Fyrinnae Wizardry vs Performance Colors Zombie Bride

I promised a comparison post between Fyrinnae Wizardry and PC Zombie Bride a while back, and today I delivered! We all have a little hole in our hearts where Performance Colors once sat, so I decided to see if the wound could be mended a little. See for yourself!

Both products purchased by me (Wizardry) and a friend (Zombie Bride). All opinions are my own, and all quoted descriptions are taken from the product's respective company. Lip swatches are taken over moisturized lips and a layer of clear lip liner.

Fyrinnae Liquid Matte Lipstick in Wizardry: "deep burgundy base with a highlight which changes from turquoise-blue to purple to pink"

This is a liquid lipstick that dries down to a semi-metallic finish. The base is a deep burgundy/purple with turquoise sparks and a magenta shift. This lipstick does not budge, so it stains a bit and can be hard to remove. It has a tendency to feather, and even over my clear lip liner, it began to feather as it dried down. Because of its thin consistency, application takes practice. I think the key to prevent feathering and ensure cleaner lines is to use several thin applications, and allowing the product to dry in between.

Performance Colors Restorative Lipstick in Zombie Bride: "frenzied bruised purple with a high blue sheen"

This is a solid lipstick in a balm tube, which makes it hard to apply in my little Cupid's Bow. For this reason, I applied with a lip brush for this post. It's a deep red-toned purple with turquoise sparks and a strong blue to magenta shift depending on the angle. The product is a little gritty, and it likes to highlight dry patches on your lips if you apply straight from the tube. It smudges easily and quickly fades down to a magenta base.

So here I swatched Fyrinnae Wizardry on top and PC Zombie Bride on the bottom. I applied Zombie Bride straight from the tube. Both formulas had some issues with patchiness and streakiness, which seems to be the price paid for darker indie lip products. Overall, it took more work to even out Zombie Bride, and even then I couldn't get it quite right. In the sun, Wizardry's sparks stand out more than the shift itself, and Zombie Bride is the opposite. I attribute this to the fact that Wizardry dries down more matte than Zombie Bride. The wetness of Zombie Bride allows for more sheen. I think all in all, these are good color dupes, but are (for obvious reasons), not formula dupes at all.

Here I swatched Fyrinnae Wizardry on the left and PC Zombie Bride on the right with the aid of a lip brush. When applied on my lips, they looked the same as my arm swatches, so I decided to wear these for an hour to see what happens. (I promise I know how to execute a proper shape with lip products, the thinness of Wizardry got away from me.) As you can see, Wizardry has held its ground, where Zombie Bride has already faded significantly. As Zombie Bride faded, I feel like it lost its strong shift. Overall, Wizardry performs how I wish Zombie Bride would.

So here are my final thoughts: Not only is Wizardy a great color dupe of Zombie Bride, it performs better due to its excellent formula. It applies with less streakiness and patchiness, and though the thin formula can be tricky to apply, once it dries it's going to stay put all day. Performance Colors had a wonderful run, but for anyone kicking themselves for not picking up Zombie Bride, give Wizardry a try!

Turning Over a New Leaf with Shiro's Animal Crossing Trio

I couldn't contain my excitement (or my wallet) when I saw that Shiro released a trio of Animal Crossing shadows. I've been playing Animal Crossing since middle school, and have been impatiently awaiting indies inspired by the franchise. Not only are they inspired by some of my favorite characters, but the label art is adorable and the shadow names are hilarious. A+, Shiro!

Products purchased by me, and all opinions are my own. Swatches are taken on bare skin and primer, then Pixie Epoxy. All quoted product descriptions are taken directly from Shiro's site, found here.

Canine Help You?: "Dreamy pastel yellow-orange creamsicle base with soft golden shimmer."

Inspired by your faithful mayoral assistant, Isabelle, this is a sweet muted sunflower with subtle golden flecks. Over bare skin, the shadow leans more pastel yellow.

