Accumulation Station and the Great July No-Buy

I feel like I neglect this blog terribly so I figured I'd pop in for a quick update and perhaps give you a brief glimpse into the future!

Having lived in my apartment for about 6-7 months, I suppose it's time to finally try and fill it with furniture as opposed to stacks of boxes. You know, like an adult would. Of course, this will put a bit of a strain on my finances so I figured I'd do my very first, big girl, no-buy through the month of July. (Or extreme low-buy because... c'mon.) Will I struggle? Yes. Will you? Not at all. I have accumulated so much stuff that I could go on a no-buy for months and never want for things to swatch. I may be able to pound out most of my planned posts this next month however because guess who's got a week long staycation coming up~ This bitch here! Ooohh yes. So, besides furniture shopping and so much day drinking, I will hopefully be swatching/blogging like a madwoman. So look forward to:

• Siren Song Cosmetic's Distant Worlds Collection
• Shiro Cosmetic's The Avengers Collection
• A Mega Haul from Hello Waffle consisting of 3 whole collections and various extras!
• A handful of samples from Limnit Lipsticks Grand Reopening (Depending on when they're delivered.)
• Various Darling Girl petits that have been sitting here unswatched forever.
• My Pretty Zombie Blush Samples (Also forever neglected.)
• Shiro's Tributes and Seven Kingdom Collections (I've had these for a while but they deserve time in the spotlight.)

I also have a few collection-centric lookbooks in the works so hopefully those pan out! Scanning over everything, perhaps I'm biting off more than I can chew but my goal is to get as many of these posts done as possible. Weather permitting, of course. Seriously, it's like monsoon season here in the great Midwest and it's been dark and stormy every freakin' day. However it works out I hope I don't disappoint!

xxx

But if I end up spending the whole month playing Bravely Default... No regrets.

Shiro COTM Clear Out!

Seeing as my Indie obsession isn't quite a year old just yet, this month marks my very first Shiro COTM clear out! Shiro's COTM year runs from July to the following June. In June all current COTM eyeshsadows are sold off and the year starts over fresh with the old eyeshadows forever gone but not forgotten. Luckily this year Caitlin's brought back a couple colors from the previous year that were around before my time!

I'll start off with the High Scores (best sellers from previous years) that I picked up - Moon Prism Power and TARDIS! (I already have Nic Cage Raking Leaves hidden around somewhere and now I feel like a dick for not swatching/including it.) I mostly plopped these in my cart because I wasn't sure if they'd still be around after the fact but according to Shiro's Facebook page the old High Score's will be sticking around and three more from the current line up will be joining the ranks.

Let's get on to swatches! (All over Too Faced Glitter Glue.)

Moon Prism Power - Sept '12 COTM (High Score)

Extremely difficult to photograph - pale, lightly pinkish cream base with a strong opalescent green shift and bright golden sparkle.

I put off buying Moon Prism Power for far too long! A bit unassuming in the jar, it's so beautiful once applied. It's very sheer so it'll make a very lovely highlight. As I was going through my swatch photos I noticed that it's super similar to Femme Fatale's Moonrest which I swatched in this post here. I'd say they make fairly decent dupes of each other just in case you were lusting after one or the other or both! (P.S. - From what I've seen on reddit this shade also makes a lovely custom gloss!)

TARDIS - Nov '12 COTM (High Score)

Light shimmery royal blue with bright purple and green sparkles.

TARDIS from afar seems like you're average medium blue shade but those green and purple sparkles add a bit of really nice dimension. This will be nice paired with a deeper navy eyeshadow for a blue smoky eye.

Next up we have a couple 'back from the dead' shades! Due to popular demand It's Gonna Be May and Dammit, Moon Moon made a reappearance this year which is awesome because I was lusting after It's Gonna Be May hard. You'll see why.

It's Gonna Be May - May '13 COTM

Medium, slightly greyed blue, with very strong copper duochrome and sparkle.

The hair is saying "Ramen Noodles" but the eyes are hungry for your soul. 

