It Really Is Christmas in July! Checking out AFK Cosmetic's Summer Lovin' Advent Box!

Hey, everyone! I recently got a job at Ulta Beauty and have been swamped with store set-up, but things are settling down and I finally had time to make a new post! Today's post is all about AFK Cosmetic's Summer Lovin' Advent Calendar. I received my package yesterday and ravenously dug into it. Inside were twelve individually wrapped items, plus a n00b balm from AFK Cosmetics as an apology for her late shipment. I ordered the sample box, priced at $20, but received a full-size Haus of Gloi Refresher and a full-size shadow from innocent+twisted alchemy. That seems to be the case for anyone who ordered a sample box, which was an awesome bonus!

Oh yeah, that's a sweet photobomb by my finger. Nothing but professionalism here. Here's everything all laid out for drooling purposes. You know when you go to a party and there's a super amazing looking cake, and you don't want to touch it because it's beautiful, but you're also really wanting to dive into it? That's kind of how I felt taking this picture. Look at these beautiful little indies, all sealed, untouched. Aaaand then I dove in. Let's check everything out!

All products purchased by me, and all opinions are my own. Eyeshadow swatches are taken over bare skin and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion on the left, and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the right. Blush swatches are taken over bare skin, with product packed on top and blended out on the bottom. Lip product swatches are applied with my fingers, because lip brushes are my sworn enemy.

Beauty School Dropout (Blackbird Cosmetics): muted beige pink, fully matte

As with all of my Blackbirds, I love this shadow. It's very silky and blendable. Since this is a matte shadow, my swatch on the right is over UDPP. If I was a bit bolder, I'd press this shadow to go into my Blackbird palette. But, alas, I'm too chicken to risk wrecking a limited edition shadow. This shadow is inspired by my favorite Grease character, Frenchie, so basically I can't get enough of this, and I wish I had a full size.

Beautiful Blonde Pineapple (AFK Cosmetics): delicate blonde with golden shimmer

Another Frenchie-inspired shadow! This went on very pigmented on bare skin, but really needed a primer or glitter glue to make the shimmer pop. It's such a delicate neutral, and I'm looking forward to pairing it with all sorts of crazy colors.

Too Pure to Be Pink (AFK Cosmetics): coral-tinged pink

This shadow didn't go on nearly as pigmented as Beautiful Blonde Pineapple, which was disappointing. It really needed a glitter glue to stand out, but it also applied fairly patchy over Pixie Epoxy. It's not a bad shadow, persay, but after the beautiful pigmentation of the other AFK shadow, this was underwhelming.

Twinkies and Wine (Tilt/Shift Cosmetics): dusty periwinkle with strong turquoise shift and gold sparkle

My straight on picture doesn't do much justice for Twinkies and Wine, because this shadow's shift is strong over both bare skin and UDPP especially. I was very impressed with pigmentation, but had major issues applying this over Pixie Epoxy. It was a chunky hot mess. I tried to swatch this multiple times over PE to no avail, which was unfortunate, because it turned the shadow into such a beautiful aqua. Luckily, I don't use Pixie Epoxy save for the rare fancy outing, so this wasn't really an issue for me.

Mojito Madness (innocent+twisted alchemy): sage green with strong golden shift and turquoise sparkle

This shadow has a green base and gold shift, and when blended or buffed ends up looking a little muddy and dirty to me. This is a shadow best patted on. The sparkle didn't stick much over primer. Out of everything in the box, this was definitely my least favorite.

Bonfires on the Beach (Femme Fatale Cosmetics): smokey purple with blue and silver sparkle

This is my first Femme Fatale shadow that doesn't have a duochrome effect to it (if I'm paying for international shipping, I'm buying only the finest duochromes because I am a snob). I really liked this shadow, though. When blended out, the grey pokes through the purple, and it really does make me think of long summer nights on the beach. It didn't apply too well over Pixie Epoxy, but from what I can recall, Femme Fatale doesn't recommend using a glitter adhesive under their shadows anyway. (In other news, can someone explain to me why my skin always looks so olive when I take swatch pictures of purple shadows? This is becoming a trend. ;_;)

Mind If I Stand on Your Towel? (Baroque Cosmetics blush): peachy coral with a subtle magenta shift

Baroque blushes are known for their buildable and blendable formula, and this is no exception. I love this blush and desperately wish I could have a full size. Peachy and coral blushes always look best on me, and this is somewhere between a peach and a coral to my eyes.