Alpaca Picnic: "Soft pinky-red highlight with an extra level of pink shimmer."

I LOVE this shadow, and it's inspired by Reese, my favorite character addition to Animal Crossing: New Leaf. A delicate red-toned highlight over bare skin and primer, but it's a bold magenta chock-full of sparkle over Pixie Epoxy. I immediately ordered a custom gloss of this shadow from Shiro, and I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Forever A Loan: "Bright springy mint green with a cool shift."

Inspired by Tom Nook, the greediest home renovator of them all, this is a grassy mint with subtle sky blue shimmer. Don't forget you still owe for your last home expansion, yes, yes.

Baker's Boy: "Shimmery light golden brown with blue sparks."

My sample with purchase, and I'm so glad it was. This is a golden brown base with heavy gold shimmer. I don't see any blue sparks here.

Well, that wraps up my review! I'm so glad I picked up this collection. The colors are so pretty, and my GWP was awesome! I'm on pins and needles waiting for my Alpaca Picnic gloss.

My First Darling Clandestine Haul!

Not sure if you'd call this a haul, since it's only two bitsies, but I'm excited nonetheless! Darling Clandestine has been on my radar for a while, and I finally pulled the trigger (with a second order already on the way). This order consisted of bitsy vials of Mayfly and Blue Valentine.

These bitsies are a great deal. You get a one-dram bottle with cute labels for only $5, and these will last you forever. These came in a little baggie along with a few pieces of chicken and shark confetti, and some yummy tea bags. The hype is real, guys. Evonne rocks. My fiance, Charles, is allowing me to use his nose for this review as well.

So here's my little spiel for my fragrance reviews: Your mileage may vary! Please don't take my reviews too seriously. If you buy these perfumes, they may smell better or worse than what I say. I'm not responsible for the human senses being fickle. Quoted descriptions are taken from various sources, as Darling Clandestine cycles their fragrances, so descriptions can't always be found on the Etsy shop page.

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Mayfly: "Opens deceptively sweet with notes of plum blossom, lilac, and other damp, delicate budding blossoms, then gets deeper and jade-greener and muddier and woodier. Petals on a wet, black bough."

Cold sniff- A quick whiff is sweet lilac, and long sniff is plum blossom and heavy rain. A deep forest at night standing amongst the wet, sweet blossoms. Charles says, "Really crisp, and incense."

Fifteen minutes after application- A powdery floral, with just enough wood smell to balance out the powder. I like it, but I feel like to some people, this could border on old people smell or cheap candle. Charles says, "Wet." He's a poet, guys.

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Blue Valentine: "A moody bouquet of hyacinth and violet and poppies and figs, washed down with shots of whiskey and bitters and delicate musks and mint. Very potent, very heady."

Cold sniff- A quick whiff is fig and strong mint, and long sniff is a hyacinth, violet, musk, and whiskey. A bouquet angrily tossed on the couch as you drown yourself in liquor. Such a moody scent. Charles says, "Sweet. I'm bad at smelling. I kinda smell watermelon."

Fifteen minutes after application- This dries down to figs and whiskey with a hint of sharp mint for me. A little disappointing, because the scent is much more complex in the vial, but I love the scent nonetheless. Charles says, "I don't knooooow. It's leafy and green." Okay, he's halfway there. I won't fire him. Yet.

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Alright, that wraps up my reviews! Would I buy from Darling Clandestine again? Totally! The day I got these bitsies, I placed an order for a bitsy of Tilt-a-Whirl. I definitely recommend trialing these perfumes as bitsy oils or solids first, as a lot of these scents are very unique. You really won't know what to expect until you try them out, and you'll either love 'em or hate 'em. Luckily, there are plenty of people who would love to take unloved DC products off your hands. :)

I know I promised a comparison post of Performance Colors Zombie Bride and Fyrinnae's Wizardry, but lately my face has broken out.. all around my lip region. I'll do my swatches as soon as my skin decides to calm it's crap down. Until then, I have plenty of recent hauls to review, from Shiro's new Animal Crossing shadows to Aromaleigh's May Ephemera Box to Darling Girl's Once Upon a Time shadows. Stay tuned!

