Yes, technically it’s not my birthday anymore; HOWEVER, I finished some of this post yesterday, so the title stays! Excuse my adjustments! I referenced the day a lot, so I had to go back and change all my “todays” to “yesterdays”.

My very first order from Ten Three Labs arrived today yesterday! I was a little surprised, as it shipped out on SATURDAY and is already here (on Monday). I feel like it’s a little birthday present/miracle from Cara herself!

A bit of an overview: Ten Three Labs is a fairly new indie company based out of Memphis, TN, and is run by the very awesome Cara. The company already carries quite a variety of products, including both tinted and regular lip balms, eyeshadows, and perfumes; these range a number of themes, from Bob’s Burgers to The Hunger Games to characters created by Cara and her sister. [Side note, here: if you haven’t gone over to check out her current CotM, DO IT. The theme is awesome; I giggled way too much!] I feel like I have some kind of connection to this indie in particular as I used to live an hour down the road from Mem-Vegas and made quite a few trips there back in the day (and by back in the day, I mean… two years ago). I know, this is no real connection. Sue me.

This is another order I made on Black Friday. I received shipping notification on the 13th, and it arrived today yesterday (the 15th)! That’s crazy fast shipping! USPS has been especially slow lately, so color me impressed!

ON TO ALL THE THINGS!

Here’s the order! It consisted of two salve sticks, one holiday smudge stick, and the November CotM. Bow Down is a gift with purchase, which I was delighted to receive!

Everything was packaged safe and sound; the balms were in a separate baggie from the eyeshadow. I’m not that picky about it, but that’s a nice touch in case there had been some manhandling that caused something to open in-transit!

First things first: The Eyeshadow

You Burn With Us

Random thoughts: I’m not an absolute die hard fan of The Hunger Games, but I really enjoyed reading it… for the most part. I still need to give book #3 a second chance. I did really, really enjoy the movies and had just watched the second one around the time I first saw this CotM. I was on the Hunger Games high. I wanted to learn to shoot an arrow (though I still do, to be fair) and fight in Panem’s revolution, so naturally I felt like I needed this color! It’s a nice slightly orange-y/gold neutral; I’m wearing it today over just primer (a la the middle swatch in my pictures) and it’s beautifully subtle!

Here are some swatches!

IT’S SO PRETTY!!!!! I’m going to use this for SO MANY one-color eyeshadow days.

Next up: LIPPIES!

Let’s take a time out from swatches to talk about formula:

I’m really enjoying the lip salves! They glide on similarly to Notoriously Morbid’s Coffin Kissers, very slick and easily melting. They lend themselves to what I like to call “glossercizing”. In fact, I’ve been doing quite a bit of that today! And the flavors are fantastic! Especially The Bubbler (Strawberry Champagne)! If you’re a fan of NM’s balms, get thee to Ten Three and order some salves! I promise, you’re going to LOVE THEM! As an added bonus, these contain mango seed butter, which is my ultimate favorite butter. I’m in love with this stuff (mango butter) and am convinced that it solves every problem!

I threw this picture in because of this little crack you see hanging out. This salve stick arrived like this and my smudge stick and other salve stick developed one when I twisted it up the first time (though not nearly as badly). It’s not a big issue, as it only makes the surface a little uneven, and most of that melts back together when it’s warmed back up by your lips. I emailed Cara to let her know, and she replied that it’s probably a combination of traveling through the cold and the way she pours it. She made the suggestion to microwave it for no more than 30 seconds on a low temp and then stick it in the fridge. As there’s no texture issues, I’m leaving them as they are! Cara was very helpful and super prompt in her reply to me, so she gets bonus points for customer service!

Aaaaand, back to the swatches!

Bow Down is a sheer orange-red with a bit of gold sparkle. It can be built up to be fairly noticeable, or worn sheer to add just a bit of warmth and shimmer. I’m actually wearing this today (kind of… when I’m not accidentally erasing it by glossercizing with my salve stick) and I quite like it! I tried to build it up a bit to get some swatch pictures.

Last item, I promise!!!

This is such a fun color!!! I was limiting myself to choosing one smudge stick for my first order and I think I chose well! The formula is slick and thin like the salve sticks (because they are, just with color), it goes on easily, and is surprisingly opaque for a tinted balm. I plan on doing a wear test sometime (which is laughable, with the way I treat my lip balms and glosses)… but I’M GOING TO TRY, and that’s what counts! Here’s a swatch (last one, I promise):

Mistletoe is described as a “berry red”, and I think it might be my new go-to for when I want to wear a lip color on lazy days!

Overall, I’ve had a fantastic experience with Ten Three Labs! Everything I purchased was well thought out, beautiful, and my lips are thanking me profusely!