Galah Cockatoo (Preen Cosmetics lipstick): coral tinged magenta, nearly matte finish

This color is absolutely fantastic, and exactly what I was hoping I'd get out of a summer themed box. This features Preen's signature plush formula, which dries down to an almost matte. This lipstick is very comfy feeling and I know my lips will love how moisturizing it is. The only downside to a formula like this is it's prone to smudging.

Destiny Islands (Shiro Cosmetics tinted balm): classic rose tinted balm

Like my other tinted balm from Shiro, it takes a bit of work to build up the color of Destiny Islands. Once built up, this is a beautiful feminine rose. It'll be an awesome MLBB for me (and my name is Destiny, so I can't go wrong with this balm).

In the Lurch (AFK Cosmetics tinted balm): rosy peach tinted balm

This balm was not an original part of the Advent Calendar, but after a shipping delay, Dena whipped up In the Lurch as an added thank you to buyers. I'm really glad she did, because I'm a such a sucker for peach-toned lip colors, and this is perfect. It takes a bit of work to build up, but it's worth the effort. Unlike some of her other balms I've tried, I had no issues with streaking or patchiness.

Flamingo (Hello Waffle Cosmetics lip paint): pressure-sensitive lip color that ranges from a golden peach to a flamingo pink depending on method of application

When Christine teased a "pressure sensitive" lip product for the Advent, I was perplexed. A lip color that varies depending on how you apply it? Preposterous! Well, it's totally a thing and I am amazed. For my swatch, I patted on the lip color on the left and swiped it on the right. The left side has a strong golden shift to it, and the right side is more of a flat flamingo pink. What kind of witchcraft is this? I'm not sure, but I do know I'm itching for a full size before they run out.

Boardwalk (Sixteen92 perfume): coconut pulp, sunscreen, driftwood, sand, vanilla ice cream, and cotton candy

I emailed Claire to ask for her note list, and she also listed coconut milk and sea breeze, but I'm not really picking those two up. Regardless, this smells like my trips to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk in the summer (minus the garlic fry smell). There's also a clinging note to this that's vaguely.. citrus? It almost smells like a clementine orange, which I love. I'm not sure what note is turning into that, but I'm not complaining. This perfume stays very close to the skin, so I'll probably work it through my hair in the mornings to make it last longer.

Peachy (Haus of Gloi refresher spray): peaches, Hawaiian white ginger flower, yuzu and creamy vanilla

It took so much willpower to not buy a refresher or two when they released a while back, and my willpower was rewarded! Dena ended up with more full-sized refreshers than needed, so everyone's sample bottles were upgraded. This is a very delicate, feminine smell, and I'm already loving spraying this on my bed sheets and sweaters.

That wraps up my post today! Overall, I'm very happy with this box. A lot of the shadows impressed, the blush and lip products were amazing, and the fragrances to die for. This was worth my $20 and then some. I'll heavily consider buying a full size box when the holidays roll around this year! I think my favorite products would have to be Tilt/Shift's Twinkies and Wine, and Hello Waffle's Flamingo. Did you get a Summer Lovin' Box? What were your favorites?

Let's Swatch All of My Femme Fatale!

Today was a lazy Sunday with plenty of sunshine, so I thought I'd update my swatch bank with all of my Femme Fatale goodies. I've reviewed most of the shades before, but I wasn't swatching and photographing my makeup as well back then. I thought it would be nice for a refresher!

All shadows were purchased at full price. All opinions are my own, and all quoted descriptions are taken directly from the Femme Fatale website, which can be found here. Shadow swatches are taken over bare skin and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion on the top row, and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the bottom. Blush swatches are swatched heavily on the top row and blended out on the bottom.

