Glitter and smells in the pipeline

Hurrah - I no longer feel like the grotesque lead role in a horror film. Unfortunately, I still look a bit like one so there are no pictures of my face for a few days. I bet you're gutted, aren't you.

If there's one thing that's good about having to lie in bed for four days, it's the combined joys of owning a laptop and the existence of internet shopping. Instead of being at work, I could spend hours perusing various beauty websites and reaching for my credit card in between bouts of hacking coughing or feverish sleep. I can also blame any shopping excesses on a drug-induced delirium. Sorted.

A package that I ordered pre-illness arrived on Thursday to bolster my spirits. It contained more mini  shadows and lip lustres from my new love Fyrinnae:

I got more Arcane Magics, a few brights and some neutrals to try out. I will be back with more FOTDs in the next few weeks. From my sick bed, I placed a new Julie Hewett order which includes my first custom palette selection, so I'm looking forward to seeing if the colour representations on the website are accurate.

I also ordered and received (very quickly) a number of samples from Lucky Scent, a US-based website for hard to find fragrances. I'm increasingly intrigued by more unusual fragrances and I also want to find my perfect 'earthy' scent that captures damp cellars and loamy earth but in a non hideous way. Here is what I got samples of, including a short description from the website:

Boudicca - Wode
a play of dark and light - soft musk and dry spice and brooding black hemlock. A stroll in the woods becomes a trek through a primeval forest with a few glowing yellow eyes peering at you from the shadows. 

Profumum - Thundra
A solitary walk through a cool, damp forest, just after the rain. You can smell the rich earth as it drinks in the water, the bark on the trees, the carpet of fallen leaves and wild mint crushed under your feet. 

Profumum - Fumidus
The smokiness of aged Laphroaig scotch served neat, It is also earthy – the earthiness of rich, freshly tilled land surrounded by uncut forest.

Profumum - Oxiana 
a union between the more Western cleanness of musk infused by a fresh oceanic accord joining with the earthier and slightly sweet balsamic accords from the East.  

Hilde Soliani - Fraaagola Saalaaata
With notes of strawberries and salt, this is a unique mixture of pulpy, juicy, fruity innocence and strangely saline, at times almost earthy sensuality. 

Montale - Patchouli Leaves
These are patchouli leaves wrapped in the softest and the most expensive of cashmeres, brought in oak trunks from exotic faraway lands.

Montale - Fougeres Marine
The creators take fern out of its traditional foresty context and place it by the sea, thus achieving a quality that is simultaneously fresh, green and earthy. 

Parfumerie Generale - Private Collection: L'Oiseau de Nuit
this is a complex and modern salute to leather. Very sweet and earthy all at once, L’oiseau makes your eyes glaze over and your jaw tighten with the need to get as close to it as possible.

I'll be testing these over the next couple of weeks, so let me know if anyone has any requests for what gets reviewed first.

I'd really recommend a look at the Lucky Scent website as the scent descriptions alone are amazing. The samples I bought were $3-$4 each and postage was a flat $5 and they arrived well packaged and within a week.

One fragrance I really wanted to try - but they had no samples of - was CB I Hate Perfume Black March. The 'nose' behind this line is the same person that created the Demeter line of unusual fragrances, of which Dirt and Thunderstorm are some of my all time favourites. I've seen Black March described as 'Dirt in HD', so it sounds like perfection to me. The perfume notes are listed as: 'rain drops, leaf buds, wet twigs, tree sap, bark, mossy earth and the faintest hint of spring flower bulbs'. How can I resist that?! Fortunately, this range is stocked at Liberty, so I think I will be making a fragrance pilgrimage in the not too distant future.

FOTD - Fyrinnae

I've been trying to work my way through the shadows in my last Fyrinnae order and I've reached the more colourful options now. My workplace is is quite relaxed and rainbow eyes are fine, but I'm not always in the mood for bright shadow application first thing in the morning.

Today I applied Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place cream shadow in Blue Velvet to the outer third of my eyelid and blended it into the centre to fade. I then tapped a small amount of Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on top. Once it had gone tacky, I swept Arcane Magic shadow in Faerie Glamour across the lid and drew it under the lower lashline. I then blended Atomic Afterglow shadow into the crease and inner corner to soften the edges of the Faerie Glamour. I love Atomic Afterglow and have ordered the full size in my second Fyrinnae order. It's a lovely silvery taupey shade with a hint of cool green that seems to blend well with any shade or creates a shimmering neutral eye when used alone.

You can see in the pics that the Estee Lauder Blue Velvet helps intensify and draw out the blue in the Faerie Glamour, which is more violet in appearance towards the inner corner where there was no coloured base. Like all the Arcane Magics,  Faerie Glamour changes dependent upon which light it's seen in, with artificial light having the greatest impact.

The rest of the face was half a pump of Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, ELF Complexion Perfection powder, Urban Decay Sweetie blush and Fyrinnae Pink Guitar Lip Lustre. It took about ten minutes to do and thanks to the Pixie Epoxy - truly a wonder product - the eyes lasted well all day with no creasing or flaking.

Apparently, my second Fyrinnae order has shipped so I'm waiting with baited breath for some more Arcanes and Lip Lustres. The pricing on the site has been rejigged recently, but it means the sizes are slightly bigger, which is particularly good for the Arcanes (for an extra few cents, the smallest size is now 1/4tsp where it was previously 1/8tsp).