BEAUTS

Hnnngggg, look at how sexual this eyeshadow is. Look at it. It's dusty purple-blue with red/copper/gold/magic added in. I'm wearing it today and every time I pass by a slightly shiny surface I have to pause and gaze lovingly at my reflection. And caress it. Just a little.

Dammit, Moon Moon - June '13 COTM

Medium red-toned purple packed with gold glitter.

As a quick aside - Dammit, Moon Moon photographed a bit more red than it is in person. I'm still figuring out my lighting situation! It's an ongoing battle. (Also, here's a potato quality comparison I did with Laura Mercier's African Violet.)

Dammit, Moon Moon is gorgeous and buttery but not as unique as I was hoping it would be. In a sea of indie purples it takes a lot to stand out. Not that I don't love Dammit, Moon Moon! It just reminds me of a lot of other purples in my collection. Perhaps there's an 'All Things Purple' post in my near future~

Moving on to current COTM shadows!

Augustus Waters - Aug '13 COTM

Vibrant turquoise packed with golden and aqua sparkle.

This shadow is a mermaid's dream. Uhgg, it's so pretty. I may have to try this out as a liner -  it looks like it'll be perfect for summer. As for the theme - I actually haven't read/seen The Fault in Our Stars yet but I've been meaning to and I feel bad about it, haha. (I tend to be more of an epic fantasy/Chuck Palahniuk type of gal.)

Up All Night To Get Loki - Jan '14 COTM

Olive green with silver shimmer.

I love this. I wasn't terribly tempted to buy it when it was first released back in January because, honestly, the color bored me a bit. Swatches really didn't do it any justice. The silver shimmer is very subtle and understated. It's not in your face like a lot of Shiro's other COTM shadows. Instead, Up All Night To Get Loki flies a bit under the radar and now that I can play with it in person I can appreciate it a bit more.

I Tried - Feb '14 COTM

That gorgeous rose-gold that everyone's been wanting!

It's somewhat sideways but it's only a doughnut sooo...

Another gorgeous one! I wouldn't call is rose-gold though. Rose-copper perhaps? That seems a bit more accurate. It's super metallic and super pigmented. LAHV IT.

Jareth's Tight Pants - Mar '14 COTM

A dove-grey color worthy of the Goblin King, scattered with scandalous white sparkle.

DAT BULGE

It's like a sparkly storm cloud.

Jareth's Tight Pants is a bit more sheer and has a very soft matte base. I love the smattering of sparkles - it's very delicate. This will be a nice shadow to wear blended all over the lid on those Brows and Lashes type of days.

Chinchillin' - June '14 COTM

Velvety heather grey with strong purple duochrome and sparkle.

Strong duochrome is right! That purple sheen is in your face no matter which direction you're going with it. I think blending it out over a regular base would quiet down the duochrome a bit for something more office-passable but still with a kick. Also, chinchillas are kewt AF.

Finally, as I now own all three, here's a quick comparison of Doge, I Tried, and Still No Oscar for Leo DiCaprio. (As I've seen the three come up in many an indie makeup conversation.)

Top: I Tried; Bottom L-R: Doge, Still No Oscar for Leo DiCaprio

Same as above.

Doge, Still No Oscar for Leo DiCaprio, I Tried

So there you have it! I now (shamefully?) possess all available Shiro COTM eyeshadows. Achievement unlocked. Here are links to my swatches of the rest of them:

• Butts, Yzma's Essence of Llama, What Does the Fox Say?, Doge, Bowties Are Cool and You Snow Nothing can be found here.
• Still No Oscar for Leo DiCaprio is hidden away somewhere in this monster post.
• Plausible Walrus and The Fourth Be With You are swatched in this post.

Overall, I'm terribly pleased with almost every single shadow and am looking forward to what Shiro comes up with this next year!

xxx

P.S. - I'm still figuring out the best way to swatch! I'm trying to be more efficient as I have very little time during the week to do anything but without losing (and hopefully gaining!) quality so if you have any suggestions or constructive criticisms just let me know!