Bone Dust: "a pale taupe with coppery pink shimmer and sparks"

This is a dusty grey/taupe with a subtle copper shift and pink sparks. Straight on, it leans more white than taupe.

Moonglow: "a pale columbia blue with a prominent golden duochrome and subtle pink shimmer"

Femme Fatale's swatch of this really showcases a gold shift, but I couldn't get it to show nearly as well. Nevertheless, it's definitely there, just not as prominent as I would expect.

Candied Apple: "a pale redwood pink with a green undertone, and blends out to have an almost brown undertone to it"

This is one of Femme Fatale's most popular shadow shades, and it's easy to understand why. Over bare skin and primer, this shadow is a rosy brown with green sparks, which makes it great for every day wear. But over a glitter adhesive, it glows green. I wore this as a one-shadow look last week, and my fiance kept complimenting it.

Bat Wing Hall: "a muted puce pink with purple undertones; when applied shifts to be more rosy. complimented with golden shimmers"

This is such a fantastic almost-nude shadow that can be used for a variety of looks. Over bare skin, it's a muted rosy pink, and over primer and glitter adhesive, the golden shimmers really start to pop. I love using this to darken my outer corner and as a crease shade.

Dispersion: "a rich mulberry base with strong aqua shimmer and sparkles. the aqua shifts to a pink/purple at an angle to the light"

Unfortunately, I had a difficult time capturing the rich aqua tones in this shadow. Femme Fatale recommends patting this shadow on rather than swiping (which is pretty standard with duochromes). Dispersion is a beautifully pigmented mulberry with a pink to purple to bright aqua shift. I had some issues with patchiness when applying this, but it wasn't anything a little patience couldn't smooth out.

Darkmist: "a deep red toned brown base with intense violet blue shimmer and teal sparkles"

This is a red toned violet with deep blue shimmer and teal sparks. This is one of the few shadows I own from Femme Fatale that doesn't have a shift to it, but it's beautiful regardless. Darkmist makes for some killer purple smokey eyes.

The Nightmare: "an eggplant purple with intense golden green shimmer and sparkles"

I am such a sucker for shadows that transform over glitter adhesives like The Nightmare does. This is a truly versatile shadow that applies as an cool-toned eggplant purple over bare skin and primer, and comes to life as a deep golden purple with green sparks over glitter adhesive. It's so difficult to describe the final color of this shadow. I feel like it could've easily turned out ruddy looking, but it really shines. If you don't own any shadows like this, I would recommend picking it up with your next purchase.

Fire Bloom (blush): "a mid tone rose pink with coral undertones and a flattering copper gold shimmer"

Fire Bloom is, in my opinion, a must have blush from Femme Fatale. It's a very flattering neutral pink with gold sparkle, but as you blend, the sparkles become more subtle. That's how I prefer my blushes- not too sparkly, but not quite matte. This fits the bill.

Welp, that wraps up the reswatching of my Femme Fatale products! I tried out a different way of laying out my swatch photos with this post. I'd love to hear your opinions on it! Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think. As always, I'm open to new ideas and ways I can improve Bellibone Beauty. Stay tuned!

Reviewing a Tiny Haul from Femme Fatale

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, guys! I've been in a bit of a blogging rut lately but wanted to get back in the swing of things, so for this post I'll be reviewing possibly the smallest order from Femme Fatale I'll ever make.

Yeah.. so I picked up only two jars. I ordered Candied Apple and Bat Wing Hall, because everyone raves about them and I was a weirdo who didn't have them yet. I mean, I'm still a bit weird. But, you know, less so. My weirdness aside, let's move on to my review!

As usual, all swatches are taken over, from left to right, bare skin, Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. All quoted descriptions are taken directly off Femme Fatale's site, which can be found here.

Candied Apple: "a pale redwood pink with a green duochrome, and blends out to have an almost brown undertone to it"

This is a seriously complicated shadow. I say that because when I looked at this swatch with my own eyes, it was a reddish pink with a green duochrome, and I couldn't get it to photograph any way BUT this brown color. Guys, I promise I know how to work a camera. I think. Anyway, the color in jar is what you get when you apply, unless you blend it out. The green duochrome isn't as bright or glowing as you might expect from a Femme Fatale shadow, but I think the subtlety works well here.

Bat Wing Hall: "a muted puce pink with purple undertones; when applied shifts to be more rosy"

Okay, this one photographed properly. Whenever I hear "puce", I think of Monsters Inc, when Mike can't sort out his paperwork. Actually, I think this might be the only time I've heard "puce" outside of that movie. Does puce go to Roz? Accounting? Shoot. Moving on, this is a rosy pink with a bit of lavender undertone and golden glimmer. Girly and gorgeous and perfect for Spring! (Also, don't make the mistake I made by Googling "puce" and looking at the images that popped up. Trust me, this shadow is puce in the jar. I promise.)

Alright, that wraps up my rambling, late night, super short review. I need to do mini reviews more often. I have a few brands where I only have a couple products from them, and I feel like I'm ignoring them when deciding what to review. My next review will absolutely be on Mad Lab Cosmetics, though! Stay tuned!

Swatches and Reviews of my First Femme Fatale Products

Aaaah, I could hear the angels singing. A light shone down from Heaven above, and down descended my little bag of Femme Fatale goodies. I recently participated in a Galentine's Day Exchange on /r/CatsandCosmetics, and along with oodles of other indies, I received these items from Femme Fatale. I was ecstatic! This review consists of three shadows and two blushes, and I'm so excited to show them off. Femme Fatale's mini jars have been restocked, so if for some crazy reason you haven't yet delved into the goodness that is Femme Fatale, do yourself a favor and place an order.

As per usual, swatches of shadows are over bare skin on the left and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the right. Blush swatches are over bare skin. All quoted product descriptions are taken directly from Femme Fatale's recently revamped site, which can be found here.

Fierce (recently renamed Rosewine, blush): "a deep maroon-tinted duochrome blush, with subtle plum undertones"

This blush is a gorgeous, pigmented reddish plum, but I have to personally build up the color otherwise it looks a little bruise-y on my skin. I know dead chic is in, but I don't think beat-up chic is in.. yet. Fierce/Rosewine is luckily, very easily to build up. The texture of the powder is very soft and easy to work with. It plays well with my brushes.

The Nightmare: "an eggplant purple base with intense golden green glimmers and sparkles"

The site photos for Femme Fatale's duochromes always look so dramatic and too good to be true. The Nightmare REALLY impressed. I tried my best to show the shift between the deep purple base and bright green shift, but I really don't think I could do it much justice. When the light hit this shadow, it transformed into a glowing green. This might be the first indie product to make me gasp a little. The Nightmare is pure sorcery.

Fire Bloom (blush): "a mid tone rose pink blush with coral undertones and a flattering copper gold shimmer"

The copper gold shimmer is really apparent in the jar, but once you blend your blush, it disappears. That's my only complaint about this one. The color is a touch more sheer than Fierce/Rosewine, so it took more product to get the pigmentation of the swatch you see here. I don't really think that's a bad thing, though; this blush can be used for a beautifully subtle rosy glow.

Darkmist: "a deep toned brown base with intense violet blue shimmer and teal sparkles"

Though this shadow doesn't have any shift to it, it glows in a similar way to The Nightmare. I think it's the contrast between the bright teal sparkles and dark base that make it appear to shine the way it does. All science aside, it's pretty magical. The deep brown base only showed when I swatched over bare skin. Out of all the products from Femme Fatale I received, this shadow needed a sticky base the most, and even then I could see little sparkles escaping when I swatched over the Pixie Epoxy.

Dispersion: "a deep mulberry with a bold teal blue shimmer"

The description is dead on. The deep mulberry base lights up with bright teal and blue when the light hits it. If you're pining for a shadow like this, I'd give Aromaleigh's Lucky Cat Emporium a try.

Well, that wraps up my post for today! As I said at the start of my post, I received oodles of indie goodies through the exchange, so I have a LOT more to share with you guys. My next post will be centered around Fyrinnae. I'm so excited to write about their plush shadows and neon blushes. Stay tuned!