Darling Girl Glitter Potion Lip Toppers in Charmed, Divine, and Ritual - Swatches, Review, and Photos

I Purchased This

Hey everyone!

It's been a little while since I posted on the blog but I do have an explanation! I got my eyebrows microbladed and wanted to wait until my brows healed before taking any photos for the blog. I also went on vacation to see my family in France so I wasn't able to blog while overseas. I am back and I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things with more reviews/looks.

I hope you enjoy today's post, a review of the Darling Girl Glitter Potion Lip Toppers. Unlike brands that are marketing lipglosses as lip toppers (here's looking at you Jouer), these are actually water-based lip toppers meant to add glitter/shine to your favorite liquid lipsticks (without breaking them down). Though I don't always wear glitter in my everyday makeup, I still love the idea behind adding a little glitter to my lip products.

These could be a dupe for Lime Crime's Diamond Toppers or Urban Decay's Vice Special Effects Long-Lasting Water-Resistant Lip Topcoats, though I can't say if they're 100% identical since I haven't tried either. Regardless, I love finding a possible indie alternative to a mainstream product.

I got three colors in Charmed, Divine, and Ritual. There are eleven colors in total. 

Click through to read my thoughts, see swatches, and photos of each color when worn.

Darling Girl Wonder Wand Cream Eyeshadows - Swatches, Review, and Photos

I Purchased This

Hey everyone!

Today I have a review on some indie cream eyeshadows, Darling Girl's Wonder Wand Cream Eyeshadows in Dragon's Sickness and Honey Cake. It's been a long while since I've reviewed anything from indie cosmetics brands, especially since I used to blog about them a lot years ago. I'm a little out of the loop when it comes to indie cosmetics but I hope to get back into them and share some of the great handcrafted products from brands like Darling Girl.

I'm a lover of cream eyeshadows so I figured these cream eyeshadows would be a good place for me to start. Click though to read my review, see swatches, and photos!

Darling Girl Santy's Sneaky Sleigh Liquid Stardust - Swatch and Review

I Purchased This

I'm very excited to post this review on Darling Girl's Liquid Stardusts. I purchased this during their Black Friday sale after waiting patiently for it to go on sale. The Liquid Stardusts are Darling Girl's take on the LORAC Liquid Lustres. In essence, these are glitter topcoats that you apply over your cream or powder eyeshadows.

I purchased the shade Santy's Sneaky Sleigh, a milky white base with a pink duo chrome glitter suspended in a slightly pink tinted liquid. You may also notice a slight green duo chrome but it's not apparent when you're wearing it. Since the liquid is only mildly tinted, it shouldn't really change the eyeshadow you're wearing with it. However I did notice that over time, the pink tinge went away in the liquid.

Just an FYI: I have the previous packaging for the Liquid Stardusts, they have new packaging.

Where to Purchase: 

Price: $7.50 for 4mL of product

Do they test on animals?: The company does not test on animals.

Click thru to read the rest of my review and see swatches!

Darling Girl Kerfluffle Pucker Paint - Swatch and Review

I Purchased This

Following along the liquid to matte trend, Darling Girl Cosmetics came out with their own rendition with their Pucker Paints. They took a brief hiatus from lip products for a few months but they came back and then some with the Pucker Paints. The Pucker Paints are in the process of being restocked but you can enjoy my swatch and review of one of the shades until they come back.

(It applies lighter than it appears in the tube, which you'll see in my swatch!)

Where to Purchase: 

Price: originally $8.00 for 3.5 mL of product, the new packaging holds 5 mL now but I'm not sure of the final price.

Do they test on animals?: The company does not test on animals.

Click thru to read my review and see my swatch and full face photo!

Darling Girl Cosmetics Black Friday Eyeshadow Haul and Swatches

I Purchased This

For Black Friday I bought myself a few Darling Girl Cosmetics Eyeshadows. I had been wanting some of these shades for quite some time and although two of the colors I'm swatching may not be available anymore (one was an old GWP and the other a Black Friday color), I thought I would swatch it anyway for reference's sake (and in case you want the GWP to become permanent!)

Where to Purchase: 
Price: $2.50 for 1/4 tsp or $5.90 for a full size jar containing 3/4 tsp.
Do they test on animals?: The company does not nor do they sell in countries that require animal testing.
Packaging: The petit size comes in a 3 gram jar and the full size comes in a 5 gram jar with a sifter.

Swatches:


The eyeshadows were applied dry over Too Faced Shadow Insurance. The pictures were taken in natural daylight.

Black Moon: "Sooty green base with orange red flash and a shift to a golden green" In my swatch you primarily see the green base but on the left side of the swatch you can see the orange red and the right side of the swatch shows the golden green.

