Hi everyone! Today I'd like to show you a truly exciting new collection from Shiro Cosmetics. It consists of fifteen eyeshadows and one lip gloss. I purchased samples of each eyeshadow and a full sized gloss, and I'll be showing you all of them today. Here's what owner Caitlin has to say about the Seven Kingdoms Collection:
"This collection is inspired by George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, which is currently being translated into a really excellent TV series by HBO.
I've been planning this collection for years, since before I released the Legends Collection way back in October 2010. It's a delight to finally make it available, and I hope you all love it as much as I do! For those who aren't caught up with the series or who haven't read the books, I've done my best to avoid spoilers in the descriptions.
The full sizes from this set feature original art by the incredible Robert Hendrickson."Though I didn't buy any full-sized jars, I have to point out the beautiful, understated art Robert Hendrickson created for this collection. Each shade is inspired by a different character, and each shade's full-sized jar boasts a sketch of its character's face on the lid. Rather than attempting to capture author George R. R. Martin's sweeping battle scenes, magnificent feasts, or towering castles, Hendrickson instead created a series of monochromatic portraits in what looks almost like careful watercolor to my eye. The portraits are clearly modeled after the actors in the television series, so fans of the book who haven't seen the show may not identify as strongly with the art as devotees of the TV adaptation.
Without further ado, let's look at these gorgeous shades! Following Caitlin's lead, I will avoid spoilers as best I can.
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From the website: Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail, and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, but refuse. They cling to the realm, or love, or the gods. Illusions. Only the ladder is real.
The climb is all there is.
Rich velvety brown with a warm metallic copper-bronze shine. Lip-safe!
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide
Personal Comments: "Climbing Chaos" is based on Littlefinger, otherwise known as Lord Petyr Baelish. Shiro's description for this shade is spot on. I have to say, though Shiro is probably best known for their glitterbombs, I am consistently impressed with the brand's metallics. Most or all of the metallics I have from Shiro are beautifully smooth and have the most gorgeous sheen. If "Climbing Chaos" is right up your alley, check out "Remake" and "Mockingjay" from Shiro's Tributes collection (here's a link to our review) for more metallic goodness.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: Maybe some real wolves will find you. Maybe they'll smell you when the sun goes down. Then you'll learn what wolves do to dogs.
Blackened plate-steel grey shot through with hints of orange fire. Lip-safe!
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide
Personal Comments: "Gift of Mercy" is based on The Hound, otherwise known as Sandor Clegane. This is a very dark charcoal grey with, to my eye, rainbow glitter. It reminds me of Fyrinnae's "Immortality", and I'll try to update this post with a side-by-side swatch of the two shades.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: Does loyalty mean nothing to you?
Rich earthy brown-black shimmering with the green of House Mormont. Not lip-safe.
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, ferric ferrocyanide, chromium oxide
Personal Comments: "Here I Stand" is based on Ser Jorah Mormont. Shiro's color description is pretty close to what I see, though the sparkles are more teal than green to my eye.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: "Hodor," hodored Hodor. "Hodor hodor hodor!"
"HODOR, STOP HODORING."
Medium near-matte taupe. Lip-safe!
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, zinc oxide, methicone
Personal Comments: "Hodor." is based on Hodor. It's a rosey, taupe-y shade with a strong silver sheen when the light catches it. I'm a big fan of Shiro's neutral shades, because they almost always have some kind of interesting twist to them.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: I loved a maid as fair as summer, with the sunlight in her hair. She was a crofter's daughter. And she loved me.
Green-shifting gold shining out over a base of softened Lannister crimson. Lip-safe!
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide
Personal Comments: "I Loved A Maid" is based on Tyrion Lannister. This is goooorgeous. To me it's a rusty orange with a strong, sparkly yellow-green shift that's quite obvious when it hits the light. This is one of my top picks from this collection.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: Only a little bird, repeating the words they taught me.
