More Dawn Eyes Goodness!

Part of my Black Friday haul included Dawn Eyes Cosmetics.  Her stuff is hard to resist.  I tried to pick colors that are out of my normal realm.  Based on Dawn's information, many of these are best sellers.

• Faerie Dance - A lush medium beige pearl dancing with borealis sparkle. Takes on a distinct golden undertone over primer.
• Silver Sparkle Mauve - Satiny light mauve pink, liberally scattered with silver stars. (FABULOUS)
• Tropical Seas - A very pale translucent blue almost obscured by pink, gold, blue, and purple sparks. (Very unusual.)
• Flame Dance - This deep metallic red/orange absolutely drips with golden sparkle, very bold! (This is a good shade if you like to make a statement.)

•  Jeweled Pewter - A dark pewter gleaming with a subtle rainbow of sparks. (Less sparkle than I would have liked, but the color is absolutely spot on for pewter.)
• Glittering Aquamarine - A deep aquamarine graced by borealis sparkle. (Nice middle of the road shade.)
• Shock Value - A beautiful hot pink saturated in silver sparkle, sure to live up to its name! (For some reason I expected this to be bright like a neon., very much a raspberry color to me.)
• Metallic Golden Copper - A gorgeous, bright copper metal drenched in golden glitter. (This is a neat shade, metallic but depending on the angle it can look coppery or gold.)

• Provoked - A bright sassy purple glistening with pink, blue, and copper sparks.  (This has a lot of sparkle despite the swatch.  This along with King's Robe were similar.  Not exactly the same, but close enough that you could own one or the other.  To a purple aficionado the differences may be more pronounced.  This shade needs a bit more base as well.
• Champagne Soireé - Coppery pale champagne with subtle shimmers of pink and violet. (I had pictured this as a champagne peignoir.  Sheer, wispy and sparkly. Not as sheer as I would have liked.) 
• Blurple - This awesome shade looks like a metallic blue head-on, but stuns with a deep magenta heart and a profusion of purple sparks. A must have for lovers of both blue and purple!  (This is one of those shades that makes you stop and think if you have ever seen anything quite like it.  Purple fans do not miss this.)
• Twinkling Teal - A medium teal sparkling with green sparks and lit up with gold sparks. (Somehow I seem to have teal and aquamarine quite similar in color.  You could easily get the teal or the aquamarine and consider it done.)

• Merry Go Round - Is it gold, is it blue? With Merry Go Round it's up to you! Can even be seen as a green, this golden blue sparkles with gold and blue shimmer! (This shade is really unusual.  The description is right on.)
• Olive Sands - Medium olive satin with hints of blue, green, and gold shimmer. (Eh, wants to be Olive Orchard, but just can't get its green on.)
• King's Robe - A beautiful royal purple showered with borealis sparkle, fit for Kings and Queens alike!
• Naughty Girl - What happens on vacation stays on vacation! This black-based deep plum satin has coppery undertones and a hint of purple, and is lit with bright sparks of pink and purple, perfect for a naughty night out!** (Part of a retiring LE collection.  I don't care for black based shadows, having said that - I think this color is quite common in various companies repertoire.  This can retire without much concern.) 

You've seen all of these before, Silver Sparkle Mauve in this review.  I was testing if I liked swatching over eye shadow base, wet or a regular primer.  I'm still up in the air.  I draw your attention to Treasure Chest which is such a great color.  You want to own this one.

My picks, Silver Sparkle Mauve, Tropical Seas, Blurple and Merry Go-round.

**Discontinued 1/6/12

Do you own any DEC shadows?

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Current Indie Sales

• Tick:Tock Cosmetics - One year birthday sale.  25% off almost everything in the store.  Order $15.00 or more and receive a free full size of "First Birthday".  No code needed. Ends 4/22

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Persephone Minerals Swatches!

Persephone Minerals participated in the Black Friday bonanza.  I couldn't resist purchasing some samples to try.  In addition to the Christmas LE colors, I also ordered several other samples.  As anyone who purchases from Persephone will tell you, her stuff is just amazing.  It's always pleasing when swatching isn't hard work.  The colors glide on, the glitter is well placed - and the essence of the shade is easily captured.

