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| *Press Samples* |
'Tis the season for Holiday collections!
Christmas is in less than 10 days and I'm freaking out, you guys. I'm nowhere near ready. BUT! This post has been sitting in my draft folder for 10 million years (give or take) and it needs to be finished. So today it is my great pleasure to bring you swatches of Aromaleigh's Sol Invictus collection inspired by the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia! I absolutely love collections with nerd/pop culture-esque themes but throw well researched history/mythology my way and you've got me hook, line and sinker - and no one does this quite as well as Aromaleigh. I suggest going through and reading the product pages; the little tidbits of information included are really interesting and add a bit of something that fleshes out the collections. Good stuff! Let's go ahead and get into those swatches though.
*All swatches are over Too Faced Glitter Glue in indoor indirect light except for the last photos of each eyeshadow which were taken in direct sunlight.*
A richly shimmering soft warm gold with color traveling sparkles of gold/green and red/violet.
I would call Aureum a brighter, warmer version of Shiro's Kooloo-Limpah without the metallic sheen. I like it, I'm not wowed by it, but I definitely like it. I'll probably pop this into my inner corner every so often.
A smooth rich teal blue with prominent gold/copper/red color traveling sparkles.
HNGGG. Welcome to my favorite shade of the whole bunch! I am absolutely desperately in love with Io, Saturnalia! I wear this all over my lid and blended out for a one color type of smokey eye. If my collection wasn't so massive I would wear this almost everyday. My funds are poop on account of holiday shopping but after Christmas I'll definitely be getting this in a full size.
A gorgeous taupe base with really strong orange-red-violet color traveling iridescence.
Lord of Misrule would be perfect for a neutral look that packs a little extra somethin' somethin'. I have yet to work it into a look just yet but soon!
A heathered deep indigo/violet (will change from more blue to more violet depending on your viewing conditions) with dominant blue to teal sparkles that color shift to fuchsia/red.
Photos cannot justifiably capture the gorgeous blue glow of Lua Saturni. Not the same but not dissimilar, I'd call it the soul sister of Hello Waffle's Chopin.
An imperial purplish mauve with chestnut tones and a strong and sparkling color traveling duochrome effect that ranges from gold, bronze and copper.
Another favorite! The gold sparkle in Luxuriae Maniae is quite bold, running through the purple base as though it were some type of plummy, viscous fluid. This is also another great shade for a one color smokey eye! I may just pick this one up full size along with Io, Saturnalia.
A rich taupe-y shade with brilliant aqua/gold/copper sparkles.
At first I found this color to be a bit meehhh - it seems a bit muddy in an arm swatch. But today I wore it over Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe and it really brings out Munera's cool grey tones. If you're on the hunt for a sparkly, cool neutral then I'd suggest giving this color a shot.
A delicate opalescent pink with bountiful pink to blue color shift.
Common opinion among bloggers is that Opalia is difficult to work with and I'd have to agree. It's a beautiful color but it doesn't have much body to it making it difficult to build up smoothly. Granted, looking back at the product description, it's meant to be something along the lines of a glitterbomb best suited for layering or as an accent color. It's an absolutely beautiful color though - I'll probably take up Aromaleigh's suggestion of patting it on my lips.
As a quick aside: I just noticed "opalia" on the label where it should read "sol invictus." Oops! I'll consider it collectible~
An exquisite shimmering peach with oodles of icy blue, pink, copper and gold color traveling sparkles.
Though it's another self-proclaimed glitterbomb, Oscilla is a bit easier to work with than Opalia. I love this shade for a pop of glitter in my inner corner. I haven't tried it yet but I may have luck sweeping it all over the lid for something quick, easy and brightening. A little caution when blending out this color: the glitter kicks up a bit!
A gorgeously rich amber which is slightly metallic and having a spectacular amount of strong aqua and fuchsia sparklies.
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| Oh good, no focus. D:< |
Sigillaria is pretty but I'd say direct sunlight really brings it to life. Unff.
A beautiful coral/orange shade with a slight golden undertone in certain lighting, bedazzled by color traveling orange-violet-fuchsia shimmer and bright green sparks.
Sol Invictus! You know when a shade shares the same name as the entire collection then it's gonna be a big deal. Honestly, I was unimpressed with it in the jar. Swatched, however, it looks so very different. It's a lovely, ruddy coral with golden tones. I think I might prefer this as a lip color - I'll try patting it over orange lipstick and see what kind of magic happens.
A gorgeous multi-dimensional festive green with amber metallic lowlights and color-shifting highlight sparkles that keep this color ever-changing.
Topsy Turvy is probably my least favorite of the bunch. There's just too much going on with it for my tastes. It's got some pretty neat shifts though, I'll give it that!
A gorgeous berry shade that shifts to a softly metallic copper, with brilliant iridescent fuchsia and blue sparkles and copper iridescence.
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| Dat shift tho. |
The last of the holiday shades: Unchained Revelry! It's got an interesting shift that flashes from warm to cool. This is another shade that would look good on the lips, patted over a berry lipstick perhaps.
That's it for Sol Invictus! Io, Saturnalia is definitely my favorite of the bunch though I have gotten a lot of use out of most of them. I wore a Luxuriae Maniae/Oscilla combo for my sister's and my holiday party and it was magic. Aromaleigh's Diavoli collection was beautiful but I think Sol Invictus is a bit easier to wear. (But I'll add, through accidental use of a dirty blending brush, I've discovered Scarmiglione makes the perfect crease color for many of these shades.) Anyway, suffice it to say, the more I try Aromaleigh, the more I fall in love with their products. In fact, I was able to get a slot for their Ephemera Subscription box! I'm very excited about it, you guys. I can't even.
Along with Sol Invictus I also recieved a couple samples of a few of their newer COTM's - mythical monster themed! Let's take a look!
Cthulhu - October '14 COTM (Mythical Monsters)
I wanted to create a wearable color, so I opted for a deep mauved red/chestnut with a strong green/aqua duo chrome and brilliant green sparks!
CTHULHUUU. This color is even nicer in person. It's for sure another full size buy for me! I've been wearing it all over the lid and blended out and it's so moody - I love it. Also, it's inspired me to revisit my giant Lovecraft anthology so yay! Reading is power!
Gryphon - November '14 COTM (Mythical Monsters)
A very complex gray with khaki undertones, gold to pink multichrome highlights, and vibrant bronze and coppery sparks.
Gryphon - a super gorgeous neutral that I can't get enough of. You'd think a girl'd get tired of glorious gold/grays. But I never will. Ever.
Anyway, I'm itching to get this post published since A) it's almost the end of the work day and B) I'm going to get sushi with some pals tonight so I'll wrap this up here. Thanks for reading, you beautiful bubs!
Anyway, I'm itching to get this post published since A) it's almost the end of the work day and B) I'm going to get sushi with some pals tonight so I'll wrap this up here. Thanks for reading, you beautiful bubs!
xxx
