Monday, February 23, 2015

Shiro's Battle of the Boy Bands Part 1: I Want It That Way


I've come to the quite solid conclusion that my blog will be something of a deadzone come wintertime. This is due in part to the complete lack of sunlight I need for swatches but also because I'm a human lizard and my body shuts down with the cold weather. (Not to mention the scales.) We're not getting any warmer in these parts but it's getting brighter which has me feeling a touch more active and while I'm nowhere near "summer-mode" I'm ready to get back into livin'.

Around Valentine's Day Shiro decided to woo our little '90s/'00s preteen hearts and released Battle of the Boy Bands - two collections paying tribute to the effeminate heart throbs of the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC. Granted, I wasn't much of a boy band fan in my youth but who didn't own a copy of Backstreet Boys' Millennium album? Everyone had it - it was just a natural state of being. So, while these collections didn't speak to me at my deepest, sexiest levels I still felt the strongest of needs for several reasons. 1. New Shiro stuff will always ignite my sparkle lusts. 2. Cheesy photoshop labels do speak to me at my deepest and sexiest levels. I threw both sets in my cart (along with a few odds and ends) and went about my merry way. Perhaps I could have been more patient - after the fact Caitlin asked if I'd like to do some lip swatches for the collections, refunded me my order and shipped these puppies my way! (She's a goddess, you guys.)

Today I'm starting off with the I Want It That Way collection - bringin' the Backstreet Boys to life all over your face. First up, the glosses!



Rich fuschia-toned pink gloss with a soft golden shimmer. Slightly more than moderate opacity.
Let's bring back side ponies, tho.

Slap this gloss on your gob and brace yourself as you ride the wave of nostalgia and Strawberry Crush. I could tell just looking at the tube that this gloss was going to be hella gorgeous. The gold shimmer in this is what dreams are made of - though it's far less noticeable in thinner layers. The fuchsia is so bright and peppy - perhaps not necessarily a color for everyone but if you're looking for a fun, youthful pop of color then I strongly recommend Quit Playing Games With My Carter. Also, when I say Strawberry Crush, I mean it. This gloss smells like bubbling strawberry soda to me and it's perfect.



Deep Dragon-styled red in a wearably moderate opacity.
Oh myyyy.
Sevin Minutes In Kevin photographs crazy bright so this photo was edited for color accuracy~

Far more adult than the last gloss, this is the perfect "Maybe this is lip gloss; Maybe I've been drowning my sorrows in wine as I slowly close in on 30; Maybe go fuck yourself" shade. It's deep, sexy and my god it's spicy. The flavor is aptly listed as 'spiceberry' and, while pleasant, contains a bit of cinnamon oil. If you have sensitive lips or if your lips are winter-worn/swatch-abused then this fucker is gonna sting. But, if you're like me, that just adds to it's sensual appeal. The largest problem with Seven Minutes in Kevin is the same that we had with Red in My Ledger but far less so. The gloss is dark but leans sheer so anywhere the gloss gets globbed up is obviously darker - a problem that usually concentrates around the lip line when I use a doe foot applicator. Thankfully, it's much much easier to even out than Red in My Ledger. The big kicker with this one will be how well you tolerate lip pain.



Next are the face products! Each collection includes two blushes and one highlighter. Here are the shades for this collection swatched side by side:

Let's just call 'em Littrell, McLean & Howie for short.
Heavily swatched with a finger over bare skin.
As you can see the blushes/highlighter for I Want It That Way lean very warm and natural. Definitely the type of blush I like! Here they are one by one:



Warm-toned highlight with the most subtle shimmer.
Sorry for the dimness!
Direct light/Sun spot
Warm and subtle - this is a 'no-highlighter' sort of highlight. I usually prefer something with a bit more bang but as sheer as this is I think it'll be beautiful blended over more matte blushes (particularly the following two) to add a bit of glow. 



Soft matte warm blushy beige.

My favorite of the bunch! (From this collection and the next!) It's very similar to one of my most used mainstream blushes MAC Bareness (which was limited edition, I think). It blends out really seamlessly to just add a bit of warmth to my cheeks - very natural and perfect for lazy days.



Deep warm rose with barely-there shimmer.
That crown~

This blush scared me a bit at first to be honest. It's not nearly as intimidating once on my face however. Like McLean, Howie's quite natural if a bit deeper and ruddier. For days I'd want more color but perhaps without crossing the line into actual color.


