Random Product Review! Superstar Serum from Darling Girl Cosmetics

Purchased

Make any mineral shadow an eyelining superstar!

When you think of a superstar, what comes to mind? Maybe someone who makes loads of money and has their face plastered on the tabloids. Perhaps someone who has their name on billboards and is seen all over television. Darling Girl Cosmetics offers all sorts of fantastic products to make you look on-par with the hottest celebrities, but the Superstar Serum does more than just make you look swanky. This little foiling gel allows any mineral shadow in your collection to suddenly break into stardom and discover its calling as an eyeliner, giving them all true superstar status in your collection.

Do I need to replace all of my old Fyrinnae eyeshadows? Comparing the old formula with the new!

Purchased

Back in January of 2013, Fyrinnae changed their eyeshadow formula. What does this mean?

Well, from the website:

*** In January 2013, Fyrinnae's loose eye shadows were reformulated. This will most likely reduce fallout (during application and wearing) and may increase wear time. Product will appear clumpy in the jar, and the liquid additives can cause some shades to appear darker at times. This is also likely to affect pressing results for those who do so at home. Ingredient list below was updated to reflect the changes. ***

But do they look different? Do you need to repurchase all of your old eyeshadows? Is it time to mourn for beloved shades lost?

I was lucky enough to swap for a batch of Fyrinnae eyeshadows in the old formula and decided to take a look at the differences. I have a few more that didn't make it into this post so keep an eye out for more comparisons in part 2!

In these pictures, the new formula will be the jar in the upper right and the old formula in the lower left. Eyeshadows have been swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Pixie Epoxy. Photos taken outside in direct sunlight.

First up, Dragon's Wing.

New Dragon's Wing is a tad bit more muted in color than Old Dragon's Wing. The shimmer is less in-your-face and more of a subtle shine.

However, I saw the complete opposite in Electro-Koi.

The added shimmer in New Electro-Koi brings out much more of a gold effect than the shimmer in Old Electro-Koi. As for the shade of the base eyeshadow, they both looked virtually identical to me.

Fire Opal, on the other hand.

Slight shade variation between Old Fire Opal and New Fire Opal. The red notes are stronger in Old Fire Opal but when seen from afar, I don't think it's enough to be apparent.

And lastly for today, Gilded Wings!

This shade showed the most differences between the new formula and old formula. It almost looks like a completely different eyeshadow! Old Gilded Wings has a much stronger orange tone and the gold shimmer is a highlight. New Gilded Wings is more yellow and the shimmer looks more like a metallic finish instead of a glow.

In summary, I didn't find that there were consistent differences between the old formula and the new formula but there were very small variations in a number of cases. I, personally, don't believe that the shade differences are enough to cause a panic but you may see slight differences.

However! I've seen some reports that there have also been very slight variations in shade between different batches in recently sold Fyrinnae eyeshadows so any differences in shade shown here may actually be from tiny variations in batch and not from formula in general. Just something to keep in mind!

Have you seen any differences between new Fyrinnae shadows and the older variations? 

Swatch Post! Dryades by Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics! Part 2 of 2.

Press Samples

Click here for a Collection Spotlight and Part 1 of the swatches!
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From the website: This color is HESPERIDES, a plush terracotta shade with a strong golden to chartreuse color traveling duochrome.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carnauba Wax,  Ferric Oxide, Nylon-12, Silica, Magnesium Stearate May contain: Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007, ), Chromium Oxide (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), (Silica (+) Bronze/Copper Powder) 

Vegan. 

Personal Comments: A darker version of Ekho. Hesperides is another pinky-salmon shade with a golden highlight. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Her color is a deep breen (brown-green) with a strong red to violet duochrome 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carnauba Wax,  Ferric Oxide, Nylon-12, Silica, Magnesium Stearate May contain: Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007, ), Chromium Oxide (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), (Silica (+) Bronze/Copper Powder) 

Vegan.

Personal Comments: I saw this more as a grey with blue notes and a subtle red shimmer. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Her color is a warm medium brown plush matte base with a brilliant green to teal duochrome. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carnauba Wax,  Ferric Oxide, Nylon-12, Silica, Magnesium Stearate May contain: Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007, ), Chromium Oxide (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), (Silica (+) Bronze/Copper Powder)

Vegan.

Personal Comments: A darker red shade with a greenish/gold highlight. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: This is “Othreis”, a beautiful, delicate gold to green color traveling duochrome in a plush matte fawn base. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carnauba Wax,  Ferric Oxide, Nylon-12, Silica, Magnesium Stearate May contain: Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007, ), Chromium Oxide (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), (Silica (+) Bronze/Copper Powder)

Vegan. 

