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 Grieve Over Hello Waffle's Kitty Kingdom Collection

In the spirit of swatching all of my indies, I had to swatch my products from Hello Waffle's discontinued Kitty Kingdom collection. The collection debuted on Black Friday and had a small restock earlier this year, but now the Kingdom is officially gone. Sunday Swap on /r/Indiemakeupandmore is just around the corner though, so if you see something you like, you can always request it! To spare you all, I'm going to make my shadow descriptions brief. The formula of these products is nothing new to anyone who has tried Hello Waffle: the shadows are silky and apply best over a glitter adhesive. Some show up well over bare skin, some not. The blush is pigmented, but easy to blend.

All products were purchased in full, and all opinions are my own. Since Hello Waffle no longer carries these products, I don't have anywhere to pull official descriptions from. I'm winging it! Eyeshadow swatches are taken over bare skin and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion on the top row, and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the bottom. Facial product swatches are applied heavily on the top row and blended out on the bottom.

Sweetie: a shimmery cream white highlight with a green shift and blue sparks

Furry Tummies: a near-matte apricot with subtle golden sheen

Double Trouble: a sheer salmon with light pink and gold sparks

Little One: a rosy pink with gold sparks throughout

Box Cat: a metallic bronze with striking gold shift

Chloe: a red based brown with bronze shimmer

Mm, Treats! (blush): a mulberry red that leans peachy pink when blended, subtle gold and silver sparks

That wraps up this post! My next swatch and review will be on three shadows from Corvus Cosmetics' Westerberg collection. Stay tuned. :)

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!

Jamie from Polished Beauty Reviews Hello Waffle's Revamped Tinted Balms!

Hey, guys! I'm so excited to share my first guest post with you! Jamie from Polished Beauty wanted to share her swatches and review of Hello Waffle's new tinted balms. These have been reformulated to be less streaky and gritty, and from these swatches, I think Christine did an awesome job. Now I want to pick some up, myself!

So, all pictures are taken by Jamie, and I took the liberty of turning her photos into handy dandy collages. The majority of this review is written by her, but I'll pop in and give some of my own commentary as well. I'll specify who's saying what so you guys don't get lost. Let's jump right in!

Jamie: Hey, all! I'm guest posting on this blog today about Hello Waffle's newly re-released lip balms! Christine originally opened up shop with lip balms, but discontinued them last year to reformulate them, as they were getting grainy over time. This Spring, Christine re-released her balms in a new formula with both previous shades and some new colors as well in new new slim-line tubes for $5.50 CAD (about $4.40 US currently).

The shiny new slim-line tubes!

Comparing the old and new Maraschino formulas, from left to right

Jamie: Maraschino is described as a warm orange-toned red. I had an old sample from the original release, so I decided to compare the colors. While the formula is completely different (duh), the colors look identical to me, both on my arm and my lips.

Destiny: I'm really impressed that Christine was able to change up the formula so much, yet still be able to keep the color the same. It seems like formulations often result in color changes (Kat Von D Lolita, anyone?), so kudos to Christine! I also think it's great that the new balm is more moisturizing, and it's also more pigmented. For a lot of indie balms I've tried, the more moisturizing they are, the sheerer they get.

Jamie: Ginger Kitties is described as an orange-toned peach. I know with the original formula I had, the color was more orange than peach due to dye differences in the batches. The new formula shows up a nice, soft peach on me.

Destiny: I think it's interesting how pink this looks. The site description says it's orange-toned, and even the picture is fairly orange, almost a coral. The site swatch is an orange-red. I haven't been interested in Ginger Kitties at all, but now I'm rethinking it if it's going to be such a lovely pink!

Jamie: Orchid is described as a vibrant, warm purple. I would describe it more as a bright magenta-pink color. It's not a purple-purple, but instead a more purply/magenta color.