Infinity is a deep sexy silver-grey that shifts to violet, complete with blue-violet sparkle.
Mars Crystal Power -Inspired by the pink & gold crystal power wands and the transformation sequence of Sailor Mars. This is one hell of a duochrome shift from bright red to gold, chock full of pink and gold sparkle! It looks like a pinkish color in the jar, but do not let that fool you! 
Super Sailor Moon -Inspired by both the transformation sequence & the costume itself. This is sort of white with a touch of yellow to it, topped of with red, blue and yellow crystalina glitters ;)
Eternal Sailor Moon- When dry this will shift a slight bit towards white, but when foiled like this it stays more of a paler gold. It is perfected by the touch of yellow and pink crystalina glitters. 

Moon Cosmic Power - A coppery/pink/gold shift filled with teeny sparkles of aqua & pink! Inspired by....okay I think I'm sounding redundant, no? The name says it all!

Moon Crystal Power- A shift from pink to gold, leaning more on the pink side when foiled. I'm sure you already guessed the inspiration for this :) This also has a little dose of red & white crystalina glitters. 

Buttercream Bliss - This is a buttery, creamy decadance topped with gold sparkle. 

Withering Roses is a light dusty rose pink with a bit of an almost coppery-coral glow to it. Can make a great blush or highlight as well :D

Rained is a deeper, lovely earthy brown with almost a purple tinge to it. It is super sparkly! The sparkles in this one are tricky ;) Depending on the angle, they can appear either pink or blue-violet.

Magick Brownie -A super shimmery shift from chocolate brown to herbal green to almost a grey color. A very complex color.

Prosirpine- the Roman name for Persephone.  This is really the surprise of the group, the shift from teal to purple is amazing depending on the light.  

My full size purchases will definitely include Prosirpine, Buttercream Bliss, Moon Crystal Power and Eternal Sailor Moon.  Really all of the shades are complex and really different.

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Persephone Minerals - Christmas LE Swatches!

I received a nice envelope full of sparkly goodness from Persephone Minerals.  I have swatched some of the Holiday Collection shadows. You can find the entire collection here. First two pictures are swatched over Wet n Wild Idol Eyes Pixie130 (pale champagne).

Gingerbread House- A golden-gingery shade loaded with gumdrop sparkles of gold, blue & pink.  (This really looks like gingerbread.  An uncommon color. This has a medium amount of glitter.)

Corrupt Cupid- A festive burst of red, green, gold, silver & white sparkle. Perfect on it's own or layered over other shades. (Almost has a wintery white feel to it.  Very sparkly.)

Dirty Dancer- A deep shimmering sage green with green & silver-grey sparkle. (This is what a blue spruce Christmas tree looks like.  Very sparkly.)

Buttermint- A pale, glowing yellow highlight glistening with sparkles of bright yellow & duotone sparkles or red-yellow. (This has a nice shift, but I wouldn't describe it as glistening.  It's not matte, nor frost - a bit inbetween.)

Bad Blitzen- A lovely yellow-green with a yellow-gold shift & gold, silver & green shimmer.

These are all swatched over Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy.  

As you can see, they all really show their character once epoxy has entered the scene.  I highly recommend PE (or a similar glitter glue) for all of these shadows, it really showcases the beauty.

Do you own any Persephone shadows?  What do you like the best?

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Dawn Eyes Cosmetics - Swatches! LE Christmas 2011

Wanted to get these Christmas themed shades out for everyone to see.   These beauties can be found here.

Candy Cane - Bright true red shimmering with loads of silver and red sparks. Delicious!!
Sugarplum Dreams - Deep beautiful burgundy dancing with red and green sparkle. An excellent crease or lip color! Just dab a little over lip gloss for a very sugarplum look!
Frankincense & Myrrh - A deep and textured brown, glittering with gold, red, purple, blue, and copper sparkle. This shade will make you love brown, even if you don't!
Rum Eggnog - Buttery and soft, sweet and smooth, this goldish pale orange tinted with hints of beige and golden sparkle, and sprinkled with brilliant dark copper sparks will make you thirsty indeed! Watch for the kick!!

The immediate winner is Frankincense and Myrrh, followed by Sugarplum Dreams. Lots more in her holiday collection to try out.

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Simply Just Minerals - Swatches!

I have an inordinate number of colors to get swatched for Simply Just Minerals.  Here are twelve.  These shadows all apply very well and adhere with no issue.

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Dawn Eyes Cosmetics - Swatches

I satisfied my craving for DEC by ordering some samples and a full size of Peacock Teal II. These shadows did not disappoint.  You can see the swatch of Peacock Teal II here.

