Hello Waffle's Duchess Collection

Pam's got some schmutz on her face.

Oh my gosh, I'm so puuumped - today is sunny and warm and this is my first swatch post of the year! (So much excitement!) Today I've got Hello Waffle's Duchess collection which Christine sent me for swatching purposes. This collection is based off of the television series Archer... which I've only seen the pilot of so far. >_>;; But! I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan on watching the rest of it soon~

What separates this collection from Hello Waffle's other collections is one simple fact: it's all mattes! I remember Christine alluding to an all matte collection on reddit and there was a lot of buzz and general excitement going around. Personally, I tend to be more of a shimmer/glitter gal but give me some good, solid mattes and I'm willing to play ball. Let's jump in and take a look at what we've got!

*All swatches are done over regular Too Faced Shadow Insurance in indoor, indirect natural light.*

(Note: It's best to use just the barest amount of primer with these eyeshadows! At least with the Shadow Insurance - the two do not play well together.) 

Ants

Matte dark khaki green.

Do you want Ants? Because I'm sure you want Ants. This is probably the least matte of all the shades - I'd say it has a moderate satin sheen. This would be a great color for the outer corner/crease or in building up an army green smoky eye. FYI: I find that greens like this work beautifully when paired with lilac shades.

Can't or Won't

Matte light neutral.

Stir Frydays~

It looks kinda like coconut flour!

A true matte! Can't or Won't is a pale fleshy shade which I've been using as a base for blending or to soften the edges of various eye looks. It's not one I can see myself wearing on it's own but it's a super good tool to use along side other eyeshadows.

Danger Zone

Matte light blue.

Danger Zone is a super pretty pale blue but it isn't the most pigmented of the bunch. You can see my swatches above are a bit transparent. I think this shade would perform best with a base like NYX Milk to help it really pop.

Mother

Matte dark blue-grey.

I don't get much blue from Mother - it's more like a soft grey, matte storm cloud. I suddenly find myself jonesin' for a matte smoky eye. 

"Num num num num num"

Matte burnt orange-peach.

A tiny jar of Mars.

Burnt orange-peach is a perfect description for "Num num num num num." It's definitely far from a true orange. It'd pair well with Cortexiphan along with Ocelot for a fiery, phoenix, fall type of eye look. Definitely something I'll be trying sometime in the future. 

Ocelot

Matte mustard yellow.

MUSTARD. I've got such a thing for mustard yellows and Ocelot really delivers. I guess you could say goldenrod for those of you who are anti-mustard. Anyway, a quick sidenote: don't spill this shit on your carpet. An if you do, use Goo Gone: Wine Out. That stuff is magic.

"Oh, Kreiger-san"

Matte dark muted pink.

I'm not one for bubblegum pinks so I was happy to see that "Oh Kreiger-san" was more muted than I expected - though still something I'll struggle to find a way to wear. 

"Uh, Duh!"

Matte burgundy red.

At first I was under the assumption that "Uh, Duh!" would be very similar to Cortexiphan but they're very, very different. Cortexiphan is a warm, tomato red with a strong satin sheen while "Uh, Duh!" is closer to (but not quite) a true matte and is much deeper/slightly cooler in tone. I think I'm gonna have to use this in my first ombre liner attempt - so sultry.

Yup!

Matte light mocha.

Probably my favorite of the bunch! Yup! is matte mocha, cocoa goodness. Perfect for a barely there smoky eyes on minimal makeup days. (At least for my pale-ass self.) I'll be giving it a go as a transition shade also - my current go-to tends to be UD Naked.

And that's the Duchess collection! My favorites have to be Yup!, Mother aaannd probably Ocelot? Or maybe Ants. I can't decide. Anyway, aside from the pops of neutral, this collection is mostly colored mattes - definitely something that my personal collection lacks. So I'd say this small collection is a smart little addition to any collections that mirror my own.

Also, swatching/photographing a whole collection of mattes is a lot more challenging than I expected! Plus, it's been so long since I've done a swatch post that I feel like I'm missing something... @_@ Oh well~

xxx

Happy Belated New Year!

I'm the worst blog-mama on this side of yesterday! So neglectful~

Just dropping in to let you know I'm still alive! Christmas zapped up most of my time and winter followed along and sucked up the rest of my energy resulting in an impromptu internet hiatus. That, and the fact that it's either constantly dark and/or gloomy, made swatching and posting fall to the wayside. However! The holidays are over, the days are getting lighter and the sun's started shining again which means it's time to get back on the horse! Swatch plans are all lined up (with a few just waiting to be cropped/resized) and the future's looking niiice and blog heavy.

In the meantime I figured I'd ramble on a bit about what else I've been up to! I'm currently playing my way through Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney and it's amazing. I've played every Professor Layton game and combining the gameplay of that series with the Phoenix Wright gameplay is pretty refreshing. Though now I want to play all the Phoenix Wright games. I'd definitely recommend trying this specific game though. You get to participate in witch trials!

Also, since it's been dark and gloomy and awful, I've taken on teaching myself to crochet. (Plus, all the girls at work were doing it - I'm a follower, not a leader.) Of course, my eye's are bigger than my crochet hook and I've set off on a seemingly endless needle art journey: a crocheted blanket. Although it'll take me one thousand years it's coming along okay so far. Take a look!

That's really all I've got to say for now! Keep them peepers peeped for some posts later this week! Ciao~

xxx