#indiefanproblems

I am a massive lover of indie cosmetics, as you may have noticed. But for all the beauty and ingenuity that indie makeup and perfume bring with them shopping indie does come with its own drawbacks. Especially as an international buyer, and in the grand British tradition of complaining I thought I'd share them with you.

• TAT and shipping. While the TAT (or turn around time – the time taken to process and ship out an order) is a problem for every indie customer, regardless of where you’re from, the shipping times for internationals can suck. Especially when your parcel takes the most interesting trips to get to you. Some of those parcels can be super well travelled.
• Leading on from the point above we have customs and handling fees. I understand customs, though the £15 limit before you start getting charged is irritatingly low, the handling fees charged by companies are insane. Royal Mail and their £8 (which can be half the cost of the order) or if you’re really unlucky I’ve heard of companies that charge £13+. Just to tell you you need to pay more money. I imagine there’s a legit reason, but damnit I resent those payments. Both of them put me off ever making big orders, which then puts me off shops with high shipping fees or buying heavier things like body butters and scrubs because I know the extra money it’ll cost me once it gets here will be crazy.
• The biggest problem with buying online of course is you can’t try before you buy. No way of swatching that eyeshadow on the back of your hand or sniffing that perfume, you just have to look up other people’s reviews and swatches and hope for the best.
• Related to the above, some shops just don’t have a lot of people posting swatches or reviews of their stuff. This is mostly true for lesser known or randomly discovered gems of the indie world, but can be for some of the bigger brands as well (Geek Chic I am looking at you!). It’s a pain, but sometimes you just cross your fingers and hope for the best.
• Shops who don’t sell samples are a minor pain, especially when it’s a perfume shop. While indies are generally amazing value for money, shelling out $20 or so on a full size bottle of perfume (plus shipping and probably customs) which you might hate is a bit of a pain and a risk. That’s why I love destashes and decant circles.
• Finding new shops and being wary to buy from them because you can’t find CS reviews. This is again a minor thing but damnit, if I’m spending money I want to know that my stuff will get here and won’t have hair in it or something.
• Trying to buy indie polishes from overseas can be a nightmare with the new guidelines, also the shipping costs can be horrible.
• There are very few UK/European shops especially for non-polish companies (Common Brimstone, Future Primitive, Missile and White Rabbit are the only ones I know of, though I’m unsure whether the latter two are currently active or not). I know why this is, EU guidelines are much much stricter when it comes to cosmetics and such, but it’s a pain.
• And the last problem - no one knows what the hell you’re on about if you talk about them. When someone compliments your eyeshadow/lipstick/perfume and you tell them it’s x from y and they stare at you blankly… the stare just gets blanker and blanker as you talk about indie companies. It sucks sometimes.

Please don't let this put you off shopping indie, indie companies are absolutely amazing and also both cruelty free (in that I know of zero indies who test on animals themselves, whether some ingredients have a history of animal testing I couldn't tell you though if that is a concern you can ask) and often vegan. The owners are, on the whole, some of the friendliest and most honest people. You can always email them with questions and concerns you might have and they'll answer. I love indies deeply, that's why I have so many!

Conjure Spirits in the Twilight Garden

"Spirits in the Twilight Garden takes the Mixtape collection in a bit of a different direction. Instead of a monthly installment, I'll start seasonal offerings that encapsulate the mood, the ambiance and the poetry of the season. Spirits in the Twilight Garden is a disembodied romp through the supernatural that we find during the end of October and the beginning of November. As the sun travels through the dark and mysterious sign of Scorpio, known for its associations with death, legacies, the underworld and the shadow aspects of our souls."

I picked up four scents from this collection courtesy of Ajevie's Decant Circle back in October. Yep, I'm slow. 

Reviews are based on my own skin chemistry and my frankly terrible olfactory scents and way to describe them. So take everything with a small salt mine, 

BLOOD BITCH - COCTEAU TWINS

"Don't damage my altar, don't damn this cold flame
Neither one or the other has much form or shape."

Black tea, red honey, frankincense, blackest amber.

Vial and first sniff applied is sweet pot-pourri, more of the incensey note starts to come out after a while and some of the tea. The best way I can describe this is a little like sticking your face in Earl Grey or Darjeeling tea bags. Ends as a sweet floral perfumey tea. Overall this is probably the scent I like the most, it's the one I've worn most often.

