So Much Shiro - Part 1 of 2!

WARNING: This post is crazy photo heavy! (I'm so sorry.)

Shiro Cosmetics recently revamped their website. Those of you familiar with Shiro (literally everyone) will know that their old website was probably one of the most pleasant and easiest indie shops to navigate. Now, after the revamp, it's the most beautiful shopping experience a girl could ask for. Top o' the top. Of course, when I saw it, I immediately placed an order. And when I say 'placed an order' I mean 'gave up food for a week'. (Not really, but you get it.)

Order placed:

• Miyazaki Lip Tints (Full Set)
• Still No Oscar for Leo DiCaprio
• Custom Glosses:
• Baker's Boy (Moderate)
• Master of Whispers (Opaque)
• I Loved A Maid (Opaque)
• Rebellion (Opaque)
• Second Kira (Opaque)
• Detrivore Embalming Tube in Creme de Menthe

Now for Cool Story Time! Not too long after I placed this order Shiro's own Caitlin contacted me and asked if I'd like to provide lip swatches for her website. I'm not ashamed to say that this is probably the most exciting event in my entire life - something I'll tell my future grandchildren about. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity. So along with my order I received Shiro's full Cages Through the Ages collection and the Red Wedding Gloss for swatching purposes.

So, without further ado, we'll move on to the fun stuff!

We'll start with an example of my face without any sort of lip product. Y'know, for reference reasons.

Hello there.

Bare Lip!

As you can see, my lips aren't terribly pigmented which makes for a decent time swatching. (They are, however, cursed with godawful dryness.)

Miyazaki Lip Tints

We're very excited to launch our brand new lip balm formula with this series of Miyazaki-inspired tints! Our greatly improved balm formulation is moisturizing and will never go grainy. Each balm provides a sheer wash of color with a slick, lightly glossy finish. Flavored with delicious French Vanilla, and features minimalistic label art by Caitlin!

These lip balms replaced Shiro's nixed Intertubes. I've never tried any of the Intertubes (I may pick some up in the sale however.) so I can't compare the two. I find that the Miyazaki tints aren't particularly moisturizing for me but very few things are. Other people may have more success with them in that regard. Although I've heard mixed opinions, I love love love the way these smell! It's not terribly strong and it doesn't stick around too long after application for those of you who may not be into scented lip products.

Also, Miyazaki movies are perfection in every way so there's that. I can't get over how cute the art for these are!

It's Called Love; Come Out, Come Out; A Girl And A Cat; With Eyes Unclouded; Who Swallowed A Star

A Girl And A Cat

Deep purple in the tube, applies as a medium-sheer berry.

As you can see Shiro's description of A Girl And A Cat is spot on. It can be a little intimidating in the tube but goes on very sheer. It can be worn a bit sheerer than my swatch but this is about as opaque as it'll get. The perfect stress-free berry lip and very work appropriate! Also, I really need to rewatch Kiki's Delivery Service.

Come Out, Come Out

Sheer, pretty apricot.

If you don't like My Neighbor Totoro then we're not friends. End of story. But that has little to do with lip balm so we'll move on to that. Come Out, Come Out is a lovely orange creamsicle sort of color. Although it's definitely not opaque, I found that it built up a lot more than A Girl And A Cat despite being described as sheer. This color will be perfect for the upcoming summer months!

It's Called Love

Summery medium coral, a match for our former Why Not Zoidberg color.

As I said, I don't own any Intertubes so I can't say how this compares to Why Not Zoidberg. From swatches I've seen online it seems It's Called Love is more pink and less orange in comparison. It's bright, sheer and gives the lips an amazingly juicy shine. Also, if you don't like Spirited Away then not only are we not friends, you're dead to me. 

Who Swallowed A Star

Bright coral-orange in the tube, applies a bit pinker than you might expect! Will leave behind a light stain.

Here we have Shiro's color for Howl's Moving Castle. And let me tell you, it's a bright one! I wasn't expecting such a shocking pink from looking at the product in the tube. If neon-esque pinks aren't you're thing I'm sure Who Swallowed A Star could easily be patted and blended into the lips for something a bit more subtle but 'bright as hell pink' seems to be the default. I love the color but because of how bright it is combined with the shape/size of the tube application can be a bit tricky. Gotta be careful with this one! It does leave a very bright stain as well so it'll be perfect for no fuss all day wear. 

