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?

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? :)