SKOTOSEME - DIAMANDA GALAS

"Skotoseme!" ("Greek. Means sangre coriala lo meti, my blood runs inside thee. It’s a very violent love song." - Diamanda Galas)

Blood musk, shreds of oude, cinnamon, ginger, clove, black patchouli and aged myrrh.

Spicy but perfumey, like sticking your nose in a spice cupboard while someone burns incense. Good throw on this, I can smell it without needing to sniff my wrists. Can definitley smell the cinnamon in this one, luckily the clove isn't overpowering. The musk and oude add some depth to this as it dries down and stop it being a very bakery spice scent. After a couple of hours this turn into soap on me, not quite as powerful as Common Brimstone's Constance did, but still it is very much soap. :( I need to find out what note causes this, because it sucks.

TEAR YOU APART - SHE WANTS REVENGE

"I want to hold you close
Soft breath, beating heart
As I whisper in your ear
I want to fucking tear you apart"

A violent and sexy blend of leather, dark musk, woodsmoke, dreamy opium smoke and the sting of cinnamon. (FYI I totally love this song)

Leather and smoke and spice. Very cinnamony in the vial, but a perfumey note comes out on skin which I think might be the opium, or the opium blending with the musk. This scent doesn't seem to change a great deal on my skin, the leather comes out a little more over time but it remains mostly the incense smoke with a little leather in the background.

  

RELEASE THE BATS - THE BIRTHDAY PARTY  

"Cool machine
Horror bat, bite
Cool machine, bite
Sex vampire, bite
Whoah, bite"

Horror bat bite! Black musk, bat wing leather, vanilla resin, crimson blossoms, and black amber.

Incense/hippie shop. Smells like a leather jacket in a hippie shop in the vial, a lot of incense scents come out on my skin. As it dries more of the softness of the blossoms comes out, with the vanilla just lurking underneath lending a little sweetness. Incense becomes more of a faint background smell as it dries down and the leather comes out more.

I think you can still buy these for now over at Conjure's site and you can listen to the mixtape here.

SaraWen Review

SaraWen is a Canadian indie perfumier. She makes a range of fandom inspired scents, as well as some randoms and charity scents (for animal charities). A percentage of her proceeds go to animal charities (see here).

She held a Boxing Day sale and after lusting over SaraWen scents for quite a while I just had to. Obviously. To let it go would just have been rude. Naturally I picked up the Supernatural inspired collection, plus one of the limited winter scents.

This is the packaging that my order came in, the Supernatural inspired scents were all wrapped together (as that was one pack) and the christmas scent was the separately wrapped one. I really liked the pretty tissue paper, and it's a great unity of branding across the whole range.

Descriptions in italics are from the site, and I added my own limited interpretation of how the scent developed on my skin chemistry.

First up, the Supernatural scents. Also known as the Demon Hunter set.

Team Free Will, forever confused. It's a good thing they're pretty.

DEMON'S BANE - The deep roar of an Impala's engine is heard over the hill. The scent of leather-upholstered seats, oud, and sweet benzoin marks the coming of Demon's Bane. He's armed with the tools to do the job and a grim determination to see it done, yet always ready to crack a joke while exorcising demons. After which, Demon's Bane sidles up to a roadside cafe's counter with the smell of black pepper and honey in the air. It's dessert first for this guy ... One apple pie coming up!

In the vial very leathery and almost incensey but there's a definite note of cinnamon in there. On skin more of the sweetness and cinnamon comes out, with that masculine leathery undertone still present. As it dries and develops it smells more like warm leather with that perfume oud/benzoin starting to rize to the surface.

FALLEN ANGEL - Unassuming. Soft-spoken. Fallen Angel from Heaven. When he appears you are lovingly embraced by the fragrance of allspice and honey. Then, lingering traces of frankincense and patchouli with the hint of sugar puts one at ease. This fragrance will keep your guardian angel close to you at all times. Even during the apocalypse!

Sweet flowery incense in vial. Wet on skin the floral notes vanish and it's more insensey, spice develops fast. Spicy incense. Smells how I imagine a temple in the desert or middle east would smell, or at least those depicted in movies.