Pine Plus - The same classic green as Pine but bursting with green sparkle.

SMR - My version of AL Angels Suzanne Marie Rose, a metallic golden beige bedecked with green and pink sparks and a healthy dose of holographic glitter! Suzanne Marie Rose is my Mother.

Close to Coral - This hard to classify shade has a light brownish base but is loaded with so much pink sparkle that it turns out…close to coral.

Purple Velvet - This dark purple-black absolutely blazes with purple, violet, and blue sparkle! Photography simply can't do it justice. 

Playoff White - A pearly white with pink and gold sparks!

Late Fall - A medium dark brown with a touch of russet, glimmering with green, blue, and especially violet sparks.

Treasure Chest - Very pale mauvy beige loaded with pink and copper sparkle.

Pain in the Pink - Pretty light pink dancing with golden sparkle and a hint of pink shimmer.

Peach Bubbly - A pale pearly peach twinkling with silver sparks.

Verdant Dark Brown - A deep brown with a slight burgundy undertone and gleaming with blue, green, and golden sparks.

Orange Sherbet - A bright flashy orange loaded with gold sparkle.

Purple Velvet is pretty neat.  I took a blurred shot so you could see the sparkles in it.  This reminds me of an Elvis black velvet painting!

I really like all of the shades. My absolute favorite is Treasure Chest. I also like Close to Coral, SMR and Playoff White.  I'm always looking for shades that are perfect for an Ohio State fan and this one fits the bill. 

Do you own any DEC shadows?  Which are your favorites?

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Darling Girl Giveaway! - Closed

October brought us Breast Cancer Awareness month. Along with that, was a collective beauty blogger effort called Team Pink Eye to help raise funds for Susan B. Komen for the Cure.  Many companies graciously offered their products to be used in weekly giveaways.  One of the donors was, Susan from Darling Girl Cosmetics.  She created a limited edition shadow that could be purchased, or won.  I had the amazing luck to have won her giveaway two weeks in a row.  I talked with Susan about doing a giveaway to bestow the LE shadow onto someone who perhaps missed the opportunity. 

Below is a swatch of "Twin Peaks" LE 2011 BCA shadow by Darling Girl Cosmetics.  It is an absolutely beautiful shade.  A low-sheen plush shadow with glitter and a slight gold sheen.  The glitter looks like a very fine periwinkle color to my eyes.  The shadow looks very lavender like in the jar, but the character comes out depending on how you apply it. First is a light application blended, the second is bare but much heavier and the last is over Pixy Epoxy.

In addition, Susan offered up five deluxe samples of her spectral shifts. From her webstore "Spectral Shifts are silky, sheer multipurpose shades that can be used as eye shadow, face highlighters or depending on your complexion blush. Don't let the colors fool you. Most of a shift that makes them very wearable."

Mystique is a gorgeous robins egg blue with a delicate pink shift.
Morbid Angel is an oddly pretty highlight shade. It's a smokey lilac taupe with a just the barest hint of green iridescence.
Haze - Beautiful taupe with violet shift and purple and red iridescence.
Ramblin' Rose is a gorgeous ecru with a delicate red shift.
Little Miss Sunshine is a gorgeous buttery yellow with the loveliest red shift.

I recently found these cute little lipstick rounds from Jane Cosmetics.  There seem to be about 4 varieties of them.  Taffeta (warm corals/peach), Satin (cool pinks), Brocade (reds) and Leather (mixed).  I picked up a couple extra of the Satin and Leather to toss in with this giveaway.  I really love these little things.  They make it easy and quite inexpensive to try different shades.  I am still trying to hone my lip selections - and these are just great - plus they have that cool compartment underneath them to store the brush with mirror.

On the left is the Satin collection, the right is the Leather. I swatched the Leather collection first on bare skin, it didn't turn out as well  The Satin which is swatched over Rock A Betty's  "Stay Put, Already" color-locking lip serum. I intend to reswatch Leather over the RABB lip serum. The Leather collection is now swatched over RABB's serum.

That leads us to the most exciting part of this post.  All of these items are up for grabs. This giveaway is open to participants in the US and internationally, unless prohibited by law.  The approximate value of the prizes is $20.00 US.

This contest is open from November 30, 2011 - December 23, 2011 at 11:59pm EDT.

Feel free to leave more than one memory/comment.  All these special memories remind me of many I cherish - I'd love to hear any and all of yours.

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