Fyrinnae Magic...I mean Exquisites!

Happy Hump Day my lovely readers!

As most of you know, Fyrinnae is by far my favorite indie cosmetics company and has been since I first started blogging. So when they post about new products, I jump on it like a kid getting candy! I was SUPER excited to hear about the new Arcane Magic "Exquisites" line and decided to purchase one of each, as well as a few other shades I've been lusting after.

"Exquisites are a new variation of our popular Arcane Magic eye shadows.

These new shadows have stronger color shifts without depending on an opaque base hue, making them stunning alone or over many other colors. The transparency makes them suitable for a wide variety of skintones without compromising color.
A sticky base is highly recommended.

They are packed in the same size jars as our other eyeshadows, and weigh a little less (about 2.3 grams) due to lighter weight ingredients. As with all our Arcane line, the initial color description is from about an arm's length away, then closer and near an indoor light source (sunlight can wash out the shades and effect). A full size jar, which is packed down and filled as much as possible, holds over 5x as much as the Mini jar contains.
Ingredients: Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Mica, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Magnesium Stearate. May contain: Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Manganese Violet, Tin Oxide, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Silica, Dimethicone, Zinc Stearate, Ferric Ferrocyanide."

I had a few issues placing my order via the website. I'd get to the payment page and get an error each time I tried to pay my invoice. :( Fyrinnae helped to cancel my order so that I could start all over, and once I'd added my selections to the cart and went to check out, I received the same error. I was distraught and had pretty much given up to wait to try a week or so. Much to my surprise, the order shipped that same week and I received it in 2 days. Per my invoice, Fyrinnae had shipped my order gratis due to the trouble with order. I was floored and SO excited. I love the customer service at Fyrinnae and the extra care they take to make things just right.



The Exquisites: (descriptions per Fyrinnae website)

Elegant Revelry:  Varying shades of green and turquoise sparkle on a transparent light reddish brown base hue away from direct light. Closer to light or at certain angles, it becomes light blue and ruddy pink. Very sparkly finish.

Breathtaking: Away from direct light, vibrant pink sparkle and shimmer appear to glow on sheer beige. Closer to light or at certain angles, it shifts to a bright golden peach shade. Very sparkly finish.

Dreamwoven Luxuries: Away from direct light, this appears a complex blend of red and blue hues. Closer to light or at certain angles, it changes to shades of green and gold. Shimmery finish, somewhat metallic when foiled or over a sticky base. This shade is the most opaque of the new five.

On Wings of Silk: Pink sparkles mingle with a transparent pale bronze away from direct light. Closer to light or at certain angles, it shifts to gleaming greenish gold with with hues of peach and lime. Very sparkly finish.

Princess for a Day: Turquoise-blue sparkle tops a sheer burgundy hue for a striking effect. Closer to light or at certain angles, it turns vivid pink. Very sparkly finish.

Core line:

Sakura: Varying hues of pale lavender shimmer make this shadow a great glowing highlight. Try applying over a black base (shadow, cream liner, etc) for a great effect.

Oh, My Stars: Brilliant lime green filled with violet and purple sparkle.

Witchy Woodland Creatures: Glimmering, multi-faceted cocoa taupe. Shades of copper and silver, with hints of pink, gold, and green shimmer on a neutral taupe-brown base make this shadow suitable for a wide range of skintones.

When I Grow Up (free sample): This shade is a "glowing" multi-hue lavender. It's not pastel, but a semi-sheer sparkle shade much like Electric Stardust and Otherworld.

Please be sure to click images for maximum awesome!




Outside


Shade
 

Indoor natural light


Outside- blurry to show sparkles


SO much sparkle!


Let's just talk about "Princess for a Day" for a moment. It's so so beautiful and sparkly. It photographed differently each time I took a picture. The base is a rose color and it's topped with wonderful blue and pink sparkles that shine. It's amazing, I just can't even stand it. I did have to use a really sticky base for my swatches (Pixie Epoxy) to get the sparkle to adhere and minimize fallout.

Here I am wearing "Princess for a Day" over a black base!


My second favorite in this lot is "Breathtaking". It's a gorgeous rose/gold and it shifts to different colors depending on the angle. Again, very sparkly and pigmented!  "Elegant Revelry" is another uber sparkly shade, with lots of dimension and shine. I love it! Honestly, I really do love them all. They are all pigmented, shimmery, blend-able and the new Fyrinnae formula makes them almost a creamy consistency that is so easy to apply to the eyelid.

"Oh, My Stars" is also a really fun lime green shade with gold sparkles. I bought it mainly for it's name and because it's lime green. ;) "Witchy Woodland Creatures" is a fabulous neutral shade with a punch of sparkle. Beautiful.

I'm extremely happy with the Exquisites line and I can't wait to see what's on the horizon for Fyrinnae. If you'd like to read more about the Exqusities- check out THIS post.

A mini sized jar of these shadows are $2.75 (1/4 tsp) and a full sized jar (3 grams) is $8.00- the prices are based on (per the Fyrinnae blog):
 
"The determining factor on keeping these and building upon the collection will be how well they sell for the "second round". With every new release, there are rapid sales in the first few days. Sometimes more than others (Royalty, the new purple blush, sold astoundingly well in the first 2-3 weeks, much to our surprise). After the initial rush, if there is still demand and response is good, we shall keep going with them. The price will be higher due to the considerably higher cost of specialized colorants and the ratio in which they are used."

Please help support Fyrinnae to keep the Exquisites line alive!

Do you own any of the new Exquisite shades? What is your favorite Fyrinnae eyeshadow?