Personal Comments: A soft pink with a golden highlight. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: It has a chestnut-purple plush base, with color shifting effects of chartreuse to gold to green. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carnauba Wax,  Ferric Oxide, Nylon-12, Silica, Magnesium Stearate May contain: Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007, ), Chromium Oxide (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), (Silica (+) Bronze/Copper Powder)

Vegan.

Personal Comments: A grey with purple notes and a green highlight. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

Limited Edition! Bloodmoon from OHWTO Perfume Review

Purchased

Dark, mysterious, and elusively rare - OHWTO's Bloodmoon has a lot in common with its namesake.

My only exposure to a "blood moon" is the one in Terraria, and when I heard people were all in a tizzy over this year's "blood moon", I was really confused and had no clue what it was. But it's just another name for a Harvest/Hunter's moon! I've always thought they were lovely, beautiful occurrences, so when I rolled out of bed back on October 7th and saw an email from OHWTO about a super-ultra-exclusive-limited-edition perfume, I knew I had to make it mine.

Collection Spotlight! Dryades by Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics!

Press Samples

Take a look at the newest permanent addition to Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics!

The new Dryades collection is a set of ten fall-inspired eyeshadows themed after the dryades and hamadryads of Greek lore. The theme is perfectly appropriate for the season in both the shades of the eyeshadows and the stories of changing woodland nymphs.

Accompanying each eyeshadow description, there's a short summary of the myth behind the specific dryad (or group). I've been really enjoying the small dose of history. The eyeshadows themselves are classified as duochromes but the color shifts in these shadows are softer than say the Diavoli Collection which we covered about a month ago.

The collection works very well together. Most of the shades have brown notes in them that blend well together and the highlights do well to complement.

One thing to note, my swatches came out very different from the ones on the Aromaleigh website. Just something to keep in mind when purchasing!

Purchase Link

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From the website: Her color is an exquisite warm green with a very strong red/copper duochrome.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carnauba Wax,  Ferric Oxide, Nylon-12, Silica, Magnesium Stearate May contain: Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007, ), Chromium Oxide (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), (Silica (+) Bronze/Copper Powder) 

Vegan.

Personal Comments: An olive-green shade it a golden brown highlight. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Daphnis is a rich chestnut brown with a vibrant color traveling duochrome that shifts from blue to teal to green.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carnauba Wax,  Ferric Oxide, Nylon-12, Silica, Magnesium Stearate May contain: Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007, ), Chromium Oxide (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), (Silica (+) Bronze/Copper Powder)

Vegan.

Personal Comments: The red in this shade comes out a lot more in my swatch than Aromaleigh's. It's a red-based brown with a soft silvery blue highlight. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: This color is a real chameleon- it shifts from chestnut to brownish green, while the duochrome overlay shifts from red to aqua! 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carnauba Wax,  Ferric Oxide, Nylon-12, Silica, Magnesium Stearate May contain: Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007, ), Chromium Oxide (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), (Silica (+) Bronze/Copper Powder) 

Vegan.

Personal Comments: Another olive green shade but with a red-brown highlight. A more muted version of Byblis. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Ekho is a soft warm carmel shade, with a lively verdant duochrome.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carnauba Wax,  Ferric Oxide, Nylon-12, Silica, Magnesium Stearate May contain: Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007, ), Chromium Oxide (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), (Silica (+) Bronze/Copper Powder)

Vegan.

Personal Comments: This was more of a pinky-salmon shade to me with a golden highlight. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Their color is a warm golden tan with a very strong red to copper duochrome effect. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carnauba Wax,  Ferric Oxide, Nylon-12, Silica, Magnesium Stearate May contain: Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007, ), Chromium Oxide (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), (Silica (+) Bronze/Copper Powder) 

Vegan. 

Personal Comments: A soft yellow with a golden satin finish. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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Click here for Part 2!

Jessye Gets Bubbly! Taking a look at Purplecat Creatives!

Purchased

I find myself very fortunate to not only have Kristin as an editor, but to have her as a mentor into the world of independent goods as well. She is much more educated in indie goods than I am and is fantastic at sniffing out a good company. Many of the companies from which I have used products and reviewed have come from her guiding me to them, including this one!

