I purchased some beautiful loose eye shadows from Scaredy Cat Cosmetics and I couldn’t wait to swatch them! Their initial allure for me was their unique packaging — samples come in little trial vials with a stopper, which are packed. At 1/4 teaspoon per sample (versus the standard 1/8 tsp of most indies) and at 5 for $5 or 10 for $10, Scaredy Cat offers some of the best value for sample sizes from indie companies. A full size eyeshadow has 3.5 g for $5 and sports really gorgeous label art.
Left to right: Foo Foo, Hera, Don’t Be Koi, Nilfheim, Fomhar, Hedgerow, Phoenix Tears, Ring-a-Ling, Y So Sirius, Metamorphosis
USPS gave me a lot of trouble for this delivery: for some reason they claimed to be unable to deliver my package to my address, and returned it to the sender. I wrote to the owner, Kelly, and she was prompt to contact USPS to figure out what was going on. In the end, she sent me a replacement.
Ordered: March 18, 2015
Shipped: March 23, 2015 (undelivered); March 27, 2015
Received: March 30, 2015
Top to bottom: Y So Sirius, Phoenix Tears, Fomhar, Don’t Be Koi, Foo Foo, Metamorphosis, Ring-a-Ling, Hedgerow, Nilfheim, Hera
Since this is the first time I’ve purchased from Scaredy Cat, I just went with my gut and picked based on swatch colors and shadow names (I’ll admit it — Don’t Be Koi was a huge hit with me because I love puns). I was pleased to find that the loose eyeshadow formula is smooth and vibrant, and every color applied beautifully. When buying samples, I’m usually ready for a couple of disappointments, whether it is in application or color, but I have to say I’m happy with everything I got today.
I’ve read that some people find the trial vial hard to use because they are so very tiny. I have a few small brushes, the small smudge brush and the small precision brush, both from e.l.f., that reach into the bottles just fine. The most annoying thing is probably finding a hygienic way to put the stopper down while you are using the vial (I do some fancy fingerwork and turn it upside down so that the part that goes inside the bottle doesn’t touch the counter). While I always depot my sample baggies into 3 g jars, I won’t be doing that this time because the vials are so unique.
EDIT: WordPress tells me that this is my 50th post — WOOHOO!!
Calling all One Direction fans: this sneak peek review is for you! I received one of three exclusive makeup sets from The Looks Collection by One Direction, thanks to Brandbacker and cosmetics company Markwins. I got “Up All Night,” a fun cobalt and pink centered set. If you’re curious about the other limited edition tins from The Looks Collection, be sure to see my overview of the collection.
Each set from The Look Collection includes a 5 color eyeshadow palette, mascara, a chubby pencil, lipstick, lip gloss, and nail polish.
First, let’s look at the collectible tin the products are housed in! The picture of the band is on a transparent plastic sleeve, and after you slip it off, you get a grunge-chic black and white brick design.
The tin was bigger than I expected, which was great as I love using tin boxes to store memorabilia and trinkets.
Nestled inside the tin are 7 products. A great feature is the inside of the lid, which gives you suggestions on fun ways to use the set.
The first thing I picked up was the 5 Color Eyeshadow Palette.
Eyeshadows in an edgy case.
Each color in the palette has a cute name.
‘More Than This’ is a soft coral cream, which is great as a base and for highlighting the inner corners and brow bone. ‘Save You Tonight’ is an icy turquoise which would work on its own for fresh eyes (for a modern look, follow the lash line and don’t wing out or touch the crease) or to illuminate the ball of the lid. ‘Gotta Be You’ is a taupe with a light shimmer, and would be best used in the crease and outer V of the eyes. ‘Another World’ is a royal blue shimmer, and I think it looks very chic as part of an updated smokey eye. The last color is ‘Up All Night,’ what the box sleeve describes as “sapphire glitter creme” but it’s really a lot of glitter without much creamyness.
From left to right: ‘Up All Night,’ ‘Another World,’ ‘Save You Tonight,’Gotta Be You,’ and ‘More Than This.’
The staying power and saturation of these eyeshadows are just average, although the colors are vibrant. You will definitely need to use some primer or setting spray with these eyeshadows; since every color has a shimmer/glitter element, there is some fallout. All the colors in this palette would work well with ‘Stand Up,’ a dark denim eye and body chubby crayon. I really like the color of ‘Stand Up,’ as this kind of blue brightens the whites of your eyes and is a great alternative to black or brown liner.
The greatest downfall of the palette’s packaging, IMO, is that there is no built in mirror, and the ‘brush’ end of the included applicator sucks at picking up pigment – I would much rather prefer to have 2 sponge ends.
Would be great for the fall and winter, or as an accent color year round.
The next product is ‘Na Na Na’, an aqua blue metallic chrome nail varnish. To me, this polish is way more green with blue shadows and is not aqua blue as described. It is a very high shine metallic, and while it applies smoothly, is strangely thin. It took me 5 coats to reach opacity, and since it’s not colored glitter in a clear base, it’s not really suitable as a glitter coat on another color. Hm. On the plus side, it’s easy to remove.
The ‘Little Black Dress’ volumizing black mascara is not so much volumizing as it is lengthening. I do like its dense applicator brush and smooth formula, which managed to hold onto my stick straight lashes and keep them in place.
‘Taken’ Liquilights Glow Gloss was my absolute favourite product of the bunch! It has a great flat round edge applicator and the formula is smooth and feels good on the lips. The color reminds me of one of my favourite glosses of all time, Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Passionfruit. I love ‘Taken’ so much, I threw it in my purse right away!
The box sleeve says that this “powerhouse glitter pink lip gloss” has a secret feature: it “glows to neon orange under UV light”! After reading that I was thinking, “Where and when would I ever be in a place with UV light?” And lo and behold, that very day, I found myself in a glow-in-the-dark blacklight-only store on Jersey Shore. Lucky!
As you an see, ‘Taken’ does glow orange… sort of.
On the left is ‘Taken’ lip gloss and on the right is ‘I Should Have Kissed You’ lipstick.
The other lip product in the tin is ‘I Should Have Kissed You’ a bubblegum pink creme lipstick. This lipstick feels more matte to me, and while the color is fun, I don’t really think it suits me.
Finally, the last ‘product’ is the One Direction Stencil Kit. You could use these 5 cards as stencils to decorate yourself a la temporary tattoos, or use with some sharpies to personalize your tin.
I hope you had as much fun reading about The Looks Collection as I have had playing around with the products! These three limited edition tins are not for sale quite yet, but when they are, but sure to pick up your favourite set!
US RELEASE DATES:
Macy’s – August 11th Stage Stores – August 25th Dillards – August 25th Beauty Brands – August 25th Lord and Taylor – August 25th
eva-luated 