Eclipse: "Blackened red with undertones of coppery gold and a sprinkling of copper sparkle" This is a black with a red sheen and golden sparkle.  You may find that using a base or a glitter adhesive will enhance the sheen and sparkles.

Just Harried: "Champagne with subtle blue sparkles" This is a part of the upcoming My Three Witches (themed after the tv series Charmed!) collection. I did think this was a little sheerer than the other shimmery shades but is still beautiful.

Mistle Taupe* LE GWP: "Silvery brown with gold undertones, gold iridescence and copper sparkle". I actually think this is more like a dove grey with a gold/copper sparkle. It isn't available anymore but I've heard people say they wish it was permanent so maybe it will become permanent.

Tank Taupe: "Light matte taupe brown" On me, it does pull a little cooler than the website swatch. I haven't tried many loose matte eyeshadows but I do think this works best over a white eyeshadow base like NYX Milk. I thought it was a little sheer over a primer and had to be built up.

Who Cares, It's on Sale!* Black Friday Exclusive: "Grey brown with aqua sparkles" Again this was limited edition but for reference's sake I thought I'd still post it.

I hope you enjoyed this swatch post! 

Disclaimer: I purchased these eyeshadows myself. All opinions are my own. I wasn't being compensated for this post.

Winged Liner Dreams EOTD

Have I said how much I'm vibing doing a winged liner? Because I really really am.

Products Used

Darling Girl Cosmetics Primped and Primed Eyelid Primer

Darling Girl Cosmetics Jeweled Taupe on the lid

Saucebox Cosmetics Siren in the crease

Wet n Wild Mega Liner in Dark Brown

Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Mascara
Buxom Hold the Line Waterproof Eyeliner in Here's My Number on the lower lashline

Anastasia Brow Powder in Medium Brown and Dark Brown for the brows

I'm super stoked because IMATS is this weekend but it's mildly tempered by school starting next Tuesday. My excitement shoots back up again when I attend ISSE Long Beach. Busy busy two weeks!

Darling Girl Cosmetics Burnished Watercolor Paint Pot Swatch and Review

I Purchased This

As part of my Black Friday Haul, I purchased a Watercolor Paint Pot (WPP) from Darling Girl Cosmetics. I quite like cream eyeshadows and they're not often done by indie cosmetics so I was enthusiastic about trying it out. I went back and forth about which color to get and decided on Burnished, a beautiful metallic bronze. 

Just looking at it in the pot looks entrancing (to me at least). 

Where to purchase:
Price: $6.50 but currently on sale at $5.25 for 5 grams of product by volume.
Do they test on animals?: The company does not.
Packaging: The watercolor paint pot comes in a dual walled plastic container with a white plastic cover to ensure the product does not dry out. Do not throw away the plastic disk! It is also recommended that you store the product in the ziploc bag it comes in to prevent it drying out quickly.

If you own an e.l.f. Cream Eyeliner, you may recognize the packaging. The general shape and lid is the same but the Darling Girl WPP comes with the plastic disk on top to prevent it from drying out.

Swatch

The WPP was applied with my MAC 242, a flat shader brush. The picture was taken in natural daylight with no flash.

Burnished is a really beautiful metallic bronze with a gold flash to it. When the light hits it, that gold flash really stands out.

Formula:

Darling Girl Cosmetics describes the WPP as having a "soft creamy consistency, almost like a mousse; they are not water proof but once set they are pretty smudge proof. They have almost a cream-to-powder effect. WPP can be used as a stand alone color or as a base to enhance whatever color you layer over it".

These do have a soft, slightly squidgy texture. Very very creamy.

I preferred applying the WPP with my MAC 242, a flat shader brush. I tried applying it with a fluffy blending brush (like a MAC 217) but I thought the WPP was too squishy to pick up well and applying with your finger dulled the finish. The WPP dries down as you apply it as it's waterbased so you have about 30 seconds from application before it sets. Even after it is set, you can still blend out the edges to diffuse any harsh lines for a slightly smokey look.

This was fairly smudge proof and has a cream-to-powder effect with no tacky finish. It's suggested that you apply a regular primer first and when worn with a primer, I've gotten 12+ hours of wear with no creasing (way better than the Tarte Smoldereyes I tried out recently and at a fraction of the cost).

Without a primer, I experienced creasing after about 5 hours however I'm not holding it against the product since it suggests you pair it with a primer. If you have less oily lids, you'll probably have a better wear on its own.

You can wear this as an eyeshadow base and I got great wear without a primer when I set it with an eyeshadow. When worn this way, I got about 9 hours of wear before it started creasing. I was worried about experiencing fallout since the WPP isn't especially tacky-feeling but I didn't experience any problems. 