Delicate matte mauve/beige pink. Lip-safe!
Ingredients: mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, red 40, methicone
Personal Comments: "Little Bird" is based on Sansa Stark. Shiro's description of this color perfectly describes what I see. I'm really excited to see Shiro branching out with more mattes!
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: Aye, Queen you shall be. Until there comes another, younger and more beautiful...
The brilliant emerald of Highgarden, with bright aqua shimmer and golden-rose sparks. Lip-safe!
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, calcium aluminum borosilicate, yellow 5 lake, blue 5 lake, silica
Personal Comments: "Maiden Queen" is based on Margaery Tyrell. Every time I open this collection's landing page, my eye goes straight to this amazing shade. Once again, Shiro's description is spot on. This is another of my top picks from this collection.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: Power resides where men believe it resides. It's a trick. A shadow on the wall.
And a very small man can cast a very large shadow.
Soft golden shimmer shining through pale lilac silk. Lip-safe!
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide
Personal Comments: "Master of Whispers" is based on "The Spider", otherwise known as Lord Varys. As Shiro says, this shade's base comes across as a pale lilac, but the bright overlay is almost a pastel coral to my eyes. It's so gorgeous, but it reminded me of Shiro's limited edition Halloween 2013 shade in "Zero". I'll see what I can do to update this post with side-by-side comparison swatches, but for now, know that "Zero" is darker, more opaque, and has a stronger pink sheen. They're easy to tell apart when they're side by side, but I'm not certain you need both. If you missed out on Shiro's Halloween Collection, this shade is an excellent stand in for "Zero". Either way, it's another of my top picks from this collection.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons.
Silvered royal purple over a blood-red base. Not lip-safe.
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, aluminum powder, silica
Personal Comments: "Mother of Dragons" is based on Daenerys Targaryen. This is another stunner. It looks like a dark blood red in the sample bag, as you can see, but swatches as an amazing deep purple covered in silver shimmer. This is another of my top picks from this collection.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: There are no men like me.
Only me.
Gold-burnished plate cloaked in ashy white. Lip-safe!
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, bronze powder, silica, zinc oxide, methicone
Personal Comments: "No Men Like Me" is based on Jaime Lannister. This one was a little odd. I swatched it four times in three different ways to try to figure out what was going on.
Applied dry over silicone primer and Pixie Epoxy, it looked kind of like I swatched a mustard colored shadow with a satin finish, then patted on a thin layer of off-white powder in random patches. I found the off-white overlay was more likely to show up if I packed on a thick layer of shadow all at once, and more likely to be absent if I applied just a small amount of shadow in a thin layer.
Let's look at some alternative swatches:
Applied wet over silicone primer and Pixie Epoxy, it's like a completely different eyeshadow. The off-white overlay disappears entirely, and you're left with the most gorgeous bronzey gold with a near metallic sheen. It's not at all patchy and it doesn't change appearance as it dries. You can see some textural issues in the swatch, but I believe that's due to me adding a bit too much water.
Finally, I tried applying it over bare skin, just to see what would happen. I believe the result is closest to Shiro's official description of "gold-burnished plate cloaked in ashy white". I can see the same bronzey gold as the wet swatch, but its color and sheen are muted by what I can only describe as a subtle mist of ashy overlay. It's a subtle effect, but it's unique and interesting.
In brief - this is a weird one, and it might take a bit of experimentation to figure out what application method yields a look you prefer. I'm not a fan of how it looks applied dry over primer and Pixie Epoxy, but when applied wet or over bare skin, it becomes much more appealing.
First set of swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Alternative swatches done as described on the collage. All photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: I am a knight. I shall die a knight.
The matte orange-brown of House Selmy, softened with gentle cream shimmer. Lip-safe!
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, silica
Personal Comments: "Queensguard" is based on Barristan Selmy. I see a reddish brown, but I don't see too much of the cream shimmer. When I patted this on in a thicker layer, I found the chocolate brown came out a little more.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: The prince that was promised, born amidst salt and smoke to wake dragons from stone.
