Double Look Day!

For my first look, I primed my lids with Shadow Poxy from My Beauty Addiction, then did a rainbow consisting of Show Off, Bombastico, Flutter, Hold Fast, Mondo, Matriarch, and Kitsch from Linnaeus Cosmetics.  I did thick black liner to add drama and finished with mascara.  This look was somewhat time-consuming based on the number of colors used, but I didn't spend too much time evening things out and making them look super-smooth because it was just kind of a fun look that I did for fun and not to wear anywhere (but it WAS inspired by the fact that pride was this weekend in my town.)  It would have taken a really long time if I had taken the time to make everything really perfect and awesome, but I was really just playing around with the colors.

 

My next look, also primed with Shadow Poxy, uses Bouffant from Linnaeus Cosmetics as a highlight on the inner corners and under the brows.  I used a little bit of Mondo (also from LC) on my lashline, blended upward into Caged Canary from Scaredy Cat Cosmetics (I'll edit the link later, but for now the link will go to her Etsy profile because her shop is in vacation mode.)  I applied Chartreuse from The Starshine Company in the crease, blending thoroughly.  Lastly, I lined with a thin stripe of black, and finished with mascara.

 

 

Random Look!

This is a similar look to yesterday, but with more blending and different colors.  All of the colors are from Scaredy Cat Cosmetics, with the exception of Lumpy Space Princess (which comes from Bokeh Face Cosmetics.)  I started by priming with Shadow Poxy from My Beauty Addiction, then used Metamorphosis as a highlighter on the inner corners of my eyes and under my brows.  Next, I applied Lumpy Space Princess to my eyelids and Mythic in my crease.  I used Insomnia above my crease and on the outer half of my lower lashline.  I lined with Mythic.  I can't seem to take a decent picture from the front that doesn't look catty; I guess it's the shape of my face that does it because it doesn't look is like that in real life... *sigh*

Anyway, here it is.

 

Scaredy Cat Cosmetics Swatches + Re-Review

My original review can be found here.

I really loved the way these shadows applied when I ordered my first batch, but I wasn't impressed with the colors or the customer service.  So I decided to order another batch of samples in brighter colors and do a follow-up.

The Shop: Scaredy Cat Cosmetics

My Order: Sample vials in Mythic, Caged Canary, Insomnia, Draconia, and Phoenix Tears.

Packaging: My shadows were packaged in a box and arrived quickly, though they were lost for awhile  after I received them and as a result I don't recall the exact ship time.  A copy of my invoice was included, and a baggie held all five vials, individually labeled with ingredients and each inside their own smaller baggie.  Packaging was pretty much identical to the original order, so I won't post a photo this time.

Today's Swatches

Left to right: Mythic, Draconia, Caged Canary, Phoenix Tears, and Insomnia

With Flash

Without Flash

Overall: These swatches were applied to bare skin, and skin prepped with Shadow Poxy primer from My Beauty Addiction, with a foiled stripe down the center on the top row.  These colors were much more vibrant than the first ones.  Mythic is a very sparkly violet purple; it looked nice applied to bare skin, but really popped over primer.  Draconia was more green than I thought it would be, but I still really like it.  Caged Canary is an awesome vibrant yellow.  Phoenix Tears is sort of a peachy orange, and while it's sort of lackluster applied dry, it is a lovely shade applied over primer.  Insomnia is a bright, bubblegum pink; it reminds me of when I worked in a lab and had my hair dyed pink, which I loved.  I liked all of these colors significantly more than my first batch, and they all apply smooth and silky like the others did.  Phoenix Tears and Insomnia kind of missed the mark applied dry, but they look absolutely awesome over primer.  The communication was nonexistent once again this time around, but I was much more impressed with the colors.  I can honestly say after seeing some more colors from Scaredy Cat Cosmetics that I would recommend their products.  They have a variety of colors, some bold and some much more subdued, so you can definitely find something for any occasion.  Unless not getting a convo or handwritten note from your seller is a total dealbreaker, it seems like a good shop to order from.  High-quality products, fast shipping, and a broad spectrum of colors to choose from.  Try 'em out!

Coming Soon!

I just placed orders with Get Lathered (which means I will be doing a bath & beauty review instead of makeup!  Crazy!) and The StarShine Company.  Hopefully, those orders will arrive before the end of the week.  If not, I did order five more sample vials from Scaredy Cat Cosmetics in brighter colors for a followup, but I think my boyfriend's son has absconded with them (he'll be four next month, and he loves hoarding) and I will need to track them down to do swatches.  I will figure something out, don't you fret!

Scaredy Cat Cosmetics Review

The Shop: Scaredy Cat Cosmetics
My Order: Sample vials with no specified colors.  I left a note to "Surprise me!"

Packaging: My shadows came mailed in a box in TWO DAYS, with a copy of my invoice and a large baggie with each vial individually labeled with color and ingredients (love when sellers label ingredients individually) inside their own smaller baggie.

Today's Swatches:

Left to right: Cirrina, Robin the Cradle, Nouveau, Metamorphosis, Hedgerow

With Flash

Without Flash

These swatches were applied to bare skin, and skin prepped with Shadow Poxy primer from My Beauty Addiction, with a foiled stripe down the center.  On bare skin, they are fairly subtle; I think the line where the primer was applied is pretty apparent in the swatches.  Some of that may just be due to the paler shades I received, but I can't really tell for sure.  Nouveau and Metamorphosis both have an awesome iridescent shimmer to them that I have yet to see in my (albeit limited) experience with mineral shadows.  The others are a fairly standard shimmery powder.  There is one thing that sticks out to me about these powders: the application is super-smooth and almost creamy.  I accidentally spilled some in the sink, and when it rinsed down, it looked like oil in a rain puddle; I did a little research and found that this is probably due to the magnesium myristate used in the powders, a fatty acid which is used in mineral makeup to aid in adhesion.  When I splashed water over my swatches, it beaded up and rolled off, leaving the shadows completely unscathed, even where primer had not been applied beforehand.  Pretty sweet!

Overall:  I was not wowed by the communication, as I didn't get a convo or personal E-mail from the seller or a hand-written note in my package.  I did get a shipping confirmation E-mail from PayPal saying my package was shipped same-day and it arrived in  just two days.  So the customer service was okay; crazy-fast shipping, but no real communication.  Part of what I like so much about Etsy is the one-on-one transactions: a buyer purchasing something from an artisan.  Without communication, part of that luster just wasn't there.  The colors all look really nice over primer, but I wasn't thrilled with the saturation when applied to bare skin.  What I was impressed with was the consistency and application of the powders and the iridescence of Nouveau and Metamorphosis.  So I got what I ordered and I got it really fast, and the ingredients used to improve adhesion are clearly working. I'll definitely order again because of the awesome composition of the prouct, but my overall impression is kind of 'meh.'

New Stuff!

Yesterday I ordered samples from Scaredy Cat Cosmetics and a full-size trio from Linnaeus Cosmetics, so look to see a Scaredy Cat review and more Linnaeus swatches soon.  If I get the Scaredy Cat samples before the end of the week, I'll do that review, and if I don't I'll be doing a swatch-mania for Bokeh Face!