Let's Check Out Two Different Shiro Alpaca Picnic Glosses!

Hey there, party people! Today's my birthday, and what better way to celebrate than to write a blog post? (No, seriously, I'm a dork and I'm really enjoying this.)

I made a custom gloss purchase from Shiro last month, and something went awry. I ordered a custom Alpaca Picnic gloss in moderate opacity, and I was sent one that was sheer (something something sheer-o joke). I emailed Caitlin with a few swatch pictures to show what was up, and she quickly replied with an apology and a few solutions to pick from. I decided to reorder another gloss in moderate opacity, because I love Animal Crossing, so I gotta slather this all over my lips. Well.. I was sent a gloss that's opaque, but when life gives you an insane metallic gloss, sometimes you just learn to rock it. I know if I emailed Caitlin again, she would be just as awesome as she was the first time and offer me a refund, store credit, or a new gloss.. but lately, I've been working on stepping out of my comfort zone, so moderate schmoderate! Plus, having an Alpaca Picnic gloss of every opacity would be a little crazy.

Since I have the lovely opportunity to showcase both sheer and opaque opacities, why not? So today I did swatches of both to show the differences. The sheer gloss was purchased in full by me, and the opaque gloss was sent as a replacement, free of charge, from Shiro. All opinions are my own, and all swatches are taken over moisturized and exfoliated lips.

Alright, here's the packing for both! I noticed the top of the sheer gloss is black and the opaque gloss is a metallic-y brown. Not sure if that means anything. Normally custom glosses come with a handwritten label, but since I'm such an Animal Crossing fan, I requested the Alpaca Picnic label art to replace the usual label. The sheer gloss looks fairly thin in the tube, and appears a little darker than the opaque gloss. Shown on the doefoot applicators, the opaque gloss is darker, far more metallic, and has the consistency of a liquid lipstick. Product sticks to the wand, whereas with the sheer gloss, the product slides right off.

For the arm swatches, I scraped any excess product off the doefoot before swatching the top row. For the bottom row, I slathered it on to give a better idea of how the gloss could be built up if desired.

Alright, let's start with the sheer! I think it's easy to see why I emailed Caitlin. It doesn't really add much color at all. It may as well be a clear gloss with a bit of pink glitter. I don't think the metallic nature of this shadow lends well to a sheer gloss.

The opaque gloss is ALL UP IN YOUR FACE with its brightness, and I love it. It's a Barbie hot pink with a strong metallic sheen. It's a liquid lipstick consistency, and I noticed that it had a tendency to ball up a bit around the edges. It's easy to fix, but I didn't see it until I was editing my pictures. Whoops! It was impossible to capture with my camera, but it looks like molten pink metal. It's fabulous, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're wanting something for every day wear. This is a gloss for those days where you don't give a friggity frack what anyone thinks. You do you, babe. You do you.

Welp, that wraps up my post! I'm not sure what I'd do next, but I'm thinking I might do an eye look tutorial. I've been working on my blending and I'm feeling really confident in my skillz lately. Stay tuned!

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.