes with rum glaze, cream puffs and maple walnut pastries"

Another must-have from Solstice Scents. Cinnamon, freshly chopped juicy pears, and warm banana apple muffins are the initial notes when smelling straight from the vial. It slowly melts into a mix of maple syrup, brown sugar and pecan, with a hint of flaky pastry. Overall, Sycamore Sugarworks is a gentle, slow stroll amongst glass displays of fresh, warm desserts. You can't just pick one!

With true-to-life scents, gorgeous packaging, and delicately handwritten labels, Solstice Scents is a 10/10 for me. For those wanting to give this brand a try, I'd recommend their 5-pack of samples. It's priced at $12, and all purchases come with an additional complimentary sample. If you make an account on the Solstice Scents site, you get ANOTHER free sample. That's 7 samples for $12, and if that doesn't sound like a too-good-to-be-true infomercial, I don't know what does.

That wraps up my first indie perfume review post! Let me know what you guys think!