Purplecat Creatives has a fantastic selection of body butters, whipped soaps, sugar scrubs, solid and fluid perfumes in an array of scents, with plenty of sample sets options and full-sized containers. I’m pretty sure Kristin bought more than I did, and I’m sure you’ll see her comments spattered throughout on her thoughts of these products. Personally, I got a whipped soap and sugar scrub and inherited a lotion sample.

Soap Whip

This was much denser than I thought it would be. I had no prior experience to whipped soap before this. I purchased this in the Gossamer scent, because I buy largely by names that make me feel something or I feel that the makeup of oils will be enticing. This fell so flat right out of the container.

Listen to this, “Elegant jasmine and orchid blossoms balanced with black pepper, Bulgarian rose and nuances of oak.” Doesn't that sound beautiful? Smelling it straight out of the container, though, just a hint of soft sweetness and a lot of soap. I was so bummed! But I prevailed and decided to use it in the shower anyway. And the steam transformed it! Holy Good Smells, Batman! My whole shower lit up with the smell of heady flowers, brought down by spices and an undertone of wood. It scoops out and blends into a loofah with ease and froths and foams on your skin. It leaves just a hint of scent behind that feels feminine and lovely. I may be buying other products in this scent just to see if it translates as well because it is such a keeper, but the soap itself is a perfect creation.

Kristin adds: I picked up a couple of Soap Whips in Wish You Were Here and Cheshire Chai.

The texture was definitely interesting. I was having trouble thinking of an appropriate comparison but my boyfriend mentioned that it reminded him of "chilled whipped butter" like the kind you get at diners with your pancakes. It was also my first experience with whipped soap and I was surprised as how well, not-really-whipped seeming it was but the texture is soft and creamy and it lathers nicely.

Scent-wise, I had very opposite experiences with the two that I tried. They both smell very fragrant in the jar, Cheshire Chai may be a little stronger being very "flavorful" seeming in itself. But in the shower, Cheshire Chai becomes MUCH stronger, to the point where the cinnamon scent started to sting my eyes if I used too much. That said, using a little less soap than I'd normally pick up made Cheshire Chai a much better experience. Wish You Were Here, on the other hand, sadly vanished when lathered. I was pretty sad since the smell in the jar was wonderfully fragrant.

Sugar Scrub

(This product was used before photos were taken. Sorry. I got excited and couldn't wait. /sheepish grin)

I would re-title this product Sugar Clay. It is dense, dense, dense. As you can see in the photo, I rolled this into a ball with just a bit of manipulation. There is weight to this scrub that I hadn't seen before. It is thick and full of sugar.

For exfoliating products in the past, I had always been a big believer in LUSH’S Sea Salt Scrub. Never again! It's like pretending water is the same thing as chocolate.  One is thin and starts to get soupy with a couple drops of water in it; the other is rich and thick. You can roll this across your skin, leaving a path of sugar and oils to rub in and exfoliate your skin to a rosy pink fresh layer. I bought this in Wayfarer, and am not entirely impressed by the smell in the shower. There is something that comes out a little bitter, but it has not stopped me from having used almost the entire container already. My husband and I cannot get enough of this amazing scrub!

Body Butter

This is one of those things I used to find hard to expound upon until I tried indie body butters and LUSH lotions. There is something very weird that happens between my skin and some lotions. LUSH lotions will almost never absorb into my skin. Fortune Cookie Soap's body butter flakes off my skin. It's very weird. I am uncertain why this happens. I have only patched tested this body butter, partially because it's a sample and also because it's a very heady smell.

Kristin passed Hothouse Roses onto me when she found that on her skin, it smelled of cinnamon candy and not much else (Kristin adds: It was great for sinus clearing!). To me, it smells like a spicy flower, cinnamon and rose mixed together, worming its way into my brain until it was the only thing I could smell on myself. It's a very strong smell. So far, with just the test patches, I have not found the same problems I have had with other body butter by indie companies. It absorbed well and has not flaked or rubbed off my skin.

Kristin adds: I was fortunate enough to try quite a few of these. I purchased Nevermore and Leaves of Gold but Purplecat also tossed in a few of their discontinued Summer products! To my dismay, I found the discontinued Orange Creamsicle to be my favorite of the bunch! Purplecat also does something pretty cool where they toss in an unmarked jar (see picture) of body butter into their packages. I emailed the owner upon receipt trying to figure out what it was and she directed me to the FAQ page

Unlabeled freebie, what is it?