In conclusion, I really this cream eyeshadow. I like that I can apply a tiny amount and smudge it out or wear a thin line as a liner (which I was inspired to do because of this look by Alexis Leigh). I'm hoping there will be an expansion of colors in the line because while there are thirteen shades, the majority are more neutral colors and I'd love to see some brighter colors. The color Wildly Dancing Children looks especially gorgeous!

Purchase if:
a) You want to try an indie cream eyeshadow
b) You have drier lids 
c) You want an eyeshadow that'll give you that faux smoky eye look
d) You have oily lids but don't mind wearing a primer underneath

Don't purchase if:
a) You have oily lids and don't want to wear it with a primer
b) You don't want to be proactive about keeping it airtight and in the ziploc

Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money. All opinions are my own and I'm not affiliated or compensated for my review.

Rediscovering An Old Favorite and Finding New Favorites

Each week, Darling Girl Cosmetics has a special "Pick of the Week" where one of their "Glamour Girls" picks a color for the week that is on sale for 20% off! This week's pick is Jeweled Taupe which is a beautiful color that I own but abandoned as of late and the pick of the week reminded me to reach back into my drawers to use it again. I then decided to use the Flutter Lashes that I got while I was at PHAMExpo and I'm regretting that decision because I think the lashes look amazing on me. Unfortunately though, they retail for $40(!), I was lucky enough to get them for $20. Either way, it was a good day to rediscover a treasured eyeshadow and for me to figure out that I have expensive tastes.

Products Used

Darling Girl Primped and Primed Eyelid Primer
Darling Girl Jeweled Taupe Eyeshadow
Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner in Blackest Black
Flutter Lashes in Veronica 
Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Dark Brown

Are there any old favorites you've rediscovered lately or new favorites you've found?

Disclaimer: I received the Brow Powder as a gift from The Makeup Show. The widget at the top of the post is sponsored by Blogher and I am receiving compensation for posting it.

Darling Girl Cosmetics: Skyfall Liquid Kiss Luxe Lip Swatch and Review

I can easily blame Arabelle at Fashion Pirate for getting me on the purple lips bandwagon. I was planning on getting OCC's Belladonna Lip Tar but of course it was discontinued so when I saw that Darling Girl was selling a purple lip gloss, this was the next best thing. 

(The photo of it in the clamshell isn't 100% accurate [it's a little too blue toned] but the lip swatch is accurate!)

Where to purchase: Darling Girl Cosmetics.
Price: $2.25 for a 1.5mL Try Me Size (these are purchased through a separate listing) and $5.25 for 3 mL. Technically you get a better value purchasing the try me sizes but there is a limit to (five per order) and if you prefer click pens, you have to purchase the full sizes. 
Cruelty Free? They are cruelty free as they do not test on animals.
Packaging: The Try Me Size comes in a mini lipgloss tube with a mini doefoot wand. The full sizes come in a click pen. I personally prefer doefoot applicators or applying with my fingers. I do believe you can put a note in your purchase asking for Satin Stain packaging (which is like a bigger version of the Try Me Size packaging) if you don't like the click pens.

Product Description: "Darling Girl Cosmetics lip glosses are thick, but never sticky.  Made with nourishing sweet almond oil, shea and cocoa butters for an awesome non-drying lip gloss."

My Thoughts on the Formula/Wear Time:

This is one of the semi-opaque lip glosses, the opacity described as being "not quite opaque but will more than likely cover your natural lip color" and this is pretty much right on.  I found that if you apply it with your fingers, you can get heavier coverage out of it, otherwise you can get a sheerer layer. On my lips it isn't 100% opaque but certainly something you can layer over other lipsticks for a nice finish. I've always been fond of Darling Girl's lip gloss formula, I find that they are quite moisturizing and last about three hours on me. They're not sticky on the lips. 

Skyfall is described as a "Creamy royal purple with lavender sparkles" and that's a dead-on description. It is a red toned purple as opposed to a blue-toned purple.

Swatch

Skyfall was applied on my lips with my finger and the picture taken in natural daylight.

Do you like the looks of Skyfall or purple lips in general? I know this year's Pantone Color of the Year is Emerald so maybe the next thing will be green lips!

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I wasn't able to post as much this week because my internet was down at home and I wasn't able to coordinate posts with my laptop. Regular posting will hopefully resume soon! I've got to post about ISSE Long Beach, my reviews on the stuff I bought there and at IMATS, plus more! 

I hope everyone in the colder areas of the US stays safe. It actually hailed here in Long Beach which was so surprising, it's probably the closest this area will get to snow. Stay warm and bundled up!