Salivating a Tad over Corvus Cosmetics' Kinder-und Hausmarchen Collection

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. :)

This post is long overdue! After opening last year, Corvus Cosmetics has continued to impress with wonderfully themed collections and stunning shadows. Noel's upcoming projects include a mermaid-based shadow collection, and a line of lipsticks inspired by poisonous flora. I'm always excited to see what Noel has up her sleeve, because she's yet to disappoint for me.

I was quick to snap up the Kinder-und Hausmarchen collection right at release, and it's probably my favorite indie purchase I've ever made. Every color is excellent, and it's been driving me to start using challenging colors (blue shadow, eek!). As usual, Corvus shadows are very impressive over bare skin. There were a few shadows that weren't quite as pigmented over bare skin as I'm used to with Corvus, but if that's my only complaint, I'm a happy camper. This collection is inspired by tales by the Brothers Grimm. Noel includes summaries of each story on every shadow page, which I think is an awesome touch.

I've got a lovely bunch of eyeshadows, all sitting in their rows

(I watched The Lion King a few days back, can't get the songs out of my head)

As per usual, swatches are taken over bare skin, Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. All quoted descriptions are taken directly off the Corvus Cosmetics' site, which you can visit following this link.

Barely a Bite: "an apple red with a poisonous green shift", inspired by Little Snow White

Oh lord, this shift is wicked.  A gorgeous warm apple red over bare skin and UDPP, but over Pixie Epoxy, the green shift seriously stands out. Honestly, if you told me this was a Femme Fatale shadow, I wouldn't question you.

Gingerbread Haus: "a matte tan with a complex indigo-purple-red shift", inspired by Hansel and Gretel

I love this shadow, but it's a bit of a contradiction. The shift and sparkle show up best over Pixie Epoxy, but shadows with matte bases don't always behave well over a glitter adhesive. It's a total glitterbomb, so I'm at a crossroads with this shadow. I think, in the end, it'll make me a master at applying Pixie Epoxy. This shadow is a beautiful matte gingerbread-brown over bare skin and UDPP, and I'll likely use it that way as a crease shade. If you can get your Pixie Epoxy application down, this shadow is dramatic and chock-full of purple sparkle over it. I'm such a sucker for shadows with contrasting sparkle like this!

The Devil Told You That: "a soft white highlight sheen with a gold sheen", inspired by Rumpelstiltskin

Normally white shadows don't impress me.. because, you know, they're white. This shadow really impressed me though, because I've found a lot of white shadows tend to be a bit chalky in their consistency. This had the same satin-y feel as the other shadows in the collection, and although it's a semi-sheer highlight over bare skin and primer, it's very pigmented and has an oh-so-subtle gold sheen over Pixie Epoxy. Since it's inspired by Rumpelstiltskin, obligatory Once Upon a Time reference:

The Thirteenth Gift: "a coral pink with a gold shift", inspired by Briar Rose (previously Why Not Zoidberg?)

If you forced me to pick a favorite from this collection, The Thirteenth Gift would be my favorite wearable shadow (my true favorite is Bluebeard). Over bare skin, it's a feminine coral-tinged pink. The gold shift shows up over both primer and epoxy, but the sparkles are more prominent over a glitter base (duh). This shadow is very versatile and the shift is stunning.

Death at His Feet: "a dark chocolate brown with a satin finish", inspired by The Godfather (previously Fine Jamaicon Bacon)

This is a deep chocolate shadow with subtle brown sparks. I had some issues with patchiness over bare skin, but it smoothed out over primer. For some reason, my camera was just not having taking pictures of my Epoxy swatch. Well, now you have a good idea of the sparkle!