I really recommend Fyrinnae. They clearly post the waiting time for shipments on the home page, but I've never had to wait for the full period. The quality of the products I've tried so far is amazing and there are fun and funky shades alongside more muted naturals. I've never been a fan of loose shadows as I find them too messy but the Pixie Epoxy really helps combat that issue. Also, as a fan of Urban Fantasy I like owning products with names like 'Elven Dagger', 'Warrior-Mage' and 'Druid Werewolf', as if I'm touched by magic as well as make-up.

FOTD - more Fyrinnae

Two more of my Fyrinnae shadow samples today. I really cannot get over how easy to work with the Pixie Epoxy makes these. It feels like I'm using one of those magic colouring books where a wet brush reveals the colours of a picture. A fluffy brush dipped in loose, glittery powder eyeshadow should lead to a big old mess, but the precision and ease of blending is phenomenal.

Anyway, here's today's face (click for a closer look):

On top of a base of UDPP and Pixie Epoxy, I applied Equality shadow on the lids - a very sparkly and iridescent platinum shade - and then used Avian Shapeshifter Arcane Magic in the crease, outer corner and blended slightly above the socket. This was one of the smoothest eyeshadows I have ever used in my life and it really did go on like a dream. It looks like a sort of terracotta shade in the pot but once applied and seen in different lights, it ranges from burnished copper to rosy brick and everything in between. I am still loving Fyrinnae very much.

Foundation and concealer were both Bourjois Healthy Mix, lightly dusted with ELF Complexion Perfection. MyFace blush in Holiday and lips were Dior Addict Lip Glow. Once again, the shadows lasted very well all day, thanks to the magic of Pixie Epoxy.

FOTD - Fyrinnae, MAC, RMK, Daniel Sandler

So, I've spent some time doing crazy experiments in my bathroom with the Pixie Epoxy and all my Fyrinnae samples and can officially confirm I love all of them. The shadows are amazing, the mixture of colours is great, the shimmer and sparkle are fantastic and the Pixie Epoxy is a wonder product. When using this product, you must work against type with the loose shadow. There is no delicate patting on of colour with a dense shader brush. You can swipe a flufffy brush coated with loose powder across your lid and it will stick and give an amazingly intense wash of colour. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, moving on to today's look:

Let's take a closer look at those eyelids and the gorgeous Fyrinnae shadows:

*sigh* I just love them.

Anyway, the technical deets. After priming my eye with UDPP in sin I applied a tiny amount of Pixie Epoxy from lashline to brow on both eyes. I also took a tinier amount and ran it along my lower lashline (avoid the waterline). After leaving it to dry a little and go tacky - about 20 seconds - I used a fluffy shader and stroked Fyrinnae Atomic Afterglow across my lid and below the lower lashline. It goes on incredibly smoothly and the epoxy really grabs hold of it and gives a smooth, almost foiled look. Atomic Afterglow is described as silvery taupe with silver and gold highlights, but I definitely get a soft green undertone.

I then used the same fluffy brush to apply Arcane Magic in Archmage in the crease and then blended both inwards and upwards. Again, it was a dream to work with. The Arcane Magics change colour dependent upon which light they are seen in. Archmage is a deep green with a lighter shimmer that changes from pale green to silver to pink in various lights. Someone at work commented on how lovely my eyeshadow was today and how it 'kept changing colour'. The Arcanes are really something. I took another photo with flash to try to show a shift in colour:

I highlighted the inner corner up to the middle of the socket line with MAC Vanilla pigment, then used MAC Vanilla shadow to highlight under the brow. The face was RMK Liquid Foundation, Daniel Sandler Watercolour in Truth on the cheeks and on the lips is MAC Naked Honey Skin Salve topped with Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Flavor of the Day. I will do a separate post on the Lip Lustres at some point.

This look lasted well all day and the shadows did not flake or crease. I am looking forward to more adventures with my sample shadows, Arcanes and Pixie Epoxy. I am also planning another order with Fyrinnae for some full size shadows as I am so impressed with these. Delivery took a lot less than the 16-20 working days initially outlined on the website and even if I'd had to wait a month, it would have been worth it. I also got two free sample shadows included in the order, which I thought was a nice touch.

I leave you with an 'eyes open' pic, in order that the Lip Lustre can have a bit of attention while the amazing shadows are hiding:

Anyone else a Fyrinnae fan? Any recommendations?

Ceci n'est pas une haul

I'm not a big fan of haul posts or YouTube vids, I prefer to see products in action rather than trotted out for no apparent purpose. Having said that, I am trotting out some new products for you now, with a promise that I WILL show them in action when I get a moment.

Real life has thrust its greasy nose into my beauty reverie in the last few days so my opportunities to post have been somewhat curtailed. Nevertheless, my first ever order placed with Fyrinnae arrived through the letterbox today, and I am excited as a result. Behold:

I ordered samples sizes of a number of eyeshadows, three Lip Lustres, several Arcanes and a full size Pixie Epoxy. They all look beautiful in the pot and the mixture of sparkles in some is amazing. I snapped a few quick pictures to show you, but I will give them the attention they deserve and do a proper post soon. In the meantime, here is a visual amuse-gueule: