Checking Out GLORYHAWK

Hey, everyone! I took a short hiatus lately, but now I'm back! Ashley over at GLORYHAWK sent me some press samples to share with you guys. These shades are all currently available with the exception of Thalio, which was discontinued in June.

GLORYHAWK is pretty new to the indie scene, as it just opened in late April. I love the aesthetic of her shop, and she's quick to reply to messages. Her lipsticks are all cruelty free as well, which is always a plus!

These products were press samples, and all opinions are my own. Quoted descriptions are taken directly off the GLORYHAWK Etsy shop, which can be found here. Swatches are applied with my fingers.

I was sent ten clamshell samples with handwritten labels. Clamshell samples are normally priced at $1.50, and full sized lipsticks in bullets range from $8-9. The clamshells were very sturdy and were filled completely, which is super generous! Ashley offers two scent options for her lipsticks: unscented and apple. I didn't get to pick my scents, so I ended up with a mix of both. The apple scent is yummy but pretty strong after application.

Unfortunately, I had major issues with the formula of the lipsticks. They were very waxy and I couldn't pick up any color with a lip brush. I opened up all of the clamshells and laid them under a window to warm them for about ten minutes. Even after that, I still couldn't use a lip brush and opted to use my fingers. Still, I had to rub the lipsticks with my fingers for a good twenty seconds for them to soften enough to pick up any pigment. The swatches on Ashley's site are very pigmented, and I couldn't replicate them for the life of me. Some lipsticks were more pigmented than others, but overall they ranged from very sheer to moderately opaque. I packed on as much color as I could for these swatches, but again, they're nowhere near the site pictures.

Delphine: "a subtle nude that gives your lips a gold-tinged shimmer"

Faunne: "a fresh candy-pink"

Zinda: "a bright pinky-coral"

Inasis: "an apricot color with subtle shimmer"

Gisele: "a fresh pink"

Alisandra: "an orangey red with a coppery/rust foil effect"

Lux: "a brilliant pink color"

Inanna: "a cool-toned red"

Thalio: "a fuschia color with violet undertones"

Kseniya: "a mauve/plum color"

Well, that wraps up my post! Overall, I'm pretty underwhelmed by these lipsticks. They're not nearly as pigmented as shown in the GLORYHAWK shop, and require a lot of effort to even soften. I've been hopping aboard the tinted balm trend lately, and these produce that effect, but that's not how they're supposed to apply and I just don't have the patience to work with this formula. I won't be purchasing from GLORYHAWK.

Lipsticks This Good Should Be Ill-Eagle

I am so super excited to share my order from Preen Cosmetics with you! Preen is a brand-spanking new company operated by the lovely Jenn, and it currently consists of five lipsticks and three lip balms (with two more lipsticks on the way!). Since this is a new company, I'm going to take a lot more time in talking about the company and products.

Preen Cosmetics has a running bird theme, inspired by Jenn's love for ornithology. The aesthetic of the shop is beautiful, and the packaging is lush and feels very well thought out. My order came with two clamshell lipstick samples, and a Ghirardelli Caramel Chocolate square. Jenn knows the way to my heart.

Everything was just pristine. The business card is printed on linen, which has a luxurious feel to it. My products were wrapped in tissue paper and tied with a paper bow. It's very simple, but sweet. Inside the tissue paper was a ziploc closed and folded over with a Preen sticker, and inside were my lipstick tubes, my free samples, and the business card. Both tubes were closed tightly and secured with little strips of bird-printed washi tape. The clamshells weren't secured with tape, but they close very snugly and feel sturdy over all. The lipstick tubes are pretty light, but feel very substantial when opening and closing. Both twisting mechanisms turned smoothly.

More details on the packaging and the products inside! My Mourning Dove lipstick was a little smooshed in the tube, but these lipsticks are so creamy that one application smoothed it out just fine. As for the clamshells, I'd guess you could probably get about ten applications from each sample. The formula makes it easy to use a lip brush. No sticking these in your bra to warm them up! Overall, the lipstick formula is creamy, moisturizing, and holds up well. They're also very pigmented, and reach full opacity in one swipe. Frigatebird left a bit of a stain, but it would work well for those mornings where yesterdays' lip stain is todays' lip color. Alright, onto the swatches!

All products were purchased in full, and all opinions are my own. Quoted descriptions are taken directly off Preen's Etsy page, found here. Lip swatches are taken over exfoliated and moisturized lips.

Mourning Dove: "peachy-toned nude"

Oh lordy, I finally found my perfect nude. Not too pink, not *too* peach, but just right. I love this color on me because I can pair it with just about any makeup look and it'll fit right in. It has a semi-matte finish that reminds me of Kae Q's balms.

Rose Robin: "slightly neutral-leaning purple/pink with a little bit of shimmer"

This would make a great MLBB for those with pinker lips! It's a subtle pale lilac with a hint of shimmer to it. Rose Robin doesn't dry as matte as Mourning Dove.

Bullfinch: "orange-red with the slightest yellow sheen"

The site swatches make this look more true orange than it is. For me, it looks more like a metallic brick with a yellow sheen. This one doesn't dry down as much as the others, and smudges a little easier.

Frigatebird: "red as the day is long"

Damn, that's a sexy color description. This is a beautiful true red that may leave a bit of a stain. It dries the same as Rose Robin- somewhere between semi-matte and creamy.

Welp, that wraps up my review of Preen Cosmetics! I'm totally head over heels for this new brand, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't taken the indie lipstick plunge yet. What kind of post would you like to see next? :)

Let's Check Out Some Hello Waffle Faves!

Hey, everyone! My Hello Waffle collection is fairly large, and I've been wanting to start swatching them all for you. So, for today, I'm going to swatch and review some shades I know a lot of people love. Next I'll tackle a good chunk of the discontinued Kitty Kingdom collection!

All products have been purchased in full and all opinions are my own. Facial product swatches are swatched heavily on the top row and blended out on the bottom. Eyeshadow swatches are taken over bare skin and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion on the top row, and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the bottom. All quoted descriptions are taken directly from Hello Waffle, and their site can be found here.

Lavender Cream (highlighter): "Creamy white with lavender sheen"

It was so frustratingly impossible to capture the lavender shift of this highlighter. It's ethereal, and honestly, I feel like a beautiful fairy princess when I use Lavender Cream. The powder is very silky and blends down with ease. It has a lot of sparkle, but surprisingly little fallout.

Animate Chess-piece: "Pale dusty pink sheen with a touch of violet"

This is a dusty mauve with a pink sheen and subtle violet sparkle. I love how vibrant the shift is. Animate Chess-piece works best over a glitter adhesive, but doesn't look too shabby over a primer, either!

Purr-ride and Purr-rejudice: "Lady-like blush pink"

Not gonna lie, I bought this one for the label art. Who can resist a kitty in a sweet, pink dress? I hope to someday look as cute as that cat. Label art love aside, this is a beautiful blushy pink. It's very sheer over bare skin, and it's not much better over primer. This is one of those shadows where a glitter adhesive is the only real way to fly.

Ethereal Voice: "Warm purple with noticeable golden shimmer"

I think Ethereal Voice was a lot of people's first love with Hello Waffle. I really want to love it, but it's oh so patchy over bare skin and primer, and it took a lot of work to apply it evenly over Pixie Epoxy. Luckily, the Persinette Collection is being re-released on June 21st (MY BIRTHDAY), and it'll be completely reformulated. For reference, the new Greek Gods and Goddesses Collection from Hello Waffle sports the new formula, and it looks creamy and pigmented over bare skin. So, the new Persinette Collection is a princess worth waiting for.

You better believe I snuck a Tangled quote in here.

That wraps up my post about my most popular Hello Waffle products. I'm excited to swatch more of my Hello Waffle collection. I've been neglecting them lately, and they need some love. The woes of having too many eyeshadows! :P Stay tuned!

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!

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.

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!