Blackened green of House Baratheon, shining with the red light of R'hllor. Not lip-safe.
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, copper powder, silica, chromium oxide
Personal Comments: "Salt and Stone" is based on Stannis Baratheon. This is a forest green with a sparkly red sheen. I had some trouble getting the red sheen to show up consistently through the shadow, so it might take a bit of fussing to get a uniform effect. I recommend enlarging the photo to get a better look at how the red sheen appeared for me. Regardless, this is a unique shade and will likely be worth any fuss if the color appeals to you.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: All men must serve. And all men must die.
Pure black shining with metallic white overlay. Not lip-safe.
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, aluminum powder, silica
Personal Comments: "Valar Morghulis" is based on Arya Stark. This is a light black shade with a ton of silver sparkles.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: Cersei knows that tears and seduction are more useful than nipples on a breastplate.
Strong red wine with soft golden shimmer. Lip-safe!
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, bronze powder, silica
Personal Comments: "Women's Weapons" is based on Cersei Lannister. Shiro calls it a red wine shade, and I think that's a great way to describe it. I see some copper sparkles and a few rainbow sparkles, but the base color dominates.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: John Snuh knows nothing, except for the Lord's Kiss, and what a castle looks like.
Cold wintery grey-white with bright icy shimmer. Lip-safe!
Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, methicone
Personal Comments: "You Know Nothing" is based on Jon Snow. This was the first one I swatched, and the moment I put it on my arm, it instantly reminded me of the fake snow you see all over Christmas decorations. Have you ever picked up an extraordinarily glittery ornament and had a ton of the white glitter with teal sparkles fly all over the place? That's exactly what this eyeshadow reminds me of. I expect this will be a popular choice for Shiro's custom glosses, if the immense love for Moon Prism Power in gloss form is any indication.
Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
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From the website: Heh.
Very opaque blood-red.
Flavored with cheerful fruity cranberry!
Samples are available in a clamshell; full sizes are in a tube with doefoot applicator.
Ingredients: hydrogenated polyisobutene, ethylene/propylene/styrene copolymer, butylene/ethylene/styrene copolymer, meadowfoam seed oil, red 40, iron oxide, cocoa butter, castor oil, vitamin E, flavor
Personal Comments: "Red Wedding" is not based on a character (and that's all you'll get out of me). The label art portrays the Iron Throne in all its pointy majesty. And friends... this is my favorite Shiro gloss yet. It's a deep red and it's gorgeous. It builds up beautifully as well, which is a relief after my disappointment with the last Shiro gloss I tried (Halloween 2013's "Something In The Wind"). One layer is more than enough for a lovely red lip, but two layers makes the color a bit deeper, richer and more opaque. My sole complaint is that this particular color smells of artificial fruit punch, which is not really my thing. Thankfully, the scent fades quickly.
I'm enamored with this gloss, and I think it's one of the must-haves of the collection. For those who haven't yet heard me rave about Shiro's gloss formula, suffice it to say it is non-sticky and very comfortable to wear, and is the product that finally made me a believer in lip gloss.
Since my favorite lip product of all time is also a deep red, I pulled it out for a comparison swatch. Here you'll see Red Wedding and Fyrinnae's Lip Lustre in Dragon's Blood side by side. Dragon's Blood is a stunning color that makes me feel like Snow White, but I was shocked to see it looks downright fuchsia next to Red Wedding:
If I've piqued your curiosity about Fyrinnae's Lip Lustres, you can read our review for details and swatches.
Swatches done over bare skin. Photos taken inside under daylight bulbs.
Purchase Link
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Overall, this is another beautiful, inspired collection from Shiro. According to Caitlin, this collection was three years in the making - my congratulations to her for bringing it to life!
What do you think of the shades in this collection? Do you agree with my top picks? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
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