Golden Slipper: "a champagne gold with a slight shimmer", inspired by Cinderella (previously Champaggin)

This shadow is a very intimidating mustard yellow in the jar, but it applies a soft, vintage gold with a touch of silver sparkle. This goes great paired with my neutrals, and is beautifully pigmented over bare skin, primer, and glitter base.

He Was No Frog: "a pastel blue-green with a gold shift", inspired by The Frog King (previously Good News Everyone)

Out of all the shadows from the collection, this one is the one I like the least. Almost nonexistent over bare skin, fairly sheer over primer, and a little chalky over Pixie Epoxy. The gold shift was very subtle. I feel like this shadow doesn't really live up to the standards of Corvus, and it could benefit greatly from some formula tweaking. It's a great color, but it has pigmentation and consistency issues for sure. (Noel just let me know that this shadow will be tweaked soon, along with Thirteenth Gift and her other pastel-based shadows! Yay!)

Nightingale: "a mid-toned aubergine with a subtle shimmer", inspired by The Nightingale and the Blindworm

I am such a sucker for purples, and luckily, this isn't a kind of purple I had in my collection yet. It's an eggplant purple with a touch of purple and pink shimmer. The consistency of Nightingale was plush and velvety. A must-have for the purple-obsessed!

Let Down Your Hair: "a soft nude-pink with lots of shimmer", inspired by Rapunzel (previously Smizmar)

This is my new favorite nude. A slightly rosy nude with an insane amount of glitter, Let Down Your Hair is a beautiful shadow. It can pair with just about anything.

The Better to Eat You With: "an antique silver with deep brown undertones", inspired by Little Red Cap (previously Bite My Shiny Metal @$&!)

I'm so, so glad this shadow made it into this collection. An unassuming brown over bare skin, with a hint of silver over primer, and then BAM! Over Pixie Epoxy, this shadow is an explosion of silver glitter. I mean, it's a ridiculous amount of glitter. I love it.

Goodbye Hans: "a bright orange with gold shimmer", inspired by Clever Hans (previously Orange Joe)

If you aren't familiar with the story of Clever Hans, please follow this link to read Noel's excellent summary. Then come back here. ...you done? Yeah, Hans isn't clever. He's frankly a bit of a dumbass. Whenever you think you have relationship problems, remind yourself that Hans threw eyeballs at his fiance. Anyway, this shadow is a pigmented, bright orange with gold sparks. 

The Summer Garden: "a midtoned rosy purple", inspired by The Summer Garden and the Winter Garden

I had some issues with patchiness overall with this shadow, and it was fairly sheer over bare skin. Over bare skin and primer, I'd call this shadow a burgundy, but over Pixie Epoxy, the purple shows through.

Bluebeard: "a velvety navy blue", inspired by Bluebeard

This shadow was sheer over bare skin, but improves over primer. Over Pixie Epoxy, this shadow is by far the most gorgeous blue I've ever seen in a shadow. When I was working on taking my pictures, my fiance looked over and had me walk over to show him the swatch. That's a big deal, guys. The Epoxy picture really speaks for itself. This is wicked pigmented, and for me, this is the standout shadow of the collection. I never thought I'd like a blue shadow the way I do this one. If this shadow was a person, I'd marry them. (Sorry, Charles..)

Three Ravens: "a satiny black with strong blue undertones", inspired by The Three Ravens

This shadow has some pigmentation issues over bare skin and primer, but it's a deep blue-black over Pixie Epoxy. There are some subtle white sparkles scattered throughout.

Phew! This wraps up my review of the Kinder-und Hausmarchen Collection from Corvus Cosmetics. As I said, this post was long overdue! I'm so glad I picked up this collection, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to add to their stash. My next post will be a comparison between Performance Colors' Zombie Bride Lipstick and Fyrinnae's Wizardry Liquid Lipstick. Stay tuned!