WAYWARD SON - Never one to give up on a brother, friend or something more, the Wayward Son brings comfort and protection with the scent of musk, leather and sandalwood. Yet, he shows vulnerability, and the fragrance of honey and sweet coffee will draw another closer. Finally, the Wayward Son's knowledge is apparent from the aroma of aged paper upon his person, obtained from studying forgotten texts. For one can never know too much about the things that lurk in the dark ...

Starts sweet, an in vial is sweet very honey note, quickly turns into musk and old paper on the skin. Dry down is papery and manly, with just that lingering smell of honey. Masculine. This is how I imagine sitting next to Sam in the library of the bunker or in Bobby's place with a load of books smells, if you tried to inhale Sam's musk.

YULETIDE BLISS - The scent of the holiday season - delicious mulled apple cider with warmed spiced rum. In the background is a hint of candied almonds and sweet sugared pears by the Yuletide fireplace. Join the festivities and walk in through the parlour!

Wonderful strong spicy sweet fruit smell in the vial. Wet smell lots of the almond, like sticking your nose in amaretto. As it dries the fruit comes out to the forefront. Really does smell like cider as it dries down, but in a nice way, like Rekorderlig or Koppaberg not Strongbow.

All last for most of the day on my skin and have a decent throw/sillage (which is the real word?!). If I put this on my wrist and lean on my hand I can smell it strongly. So anyone who hugged you could smell these perfumes, but they're not overpowering you all day.

The three Supernatural inspired scents can all be purchased from SaraWen.com
Sample vials are $C4.50
Full sizes are $C13.50
She also sells sample sets.

Some of my Indie Valentines Picks

Valentines Day is fast approaching, thankfully I don't need to run off and buy presents or fuss about looking good this year (I may foray into online dating or something, but I doubt it). But as it's that time of year I thought I would share some of my indie picks for the day. These are mostly eyeshadow choices, I tried to pick 5 but I have a couple of honourable mentions. I also tried to pick out a couple of scents, though I don't have many traditionally 'girly' ones.

Primer on the left, pixie epoxy on the right, photos taken in natural light. One I edited slightly to erase something on my skin, the colour is untouched. I purchased all of these with my own money. I think that covers all the boring bit.

Fyrinnae Kurisumasu satiny rosy beige shade with subtle flashes of sparkle. 

Fyrinnae's store

Innocent + Twisted Alchemy Little Crush Soft pink with golden shimmers

Innocent + Twisted's store

Geek Chic Hellfire a mysterious and translucent soft maroon that ignites with a fiery red and orange glow when light hits it. It shimmers with embers of red, orange, and flashes of purple.

Hellfire is depressingly no longer available on the Geek Chic store. I weep.

Fyrinnae Scarlet Macaw bright shimmery warm red filled with multi-color sparkle.

Black Rose Minerals One Does Not Simply... maroon flecked with green sparkles.

This is more red in real life. It's pretty.

Black Rose Minerals store

My two honourable mentions because I could never pick just five, seven was hard enough!)
They're both from Shiro Cosmetics

Shiro Kooloo Limpah - satiny peach with green and red sparkles.

Shiro I Loved A Maid - Green-shifting gold shining out over a base of softened Lannister crimson.

This is the darker big brother of Candied Apple, I love it.

And for the perfume picks:

Common Brimstone Holy Water a gentle blend of fresh water and water blossom ivy, infused with basil to ward off evil, angelica for safety from curses, aloe for luck, and a finish of benzoin for purity and and success.

Alkemia Smoke & Mirrors an elusive, smokey blend of burning wood, Madagascar Vanilla, and Tonka. 

State of Grace Demonic Forces a dark, loamy scent, based on the Demons of the Supernatural World. Rich Fig, Heavy Myrrh, and Dark Patchouli are punctuated with the sharp tangy notes of Bergamot, Bay and Cedar. Mysterious and Strangely Enticing. 

Common Brimstone Reviews pt 2

This is the second part of my Common Brimstone haul. As before scent 'reviews' are very hard to do, as everyone's nose is different (mine is quite poor I admit) and everyone's skin will react differently to different notes. So do take my experiences with these scents with a massive crater full of salt as yours may be completely different. I tried my best to review these without looking at the scent notes, but I did double check over them later to help me identify and name some of the scents I was pretty vague about in my brain.

