Fyrinnae is the current undisputed ruler of the indie world and after catching the attention of big name bloggers like Temptalia, may soon join the ranks of OCC and Urban Decay - indies that made it big.
Opening in 2003, Fyrinnae is certainly one of the oldest indies around and with their gorgeous assortment of "crumbled creme" eyeshadows (to be explained later), they quickly gained a huge cult following. They later introduced a line of "Lip Lustres" (a lip product with a mouse-y texture), the cult favorite Pixie Epoxy (a glitter glue product), pressed eyeshadows and an assortment of blushes, bronzers, finishing powders and face primers.
All their products are vegan and they employ a chemist (Teir Connell) to formulate their products.
My Fyrinnae orders have always come with products cushioned on a thin foam sheet, wrapped in a holo/rainbow plastic tissue, stuck inside a paper bag with the Fyrinnae name printed on it, wrapped with corrugated cardboard and stuck inside a USPS priority mail box.
It's a really pretty and secure effect overall. Lip Lustres and Pixie Epoxy come wrapped with an additional layer of padding. Eyeshadow jars do NOT come sealed or shrink-wrapped but I've never had problems with a product leaking.
Selection:
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| Sample Fyrinnae swatch image from this post! |
Fyrinnae eyeshadows are unique not just for the fantastic color assortment but also for their eyeshadow formula. They're not exactly a powder eyeshadow (and definitely not a mineral eyeshadow) but some cross between a powder and a crumbled creme. They apply smoothly and are very vibrant, especially when applied over primer and their Pixie Epoxy. We have several swatch posts featuring Fyrinnae. Make sure to check them out if you're interested in what they have to offer!
Fyrinnae separates their loose eyeshadows into two categories, the standard eyeshadows and the Arcane Magic eyeshadows.
Arcane Magic eyeshadows:
From their website:
"Fyrinnae's Arcane Magic Eyeshadows are specialized colours with a highlight which changes hue depending on how the light hits it (closer to or further from a light). This is not the same thing as "duochrome" shadows which feature only a singular highlight layered on a base hue (our version of which are here) Different light sources may show different shades, too (they do not show as well in sunlight as artifical light, and some may not appear to change at all). Please note that the Arcanes will probably look a little different in photos than in person because of the light-change effect."They are basically duochrome eyeshadows with very extreme color changes. Though several of their regular eyeshadows also have a strong duochrome effect.
Fyrinnae also occasionally releases themed collections, the most recent of which was the 60s Retro collection that had 8 eyeshadows and 2 lip lustres. They do not release any limited edition products and themed collections are integrated into their regular lineup after a short amount of time.
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| Pressed Eyeshadow in Worksafe Blue |
In the beginning, Fyrinnae released just pressed versions of their loose shadows but has recently started releasing shades in the pressed variety alone. These are slightly more expensive than the loose shadows ($9) but definitely more convenient. They come in single compacts. In terms of how they compare to their loose shadow counterparts, I find that the loose shadows are less shimmery but definitely not less attractive. We reviewed their pressed eyeshadows with swatches a bit ago.
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| Mac Lipstick, trial tubes of Lip Lustres, full sized Lip Lustre |
From the website:
"Fyrinnae's Lip Lustres are not like lipgloss. This unique product is a non-sticky lipcolour, nearly as solid as lipstick, leaving rich colour on your lips but no goopy tackiness. Most shades are made to be relatively opaque, though some can be applied lightly over lipstick as a highlight or over balm as a sheer tint. They are a rather "dry" product because we pack as much colour into them as possible, but the ingredients are not drying. This means, due to the high concentration of natural butters, they are thinner in a warm environment, thicker when it's cool, but are a solid product. Use care when opening if they have been cold (i.e; in a mailbox in winter). They are filled hot, then the product cools, hardening, the moment the tubes are filled, so they may have the appearance of cracks or tiny lines of air in the tube. Lustres have a light vanilla scent. They were slightly reformulated in 9/2011."The lip lustres have a mousse like consistency and they're nice and smooth going on. I've heard that some people have problems with feathering but I personally have never had any issues with this. Something else that you can do is to wear them layered over another. A lot of people find Romantique in particular to be too frosty on it's own but when layered over a darker lustre (or even a non Fyrinnae lip product), it gives a more golden overglow. Check out our full review with swatches on Fyrinnae Lip Lustres for more information and pictures!