With Eyes Unclouded

Sheer brick red with a slight brown undertone.

Princess Mononoke was the very first Miyazaki film I ever saw. As such, it holds a dear place in my heart so With Eyes Unclouded was a guaranteed buy for me. It looks so dark in the tube and 'brown' in the description can be a bit off putting for some but mmmfff. This might actually be my favorite of the bunch. It's the sheerest among all the Miyazaki tints and only imparts a bit of color with a healthy dose of shine. Very pretty and subtle. Keep in mind - as lip pigmentation/color varies so may your results!

Still No Oscar For Leo DiCaprio - April 2014 COTM

Shimmering rose-tinted champagne with bright silver sparks.

Poor Guy

Still No Oscar For Leo DiCaprio over Bare Skin, MAC Painterly, Too Faced Glitter Glue

Still No Oscar For Leo DiCaprio over Too Faced Glitter Glue

My photos do no justice to the amount of sparkles found in Still No Oscar For Leo DiCaprio. It is super gorgeous. I found it to be too sheer swiped over bare skin for my tastes but a good sticky base is all it needs to really shine. Many people compared it to Doge but Still No Oscar is less sheer and leans more bronze while Doge is fairly pink in tone.

Next up on the gambit:

Custom Lip Glosses

Baker's Boy (M), Master of Whispers (O), I Loved A Maid (O), Rebellion (O), Second Kira (O)

Baker's Boy in Moderate

Shimmery light golden brown with blue sparks.

I chose Baker's Boy hoping for something pretty and sparkly. And I probably would have gotten just that had I chose Sheer. But I got this marvelous metallic wonder instead! Color me surprised but pleased! The texture can be a bit streaky so it takes a little work to get good even coverage. I think this will be gorgeous layered over a warm red lipstick. I'll have to do some playing around with it.

Master of Whispers in Opaque

Soft golden shimmer shining through pale lilac silk.

"The Weirdest Face."

This gloss is frosty. My photos don't quite capture how frosty it is. I don't particularly have a problem with frostiness other than the fact it can easily appear streaky. The color itself is beautiful; it's definitely a statement lip. The texture of this gloss though is not pleasant. It is very, very thick - much like a cream. It takes sooo much product to get a nice even application. I assume it's because Master of Whispers as a shadow is quite sheer so it'd take quite a bit of pigment to build gloss up to full opacity. If I had another chance I'd definitely pick this shade up in Sheer instead. For now it'll just take some experimenting to see how I can make this shade work. (Cream highlight perhaps?)

I Loved A Maid in Opaque

Green-shifting gold shining out over a base of softened Lannister crimson.

To start, this gloss runs a tad bit more brown in real life than I was able to capture. It's not what I was expecting but I really love how it turned out. This gloss is slick and glides on like a liquid lipstick. Amazing texture and opaque in one swipe - no building up required! It's bold for sure but the gold-green shine gives it that little something extra. For those days I want a quirky red.

Rebellion in Opaque

Deep blue-black with green and purple shimmer.

For some reason 'deep blue-black' didn't quite click with me as I was choosing my gloss shades and I was surprised when Rebellion didn't turn out to be dark blue. (I'm not the sharpest crayon.) It is lovely though! The blue does show up a bit more in real life but it's still very deep and dark. I suppose it's not an everyday color (Maybe it is, I'm not your boss.) but this'll be perfect for nights out or when you're lounging around the house and want to feel fierce as you do your laundry. It's got a good amount of shimmer to it so it takes a little more working with than I Loved A Maid or Women's Weapon but it's really nothing deal breaking.

Second Kira in Opaque

Charcoal with bright golden sparks.

Glorious Gunmetal Grey, Batman! I was expecting something much much darker but gunmetal grey? Yeah, I'll take that. It's so shiny and metallic! Ugh, just picture this with a heavy contour, power brows and wings sharp enough to impale your enemies. If that doesn't spell the perfect look for a girls' night out than I don't know what possibly could. The texture is marvelous and the gold sparks are subtle but give the lip a tiny touch of opulence. Yeah, I said opulence.

Rebellion and Second Kira look a bit similar to some (My dear sister, for the life of her, can't seem to tell the difference.) so I snapped a picture of each tube with flash so you can see just how different they are!

Rebellion on the Left, Second Kira on the Right

See - they're different. So I can totally justify owning both.

Detrivore Embalming Tube in Creme de Menthe

So Messy

The last thing I threw into my cart while placing my original order! I'm glad to see Shiro carrying Detrivore products now after seeing all the fantastic reviews they've gotten and never having had a chance to give them a try. It may seem odd that the first product I picked up was a lip balm but as I said - my lips are dry as fuck. I'm always on the look out for something that can sooth and keep them under control. This balm is quite moisturizing but sooo soft. It melts right onto the lips which is nice at times but this is no 'out and about' type of lip balm. This is a 'let's grease these puppies up' type of lip balm. I find it perfect for sitting around at home or wearing to bed but it's just too messy for anything else. The smell is nice, if a bit generic. Overall, I really like it but I ain't lovin' it.


You may have thought that was the end of it BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! See you in part 2!

xxx

Disclaimer: I was compensated for providing swatches but all reviews and opinions are and always will be my own!

So Much Shiro - Part 2 of 2!

WARNING: Picture heavy!

Hello, hello! Welcome to part 2! Part 1 can be found here.

In this half I'll cover the full Cages Through the Ages collection, Red Wedding and everyone's favorite - samples!

Cages Through the Ages

On January 7th, 2014, Nicolas Cage turned 50 years old. In honor of this god among men walking for half a century on our unworthy earth, we have released five lip glosses. These are not representative of the exact five decades for which He has been alive, but rather five very distinctive eras in American history. Because it's funnier that way.

There's not much to be said about Nic Cage. (Other than the fact that this subreddit exists and everyone should know about it.) This collection features quirky names, quirkier art and an absolutely stunning color range. But I won't ramble too much about it. Let's take a look!

See names below. That shit ain't gonna fit here.

Nic Cage Churning Butter One Crisp Thanksgiving Morn

A gorgeous nude color, slightly on the sheerer side of medium coverage. We like to think of it as "Nicolas Beige." Flavored like yummy honey! (vegan substitute, not the bees)

As much as I love bold, in-your-face lips there's nothing quite like finding a good nude shade. It seems to be especially difficult finding something that doesn't look awful with my pasty pale complexion. This is a good nude. The coverage is really nice without completely erasing my natural color. Not too sticky but doesn't slide about everywhere. The smell is a little strange - I don't get any honey from it. It almost smells like a weird pastry. I don't hate it but I'm glad it doesn't stick around. 

Nic Cage Nibbling Petit Fours in a Posh Victorian Tearoom

Moderately opaque dusty rose with a gentle pearl finish. Flavored with fancy pink frosting!

This color is absolutely beautiful! One of my favorites from the collection for sure. I honestly feel like this color would look amazing on just about anyone. Sexy but demure. The scent to me is a very artificial pink frosting. Again, it's not bad but I can see how it'd bother some people. (It fades fast though, so don't worry!)

Nic Cage Doing the Charleston in a Bustling Speakeasy

Moderately opaque fuchsia-mulberry. Will leave behind a faint stain. Flavored like bubbly champagne!

I love me a burgundy lip. And this is a fabulous one. I did find it took a little work to get a good even coat however so this shade takes a ding for that. Otherwise, I'm pleased with it. As for the scent, it definitely smells like booze. It's weird but I like it.

Nic Cage Posing for a Calendar with Shiny Bright Red Cars

Moderately opaque bright sports-car red, with a subtle pearl finish. Flavored like fresh cherry pie!

Dem gams.

HUBBAHUBBA. If there's a lip product out there that's going to make you feel like a '50s bombshell than this is it. It's so shiny and juicy and perfect! The pearl finish really gives it that 'my lips match this sport car I'm spread eagle on' quality. The cherry scent is also quite pleasant. A+!

