Darling Girl: Diamond Dusts, Spectral Shifts and Rainbow Brite!

Susan was kind enough to send me some new items that will be up in her shop next week (probably around November 7th). There's three parts to this post: Diamond Dusts, which are a new formula, new Spectral Shifts, which came out around Halloween and can be used all over the face, and the Rainbow Brite collection, which is a series of highlight shades that turn 'magical' over black.

I had a lot of fun photographing these, though a lot of them wouldn't play nice with my camera! Spectral Shifts can be used anywhere on the face; the most common uses would be as an eyeshadow or as a cheek highlight. They shift color depending on the light and have very fine sparkle in them.

Everything is swatched over Darling Girl's Glitter Glue. 

You'll want to blow these up because you can see the color shift much easier!

Mystique is a pale sky blue with subtle pink shift.

Morbid Angel is a charcoal-taupe-purple with a slight green shift. Really unique.

Little Miss Sunshine is a very pale orange-y grey with pink shift, similar to the shift in Ramblin' Rose.

Ramblin' Rose is probably my favorite of the Spectral Shifts that she's done. It would be an amazing blush -- it's a rosey-grey-pink with subtle red sparkle and a bit of green as well.

Hare is a subtle purple with slight brown tint. This one is hard to describe.

Diamond Dusts are a very smooth eyeshadow base with a ton of sparkle. The formula is interesting because the glitter adheres well to the base, even when you blend them out. I'm really, really impressed with these. I did some odd lighting conditions to show the sparkle, color shift, and the texture. Some of the photos will seem dark for that reason, and I blurred a few to help show the crazy amount of glitter in these!

Flare is a burnt red with red and green sparks. One word: amazing!

Sushi Flower is a beautiful medium purple with bits of pink and green, maybe even a little red sparkle. I love that this doesn't turn grey or blue like a lot of purples do... it's just -purple-.

Moon Dust is a light brown with hints of taupe; the sparkle in this is varied -- green, pink, even a little blue. Gorgeous.

Lucy in the Sky is a medium blue with pink and green sparkle. I had some minor coverage issues with this one, but it could have been where the Glitter Glue didn't get sticky enough.

Wood Sprite may be my favorite of the collection, and is a deep burgundy brown with crazy light green sparkle.

Verdant Green is a seafoam green, reminds me of mermaids. This has a subtle fuchsia sparkle, a little green as well. It isn't as sparkly as the other ones but the color shift from a light teal to seafoam is really pretty.

Just a pic to show the crazy amounts of sparkle:

Totally Teal is another contender for my favorite in the collection, and is a strong metallic teal with pink and blue sparkle. Absolutely love this.

Dark Crystal is fascinating -- it's black in some lights but under flash, you see more of the purple base. I'd say it's a blackened purple. The truly stunning part of this is the sparkle -- it's got the same green sparkle as Wood Sprite but it's also got fuchsia, brown and some purple sparks too.

The last portion of this post is another new line of shadows, called Rainbow Brite. These are 'highlights', per se, that shift over a darker base. I became obsessed with Sugarpill's Lumi and Pixie Dust from Jessie's Girl, and wanted one in every color. So, Susan came up with an array of colors. I did these in natural light and flash. I also did it over Glitter Glue on the top and over a black eyeliner on the bottom.

Buddy Blue is just as the name states!

Indigo is a blue tinged purple.

Canary is a golden yellow with a bit of a burnished finish.

La La Orange is a sherbet orange with slight red shimmer.

Sky Violet is a blue with a little bit of a purple tinge.

Red Butler (thanks Mandy!) is a purpley-red.

Lucky is a deep emerald green with a shift to teal.

Patty O Green is a chartreuse green with gold shift.

Rainbow Brite is a pink-burgundy.

On-X is a charcoal grey on it's own, but it transforms over a black base to create a sparkly black. This color is really interesting -- it has orange flecks in it, but also grey, blue and even brown. It's not much on it's own but over a darker base, it's gorgeous. I want to try this over a metallic red base to see what happens!

For my FOTD, I used Totally Teal and Wood Sprite Diamond Dusts, and used Buddy Blue to highlight the inner corners of my eyes. I really like this look, but I wished I had used Buddy Blue as a brow highlight as well. I used a bronze eyeliner on my waterline (Sephora waterproof pencil in Flashy Brown), Mac MSF in Semi Precious Crystal Pink on the cheeks, and Maybelline Pink Please lipstick with NYX gloss in Chestnut over top.

Pfew, that's all I have for you today! What do you think of the new collections? Is there anything you MUST have? (Hint: I love all of it!)

DISCLAIMER: Post contains products sent for review by owner. This does not change my opinion of said products and I received no monetary compensation for this review.

Darling Girl Cosmetics: Good For Your Body Too!