Pixie Epoxy:
From their website:
"This is not an eye shadow primer, or really a base. It is to keep sparkles on and/or to make shimmery shadows appear "glossy": a foiled look without foiling.
Originally developed and formulated in 2007, this unique "glue" is designed to hold the sparkliest, most shimmery eye shadows in place, minimize "fallout", and also to easily create a foiled look without foiling. Don't worry, it's easily washed off, and while keeps shadows in a water-resistant state, the product itself is water-soluble (no silicones or oils)."Pixie Epoxy comes in the same kind of tube as the Lip Lustres and with the same doe foot applicator. In order to use Pixie Epoxy, you definitely need a primer first. Apply your primer of choice and then layer a TINY TINY amount of Pixie Epoxy on top. Wait for about 10-30 seconds before patting on your shimmery shadow of choice. It makes a HUGE difference in final appearance and gives a definite foiling effect. However, Pixie Epoxy is crap with matte shadows and tends to give them a weird blotchy look. It can also be difficult to blend shadows that are stuck with Pixie Epoxy so it's recommended to put on a layer of your chosen shadow first then adding a second layer to blend into another shadow.
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| Sample Fyrinnae blush swatch from this post! |
Bronzers/Highlighters: They offer six different bronzers and four highlighters.
Finishing Powders: Fyrinnae offers both slightly tinted and non-tinted versions of finishing powders in both oil control and non oil-control versions.
Facial Primer: Fyrinnae has a Velvet-Gel Silica Primer. It's currently unavailable but the website notes that it may return at a later date. Personally, I liked the primer and thought that it did a good job at extending the life of my mineral foundation but sadly broke me out. If you don't have a problem with silica based primers, this might be a good option for you.
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| Full-sized eyeshadow on left, mini eyeshadow on right |
Fyrinnae is fantastic about samples. You can get a sample or a "mini" of almost everything. Eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, and highlighter "minis" are 1/3rd tsp in a jar and at the time of this writing, cost $2.25 each. This may seem high for a sample but you get an awesome amount. Samples of the Arcane Magic eyeshadows are 1/4th tsp in a jar.
They also sell "trial sizes" of both the lip lustres and the pixie epoxy. These trial sized tubes are 1.5 ml and noted to contain a couple applications but I've found that they hold quite a bit more than that. Trial sizes are $2.
There is a limit, however, of about 30 minis per month and 2 trial sized tubes per order.
Quality:
I LOVE Fyrinnae. They are my indie crush and I think that everything that they do is wonderful. Eyeshadows are smooth and extraordinarily pigmented and their pixie epoxy is the cult favorite for a reason - because it's amazing. There are a couple eyeshadows that I find a little less smooth than others (Biker Chic for example) but those are extra sparkly and I believe are probably grainier due to the extra shimmer.
Cost:
On the higher end for an indie cosmetic company but the sample sizes are definitely worth the cost.
Customer Service:
I have only had to contact Fyrinnae's customer service line once and that was when their spam filter had accidentally blocked all of the computer IPs in my state from accessing their website. They responded and had the issue corrected within 24 hours. I've heard that other people have had trouble getting a hold of the company about order issues though.
TAT:
The TAT listed on their website is a very long 36-42 days but I've never placed an order that wasn't shipped out within the week and in my hands a couple days later.
Shipping:
Shipping charges changed in November 2013. Prior to this, shipping had been free for any order over $75. These are their shipping rates now:
Shipping cost for US orders is from $1.75 to $3.00 (First class).They also note that any order over $70 is usually sent via Priority Mail so most likely more expensive. They also do not ship to Italy or the Philippines.
Shipping cost for orders to Canada is from $4.20 to $8.00
Shipping cost for orders to all other worldwide destinations is from $4.20 to $10.00
Personal Thoughts:
Fyrinnae is the company that I compare all other indie companies to; especially when it comes to eyeshadow formula. Their products are just fantastic. I have over 50 Fyrinnae eyeshadows and they've consistently been amazing.
One complaint that I do have, and this is one that you'll see commonly about Fyrinnae, is their lack of communication about closing their website. Generally, they will close down the website if they're backed up with orders and this is something that I really appreciate. But they've also had a problem where they're not taking orders and they will only close the cart or items will vanish from the cart after you've put them in there. I've also heard of a case where Fyrinnae canceled someone's order after it was placed. :/ I wish that they were better about communicating when they're closed and/or were better with social media so they could handle these questions directly.
What do you think? Have you tried Fyrinnae?
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