Darling Girl Cosmetics Stardust Collection with Promo Swatches

Darling Girl Cosmetics' shop has opened up for the new year and they're starting off with a bang by showcasing their new Stardust collection. These are color changing glitter dust and described as:

"Multifaceted pearlescent pigments with color shifting properties create an almost holographic effect. Stardusts reflect two to three different colors as the light angles change.  These are shimmery, glittery and shiny all at once.  Simply stunning!

These are similar to the Rainbow Brite shades but better, shinier, sparklier and more glitterific! These are pure iridescent pigments so a good primer and sticky base are a must!"

These are NOT eligible for the Mix & Match sets. These will be a little more expensive than her regular eyeshadows at $7.00 for the full size with 1/2 tsp but are packaged in very cute double walled cube jars with a sifter seal.

You can get these on Storenvy or their Main Site. 

There are six shades available: Callisto, Charon, Galatea, Miranda, Phobos, and Prometheus.



Here are swatches provided by Darling Girl Cosmetics. The Stardusts appear to be swatched over a black base and the pictures do a great job at showing off the shift.



Callisto: Pale baby blue with shift from gold, green, blue and red. I mostly see a green, gold, blue shift but play around with different lighting and you are sure to see some other hues come a live.

Charon: Pale turquoise blue that has colors shifts from blue, red to purple. I see mostly blue to purple but play around with different lighting and you are sure to see some more hues come alive.

Galatea: Baby pink with color shifts from gold, green, blue to orange. Play with Galatea in different lighting and see what hues you see!

Miranda: Fluffy creame with orange flecks and color shifts from indigo, purple, red and orange. Play with Miranda in different lighting and angles and see what hues you find!

Phobos: Pale orange with color shifts from blue, purple gold to red. Play with Phobos in differently lighting and see how many hues you can find.

Prometheus: Cream with color shifts from red, gold, blue to purple. Play with Prometheus in different lighting and angles and see what hues you can find!

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Are there any that are catching your eye?

Darling Girl Zombie Apoca-Lips: Lip Swatches, Review, and Photos

Hey everyone, I hope you had a good New Year's! I spent mine at a diner with my friends playing Cards Against Humanity (which seemed to be a popular game this New Years).

Anyway, today I'm going to be reviewing Darling Girl Cosmetics Zombie Apoca-Lips glosses. When it comes to makeup, there's nothing that makes me reach for my wallet more than duochromes and I love that so many indies are starting to embrace the duochrome  beast by developing unique color shifts. The Zombie Apoca-Lips came out as a part of a Halloween collection but I do believe they'll still be available when the shop opens up on January 7th. I ended up ordering them a few weeks ago and have spent ages trying to photograph them to give them justice. Duochromes of course are very shy creatures who have to be coaxed out into showing their beautiful shift.

Darling Girl makes one of my favorite lipgloss formulas; they're on the thinner but have some tack so it sticks and the shea and cocoa butter in the formula makes it extremely moisturizing. The lipgloss colors are more often than not on the sheerer side so anyone looking for super opaque colors might want to look elsewhere. 

I purchased three and received one free via a coupon code. The three minis are Almost A Ghost, Hellspawn, and The Littlest Zombie and the full size is Living Dead Fabulous. 

Where to purchase: Darling Girl Cosmetics. They are closed until January 7th however as the owner Susan is going on a much needed family vacation!

Price: $2.25 for a 1.5mL Try Me Size (these are purchased through a separate listing) and $5.25 for 3 mL. I know, you can technically get a better value purchasing minis but there is a limit to the Try Me Size (five per order) and if you prefer click pens, you have to purchase the full sizes. 

Cruelty Free? They are cruelty free as they do not test on animals.

Packaging: The Try Me Size comes in a mini lipgloss tube with a mini doefoot wand. If you're familiar with the trial sized Pixie Epoxy or Lip Lustres from Fyrinnae, these are the same packaging. The full sizes come in a click pen. I gave it some thought and I realized that I really prefer using a doefoot applicator. I don't think the click pen brush spreads out the gloss evenly as the gloss tends to get picked up into the brush but you can just apply the gloss with your fingers. I do believe you can put a note in your purchase asking for Satin Stain packaging (which is like a bigger version of the Try Me Size packaging) if you don't like the click pens.

Product Description: Zombie Apoca-lips can be worn alone but were made for layering over other lip colors to give them a little pizzazz. Sheer gloss infused with color shifting mica and super reflective mica flake that makes lips sparkle like crazy!

