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!

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.

My First AFK Cosmetics Haul: Swatches

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. :)

Ask and you shall receive, readers! After my First Impressions post, I had a lot of requests to show off my shinies in swatch form. I just received my first Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy, so what better way to try it out than make this post? This is my first time taking pictures of swatches, so let me know if there's anything I can improve on!

Top Row: Alpha and Omega, Suicidal Bastard, You Smell Like Burning!, Tide Caller

Bottom Row: Mikasa, Silent Night, That Tastes Like Purple!, Fear Me

All swatches are bare skin on the left, and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the right.

As with a lot of sparkly indie shadows, they lose a lot of pigmentation and glitter without a good sticky base.

I really don't have a single complaint about any of these shadows. They all have a buttery or velvety texture, and the glittery shadows really stand out. Out of all eight, That Tastes Like Purple!, Mikasa, and Alpha and Omega and my favorites. That Tastes Like Purple! is an amazing lavender glitterbomb, Mikasa is very pigmented with and without a shadow base, and Alpha and Omega is a unique blue with red sparkle. As with most shadows, indie or not, the mattes tend to have some fallout during application despite using a sticky base. I always start with my eyes when I apply makeup, so it's nothing a tissue can't fix!

All in all, I would highly recommend AFK Cosmetics to any indie lover, especially fans of Attack on Titan and League of Legends, as most of AFK's shadows are based on those two amazing fandoms. If you're a Pokemon fan, be sure to snag Alpha and Omega before it disappears at the end of January! You can check out everything AFK Cosmetics has to offer at their website here.