Sunday, July 6, 2014

AFK's Attack on Titan Collection.. Almost!

Let me start off with "ahhhh!" as I am a huge fan of Shingeki no Kyojin. So, I'm gonna have a little more fun with this review than my usual.  In fact, I was so excited, I ended up meeting with Dena of AFK Cosmetics since she is now in Washington! Her new collection is composed of ten different colors, but I will only be reviewing eight here today.
The Goods
For each full-sized jar, they each contain a cute little picture of the characters! I personally am an Eren fan so I went to his little picture first.
From my original purchase in May, I can tell Dena has put extra work on her brand image (pictures on jars, the awesome new business card, and an updated invoice sheet).
So left to right, top to bottom:
Female Titan
Suicidal Bastard
Mikasa
Potato Girl
Armored Titan
Clean Freak
A Goddess!?
104th Trainees Squad (Freebie)


 Swatches 
All over NYX milk
(Top to Bottom)
A Goddess!? - A light and bright buttery golden yellow with bit of sparkle and shimmer
Armored Titan - A matte orange red with small amount of gold sparkle
Clean Freak - Soft off white bordering cream with slight golden sheen
Suicidal Bastard - A very dark brown with deep red tint
(Note: My potato camera did not do these colors justice. Seriously. A Goddess!? is gorgeous!)
Female Titan - A slightly shimmery peach with slight golden yellow tint
Mikasa - A deep jewel toned red bordering burgundy with subtle sparkle
Potato Girl - A matte russet brown with an ever so slight golden glint
(Not as green as the photo shows)
104th Trainees Squad - A Matte dirty burnt orange

Thoughts
I love lots of these colors,but my top picks are:
A Goddess!?
Clean Freak (Sorry Eren...)
Mikasa
Female Titan

Overall
As usual, I don't have any bad thoughts about AFK Cosmetics. I love everything I have ever bought from Dena, and will continue to do so. If you are unsure of a color, please check out her site. They have swatches that are very accurate to what I received. Her prices range from $1.50 (1/4 tsp bag) to $5.00 (5gm jar).
 
Spoiler Alert: The descriptions of the shades may spoil parts of the show, especially if you are not reading the manga.

Obligatory AoT picture

Friday, July 4, 2014

Chequered Lily Apothecary Purchase

I recently purchased a large sample of eye shadows from Chequered Lily Apothecary, and had some very mixed results. I ordered on June 16th, they were shipped on the 19th, and received on the 23rd. Currently TAT is 5-7 days, and she was underneath her range.
When I received my package, Kimberly wrote me a long note. This is by far the longest note I have received with an order, so I am overall very happy with the customer service of the Chequered Lily.  Additionally, I received an email with an additional coupon as thanks for my order.
The Goods
01 Charlotte - Dusty mauve with copper and gold highlights
12 Snow, Glass, Apples - Off-white that rubs down to golden-ivory with red shimmer
21 Czarina - Blue-toned deep burgundy with pink sparkle
56 Frostbite

95 Pulsar
110 Cursed Treasure
112 Dead Men Tell No Lies
116 Dorothy - Soft, powdery baby blue matte

124 The Labyrinth
127 Samhain
130 The Ringmaster - Velvety brick red with gold sparkles
147 Beholden
Freebies
150 Haunted
151 Monster's Bride

As you can tell, there are lots of colors I received which are not on their site right now. Currently they are cleaning out their eye shadows, so everything is 40% off!



Swatches 
Over NYX Top to Bottom:
01 Charlote
12 Snow, Glass, Apples 
21 Czarina
56 Frostbite 
95 Pulsar
110 Cursed Treasure
112 Dead Men Tell No Lies
116 Dorothy
(Left to Right)
124 The Labyrinth
127 Samhain
130 The Ringmaster
147 Beholden
(Back to Top to Bottom)
150 Haunted
151 Monster's Bride

Favorites
Snow, Glass, Apple
Czarina
Dead Men Tell No Lies
Beholden

Less Excited About
Frostbite
Dorothy
Monster's Bride

Overall 
I did notice a difference between some shades being less pigmented than others, but this is fairly common. Kimberly has excellent customer service with coupons, notes, and quick TAT (along with tracking). Yes, I would definitely purchase again from Chequered Lily Apothecary!