Destiny: Hrm. I'm not sure where I would place this on the color spectrum. I'd say it's a warm-toned fuchsia. (Also, what is up with the spelling of fuchsia? Fuch-see-ya. What is that?)

~

Jamie: All the colors went on full opaque and seem to "dry" in place. They all stain as well, which I prefer in a lip color. (After washing my arm with soap and water, you could still see the color from my swatches.)

Destiny: Alright, that wraps up today's Guest Post! I'm so glad Jamie reached out to me, and I'd love to do more posts like this in the future. I'm also going to shamelessly link her site, where she sells awesome nail polish marbled necklaces and pendants (and is having a sale!). Stay tuned!

What's Packed In My Travel Bag?

I was out of town for a few days recently and packed some indies for the road. I thought you guys might want to see my favorite products for easy, everyday looks. I'm in the process of replacing my mainstream company blushes/bronzers/whathaveyou with indies, so for now my travel bag indies consist of seven shadows and a highlighter!

As usual, all pictures are taken by me. Swatches are done over bare skin on the left and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the right. All quoted product descriptions are taken directly off the brands' site.

Hello Waffle "Double Trouble"- "soft apricot with pink and white sparkles"

A gorgeous My Lids But Better shadow from Hello Waffles' Kitty Kingdom Collection. (There are still quite a few shades available, so snap them up along with Double Trouble before they're gone forever!) This is a sheer apricot with lots of sparkles.

Hello Waffle "Mendelssohn"- "light pink with golden sheen"

Does this look almost identical to Double Trouble to you? It almost is, and I didn't notice until I swatched them side by side. Mendelssohn is Double Troubles' warmer cousin.

Hello Waffle "Purr-ride and Purr-rejudice"- "lady-like blush pink"

This shadow looks bubblegum pink in the jar, which would leave you to believe this wouldn't be a shade I'd use all the time. However, it blends down to a sweet pink that compliments the neutrals and golds I packed oh-so well.

Femme Fatale "Royal Tarts"- "a washed out mauve-rose base which can lean grey, and orange shimmer"

Femme Fatale is famous for shades that can look so bland in the jar, but transform when thrown over a primer. Royal Tarts is no exception, and the lack of good sun today prevented me from giving it the showcasing it deserves. This shadow shifts from a dusty mauve to a pinkish-orange, which makes it a gorgeous neutral with a little bit of pop.

Tilt/Shift "Moon"- "a deep golden taupey-brown with slight/pink purple shift and gold sparks"

I've never been able to pick up the shift in Moon, and I'd love for it to show. Maaaybe in a certain light it can lean slightly plum, but that's the best I can get out of it. The sparkle in Moon is gorgeous, but it disappears quickly and you're left with a matte brown base. It works well as a neutral, but I wish it could be as fabulous as the site description made it sound.

Aromaleigh "Marguerite"- "a rosy buff pearl frost with sparks of gold"

I don't have much to add to the site description other than it's gorgeous. This pairs so well with my golds and soft browns. It has a strong sheen and a lot of sparkle, so a sticky primer like Pixie Exopy goes a long way with Marguerite.

Shiro "Finkelstein"- "pale, ghostly yellow-green highlight"

This is such a funky highlight. Its shift ranges from yellow to green, but it also has a spattering of blue sparks. Alone, this highlight is complex and ethereal. Over a darker base it leans very green. This highlight hails from the discontinued Nightmare Before Christmas collection, but I see it pop up every once in a while in destash posts, so keep your eyes peeled! This is a must have, and I use it sparingly so I don't run out any time soon.

AFK "Mawwage"- "a shimmery pink based cream face highlighter"

And wuv, twuuu wuuv.. will fowwow you.. fowevah.. *ahem* This was my first facial powder purchase from an indie company, and for me, it's not super impressive. It's very sheer, and hard to build up. Though there's no sparkle in Mawwage, it definitely has a sheen. The sheerness plus the sheen just make me look a bit sweaty. Perhaps I still have more learning to do with application. I'll keep trying to make it work, for sure! This is one of my purchases made purely for the product name, and I'm kicking myself a bit for it. If anyone has tips for applying highlighters, please share your wisdom!