My Thoughts on the Formula/Wear Time:

The glosses look very bright and bold in the tube but they actually sheer out into very wearable lipglosses that can be worn on its own. The glosses, with the exception of Living Dead Fabulous (which is marked as a semi-sheer), are marked as sheer glosses meaning that they give off a very light tint.

I found Almost A Ghost to have a lot of color, it's not opaque but certainly enough to show itself off. Almost A Ghost and Living Dead Fabulous are more semi-sheer, they're sheer but pigmented. Hellspawn looks especially bright in the tube but actually is quite sheer, easily the most wearable color in the bunch.

The colorshift isn't as strong as it appeared in the tube but there is a shift present in the colors. I found that Almost A Ghost had the strongest color shift/duochrome while I felt that The Littlest Zombie had the weakest. The Littlest Zombie has a blue duochrome in the tube but I didn't see that as much when wearing. Hellspawn has a beautiful golden bronze (more gold) shift and Living Dead Fabulous has a light red shift. The more you layer the glosses, the stronger the duochrome.

The swatches were done straight from the applicator but when I wore the glosses over lipstick, I applied them with my fingers as I don't like getting lipstick on my applicators. This also helped to better emulsify the gloss with the lipstick color. When the glosses are layered on, you may find that the lipstick will thin out a bit as the lipstick emulsifies with the gloss. 

Swatch time! Like I said, these swatches were one layer applied using the doefoot applicator and the pictures were taken in natural daylight. I also took pictures of the shift under artificial lighting. In those swatches, I layered the glosses heavier to better show off the shift.

Almost A Ghost

Almost A Ghost: "Sheer black loaded with purple and pink color shifting glitter and a smattering of gold flakie" It's misprinted on the actual listing as a sheer milky white but it's obviously not. Easily my favorite for color shifting since it's the strongest and the colored base means it deepens any color I wear underneath it. 

Straight on, the purple is pretty dominant then the pink and gold shines through at an angle.

Hellspawn

Hellspawn: "Sheer burnt orange with color shifting mica, shifting from red to golden bronze and a dash of gold flakie" It's deceptively bright and scary in the tube but it sheers out to a beautiful light orange with a hint of red. I think you can see it better in the center of my lower lip. 

Straight on, the red is prominent then the golden bronze shines through at an angle (you can see it better in the lower half of the swatches).

Living Dead Fabulous

Living Dead Fabulous: "Sheer blackened red with a hint of red shift, blackened gold glitter and a dash of blue flakie" I know in this closeup you can really see the specks of glitter but when you're a normal distance away, it doesn't look speckly. This was probably my favorite "wearable" color.

Straight on, the blue flakie and red base is apparent and you get a lighter red shift at different angles.

The Littlest Zombie

The Littlest Zombie: "Sheer candy apple green with a hint of green shift and infused with super reflective green/gold mica flake" In the tube you can see the hint of blue but on the lips, it's much more subtle and difficult to see. 

I think at an angle, there might be a darker green shift but it is difficult to tell.

Final Thoughts

These Zombie Apoca-Lips aren't complete must-haves but I think they're just so cool. They're a really cute novelty and are moisturizing on my lips. Almost A Ghost is my pick if you want something really color shifting/duochrome and both Hellspawn and Living Dead Fabulous are my picks for an everyday wearable color shifter. 

Disclaimer: I purchased these products for review from the brand. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for the review. I used a coupon code to receive one of the lipglosses for free. This post does not contain any affiliate links.

Top 12 Eyeshadows of 2012

To continue my compilation to sum up the end of the year, I wanted to talk about my twelve favorite eyeshadows of 2012. I was much more into eyeshadows than lip colors this year so that's why I was able to come up with a top 12. Like with the lipsticks, these are all equally my favorite and aren't in any particular order. Pretty much all of them are loose eyeshadows; I found I didn't really favor as many pressed eyeshadows this year but that might change (especially since I was introduced to the Bare Minerals READY Eyeshadows. Unfortunately a few of the eyeshadows aren't available anymore but you can still enjoy the look of them.

All the eyeshadows were swatched dry over primer and pictures were taken in natural daylight. All the links take you to my previous reviews on them!

Aromaleigh Alohomora: "Gilded bronzy copper with matching sparkle" Unfortunately this isn't available anymore, it was an eyeshadow I got from Aromaleigh when they were clearing out their old stock. It just reminds me of antiques and watching Antique Roadshow which is why I love it.

Aromaleigh Tunnel Vision: "Deep silver based taupe" More silver than taupe really, it's another one of those eyeshadows that was clearanced from Aromaleigh. I'm always seeking a silvery taupe and this is almost the perfect one for me.