Blackwood Sugar - “You will be wondering about that sugar bowl, I imagine, is it still in use? You are wondering, has it been cleaned? You may very well ask, was it thoroughly washed?” - We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson

Poison, fire, and a bowl of sugar - just a few of the key ingredients of Shirley Jackson's classic Southern Gothic novel, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Take a pinch of white and brown sugar, mix in fiery ginger, clove, and cinnamon, and add a base of smoky oakwood CO2 and you've got yourself a bowl of Blackwood Sugar. Just be sure there are no hidden extra ingredients...like, say, a spoonful of arsenic...

This is a sweet and smokey scent on me, with just a touch of something incensey and maybe a little acidic in there. As it dries it matures into more of a burnt sugar scent which is equally lovely, though I imagine could be fairly polarising as not everyone likes that smell.

Bonfire Night - Bonfire Night. The singularly British tradition of reminiscing fondly on that one time terrorists tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Well, for me November 5th was always more about fireworks, toffee apples, and writing your name in the air with sparklers. This nostalgic scent captures those memories perfectly, with hints of baked apples and marshmallows spiked with warm cinnamon. There's a dollop of sticky toffee and orange peel on top, and a whisper of woodsmoke underneath. A wonderful scent for welcoming these cold winter nights!

This starts as a sweet spiced apple on me, a little like cinnamon apples but less heat and more apple. Once it dries down and settles fully it turns into more of a spicy scent and I can start to smell some of the smoke in there, which gets a bit stronger as the apple starts to wear off, but it never appears as a prominent note for me which I kind of hoped it would.

Mongolian Death Worm - From the heart of the Gobi desert comes the acid-spitting Mongolian Deathworm (maybe). My version is a little safer but be warned! It starts out strong with almond, frankincense, cinnamon and cardamom, but mellows out beautifully with vanilla and palmarosa. Not a scent for the weak of heart. I have it on good authority that this scent may turn people around you into cannibals...

Chai Tea, this scent is all chai tea on me and it stays that way, though it does soften a little as it fades but I never really sense a change. That's not to say that you won't, can't say my nose is very good. I really love the smell of chai tea so this is a brilliant one for me.

Grave Digger - A foggy night...a dirty job...a flask of cider to keep the cold at bay. Grave Digger is an earthy blend of oud and cedarwood, scattered with fresh-fallen leaves and the scent of clove. If you pay close attention, you'll catch a whiff of tobacco and a healthy splash of spiced cider.

The best way I can describe this scent is like a winter mulled cider, if you've ever had the Rekorderlig Winter Cider then it smells a lot like the warmed version of that only without the alcohol kick at the end. As it dries down on me, more of the spice notes come out. I don't get any of the fallen leaves, which is a shame as that was one of the notes I was most looking forwards to.

Duskblade - Inspired by the first Dungeons & Dragons character I created, this is a spicy floral blend of violet, plum, and black pepper, with hints of leather, a touch of vanilla to soften it up and a smidge of black musk to finish. Gives you a definite bonus on charisma.

This starts off smelling very perfumey, which is possibly the florals but it smells very artifical, even the most high-end perfumes do. Once it's no longer wet on the skin the “perfumeyness” settles and it starts to smell more floral. This is also when the spicy pepper notes come through which gives the perfume plenty of heat.

Constance - “I wonder if I could eat a child if I had the chance."

'I doubt if I could cook one,' said Constance.” - We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson

Sweet, poor, patient Constance. Indulgent, caring and forever baking tasty treats in the kitchen of Blackwood, hiding from the cruelties of the outside world. My tribute to Constance is a comforting bakery blend of cookie dough, fresh baked bread, rich butter cream, butter, and a cup of white tea with a sprinkling of sugar. As sweet as the lady herself!

Starts off as a lovely buttery bakery scent with milk similarity to Vampire Hunter, but then pretty quickly settles into something floral on me. It's a massive shame because I'd love to smell like a bakery! I still have no idea where all the floral came from, my skin hates me.

My favourites from this are Mongolian Death Worm and Blackwood Sugar, though I quite like Bonfire Night and Grave Digger as well. Constance is the only one that really didn't work for me at all.

All of these can be purchased from Common Brimstone, either as full bottles for £5 or as part of a sample pack.