Susan from Darling Girl Cosmetics also sent me some body products to review as she's come up with some neat little things lately. Here is what I got:

* Bye Bye Dry Lavender Infused Healing Butter: Available in 2oz. size
* Mini SALVation Body Balm Mango Blend in Pineapple Cilantro: Currently unavailable, but I have .25oz size
* Mini SALVation Body Balm Pistachio Blend in Bamboo Lotus: Available in mini (.25oz) and full size (2oz)
* Mini Lotion Bar in Ginger Pear: Available in mini (.15oz) and full size (2oz.)

First up, let's talk about the Bye Bye Dry.

This huge tub is $6.50, which I think is a great value for how much product you get. The ingredients are: Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Almond) Oil and Equisetum Arvense Extract and Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape Seed Oil, Essential Oils and Sunflower Wax).

Bye Bye Dry is packaged in a metal tin with an easy push off lid. The consistency is that of a creamy body butter, but it's not got the thickness of the kind you'd find in a tube. I swirl my finger around the top to get it warmed first and I find that it spreads nicely across the skin. It has a lavender scent without being overbearing, and that says a lot coming from someone who personally isn't a huge fan of lavender. Susan said that it contains horsetail butter, which is known to have curing effects on acne and eczema. I have trouble skin to say the least and I love that this has softened some of the callouses on the bottoms of my feet and on my legs. I've actually found another use for this and the next product: they're great for soothing bug bites. I get badly eaten up in the summer months and putting a little of this or the SALVation over top of an irritated bite is amazing. It really helps to soothe and calm the skin.

 

This is the SALVation. The left is the Pistachio Blend and the right is the unreleased Mango Blend. The mini size (.25 oz) is $3.85 and the full size (2 oz.) is $8.25.

I won't talk too much about the Mango Blend as Susan had some formulation issues and ended up going with the Pistachio Blend instead. I received it in the Pineapple Cilantro scent and I have to say that it smells absolutely fabulous. The issue was that the product was smooth after creation but would bead up in transit to the customer. Warmth does help to melt the little bits but Susan felt that it wasn't creamy enough. I obviously experienced the grittiness issue but I still use it because it smells divine. I sort of use it as a solid perfume.

The Pistachio Blend contains: Pistacia Vera Seed Oil and Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Vitis Vinifer (Grape) Seed Oil, Avocado Oil, Cornstarch, Sunflower Wax and fragrance.

The lack of water in this makes it a very interesting moisturizer. I feel like it actually holds moisture in my skin. I never noticed that my water based lotions felt strange until I tried this! I received the Bamboo Lotus scent and it's very interesting and hard to describe. It's sweet, slightly spicy and woody/floral at the same time; I like it. This isn't as thick or heavy duty as the Bye Bye Dry, it's more of a lighter balm for daytime use, whereas I would use the Bye Bye Dry overnight to heal problem areas. The Pistachio Butter ingredient is non comedogenic, which is must appreciated for any of us that get blocked pores easily. I love the mini size as I can carry it in my purse (and the lid stays on) for on the go dry spot touch ups. Hey, when you have dry skin, you gotta do what you gotta do!

A couple of last notes: I also use this on bug bites (again, if it's in your purse, you can't go wrong) and I love that the scent name is on the bottom of the tin versus the lid, that way if have multiple tubs and you switch the lids, the scent is still labeled on the bottom of the physical tub so you always know which one it is (does anyone else flip lids around accidentally?)

This is the Mini Lotion Bar, which is a 0.15 oz size for $3.75. The full size is 2 oz. and $8.75.

The Lotion Bars contain: Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Almond) Oil and Equisetum Extract and Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Pistachia Vera Seed Oil and Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sunflower Wax and fragrance.

Can I just start off by saying how adorable this is? It's like a little mini lip balm tube and the label is really cute. The size is perfect for purse carrying. This is a lotion is solid form, and is still a waterless formula like the other products. I'd say this has the lightest moisture of all three of the products but using this on my knees and elbows has made a noticeable difference in my skin! I used to have constantly dry elbows and it's really not so bad anymore. I again reiterate that the little size is so convenient as I don't have to carry a tube of lotion in my bag anymore.

I received the scent Ginger Pear and it is DIVINE. I really love how all of the products smell and at times I will use them even if I don't need moisture, just for the scent.

All of the products have the ingredients clearly labeled, which is always important. Overall, I am really impressed with what Susan has come up with and I think she has put a lot of effort and thought into the products themselves, right down to the packaging and the labels. If you have severe dry patches of skin, I would recommend the Bye Bye Dry for sure. If you need moisture but don't have any major problem areas, I would say to try the SALVation and the Lotion Bars. They both come in a variety of scents, one of them is bound to suit your fancy ;-).

DISCLAIMER: Post contains products sent for review by owner. This does not change my opinion of said products and I received no monetary compensation for this review.

Darling Girl Cosmetics - New Eyeshadow Swatches!