Nic Cage Getting Funky with That Saturday Night Fever

Super sheer purple with bright orange sparkle. Flavored like grape candy, Lip Smackers style!

This is an interesting one! I really, really need more glittery glosses in my life. And as much as I like it on its own I'm excited to try layering it over all sorts of things! The scent is super fake grape candy and it's just super fun. Good stuff!

Red Wedding from the Seven Kingdoms Collection

Very opaque blood-red. Flavored with cheerful fruity cranberry!

Red Wedding is like Nic Cage Posing's older, less naive, yet still sexilicious older sister. It also gives me horrible flashbacks to A Storm of Swords. Red Wedding is super easy to work with but bleeding will be something to look out for. (How fitting.) The smell isn't too bad - it smells a lot like cranberry juice. Overall, I think this'll be a good power red. The type of red you apply at your vanity, look at your reflection and whisper, "The North remembers."

And last but never least - Samples! I received several samples including a couple from Detrivore. I'll start with my Shiro samples first! Here we have You Know Nothing and Day Of Reckoning.

You Know Nothing, Day of Reckoning

You Know Nothing from the Seven Kingdoms Collection

Cold wintery grey-white with bright icy shimmer.

You Know Nothing over Bare Skin, MAC Painterly, Too Faced Glitter Glue

You Know Nothing over Too Faced Glitter Glue

I actively have to stop myself from calling this shadow You Snow Nothing. It's starting to be a problem. As you can see it's more or less the exact opposite! It's very, very sheer. A colored base of any type will have some range of effect on the eyeshadow as you can see with MAC Painterly. (I tend to use Painterly because it covers up how pink and veiny my eyelids are.) Glitter glue does a fantastic job at bringing out the blue sheen. I've been using this color as a highlight but if I really want to make it pop I may try it over a white base like NYX Milk. Overall, gorgeous color but You Snow Nothing is probably my favorite of the two.

Day of Reckoning from the Fullmetal Collection

Intense, metallic deep burgundy. 

Day of Reckoning over Bare Skin, MAC Painterly, Too Faced Glitter Glue

Day of Reckoning over Too Faced Glitter Glue

Sheer over bare skin, decent over a base, gloriously metallic over glitter glue. Just look at that shine! I'm extra pumped because I have an order placed with Darling Girl that includes their Superstar Serum and I'm going to wear this as a liner so hard, you guys. I can't even.

Baby's first Detrivore! I received samples of Midnight and Hypothesis. I was super excited to give these a try!

Midnight, Hypothesis (Obvious caption is obvious.)

Midnight

Dark navy blue with a satin finish.

Midnight over Bare Skin, MAC Painterly, Too Faced Glitter Glue

Midnight over Too Faced Glitter Glue

I would say Midnight is mostly matte with a touch of shimmer to it. It performs best over a base and the shimmer is a bit more obvious over the extra sticky glitter glue. I got it to layer evenly over the glitter glue but because it's pretty matte it was a complete bitch to do so. I'd say a regular base is the best course of action with this one. I probably won't use it too much as a regular shadow but it'd be perfect as a liner.

Hypothesis

Medium satin taupe with subtle pink tones.

Hypothesis over Bare Skin, MAC Painterly, Too Faced Glitter Glue

Hypothesis over Too Faced Glitter Glue

I literally don't know of anyone who doesn't love a nice taupe. I liked Midnight but this is the first Detrivore shadow that I got excited about. It'll be a super nice and easy go-to sort of color. The glitter glue brings out a really lovely pinkish sheen that isn't very noticeable over a regular base. I may end up grabbing this shade in a full size at some point. 

And there we have it! That wasn't so bad was it? *cries in a corner* There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears putting this post together but I'm really happy with almost everything I got. (I'm lookin' at you, Master of Whispers gloss.) I'm also super grateful to Caitlin for giving me the opportunity to provide swatches of her amazing lip products! Seriously guys, I'm feeling like a bit old pile of positivity today. Also, I'm crazy pumped to see what Shiro has planned for their anniversary in a couple days! Anyone else?

xxx

Disclaimer: This post contains products that were sent to me for swatching purposes. I was compensated for providing swatches but all opinions are and always will be my own!