Hello Waffle Swatches

A little while ago I ordered a sample pack from Hello Waffle having seen them raved about on /r/indiemakeupandmore (I know I keep mentioning them, but I've spent a lot of time on Reddit recently and they're massive enablers even without posting a lot on there). Today I finally have some swatches to share with you.

I bought the 10 sample pack for $12.50 and Christine very kindly included a free sample, which makes my eyeshadow hoarder heart happy. As always swatches are done over primer on the right and pixie epoxy on the left (top and bottom for the vertical swatches) and photographed in natural daylight.

from the Ouroboros Collection

Envy Medium forest green with multicoloured sparks

Greed Golden pastel yellow with gold shimmer and blue sparkle

Lust Dark berry with purple and blue shifts

Sloth Light olive brown with green sparks

from the 1000 Likes Collection

1000 Likes Dark gold shimmer

23 Rose gold shimmer, more on the rosy side

Enabling Copper with gold shimmer

Heavy Breathing Cat Golden silver shimmer

(this was so hard to capture, it looks more silver or taupey-gold depending on the angle)

a few random picks

Bartok Copper with bronze, gold, and red sparkle. Caution: Sparkle-bomb (Musicians Collection)

Mad Shimmery orange peach that leans copper with a gold undertone (Painted Flowers Collection)

Amber (GWP) Dark orange-gold shimmer (Alternate Universe Collection) 

I think Lust, 23 and Bartok are my favourites, though all the shadows are stunning. 

Everything can be purchased from Hello Waffle

Samples (1/8-1/4 tsp) come in sets of 5 or 10 which are $6.25 or $12.50 respectively.

Halflings (1/3 tsp) are $3.75.

Full Size (3/4tsp or 2g) are $6.

Sets of the full collections in sample, halfling and full size as well as mix n match sets of halflings/full sizes are also available. As are pressed shadows, blushes and special loose shadow duos/trios. 

Shipping is a flat rate of $6 for everyone, including international orders, which is amazing and great value for those of us not in Canada as international shipping can be very steep!

Indie Halloween Releases

Apologies for the lack of post yesterday, I had one half-finished but the internet back at my flat in Bolton was gone and I've been unable to finish it after work last night. So in the meantime here are some of the Indie Halloween and Autumn collection releases with thanks to the awesome people at Indie Makeup & More

• Shiro Cosmetics will be out Oct. 1
• Possets Perfumes  will be out in Oct. (date unknown as of researching)
• Notoriously Morbid will be out in Oct. (date unknown as of yet)
• Solstice Scents Part I is out, Part II (and limited restock of Part I) has an ETA of late Oct. 
• Sarawen is out
• Darling Girl will be out in Oct.
• Bath Sabbath is out now
• Deep Midnight Perfumes out now
• Hello Waffle should be out Oct. 17
• Baroque Cosmetics Halloween collection and two Halloween themed House Baroque Colors on Oct 6th! 
• Aromaleigh Halloween 2014 - DIAVOLI (inspired by Dante's Inferno) - just released 
• Fyrinnae Cosmetics is out now
• Alkemia has fall, and I think Halloween out now
• Alchimia Apothecary Fall (possibly a halloween one coming soon too)
• Femme Fatale has one coming out in early October.
• Sixteen92 has Fall/Halloween

Guide To Buying Indie

As you may have noticed I buy a lot of indie cosmetics, and since a couple of people have asked about where I find them and such, I thought maybe a guide to purchasing indies would be helpful. I know all the choice and the unknown aspect of buying online can be daunting and overwhelming.

1. Do your research! Find a new indie brand on Etsy? Google the heck out of them. Make sure there aren't any big dramas surrounding the company (I've seen possible toxic ingredients and dangerous sized glitter, products that grew mold, and people never getting their orders among others) and if it's something that bothers you look out for whether they're repackaging (which is basically buying the eyeshadow micas, putting them in a nice pot and reselling them – not mixing their own shades. Whether you take issue with this is personal preference). Read the reviews and make up your own mind. Some places I shop from have had bad reviews (Geek Chic would be one) but I personally have never had any real issues, still I am aware I am buying at my own risk. Don't let this scare you, there are many amazing indie companies out there selling some truly fantastic and unique products, but it's always wise to know what you're getting into. A quick google for “company name” and drama or unsafe or other such keywords should give you a good overview. Other good places to look for info are the Makeup Monstrosity group on facebook and the indiemakeupandmore subreddit (also a good place to look for swatches) who have a massive database of indie brand experiences neatly categorised here
   