When I create new fragrances, I start with body butter as my test base. It stays on the skin longer than soap whip or sugar scrub, and the individual layers of that fragrance will unfold more slowly via body butter testing. Sometimes a new scent recipe is good, but not exactly what I'm looking for. Rather than throw away a perfectly good batch of body butter, I package up my experiment and tuck it into orders as freebies.   

These 'no name' scents are still lovely, and if you're one of the rare folks that find one in your order, don't fret! It's in there as a gift, not a mistake. 

I think this is pretty cool. Unfortunately, I really loved the unlabeled freebie and have no idea what it is! I suppose I'll just have to try them all until I figure it out. XD

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a great purchase choice. The prices are great ($7 for a full size container, $10 for a 6 pack sampler set).  The smells are strong and distinctive. And while you’re there shopping, you can take a glance at the art she has listed as well!

Collection Spotlight! The October Rust Collection from Detrivore Cosmetics!

Free Samples

Hey everyone! Instead of our usual Random Product Review this Friday, I'm very excited to show you this month's new mini collection from Detrivore Cosmetics! The Shiro team kindly included these samples as freebies in my most recent order.

The October Rust collection is based on the band Type O Negative. I'm not familiar with the band's work, but Wikipedia tells me they're a "gothic/doom metal band," which explains the rather bleak shade names. The colors remind me exactly of leaves changing color in the fall, transitioning from a bright green to brown, golden orange, or deep red. I did all these swatches over a silicone primer, but you can put them over a sticky base to get the sparkles and effects to show up even better. Let's take a look!

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From the website: Vegan, Lip Safe

Warm russet brown with coppery flecks.

Ingredients: serecite mica, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, tin oxide, calcium aluminum borosilicate, silicon dioxide.

Personal Comments: I'm a little surprised to see the site description calls this a warm brown - to my eyes, it's neutral or possibly cool. Regardless of the undertone, it's a rich dark brown with a beautiful copper shimmer running through it (enlarge the swatch collage above for a closer look). I can't wait to try foiling it as a liner shade! Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion. Photos taken in indirect sunlight.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Vegan, Lip Safe

Muted autumn orange with a gold sheen.

Ingredients: serecite mica, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, tin oxide, calcium aluminum borosilicate, silicon dioxide.

Personal Comments: If you took gold and added a bit of orange, you'd get the color of Everything Dies. It's lightly metallic and has a lovely, subtle gold sheen to it, as the description says. Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion. Photos taken in indirect sunlight.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Vegan, Not Lip Safe

Soft, bright grass green with a satin finish and subtle green sparkles.

Ingredients: serecite mica, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, tin oxide, ferric ferrocyanide, magnesium myristrate, calcium aluminum borosilicate, silicon dioxide.

Personal Comments: This is a beautiful grass green with subtle green sparkles, just as it says on the tin... er, site description! Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion. Photos taken in indirect sunlight.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Vegan, Lip Safe

Bold, cool-toned red, with subtle sparkles and shimmer.

Ingredients: serecite mica, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, red #40, calcium aluminum borosilicate, silicon dioxide.

Personal Comments: This is my top pick of the collection! It's a cool-toned red, but it looks like it has some purple added to it to make it lean more toward the wine or burgundy color family. I think that makes it a lot more approachable than a pure red. I bet this would make an excellent custom lip gloss as well! Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion. Photos taken in indirect sunlight.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Vegan, Not Lip Safe

Mid-toned brownish orange with a green shift.

Ingredients: serecite mica, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, tin oxide, ferric ferrocyanide, chromium oxide.

Personal Comments: This shade looks like a medium tan to my eyes, and the green shift is strong enough to make a soft appearance over bare skin. Enlarge the swatch collage above to get a better look at the shift. Swatches done over Urban Decay Primer Potion. Photos taken in indirect sunlight.

Purchase Link

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One of my favorite bloggers, The Maquillage Magpie, did a gorgeous eye look inspired by Prince Oberyn from the Song of Ice and Fire series. She was kind enough to post a tutorial, and I thought I'd challenge myself to recreate it using some of the shades in this collection. Her eyeshadow skills are leagues better than my own, but here are my results:

As is helpful for any eyeshadow look, I started by applying a silicone primer and a thin layer of a shadow in my skin tone from lashline to browbone. 

Then I followed The Maquillage Magpie's lid placement with the following shades (lashline to crease, respectively): Everything Dies, Unsuccessfully Coping, and Sanguine Addiction. 

I also brought Unsuccessfully Coping and a little Sanguine Addiction down to the lower lashline. Next, I patted a bit of Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy on my mobile lid, let it set for 30-60 seconds, then patted on Everything Dies to bring out the metallic finish and gold sheen. 

