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?

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.

Let's Check Out Two Different Shiro Alpaca Picnic Glosses!

Hey there, party people! Today's my birthday, and what better way to celebrate than to write a blog post? (No, seriously, I'm a dork and I'm really enjoying this.)

I made a custom gloss purchase from Shiro last month, and something went awry. I ordered a custom Alpaca Picnic gloss in moderate opacity, and I was sent one that was sheer (something something sheer-o joke). I emailed Caitlin with a few swatch pictures to show what was up, and she quickly replied with an apology and a few solutions to pick from. I decided to reorder another gloss in moderate opacity, because I love Animal Crossing, so I gotta slather this all over my lips. Well.. I was sent a gloss that's opaque, but when life gives you an insane metallic gloss, sometimes you just learn to rock it. I know if I emailed Caitlin again, she would be just as awesome as she was the first time and offer me a refund, store credit, or a new gloss.. but lately, I've been working on stepping out of my comfort zone, so moderate schmoderate! Plus, having an Alpaca Picnic gloss of every opacity would be a little crazy.

Since I have the lovely opportunity to showcase both sheer and opaque opacities, why not? So today I did swatches of both to show the differences. The sheer gloss was purchased in full by me, and the opaque gloss was sent as a replacement, free of charge, from Shiro. All opinions are my own, and all swatches are taken over moisturized and exfoliated lips.

Alright, here's the packing for both! I noticed the top of the sheer gloss is black and the opaque gloss is a metallic-y brown. Not sure if that means anything. Normally custom glosses come with a handwritten label, but since I'm such an Animal Crossing fan, I requested the Alpaca Picnic label art to replace the usual label. The sheer gloss looks fairly thin in the tube, and appears a little darker than the opaque gloss. Shown on the doefoot applicators, the opaque gloss is darker, far more metallic, and has the consistency of a liquid lipstick. Product sticks to the wand, whereas with the sheer gloss, the product slides right off.

For the arm swatches, I scraped any excess product off the doefoot before swatching the top row. For the bottom row, I slathered it on to give a better idea of how the gloss could be built up if desired.

Alright, let's start with the sheer! I think it's easy to see why I emailed Caitlin. It doesn't really add much color at all. It may as well be a clear gloss with a bit of pink glitter. I don't think the metallic nature of this shadow lends well to a sheer gloss.

The opaque gloss is ALL UP IN YOUR FACE with its brightness, and I love it. It's a Barbie hot pink with a strong metallic sheen. It's a liquid lipstick consistency, and I noticed that it had a tendency to ball up a bit around the edges. It's easy to fix, but I didn't see it until I was editing my pictures. Whoops! It was impossible to capture with my camera, but it looks like molten pink metal. It's fabulous, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're wanting something for every day wear. This is a gloss for those days where you don't give a friggity frack what anyone thinks. You do you, babe. You do you.

Welp, that wraps up my post! I'm not sure what I'd do next, but I'm thinking I might do an eye look tutorial. I've been working on my blending and I'm feeling really confident in my skillz lately. Stay tuned!