Alright, that wraps up my post for the day! I'm not sure how informative it was in the end, but it was fun to share some of my favorite neutrals and remind myself of what makes them so great. Maybe for my next post, I'll choose my favorite shadows that aren't so neutral. Let me know what posts you'd like to see in the comments section! You're all what makes writing a blog so much fun. 'til next time!

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.

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. :)

I'm sure we all know that Hello Waffle is an amazing brand, and today I decided to reinforce why it's my favorite brand after reading that Hello Waffle won numerous awards this week! Here's what Hello Waffle won in Portrait of Mai's 2014 Best of Indie Reader's Choice Awards:

Best Up and Coming Indie Brand

Best Powder Blush

Best Highlighter

Hello Waffle took second place for Best Realized Theme Color Collection for the amazing Catssic Literature Collection! Hello Waffle also took third place for Recommended Beginner Brand, Best Beauty Brand for Vegans, Best Loose Eyeshadow Formula, and Best Pressed Eyeshadow Formula.

Hello Waffle just celebrated its first birthday, and the brand has totally taken the indie world by storm. With collections ranging from fairytale to fandom, and products from glosses to highlighters, Hello Waffle is a beautifully balanced brand. (Ahh, alliteration.)

Alright, I think I've established that I'm pretty smitten over Hello Waffle. Onto my swatches and review!

T-B, L-R: Double Trouble, Purr-ide and Purr-ejudice, Box Cat

Kai, Rainforest, Edgar Allan Prrr

This is only the beginning of my growing collection! I received my newest order a few days ago, and plan to make a separate post around those sometime this week. As usual, swatches are done over bare skin on the left, and over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the right. Any quoted shadow descriptions are taken directly from Hello Waffle's site. (My teddy bear is named Duffy and he loves to photobomb my swatch pictures.)

Double Trouble: site description unavailable

This shadow was part of Hello Waffle's Kitty Kingdom Collection, which is now unavailable on the site. Rumor has it that the collection will make a reappearance sometime soon. Double Trouble is a sheer salmon with a hint of sparkle. A perfect base for neutral eye looks.

Purr-ide and Purr-ejudice: "lady-like blush pink"

The site description pretty much says it all! A delicate pink with a hint of sparkle. I love using this shadow along with Double Trouble for a simple eye look.

Box Cat: site description unavailable

Also hailing from the Kitty Kingdom Collection, this shadow is a metallic bronze, chockful of gold sparkle. Out of these six shadows, this is the worst when it comes to fallout. A sticky base is a must for Box Cat.

Kai (formally Hans): "reddened copper with green, silver and gold sparkles"

This shadow is a coppery magenta with lots of sparkle. I can't really pick up the green sparkles. Kai in particular applied very buttery, and I was impressed with how smooth the texture was for having so much sparkle.

Rainforest: "vibrant green-blue with sparkles"

Available in The Nature Duo alongside Fusion on Hello Waffle's site or as a standalone through Femme Fatale. For me, this shadow was a blackened semi-matte teal. It had more of a shimmer effect than a sparkly one.

Edgar Allan Prrr: "matte black base with blue, turquoise and violet microshimmers"

This is a shadow that works great on bare skin as a matte black, but over Pixie Epoxy, this shadow is a gorgeous explosion of deep blue and holographic sparkle. Pictures really can't do it justice. It makes me think of a psychedelic night sky.

You can check out Hello Waffle's website here.

Alrght, that wraps up my first post on Hello Waffle! I'd love to start doing in-depth eyeshadow reviews on the shadows you'd like to know most about. Let me know if any of these shadows catch your eye, especially with a potential restock of the Catssic Literature Collection coming up!