I added Detrivore's Lobotomy (LE but still available - review here) to the inner corner for a highlight. I tightlined with a black eyeliner pencil, then wrapped up the look with brow pencil, mascara, and undereye concealer.

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So that's the collection! It's small but nicely cohesive, and of the same great quality I've come to expect from Detrivore's shadows. As a bonus, the entire set is vegan. You can purchase the full collection at once for a small discount here, or you can pick up individual shades via the purchase links listed under each swatch in this post. I'd love to hear what you think of these beautiful autumnal shades!

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

Company Overview! Darling Clandestine: Revisited!

Purchased, Freebies

Hey everyone! For today's Company Overview, I'd like to revisit indie perfumer extraordinaire Darling Clandestine. I was impressed enough with the brand that I wrote this post shortly after my first order. Since that review was published 13 months ago, the company has gone through some really positive changes and expansions, and my collection has gone from four solid perfumes to... uh... one of almost everything. Since Darling Clandestine has become my favorite perfume shop by a large margin, I thought I might do it more justice in an updated post.

Darling Clandestine solid perfumes - see scent key at bottom of post!

Darling Clandestine was previously based out of Chicago but proprietress Evonne recently moved to a small town in Texas. She was also able to quit her day job and begin working on DC full time. Congratulations, Evonne!

Packaging: In general, solid products come in metal tins and oil products come in screw-top bottles or extra tall perfume sample vials. With a couple of exceptions, all products come with a paper or vinyl sticker indicating the scent inside (either by name or with a scent-specific photo) plus the brand name and ingredients. Sample vials are one exception - they come with a red raffle ticket, on which the scent name but neither the shop name nor ingredients list is mentioned. The other exception is the recently released mini solid scents and lip balms, which generally have the product name written on top (though one of mine does not) but do not have ingredients lists.

Darling Clandestine full size oils, ranging from 5mL (far left) to 8mL (dropper top bottles) to half an ounce (brown bottles with round yellow labels). See scent key at bottom of post!

The majority of products are available in a large size and a mini size; in owner Evonne's world, a mini is known as a Bitsy. Solid perfumes are available in half ounce round tins or 3 gram Bitsy spheres. Oil perfumes are available in full sizes of varying amounts (I've seen 5mL, 8mL, and a half ounce, depending on the scent) and most scents are also available as one dram Bitsy vials. Some of the limited seasonal scents are offered in Itsy-Bitsy vial form rather than Bitsy form; an Itsy Bitsy is a half dram, half the size of a standard Bitsy. Lip balms are available in giant tins, but I'm not finding any information about how much product is inside. Body balms are available in four ounce full sizes or "Sharkling sized" one ounce minis. Bug balms are available only as one ounce solid tins. Custom blends of two oils, known as FrankenBitsies, are only available on the one dram Bitsy vials. I know perfume units of measure can be really intimidating to newcomers, so I've scattered photos for size reference throughout this post.

Darling Clandestine Bitsy perfume oil vial in Tilt-A-Whirl

Selection: The scent selection is positively huge at this point, and is growing quickly now that Darling Clandestine is Evonne's full time job. At last count I believe there are over 50 scents in the DC library. With only two exceptions that I can think of (Galilee and Don'tGoPleaseStay) all scents are available in oil form. Most but not all scents are also available in solid form, though a few only exist as oils - Dewlap Valentine, the Halloween scents, Vortex, Morderteile Kelah, and Aequitas come to mind. Transforming oils into solid scents requires "cooking" them, and some scents apparently don't cope well with being heated. It's also worth noting that "cooking" the scents can change them a bit, usually by bringing out particular notes more than others, so an oil and a solid in the same scent do not necessarily smell identical. Finally, any two currently available oils can be combined into a FrankenBitsy for your Exquisite Corpse-esque experiments. This is the closest Evonne gets to custom orders.

Darling Clandestine full size body balm

The scents themselves vary pretty wildly. They run the gamut from sweet to earthy to woody to fruity to aquatic to crisp and beyond. You can find scents that smell like they came from a department store, scents that smell like nature, and scents that smell like nothing you've ever sniffed before. Every DC fan I've spoken with has a different set of favorites, and the majority of people who try the brand seem to find at least a few hits. For a full list of the brand's offerings and the times of year when they're available, I highly recommend checking out the DC Discography. Evonne shies away from a simple list of notes, and prefers to write beautifully evocative paragraphs describing the mood or inspiration behind each scent. If this makes you crazy, leave yourself some time to look up bloggers' reviews before purchasing (I love More Tea, Wesley?'s DC reviews in particular!).