Overall, Quit Playing Games With My Carter is for sure my favorite of the bunch with You Can McLean On Me taking the lead of the face products. Concerning the Tearin' Up My Heart collection, expect a post up within the next couple of days! As for now, I've got some duties on Draenor!

xxx

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Baroque Cosmetics' Friends in My Heart Collection


GUYS. GUYS. I BUILT A LIGHT BOX AND IT WORKS (KINDA) SO I'VE GOT SWATCHES. (è⌂é) EAT SHIT, WINTER. (Though I am eager to get me some good sunlight.)

Anyway, my sisters' are super cutie-patooties and for Christmas they got me the full sized set of Baroque Cosmetics 'Friends in My Heart' collection! Kingdom Hearts is, like, one of my top fandoms (though it's been a while since I've played any of the games) and this is the first indie tribute to the series that I've seen - I'm sure I've probably missed some here and there but whatevs. I've also been meaning to give Baroque Cosmetics a try for forever (They have Miyazaki collections - Miyazaki collections!) so this was definitely a nice little intro. Anyway, let's get right into swatches!



*All swatches done over Too Faced Glitter Glue and photographed within a light box constructed with daylight bulbs.*

A deep blue with sparkly glitter.

Not my favorite of this set but definitely pretty. This would be perfect as a liner or to deepen up an eye look. I'm tempted to pair it with Stolen Identity (swatched below) and see what happens - Sparkle Chemistry 101.



A mauve-y purple-y red.

This shade is so much prettier than I was expecting before I swatched it! It's a really lovely, dark dusty rose/mauve shade that's something of a cross between a shimmer and a satin. It's not lip safe buuuttt I may have to tap a bit of it over a pink matte lip because I'm pretty sure it would be magic. (Also, I do what I want.)



A pale yellow with purple glitter.
WOLDS
Unfff

I'm sorry - this swatch is a bit difficult to see since the pale yellow blends in with my skin tone a bit. Of course, it makes Heart of All Worlds a perfect highlight shade for me. And just look at those sparkles. I'm droolin'.



A smoky black with red glitter.
Hot mama.

Heartless is the perfect representation of its namesake. Though I don't get much red glitter - more violet and gold. (Which I'm totally cool with, obvs.) I want nothing more than to smoke out my bottom lash line with this shade~



A sparkly light gold.
The lighting's weird here - I was still figuring out my set up. Sorry!

A lovely pale gold/beige. It's not the most unique of colors but it rounds out the collection as a whole quite nicely.



A burning green.

Grass! I'm still a bit uncomfortable with this type of green but the gold shimmer makes it seem more wearable for me. I really need to expand my horizons a bit. =_=



A bright silver with green glitter.

Land is a super gorgeous (if a bit sheer) silver with light, almost mint green, shimmer. Since it can sheer out fairly easy I've been using it in my inner corner as a highlight and it's fabulous.



A bright, sky blue.

My swatches don't do this shadow enough justice. It's a bright, metallic blue that's so vivid I thought the swatch was going to lift off of my arm and float away. That probably doesn't make much sense but I get it. Now, a blue like this is somewhat hard to wear (Picture Mimi from the Drew Carey Show.) but I'm determined to make this color work for me.



A pink with a soft violet sheen.

So delicate! So dainty! This is another shade that's a bit sheer which makes it a nice highlight but if your looking to make it pop a white base would be a good idea.



A deep burgundy with blue glitter.

One of my favorites! The blue sparkles in Sea are the fuckin' bomb and the burgundy/maroon base is so bold and rich. I'm enamored.



A mid tone brown with aqua glitter.

MY ULTRA MOST FAVORITE. Sky is a smooth, mid-tone metallic brown. The blue sparkles make the whole shade though. I've been wearing this everywhere: all over the lid, in the crease, blending out darker shades. I don't know. It's getting a bit obsessive. Maybe I need help? But don't send help.



A bold amber yellow.

Molten Gold. Another vivid, float-away masterpiece. Put this on your face and feel like the Egyptian Goddess you are.


Aaand there we have it! My first foray into the world that is Baroque Cosmetics! My favorites have to be Sky, Sea and Heart of All Worlds with Blast Away! and I'm So FLATTERED! bringin' in the rear as my least favorites. Not so much that they're bad but more in a "Eh, take 'em or leave 'em" sort of way. I'm thinking I may have to grab samples of that Spirited Away set but those Art Nouveau blushes are a sure thing. C'mon, a Mucha blush? A Klimt blush?! This brand is after my little wienery fandom heart hard. I'm into it.

Also, thanks for the gift my beautiful bubbies! Love you!

xxx