Darling Girl Jeweled Taupe: "Metallic bronzy taupe with multi-colored shimmer" Ever since Jeweled Taupe was released, it's pretty much been one of the top sellers for the brand and it's not difficult to see why. I love the purple and red glitter shining through the bronze base. Love it!

Darling Girl Persuasion: "Medium lavender base with gold shift and turquoise sparkles" Persuasion is a color that works best when applied with a glitter fixative but it's worth it. The  green shift shining through the lavender base is a unique but gorgeous combination.

Fyrinnae Newcastle: "Sparkly deep antique bronze-gold" The brown base with the gold sparkles to it, a perfect color for a smokey eye.

Fyrinnae Sacred: "Not gold, a light gleaming truly metallic taupe." I remember I couldn't find the shade on the Fyrinnae site anymore and

L'oreal Blinged and Brilliant: Metallic high shine peach toned beige nude"

MAC Coco: "Neutral taupe with frost" You ever have one of those colors that you love almost as much because of the hype and the fact that you can't get a hold of it otherwise? This is one of those colors.

MAC Goldenaire: "Rosy with a gold pearl" See above re: MAC Coco

Silk Naturals Flash: "Shimmery complex gold color with a hint of silver and diamond pearl" I know just looking at it, especially compared to the other shades it seems a little out of place. Something about it though, the mother of pearl-esque color just appeals to me.

Sugarpill Goldilux*: "Brilliant, highly-reflective metallic gold with breathtaking shine" Goooooold. Gooooooold I can't handle this it's shiny and reflective and metallic gold all in my face. 

Venomous Versicolor: "Maroon with green sheen" I know, I only just reviewed it a week ago so it almost seems like a premature addition to my favorites but I do love the maroon base with the green sheen peeking through.

Disclaimer: I purchased all these eyeshadows. All opinions are my own. The link marked with an asterisk contains an affiliate link which gives me a commission based off your use of the link and helps support the blog! Feel free to use a non-affiliate link.

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Can you guys tell me what your top eyeshadows of 2012 have been?

Top 6 Lip Colors of 2012

As part of an end of the year compilation, I wanted to talk about my top six lip colors of 2012. I wasn't as into lip products as much as eyeshadows this year which is why I could only come up with my six favorites (my next post will be on my top twelve favorite eyeshadows) These are all equally my favorite and aren't in any particular order. Nearly all of these lip products are essentially permutations of a red lip with one lone exception.

All the links go to my reviews on the lip product.

Besame Classic Color Lipstick in Besame Red: "True red, cool base, not warm. Like a navy red, bright and vibrant". A basic red but it's anything but a boring red. $22.00 for 3.5 grams

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Tannin: "Poppy Red" If you're looking for more of a berry red, Tannin is perfect for that. A hint of wine adds depth to the color. $24.00 for 3.74 grams for

Darling Girl Cosmetics Hologloss in Mai : "Cherry red with golden green flakie" Why yes I am a narcissist at heart so the fact that this color is named after me is all the more reason to have it. 3mL for $5.25

Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Siren: "Metallic red" The gorgeous metallic and copper red is unconventional but enough of a reason to get it. $28.00 for 5 grams

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Radiate: "True neon red" This is a bold watermelon red that works great to brighten up the winter days. $16.00 for 10mL

Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Flirt: "Pink mocha" When I want an everyday lip color, I go for this lip gloss. It's a my lips but better color. There's a bit of a tingle but nothing too painful. $19.00 for .12 oz.

Disclaimer: I purchased all the lipsticks. All opinions are my own.

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Can you guys tell me what your top lip colors of 2012 have been?

Dupe Alert for Sugarpill @#$%! Eyeshadow

I'm usually hesitant to provide dupes for indie eyeshadows because for some reason I feel like it goes against indie solidarity. I especially look down on dupes that have been advertised as intentional dupes of a fellow indie product (which this isn't by the way). For example, as much as I'd love a Lynnderella polish, I'm not really willing to purchase one of the numerous indie nail polish dupes out there. 

I'm making an exception for this because @#$%! is a Limited Edition shade and not something that everyone can get their hands on readily at this time by itself. Phyrra reminded me that you can get it on Beautylish as a set with the Heartbreaker palette but since you can't get it by itself, it is a limiting for someone who may also already own the Heartbreaker palette (like I do). The dupe I found is close, not 100% spot-on but enough to maybe tide you over

I swatched both dry over Too Faced Shadow Insurance and the pictures were taken in natural daylight.

One of these eyeshadows is @#$%! by Sugarpill and the other is Red Ryder by Darling Girl Cosmetics. Can you tell the difference? Which do you think is which?