*products in this post were sent "gratis" due to errors in the order process. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

My latest Morgana Cryptoria loot!

ZOMBIES!

I took part in the "Christmas in July" sale at Morgana Cryptoria and had to show you all my new pretties..because...sparkles!

I ordered 7 lipsticks and 4 eyeshadow from the Morgana outlet store. FYI: The outlet shop will close on August 31st and all shades will be discontinued. So run and grab you some eyeshadow!

I've included the descriptions of each shade from the websites, however, some products are no longer available.
 


Lipstick:
Pomegranate Daiquiri: product no longer available
Platinum Cherry: Pink-red with silver sparkle and hints of violet shimmer
Plumberry: Plum with a blue to violet shifting sheen and subtle blue sparkle.
Pandora: Reddish pink with a blue shimmery sheen
Violetta: product no longer available
Evil Ash: Cherry red with silver sparkle
Merlot: Burgundy-wine satin




Eyeshadow:
Sneaking Angels: Deep green lustre with blue tones
Magic Plum: Plum with violet and blue shifts
Weeping Angels: Rich & luminous violet-blue
Fortress: (product no longer online)
Harbinger: Dusky metallic wine


 

Because the eyeshadow comes in baggies, I wanted to show you what it looks like. Morgana has also reformulated their eyeshadow for much more smooth/creamy application. 


Swatches!
(please be sure to click images for maximum awesome!)

Eyeshadow:


I seriously can NOT pick just one eyeshadow from this lot that's my favorite. They are all so beautiful! I adore the blue shift in Magic Plum and Fortress and love the names of Weeping and Sneaking Angels because of my love of Dr. Who. Harbinger is a kick ass, deep wine  in a black base that will be perfect for Halloween. I really can't chose a favorite!

Make sure to stock up on Morgana's eyeshadow before they are gone. You get 1 tsp baggies for just $3.00. You can NOT beat that!

Lipstick:


On mah lips!








Pomegranate Daiquiri is by far my favorite color of this lot followed closely by Pandora and Evil Ash! Every shade is super pigmented and easy to apply. There are lots of sparkles throughout each lipstick, which make them that much more fun to wear. As always, Morgana lipsticks are very long wearing and sometimes require a lip balm underneath to prevent drying. It really depends on the lipstick. I was hoping Violetta would be a little more on the purple side and Merlot a little darker, but they are still both wonderful colors.


*all products in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

My Favorite Independent Companies!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

Hey Zombies!

I've needed to revise my favorites list for some time now as it's changed drastically over the last year. So, no better time than right now!

I've been blogging for almost 3 years now and most of my favorite indie companies have been a favorite of mine since then. Some have changed, some have fallen off the earth, but my tried and true remain (and I very rarely stray from those that I know and love) and that's what makes them good, solid indie companies. Despite drama and adversity, they aren't going anywhere and continue to crank out lovely products and fantastic customer service.

Fyrinnae: Fyrinnae was among the first companies I purchased from when starting my blogging adventure. As soon as I opened the zebra printed tissue paper, I was in love. There is something special about Fyrinnae pigments. They simply ARE magical. All of the shades I own (which is probably 15 shy of their entire collection) are unique, pigmented, contain just the right amount of glitter or shimmer and last on my lids for an insanely long time. (And yes, that's a good thing.) Fyrinnae strives to cater to their customers and listen with an open ear to any suggestions that may arise. The company also stays away from drama, which loves to crop up these days in the indie world. I love every single new color they produce and because they release new colors sparingly, it's that much more exciting to see what they come out with. Fyrinnae is LOVE in a jar.

Dreaming Tree Soapworks: I've tried my fair share of indie bath and body/perfumery companies in my blogging years. Some I loved, some not so much. Some I won't purchase from or support even if the product is amazing for different reasons. I've been gun shy lately with indie B&B until I tried Dreaming Tree. The scents are amazing, especially Dark Goddess and Alyce and I adore the lotion and facial soap from this company. With so many choices on indie B&B these days, I think I'll stick to Dreaming Tree as I've had no adverse reactions to the products (I'm really critical of face products because I have a pretty sensitive skin) and I adore all the different scents and various products they offer. Their Luxurious Lotions have cured my dry, ugly cuticles. SCORE. Follow Dreaming Tree on Facebook!

Darling Girl Cosmetics: Who doesn't love a little DGC? If you haven't tried their eyeshadow, lip balms, or glitter yet, I don't know what you're waiting for. Darling Girl's owner Susan is super hands on with her customers on her Facebook fanpage and creates customer idea inspired collections all the time! Hello "Nerdvana" and "Darling Grrl". The eyeshadow and lippies from Darling Girl are fun and colorful with just the right amount of sparkle at an affordable price! My favorite holo-gloss from DGC is "Holly Jolly!" Follow Darling Girl Cosmetics on Facebook!


The beauty of independent companies as opposed to big box brands is obviously the affordable prices, but it's also the fact that you can truly get to know the owners of indie companies! You can be hands on in your shopping experience and suggest colors from time to time or have the owner make you something custom to suit your needs and desires. I get asked quite a bit why I like and review indie brands over big box and it's simple, I support handmade in all aspects; with very few exceptions (such as owner harassment of customers, bullying, repackaged or private label products, etc.) I support anything made from the heart and made with awesome and WIN! 

You can see *some* of my reviews and swatches here:



Darling Girl No, No, Notorious! and Rainbow Brite!
Fyrinnae and Fyrinnae Halloween 2011



All opinions in this post are MY own.