5 Beautiful Blues

By Unknown

Purchased

This week we've got 5 brilliant blues to show you, the next shade in our Colors of the Rainbow series.

Jeannie's pick - Pretty Serious' BSOD 

One makeup trick I've heard often is to lightly tap a blue eyeshadow over lipstick/lipgloss to help teeth look whiter, so when I saw that Pretty Serious made a blue lipgloss, creatively named after the dreaded "Blue Screen of Death," I knew I had to try it out. I didn't realise that Pretty Serious has discontinued their line of lipglosses and has focused on nail polish so my apologies that it is no longer available, however the BSOD Loose Shadow is still available, reduced from $9.95AUD to $2 AUD (also to be discontinued).

Kristin's pick - Innocent + Twisted alchemy's Endless Rain 

Our first ever Collection Spotlight was on the Endless Rain collection by Innocent+Twisted Alchemy. It seems like so long ago! The entire set is beautiful but my absolute favorite from the collection (and one of my all-time favorites) is the shadow that the collection is named after, Endless Rain. This is the eyeshadow that drew me into the indie world. I can't remember where I first saw it but the first swatch hooked me and it's been an exciting journey into indie ever since. Endless Rain is a perfect water-y blue with those subtle green hints that reflect at just the right light. The added shimmer makes it seem as though the shadow is softly rippling, like water.

Valentine's pick - Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Two-Barred Flasher 

I'm not going to lie, most of the reason I keep the bottle of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Two-Barred Flasher perfume oil in my medicine cabinet is its beautiful label featuring the blue butterfly it's named after--while I really like it, it's not in my top ten indie perfumes, and I don't reach for it every day, but I love seeing that pretty bottle every morning. The notes in the perfume are described as "Orris root, lilac, galbanum, white tea, Italian bergamot, and blueberry." It's a light, refreshing scent with lots of blueberry, astringent citrus notes from the white tea and bergamot, and a clean, powdery soft base from the orris root and lilac. It feels a bit like a candy from another planet, or half-remembered from a dream--almost foody due to the blueberry, tea, and bergamot notes, but not quite, since the lilac tempers it with its lush, soapy floral. Blueberry is a very distinct scent and I don't see it used too often in perfumes, so I enjoy this perfume for its uniqueness even if I don't wear it all that often.

AG's pick - Paintbox Soapworks' Sky Blue Sky

The luxury glycerin soaps from Paintbox Soapworks were one of my favorite discoveries of 2013, so when the spring collection came out, I bought up a few full sizes to enjoy. Sky Blue Sky is one of these spring bars. This cheerful light blue bar has a fruity, almost astringent scent I can't quite place. It's not my favorite of my spring scent purchases (that honor goes to Crickhollow Cottage!) but I'm delighted to have it next to my sink.

Lisa's pick - Darling Clandestine's Blue Valentine

When I was in college, I had a roommate whose boyfriend decided very abruptly that their fancy Valentine's Day plans were not nearly as important as playing on his Xbox then promptly locked himself in his room and switched off his phone for the rest of the weekend. I wasn't on campus for this debacle, but when I came back I heard all about it. Blue Valentine from Darling Clandestine is how I imagine that weekend must have smelled for my poor roommate (and oh, what a fitting name too!) Evonne describes Blue Valentine as "a moody bouquet of hyacinth and violet and poppies and figs, washed down with shots of real whiskey and bitters and delicate musks and mint. Very potent, very heady."

But on my skin Blue Valentine is a heavy, sort of salty floral. I suppose you could say it sulks and mopes the whole day through - this is not a light, zingy scent by any means. Salty tears and a wilting bouquet of flowers, sitting inside the stuffy room all day (while possibly trying to drink away the misery and not think about video games). You'd think that Blue Valentine is a really depressing scent from that description, but I actually find it to be pretty elegant and even a bit sexy. The opening notes are seductively musky, and I think the fig helps add a hint of sweetness to take the edge off. Once it sits on the skin for a while the floral notes really start to "blossom" (har har). It also lasts a long time, and I easily get almost 10 hours of wear! Somehow a little salty and sweet all at once, this is a gorgeously mature, brooding fragrance.

Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and/or follow us on BlogLovin to get all of our updates!