Red Ryder is on the left and @#$%! is on the right. The differences are quite subtle but Red Ryder has more silver sparkles, is a little lighter, less bright and berry than @#$%!, and a loose eyeshadow versus pressed. If you crave @#$%! and want to find something close that is readily available, then you may like Red Ryder. You just have to wait the turn around time. I love both equally by the way, I mean you guys know how much of a fan I am of both companies!

You can get Red Ryder at Darling Girl Cosmetics (starting January 7th when they reopen) which is part of the A Darling Girl Christmas Story collection and unfortunately @#$%! is a Limited Edition shade and currently only available when you purchase it with the Heartbreaker Palette on Beautylish. Red Ryder is $2.50 for 1/4 tsp and $5.90 for 3/4 tsp. @#$%! previously was available for $12.00 for four grams but you can get it with the Heartbreaker Palette on Beautylish, both for only $34.00 until supplies last.

What do you think? Is Red Ryder enough to tamp down your desire for @#$%! or temporarily wane it?

A Darling Girl Christmas Story & More Eyeshadow Swatches, Comparison, and Review

Christmas may technically be over, but that doesn't mean you can't still indulge in some holiday products. Today I have three eyeshadows from Darling Girl's A Darling Girl Christmas Story collection (themed after A Christmas Story of course) plus three other colors to swatch and review. 

Where to purchase: Darling Girl Cosmetics. They are closed until January 7th however as the owner Susan is going on a much needed family vacation!

Price: $2.50 for a petit jar with 1/4 tsp and $5.90 for a full size with 3/4 tsp

Cruelty Free? They are cruelty free as they do not test on animals.

Packaging: The petit jars are 3 gram jars with a sifter and the full size jars are 5 gram jars with a sifter.

Onto the swatches! These were swatched dry over Too Faced Shadow Insurance and pictures were taken under natural daylight with no flash.

Aridoarikato: "Nude beige with a pink sheen" This was the included GWP color. It's similar to my skintone and not too shimmery so it'll work as a browbone highlight color.

Red Ryder: "Bold red pearl with silver shimmers." Whoa boy this is amazing. It's a bright in your face red with a hint of berry with tons of silver sparkle. 

Tapestry of Obscenities: "Intense beige-y bronze with an explosion of multi-colored color shifting glitter! This is Jeweled Taupe's sophisticated older sister." This is a light cocoa brown with multi colored glitter (that didn't show up well in the pictures). When applied over  I love Jeweled Taupe so I was really interested in trying this out. I also did a comparison below between Jeweled Taupe and Tapestry of Obscenities.

Tell Me Now: " Fiery orange with gold and pink sparkles" This is more of a dusty orange with gold and pink sparkles. I was hoping for this to be brighter and more metallic like the website swatch but it isn't so much on me. 

Untamed: "Baby blue sheen on a light grey base" I didn't see this on the site so it may be an up and coming color. Ehhh I'm just okay about it. I'm not sure I like the baby blue sparkle on the base color. Not my cup of tea.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out: "Brilliant jewel tone" Ohhhhhh my god this is droolworthy. Do you see the bombtastic blue with all the blue glitter/sparks? I'm just reminded of the type of dress you'd wear to a nice holiday party. I loved this.

Comparison time: Jeweled Taupe vs Tapestry of Obscenities. 

I decided to swatch these over Glitter Glue whereas the first swatch of Tapestry of Obscenities was swatched without. Jeweled Taupe has a lighter bronze base where Tapestry of Obscenities had a darker, more cocoa base. Tapestry of Obscenities is not as gritty since it lacks the PET glitter that Jeweled Taupe has but it still has that multicolored sparkle. If you don't want to deal with Jeweled Taupe and its glitter, indulge in Tapestry of Obscenities!


I'm really liking Red Ryder and You'll Shoot Your Eye Out! I was already really excited for the colors based off the website swatches and they definitely did not disappoint. Are there any colors you're thinking about getting?

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I had a really great Christmas with my family and my boyfriend's family. I was a little nerdy and got a bunch of camera stuff (including a macro filters and an adapter) so I'm hoping to improve my photography skills! If you celebrated Christmas, how was it?

A Darling Girl Christmas Story: Preview and Teaser Swatches

I'm always excited for Darling Girl Cosmetics' Collections and her Christmas Collection is no exception. (I only wish my wallet was more accommodating!) I definitely love the colors from this collection more than last year's so it's that much more tempting.

This year's collection is themed after the movie A Christmas Story and consists of twelve eyeshadows.

The color names for the eyeshadows (starting with the top left and going clockwise), are listed with the swatches in the second picture! I think You'll Shoot Your Eye Out and Tapestry of Obscenities are my two top colors from the collection.