2. Look at ingredients and if you have sensitive eyes patch test shadows and be ready to remove as soon as anything happens if you need to. Indie pigments are often made with minerals and sometimes can contain metals or other ingredients which can irritate sensitive eyes, the same as any commercial brand. Be aware that neon pigments are not FDA approved (ie, classed as safe for sale in the states) so it's worth being wary with them and doing extra research into brands in the US which claim to sell those, but they are legally sold here in the UK and I believe in other EU countries so they're not exactly lethal. I believe they have a higher potential to irritate, my main concern about them being sold by US indies would be that they're not supposed to, though I'm aware of a few very reputable US brands that sell neon shadows so as before just do your research and learn a little about the brand/person you're buying from.
   
   
3. Look for swatches (Phyrra, Indie Know and Dark Side of Beauty are my go-to places, but google is your friend). Aside from the whole 'monitor resolution affecting colour' thing, some companies aren't the greatest at taking accurate swatch photos, and it's worth seeing how shadows and blushes would look on your skin tone with the base you own (for example some look very different on primer compared to a sticky base like Pixie Epoxy). They can't always guarantee a perfect result, and some newer or smaller brands might be difficult to find swatches for (for some reason I struggle finding Geek Chic swatches for example) but it's worth a shot.
   

[indie know swatch gallery ]
4. TAT is important! Remember these are usually single-person businesses, often run in their spare time outside of work and other commitments. Make note of the TAT, this is the 'turn around time' and is the number of working days it'll take for your order to be shipped out – not how long it'll take for it to arrive – and seven days is pretty fast for an indie company. Also please be mindful of things such as shipping time and possible customs charges, especially if you're from the UK as most indie companies are based overseas.
   
5. Samples are brilliant. They allow you to try multiple shades for really cheap, can lower shipping costs and they do last a while as they're loose powders. I've not fully used up more than a handful, though I admittedly have over 100 (I have a problem). You can press them if you're not great with loose shadow, there are loads of tutorials on the internet which can guide you through this as it's not something I've ever tried.
   
6. Sticky bases are worth the investment if you like sparkly shadows. Okay, this is more a personal opinion but I really believe sticky bases can be game changers. It has a steep learning curve but I do love my Pixie Epoxy for really bringing out the sparkles in my shadows and holding them in place all day. It may have cost $7, but it's lasted me over a year and it transforms my shadows. There's also Darling Girl's Glitter Glue, which I plan to try soon, and a few others. You can usually get samples and see what works best for you.

There are literally hundreds of indie companies out there now, both big established ones like Sugarpill and Fyrinnae, and the tiny startups on Etsy (and I'm dying to try out some of those when I've whittled down my collection a little/my willpower totally caves). The brands I have purchased from with no real issues are:

• Victorian Disco
• Shiro Cosmetics
• Geek Chic Cosmetics (others have had issues, I never have but please be aware of this). 
• Darling Girl Cosmetics
• Innocent + Twisted Alchemy
• FemmeFatale (their duochromes are to die for) 
• Fyrinnae (though be aware they can be a pain to order from, as the site is often down/cart closed, worth persevering for Pixie Epoxy and the Arcane Magic line) 
• Black Rose Minerals

You can see all my indie swatches listed here (or browse through my swatches tag )

Would anyone be interested in a continuation of this series focusing on brands I have bought from and my favourite products and pros/cons of them?

Favourite Products & Brands of 2013

First in my line up of 2013 favourites round ups, my favourite products and brands of the last year. I've provided links to reviews and swatches where I can.

1. Collection 2000 Extreme Liner & Glam Crystals liner. The Extreme 24hr liner in black is my everyday go to liner, it's easy to use and highly pigmented giving a near-perfect black line every time. Great when I'm in a rush, since I think my liquid liner skills need help. Granted it isn't waterproof, but it also doesn't stain like some of its coloured counterparts. The Glam Crystals are my favourite way to add a little, or a lot, of sparkle to a look.  Glam Crystals swatches
   
2. Barry M nail polishes are always a winner for me and this year they've released some utter stunners, especially the Gellys and amazing Crystal Glaze. While I'm not a fan of textured polishes, the swatches I've seen of some of the latest releases, especially Countess, have been slowly luring me in. swatches here
   
3. Indie eyeshadows! I discovered indies this year and since then I've been hooked, well over 100 samples have found their way into my collection. I don't have a problem, honest... Top brands for me this year have been Shiro here, Victorian Disco here & Darling Girl here
   
4. Primers! Favourites for me have been the cult favourite Urban Decay Primer [I have Eden] and from the Indies Kiss My Sass's primer [though I haven't restocked since after the reformulation so this is subject to change]. And not a primer, but a sticky base that I just can't be without the Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. It really makes colours look amazing, and glitter sticks!
   
5. Layla Holographic polishes. Linear holographic polishes with a really strong holo bend at a reasonable price. Enough said. swatches here
   
6. ELF lock and seal. I owe you all a post singing the praises of this. I was trying to make my own mixing medium so I could use my pigments as liners, but always managed to end up with a lovely transfer line on my eyelid. But with this? None of that mess happens. It sets solid for the whole day, so now I can have hundreds of eyeliner shades! It also sets glitter into place if I'm applying it second whereas my pixie epoxy can lift my eyeshadow colour if I apply a second layer.
   
7. Maybelline Colour Tattoo are a quick fix lifesaver. They really do last for ages, can be used as a base if I haven't got primer to hand [though I am a little bitter the matte beige shade from Autumn in the US never made it over here, perfect base right there!] as well as coming in a range of gorgeous shades for quick lasting eyeshadow if I don't want to mess about with pigments and brushes and such. Seriously a winner for me this year. swatches

Victorian Disco Right Before Christmas Swatches

And a bonus Sailor Venus! 
I picked up Sailor Venus and Halloween Town with my House Points Collection order, and Ashley kindly included Jack & Sally and Kidnap Sandy Claws as free samples.

All the swatches were done over pixie epoxy and photographed under a daylight bulb thanks to fantastic British weather. Descriptions are taken from the Victorian Disco website.

Sailor Venus - Very similar to the old Sailor Venus, except a bit brighter and with more gold sparkles.

Halloween Town - Deep black with orange and copper sparkles.

Jack and Sally - Light pale blue with orange shimmers.

Kidnap Sandy Claws -Blackened red with green shimmers.

Halloween Town is my favourite, look at those sparkles!

All shadows can be purchased from Victorian Disco Cosmetics

Single shades:

Sample Baggie - 1/4tsp $1.00

Sample Jar - 1/3tsp $1.50

Mini - 1gr $2.25

Full Size - 2gr $5.50

Large Full Size - 4gr $7.25

 

Victorian Disco Cosmetics New House Points Collection Swatches

Recently I grabbed a bunch of samples from the new Victorian Disco Cosmetics collection, based off the Harry Potter series, the House Points Collection [a replacement of the old House Points collection I swatched here]

All the swatches were done over pixie epoxy and photographed under a daylight bulb thanks to fantastic British weather. Descriptions are taken from the Victorian Disco website.

The Amazing Bouncing Ferret - Golden white with a red shift.

So Many Owls - A bright neutral with brown, copper and white sparkles.

 

Why Is It Always You Three? - Gold with a red shift.

The Life and Lies - Deep purple with silver and gold sparkles.

 I'd recommend normal primer not pixie epoxy with this as it's a matte base

Room of Requirement - Bright purple with a blue/green shift.

 Slugs - Deep brown with a slimy greenish taupe sheen.

Favourites of mine are So Many Owls, Room of Requirement and Slugs.    


All shadows can be purchased from Victorian Disco Cosmetics

Single shades:

Sample Baggie - 1/4tsp $1.00

Sample Jar - 1/3tsp $1.50

Mini - 1gr $2.25

Full Size - 2gr $5.50

Large Full Size - 4gr $7.25 

Full Collection [35 shadows]:

Sample Baggies - 1/4tsp $28.25

Sample Jar - 1/3tsp $47.80

Minis - 1gr $70.90

Full Sized - 2gr $164.60
Large Full Size - 4gr $216.55