A few weeks ago, Susan, the owner of Darling Girl Cosmetics, choose me as the 'face of Darling Girl', and in receiving that amazing honor, my eye swatches will now be up on the site and I will also be working with Susan to test new products. So, this is a bit of a disclaimer as I have to let you guys know that I received everything in this post for free. However, this does not affect my honesty with the products and I would never lie to you guys about the quality of anything reviewed on this blog. If I say I like it and you should run out and buy it, trust that I'm telling the truth as I would never do otherwise.

From now on, posts featuring any free products will have a corresponding disclaimer at the end of the post.

Now that the heavy stuff is over, let's enjoy some swatches, shall we? I think Susan did an amazing job with this batch of eyeshadows and there are some definite MUST haves.

Ready? Hope so! We've got a lot to go through.

Left to right: Abbey Road, Atlantis and Aurealia.

Abbey Road is a pale silvery bronze with strong silver shimmer.

Atlantis is a medium blue with violet shift.

Aurealia is a yellow chartreuse with noticeable red sparks.

Left to right: Barbarella, Bijou and Blue Bonnet.

Barbarella is a bit of a weird shade. It shifts between a peachy gold pink, to a coppery shade under flash. Extremely hard to catch accurately.

Bijou is a brownish grey green (yeah, seriously) with strong green and pink flash.

Blue Bonnet is a sky blue that shifts lighter as light hits it. Nearly pastel, but not quite.

Left to right: Blue Monday, Chantilly and ChiChi.

Blue Monday is a greenish marine blue with silvery pink shift. Really amazing.

Chantilly is a bronzey taupe with slight coppery undertones.

ChiChi is an olive brown with loose magenta sparkle. The sparkle, when used on the eye, is quite subtle.

Left to right: Creampuff, Crucible and Curious.

Creampuff is a pale purple with gold sparkle.

Crucible is a really fascinating chocolate brown, heavy metallic finish and a slight burgundy twinge. There's also a load of gold woven throughout.

Curious is a pale taupe with pink and bronze sparkle and shift.

Left to right: Danceteria, Dark Ember and Dark Heart.

Danceteria is an insanely glittery pale silver, loaded with mostly green and pink sparkle. Absolutely fabulous.

Dark Ember is another stunner, this is a rich metallic red, very slight copper tone.

Dark Heart is a metallic dark purple with subtle pink shimmer (and one I was telling EVERYONE about).

Left to right: Evil Empire, Flourish and Jetfire.

Evil Empire is a burnished gold with slight green undertones, and gold sparkle. There's some pink sparkle in there as well. This one is insanely metallic, even in natural light.

Flourish is a medium metallic blue with aqua shimmer and gold sparkle. One of my favorites of the group.

Jetfire is a rich dark blue with purple tones and a bit of purple sparkle. This is like liquid metal blue when applied over a sticky base.

Left to right: Jeweled Taupe, Jinx and Jubilee.

Jeweled Taupe is another stunner and one that I think will become one of Susan's best sellers. This is a purpley pale taupe jampacked with magenta and goldish sparkle.

Jinx is a coppery tan with teal sparkle.

Jubilee is a medium aqua w/ a slight green tinge, and dark blue glimmers.

Left to right: Legion, Luxe and Midnight Sea.

Legion is a burgundy toned brown with purple and silver glitter (sort of, this one is hard to describe).

Luxe is a yellowed gold, very metallic and glittery.

Midnight Sea is one of those weird aqua-blue-purple shades, this has some turquoise shimmers.

Left to right: Mojo JoJo, Ruby Slippers and Wahini.

Mojo Jojo is a really interesting medium yellow, satin finish. Under flash it has a slight twinge of pink and a little bit of blue sparkle.

Ruby Slippers is a hot red-pink with lighter pink shift. This shade is like butter to apply, surprisingly so for such a pigmented pink.

Wahini is one that I've shown before... but it's pretty so will do again! This is a dusky teal with very subtle pink shift. It's almost like Blue Monday but not really. You can tell the difference when they are applied.

Susan currently has all of these listed in her shop in the New Shades section of Eyeshadows. http://darlinggirlcosmetics.ecrater.com/c/1478838/shades

My personal favorites are Mojo Jojo, Ruby Slippers, Blue Monday, Flourish and Dark Heart. Oh, and Dark Ember. Oh, and like... all of them. What are your favorites? Would you order from Darling Girl?

I feel like Susan does truly unique and well thought out colors. You have to blow up the photos to see the dimension, and you really have to see them in person to fully get how nice these are. I was swatching them and literally going 'OOOOHHH' every few seconds, in absolute wonder of how colorful and unique they were!

I'll do a review of the body care she sent me soon, so stay tuned :)


DISCLAIMER: Post contains products sent for review by owner. This does not change my opinion of said products and I received no monetary compensation for this review.