The individual eyeshadow listings aren't up yet but Susan will be getting them up by this weekend. You can purchase the sets now (and at a 10% discount over buying all twelve individually)
Are there any colors catching your eye?

One Color Wonder: Darling Girl Jeweled Taupe

Since I haven't been wearing much complicated makeup lately, I thought I'd take the time to do features on my favorite "one and done" eyeshadows (cream or powder) that I wear when I want to have makeup on but want something with more "oomph". I've mentioned that Darling Girl Cosmetics' Persuasion was one of my favorites and here's another one from the brand, Jeweled Taupe.

Jeweled Taupe is described as "an amazing, metallic, bronzey taupe with multi-colored shimmer like tiny little jewels". The multi-colored glitter within the base acts like a duochrome when you put it on. When it's on the lid, the glitter isn't as apparent but when you blend into the crease and the light hits it at the right angle, you get a great flash of the color.

This is one of Darling Girl's top selling eyeshadows and it is not surprising to see why. Because of the glitter, you do need to use a glitter fixative underneath but I think the color is most definitely worth it. I pretty much declare that if you were to own any of DG's eyeshadows, this would be it. You ain't a DG customer til you own this is all I'm saying. Do you already own it?

Life-wise, I'm really hoping to be less busy with school. I took the GRE yesterday (nailed it because I did better than average!) and studying for that was taking up most of my time lately. There are a few midterms coming up but I'm hoping to get those out of the way and get back to blogging (at least before I start grad school applications!)

Persuasion

I posted this on my Facebook page but for those of you who missed it, here's a one color wash look I did with Persuasion, one of my favorite "one and done" eyeshadows from Darling Girl. I absolutely love the hint of green sparkle that peeks out from the purple base when the light catches it. Nothing looks fancy like a duochrome eyeshadow.


Products Used:

Darling Girl Primped and Primed Eyelid Primer
Darling Girl Glitter Glue
Darling Girl Persuasion

When you're feeling particularly lazy like I have lately, what eyeshadow color(s) do you like to use to make it seem like you've put more effort into your look?

Darling Girl Cosmetics: Miscellaneous Eyeshadow Swatches

Today I have a few Darling Girl Cosmetics eyeshadows to swatch for you, two Diamond Dusts, one of their Rainbow Brite colors, one from their Not an 80s Band collection, and one from their Spring Social Collection. I always seem to swatch a few of their eyeshadows here and there so it's honestly a little difficult coming up with a witty title for the set. 



After You've Gone: "The hazy blue-gray smoke of a freshly discharged gun, shot through with silver and white flashes of sparkle" This is from her "Not an 80s Band Collection". The description is pretty spot on though I think it isn't as blue.

Limelight: "Bright chartreuse with pink sheen and sparkle" This is one of the diamond dusts and I think the pink sheen and sparkle benefits from the use of a glitter fixative (like Darling Girl's Glitter Glue or Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy). The base color is SO pretty though and the combination of the bright green with pink is different but works so well together.

Lucky: "Pale white with turquoise iridescence in the jar, but when swatched a beautiful green flash is seen along with blue, green, and red/pink sparkles" 

I tried to capture Lucky's pretty duochrome but my camera was not having it so I suggest you pop on over to Beauty's Bad Habit where her swatch blows mine out of the water. The duochrome in Lucky is so strong, the turquoise shift is just as apparent when not over a black base. If you're curious as to how it compares to Sugarpill's Lumi, Lumi is a little smoother and more of a straight turquoise duochrome whereas Lucky has some smatterings of other sparkles and the turquoise duochrome is slightly greener than Lumi.

Socialite: "Rich royal blue with strong turquoise flash". This is a super bright blue with a turquoise duochrome. At first, I thought this might be similar to Sugarpill Cosmetics Royal Sugar but it's not since Royal Sugar has a much darker base and has a turquoise sparkle whereas Socialite has a duochrome that lightens up the base in appearance and is really evident around the edges of the eyeshadow. This did feel a little drier compared to the other eyeshadows.

Totally Teal: "An almost matte teal base with red/pink 'diamond dust' glitter" The best for last. This was easily my favorite eyeshadow from the set. The listing color and the swatch is spot on. I wish the camera picked up the pink diamond dust glitter better but I really don't mind the base color by itself. The diamond dust glitter isn't like a duochrome the way it is for some of the other diamond dusts, just a very pretty sparkle that makes it more than a teal.

Darling Girl just released their Halloween collections so are you guys thinking about picking anything up? I really had my eyes on some of the Zombie Apocolips but I gotta hold off buying it myself and maybe asking for them at Christmas.