To my delight, the product selection is growing. In addition to the oil and solid perfumes, Darling Clandestine also offers lip balms, body butters in your choice of scent, a bug-discouraging balm, a magnet, and t-shirts in women's and men's cuts. I'm excited to see what Evonne comes up with next!

Samples: Evonne has mentioned the traditional sample vials are quite time-consuming for her to put together, so they are not immediately available in the shop. If you absolutely need to stick with sample sizes you can send her a message to request a listing (they're sold in sets of three), and I believe you'll be very limited in how many you can purchase at once. When I'm trying out a new scent and I don't want to commit to a full size, I stick with a three-pack of Bitsy vials or a Bitsy solid scent.You get a TON of product for a dollar or two more than you would pay for a sample vial at another company.

As with most indie companies free samples are never a given, but I almost always find a bonus in my DC packages. Sometimes it's a Bitsy lip balm or solid scent, but on occasion I've been lucky enough to receive a magnet or a full size lip balm or body balm.

Darling Clandestine solid scent Bitsy containers, perhaps a little less than an inch across. Bitsy lip balms are the same size but have a lip stamp on top for easy differentiation. From left to right: Vardogr, Aragon, Don'tGoPleaseStay

Quality: Overall, I'm really happy with the quality of my DC products. You can check out all our Darling Clandestine reviews here for a more detailed look at the lip balm and body balm formulas as well as a number of scents. The solid scents and body balm spread beautifully on my skin, the lip balm is hydrating enough to work as an overnight balm, and the metal solid scent tins are holding up well despite my best efforts to destroy them in my purse. If you look closely at the photo of solid scents at the beginning of this post, you'll see wear on the vinyl stickers on the tins which have spent the most time knocking around in my purse (row 2 in particular!). The edges have worn down a bit on these workhorses' labels, but the centers remain beautifully intact.

Darling Clandestine mini oils - top row is Itsy-Bitsy vials, bottom two rows are standard Bitsy vials (see scent key at bottom of post!)

If I had to name a fault in DC's products, I'd say they're not especially long-lasting. I get two or three hours of wear out of most of my oils and solids, though I will say that's partially due to my skin chemistry and my preference for lighter scents and light applications. The body balms last much longer for me, though, so that's a good option if you're determined to stay moisturized and scented all day.

Cost: In general, I find I pay a little more at DC than other shops, but in exchange I get a lot more product for my money. For example, it's really common to pay $15 for a 5mL full size bottle at a lot of the popular indie perfume shops. At DC, general catalog scents are $18 or $19 for a roughly 15mL full size bottle. Solid scents are generally $8 to $10 and last ages - I've made it a third of the way through my very favorite in the year since I purchased it. Bitsy solids are generally $2 to $4, and even after multiple applications I can't see a dent in any of mine. Bitsy oils are $5 for a single or $13 for a pack of three. The Itsy-Bitsy vials which were introduced with the most recent Falloween launch are more expensive for less product (I believe average price was $6), presumably to reflect the limited quantity and greater effort required to fill them. Lip balms are $8 for a huge tin which should easily last me four to six months of heavy nightly use. Full sized body balms are the most expensive item in the shop aside from the t-shirts, but I feel the huge tin justifies the $22 price tag. Since almost every product is available in a miniature size for a miniature price, I think this is a really approachable shop for newcomers, collectors, and folks on a limited budget alike. And if you're up for taking a risk, preorders of new scents are often available for a noteworthy discount. Keep your eyes on the Facebook page for announcements!

Darling Clandestine lip balms (rectangular tins) and unlabeled full size body balm (normally these come with a beautiful label on top)

Customer Service: As if the products didn't shine enough, Evonne's customer service stands out, even in the customer care-focused indie community. I believe I've only had one mix-up among my dozens of orders from the shop, and Evonne immediately sent out a replacement product (plus a bonus full size product, if I remember correctly) to correct the mistake. But her customer service truly won me over during an issue last month. Something like 25 orders from the Falloween release went missing in the mail, and unfortunately mine was among them. Evonne sent regular messages to all of us who had runaway packages, and ultimately gave timely refunds to everyone involved. What's more, she offered a private discount code to everyone whose package went missing to make up for the inconvenience. As if she hadn't already lost enough money on us! You'd better believe the majority of my refund went straight back into her shop when she restocked.

TAT: Evonne's turnaround time is currently five days, but you can check the announcement at the top of the Etsy page for the TAT when you purchase. I believe Evonne is now shipping packages every Tuesday and Friday.

Shipping: Products come wrapped in thick paper, generally tucked into little zip-top bags, and are mailed in a bubble mailer. I've never had the slightest issue with items denting, leaking, or breaking during transit. The best part of receiving a Darling Clandestine package is the stamps which have started appearing regularly on the back of each envelope:

I've gotten a different stamp and message every time I've received a package, and the messages are frequently related to your order. Falloween packages had a shark stamp wearing a hand-drawn Halloween costume. I can't even describe how cute this is.

Personal Thoughts: I can't put into words how much I love this shop. The scents can be hit or miss for me, but I have a lot more hits here than any other perfume shop I've ever tried, and many of the hits are among my all-time favorite scents. Not only do I love the products, but Evonne makes the shopping experience downright fun, and I feel really confident that she's got my back if something goes wrong with my order. Darling Clandestine gets three thumbs up, a million points to Gryffindor, and one giant shark-shaped stamp of approval!

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Scent key to solid perfume photo at top of page:
Top row: Fire Eater (one-off supersized to a one ounce tin), Galilee (usually available in a carved wooden box, shown here in a carved stone container)
Second row: Gram-Negative, Serpentina, Mishigami, Cloudswing
Third row: Supernova Sway, Sharkbender (the Love & Sharks label is shown here), Love & Sharks (special edition label from a contest), Blue Valentine
Fourth row: Don Gato, Hellbender, Carny Wedding, Monstre Delicat
Bottom row: Suicide Mix, Ballyhoo, Harpy

Scent key to full size oils in Packaging section of post:
From left to right: Dewlap Valentine, Vortex, Mishigami, Selas, Serpentina, Hellbender, Squander, Falter, Spurn, Wither, Smother, Moderteile Kelah, Aequitas

Scent key to mini oils photo in Quality section of post:
Top row: The Moon Is Leaving For The Wheels, What Mandy Makes
Second row: Gram-Negative, Morderkloud (FrankenBitsy mix of Morderteile Kelah and Cloudswing), Tilt-A-Whirl, Step Right Up, Pestanas
Bottom row: Limerence, Maudlin & Bedlam, Fisticuffs, Pistolas, Curiosities' Ball, Tapadero
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Swatch Post! Fyrinnae : Moon Child, Polar Bear, Pop Art Mini Skirt, and Tyr!

Purchased

From the website: Soft glimmering ivory shade with just the right amount of shimmer and sparkle and a touch of coppery highlight. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Styrene/PVP Copolymer, Myristyl Myristate. May contain: Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Manganese Violet, Tin Oxide, Ultramarines, Chromium Oxide, Copper Powder, Bronze Powder, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Magnesium Myristate,Blue #1, Red #40, Yellow #5, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Silica.

Personal Comments: A satin-finished cream shade with a hint of pink that comes out when applied more sheer-ly or in shade. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Pale gold, shimmery and soft (brilliant gold when the light hits it, but not yellow). Like the hue of a polar bear's fur in the summer.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Styrene/PVP Copolymer, Myristyl Myristate. May contain: Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Manganese Violet, Tin Oxide, Ultramarines, Chromium Oxide, Copper Powder, Bronze Powder, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Magnesium Myristate,Blue #1, Red #40, Yellow #5, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Silica.

Personal Comments: I've never seen a polar bear with a coat in this shade before. The eyeshadow is a soft, glowing gold. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Bright sparkly orange, filled with turquoise sparkle.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Styrene/PVP Copolymer, Myristyl Myristate. May contain: Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Manganese Violet, Tin Oxide, Ultramarines, Chromium Oxide, Copper Powder, Bronze Powder, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Magnesium Myristate,Blue #1, Red #40, Yellow #5, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Silica.

Personal Comments: Part of the 60s Retro Collection. Bright orange with plenty of shimmer. The full swatch is more color accurate than the macro. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Difficult to describe, this is a muted chartreuse-on-black. It has a distinct opaque black base, especially when applied wet, with a highlight of yellow-green. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Styrene/PVP Copolymer, Myristyl Myristate. May contain: Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Manganese Violet, Tin Oxide, Ultramarines, Chromium Oxide, Copper Powder, Bronze Powder, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Magnesium Myristate,Blue #1, Red #40, Yellow #5, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Silica.

Personal Comments: A dark, slightly too dark to be a forest green shade with a golden shimmer. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link



Perfume Review: Nocturne Alchemy Tut Ankh Amun

Free Samples

I haven't tried a great deal out of Nocturne Alchemy's somewhat confusing Egyptian-themed catalog, but Tut Ankh Amun is one of their GC scents that I've tried and enjoyed. Since I don't hear the brand discussed a great deal, I thought it might be nice to focus on one of their scents.

Price: $18 for a 5 mL amber glass bottle of perfume oil with reducer cap.
Samples: $5 for a 1/32 oz sample vial. (Domestic shipping is $6 for orders up to $174, and free for orders of $175 and over. International rates are listed here.)
Description from the website: "The Great Egyptian Boy King. Tut Ankh Amun, written in the three pieces he was the defined 'Living image of AMUN'. Born during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten he would become the youngest King of Egypt. In 1922 his tomb was discovered and unearthed by Howard Carter. He is one of the most iconoclastic figures in Ancient Egyptian History. The scent of a King. The scent of innocence. The scent of royalty. Golden Amber, Golden Egyptian Sandalwood and Golden Vanilla."

OK, first things first. Because Nocturne Alchemy is an Egyptian-themed brand, I understand the desire to pick out an Egyptian-themed name for the scent, but somehow the choice of Tutankhamun seems really arbitrary to me, and not that well suited for the perfume, which to me feels feminine, cozy, and soft.

I'm not usually a huge fan of sandalwood, honestly--something about the woodsy creaminess of it often turns my stomach. I had to scrub off Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black after innocently spritzing it on my hand in Sephora one day. Tut Ankh Amun smells like sweet, almost caramelized sandalwood, but somehow it doesn't bother me.

The amber and vanilla give this a nice rounded and smooth feel. It actually reminds me a bit of the BPAL scent Mouse's Long And Sad Tale, which features heavy doses of sweet pea, and smells like musky vanilla and strawberries to me--and also Vasilissa, which adds jasmine and myrrh to a similar sandalwood-mus-amber accord. Tut Ankh Amun, although it's named after a male pharaoh, has the same creamy, marshmallowy, pink feel to it as those scents--it could veer into strawberry cream or sugared jasmine territory quite easily.

Since it's a fairly simple and linear scent, and composed entirely of basenotes with good lasting power, I think this might be a good candidate for layering with other perfumes, like single-note florals or bright citrus scents. It stays close, without a lot of throw, and feels light rather than rich and heavy. The vanilla note gets stronger the longer it wears on my skin, which pleases me immensely.

Bottom line: wearable, sweet but not cloying, simple but lovely. I like it!

For other opinions, check out the NA Reviews forum.

Note: this scent is vegan.

Swatch Post! Femme Fatale Cosmetics : Polymorph, Sandscale, Wildvine, and Wisp!

Purchased

From the website: It is a blue-grey based eye shadow and has a prominent colour shifting shimmer, alternating between aqua and a soft green. Some customers have noted a pinkish/lavender shimmer in Polymorph as well. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Tin Oxide (778161), Ferric Ferrocyanide, Iron oxide (77491), Silica, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Magnesium Stearate.

Vegan

Not lip safe

Personal Comments: A blue-toned grey with a silver highlight and a purple color shift. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: It is a soft fawn/taupe/sandy brown base with golden shimmer and silver sparkles

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide (77491, 77499), Tin Oxide (77861), Carmine, Magnesium Stearate, Carnauba Wax.

Non Vegan

Lip safe

Personal Comments: Part of the Lord of the Centuries Collection. Sandscale is a strong gold shade that takes a stronger yellow tint in direct light. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Wildvine is a loose mineral based eye shadow, a mid tone mauve/taupe with strong dusk pink tones and green shimmer.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide (77499, 77492, 77491), Tin Oxide (77861), Silica, Manganese Violet (Pigment Violet 16), Boron Nitride, Synthetic Fluorophlogopite , Magnesium Stearate, Carnauba Wax.

Vegan

lip safe

Personal Comments: This one is really difficult to describe. It's almost a pale purple with a rose-gold highlight. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website:  It is a soft slate grey eye shadow highlighted by a heavy blue duochrome. Very delicate yet versatile, great for highlighting on darker skintones or accentuating the crease colour.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Tin Oxide (778161), Iron Oxide (77491, 77499), Magnesium Stearate.

Vegan

Lip safe

Personal Comments: A light grey shade with a strong blue-silver highlight. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link