(My pictures are acting wonky, I’ll re-upload them when I get home! Sorry about that, ladies. /sheepish grin.)

This is probably long overdue (a thousand poxes on international shipping), but here’s my very first Shiro haul from the anniversary sale! I know this is pretty modest in comparison to the loads of awesome that I’ve been enviously gawking at online, but this is mine and I love it. I’m mostly a fresh faced kinda girl out of laziness; the most effort I put into my make-up regime is foundation, eyebrow pencil and eye liner. Sacrilegious, I know. I guess I never had the right tools to play with.

What I paid for:

Custom Lip Gloss in Plausible Walrus

in Custom Lip Gloss in Wild Flowers

in Lip Gloss in Red Wedding

in Sample : Lip Gloss in Nicolas Cage Churning Butter One Crisp Thanksgiving Morn

in Sample: Lip Gloss in Nicolas Cage Nibbling Petit Fours in a Posh Victorian Tea Room

in Sample : Blush in 1-up

in Sample sized Eye shadow in Mother of Dragons

in Miyazaki Tinted Lip Balm in It’s Called Love

in Miyazaki Tinted Lip Balm in With Eyes Unclouded

in Detrivore Embalming Tube in French Vanilla

in Fatality Finishing Powder (not here because it’s in my gym bag)

My Freebies (yay!)

Eye shadow in May the Fourth be with You (Anniversary Special!)

in (Anniversary Special!) Sample : Eyeshadow in Perfect World

in Sample : Eyeshadow in Kaepora Gaebora

in Sample : Eyeshadow in Midnight (Detrivore)

in (Detrivore) Sample : Eyeshadow in Nymph (Detrivore)

You’d probably notice that I got 4 free samples instead of the usual two. There’s actually a story behind all this which I’ll cover in greater detail at the end of this post. Let’s just say for now that Caitlin is the most amazing person that I have ever bought anything from. Her customer service is one reason that I’ll definitely be a return customer. In fact, I’m already plotting my second order. Anyhoo, on to the review and swatches! (I’d like to apologize upfront about the quality of the swatches; I’ve got some skills in life, but they don’t extend to photo-taking or make-up application.)

♥



Eye Shadows & a Blush



Let’s just get this out of the way: I have never dealt with loose eye shadow or pigments before. I’ve only ever swabbed on stuff from a drugstore palette which is why I chickened out and decided to just get one loose eye shadow sample to sort of dip my toe in the water. Thanks to the lovely Caitlin though, I ended up with 5 gorgeous eye shadows in my collection. I actually had to run to the mall and get a stick of Nyx Milk so that I’d have some sort of primer for these babies. They were well worth it though! 4 out of 5 samples were colors that I wouldn’t have picked out myself and I’m really glad that Caitlin included them because they are lovely. I also picked up some little cosmetic jars at Daiso ($2 for a pack of 3!). They were used for storing gaudy nail polish sparkles but I emptied those out and gave them a good cleansing. It was a rather tedious process and I think I might just pick up the ones at Muji for convenience sake.

Mother of Dragons:

This is so so SO VERY GORGEOUS. I knew instinctively when I first discovered Shiro‘s site that if I was going to leave with anything, it had to be this. Daenerys is one of my favorite SOIAF characters and this eye shadow does justice to her beauty. It’s delicate yet impenetrably strong all at once. Not to mention that Shiro’s sample size is so generous. Just this sample bag is going to last me for quite a while. It looks a lot more purple in the jar than it does on my skin.

I wish this color was lip-safe because I totally want a gloss in this shade! As it is, I can foresee this being really hypnotic on the eyes. I couldn’t stop staring at my hand as I moved it around. My swatches do no justice to it at all. The color is really unique but I can see it being classy enough to implement into daily wear as well. It has the potential to look really dramatic; I can totally picture amp-ing up the sex appeal of a slinky black dress. I would totally buy this again, maybe in a mini-jar because let’s be real; I want that gorgeous sticker.

Perfect World

This looks beautifully understated in the jar; it’s the sweetest shade of honeyed gold with little shimmery bits. I love the namesake but would not have picked this out for myself because I was kinda afraid that gold eye shadow was too reminiscent of the Monkey God. Still, I was silly to have harbored that doubt.

I just realized that my photographs are pretty inconsistent. /slap on wrist. Ah well, lessons to be learned. This is like burnished gold. I’m still not convinced that it’s my color, but I think it could be very interesting for layering. I don’t think I’m ready to pick up a bigger jar just yet, but I will give my sample a whirl.

Kaepora Gaebora

This is a really interesting color and I found myself liking it a lot more than I thought I would when I saw it on the site. This is a beautiful shade of taupe-ish brown with little iridescent specks of glitter. I love neutrals and this is just such a beautiful twist.

It’s totally wearable to work, but depending on how the light shines on it, it alternates between a dusky purple and a gorgeous muted brown. It’s particularly gorgeous when the sun hits it because it sparkles to life. I really like this and I think I might just pick up more of it the next time I make an order.

Midnight (Detrivore)

This is really gorgeous in the pot. It’s a dark, inky shade of navy with little magenta and purple shimmery bits. I’m a little intimidated by dark colors because with my skill level, I’d probably look like I gave myself a black eye. I’ve always wanted to make an attempt at a smokey eye one day. It’s something that I mean to do when, you know, I’ve read and bookmarked a million tutorials.

I didn’t get a good swatch of Midnight under indirect sunlight, but it looks so pretty under the sun! I believe that the shimmer in the blend would show up even better over some Pixie Epoxy or products like it, but as it is, it really reminds me of stars in the night sky.

Nymph (Detrivore)

I’ve never really liked matte shadows because I just love my glitter. I’m like the proverbial magpie – if it sparkles, I must haz it. So you can expect that I was the least excited by this shade.

As predicted, I was a little “meh” about this shade. Besides the fact that it’s matte, I tend to not be drawn to red / orange shades around the eyes, mostly because I don’t really know how to handle them. Still, I can see this being truly gorgeous in the right hands.

1 – up

This is soooo pretty, although I have to admit that I was a little worried when I saw how brightly pink it was. It’s kinda like a peachy shade of pink with lots and lots of shimmer. I can’t stop staring at it, it’s so sparkly! @.@

If you haven’t already figured this out, I have no idea how to take a swatch of a blush. >.< This is my kooky attempt at it. I probably could have blended it a whole lot better. Right now, I’m wondering if it’s too sparkly for a blush. I think I’m going to get a custom gloss in this color though. It’s so gorgeous.

Shiro and Detrivore eye shadows cost $6 for a full sized jar (2g) and $1 for a sample baggie (1/8 tsp).

Lip Balms

I’m cursed with the driest lips that are highly prone to chapping. I’m allergic to petroleum jelly (had to find this out the hard way, woe is me) and I detest commercial balms that are all waxy and plastic smelling. I recently embarked on a hunt for a holy grail lip balm and of course, Shiro was one of the first brands that I turned to. Plus, I’m a huge Miyazaki fan so I just had to pick up the new tinted balms. I picked up the Detrivore tube as an afterthought because I recall reading good stuff about it and I wanted an uncolored lip balm.

Shiro Miyazaki Tinted Balms

pictures from Shiro because I was too excited to get a good shot of mine.

No lip swatches for today because I’m recovering from a nasty case of lip chappiness, I’m sorry! The formula of the Shiro balms is gorgeous. I did three swipes for the swatch and the color build-up is really good. With Eyes Unclouded is subtle and very natural. I can see myself wearing it on a daily basis and in fact, I’ve reached for it more often than any of the three balms. It’s Called Love is such a fun, vibrant, happy shade that is perfect for the summer. It’s very highly pigmented and it goes on like a dream. The color is really bright, which makes it a lot more unforgiving towards sloppy application. Both balms feel like heaven on my lips. They’re not highly moisturizing, but they glide on like velvet and basically just melt onto your lips. It straddles the middle ground between waxy and oily, which I really like. I just wish that it was a little more moisturizing, but for this level of pigmentation, it’s a wonder that it feels as good as it does. The Vanilla scent is very lovely; it doesn’t last for long though, so if you’re not a fan of scented balms, don’t let this put you off!

The packaging is so gorgeous. Caitlin’s art style is amazing; it’s both minimalistic and quirky at the same time and the label really pops against the silver tube. The labels feel a little different though. The one on With Eye Unclouded feels glossier whereas It’s Called Love’s label felt more papery. To my immense sadness, I had clumsy fingers and managed to stain No Face’s pretty face and I can’t wipe it off with a wet cloth or something because I’m afraid that I’d smudge the label.

On the whole, this is a gorgeous tinted balm that I would recommend to my friends and enemies.

Miyazaki Tinted Lip Balms come in 5 colors and cost $5 per tube.

Detrivore Embalming Tube

From the swatch above, you’d think that I applied the balm with a pretty heavy hand to get it to look that messy. As it turns out, it’s actually the opposite; I was trying to swipe as lightly as possible but more product came out than I intended. I’m thinking that the tropics may be a little too warm for this balm. It’s incredibly soft, oily and has an annoying tendency to get rather messy, although it does go on very smoothly. One swipe is more than enough to cover the lips. Despite its oiliness, I don’t feel like the product is really immersing into my lips. It mostly sits at the top, giving it the appearance of oily lips. I’ve been wearing this to bed and it does make my lips softer than they were, so it’s definitely working. I just don’t really feel like wearing it out. I also don’t think that it’s a suitable balm to wear under lipstick or lip gloss. I think I might try popping this into the fridge to see if I can get it to harden up a little.

One thing that I found pretty annoying about it was that the label isn’t sticky enough and the corner is starting to peel off the tube. I’ll probably put some clear tape over it, so it’s not really a big deal. I really do like the label design. The black and white color scheme is very elegant and I like the classy gothic edge of the design. I think $4.50 is a little more than I’m willing to pay for this balm, so I probably won’t be getting anymore of these. Still, I will be making good use of my tube.

Detrivore Embalming Tubes come in 3 flavors and cost $4.50 per tube.

Lip Glosses

I’ve never been a big fan of lip products. I’ve tried a handful of commercial brands in the past, and they all turned my lips into dried deserts of chapped-ness. I once thought that lip gloss was the answer, but I hated how my hair would constantly get stuck to my lips, leaving me with icky sticky strands. However, after all the hype there was about Shiro’s lip gloss formula, I decided to give this a go. And guess what? The hype was completely justified. These are the best lip glosses I have ever used. While some of the darker colors may go on a bit streaky (Red Wedding in particular), one thing that they have in common is that they are incredibly moisturizing and light. There were many times that I forgot that I actually was wearing lip gloss in the first place. To put a yummy cherry on top of an already decadent cake, Shiro actually offers custom lip glosses for a steal. I’ve never heard of any other company offering this service and for a maximum of $13 for a flavored and fully opaque custom color (not one that’s based on her existing eye shadows) lip gloss, I can’t think of a better deal. The only real danger here is, how on earth do you stop giving Caitlin your money?

I’ll do a more in-depth review of these pretties, complete with proper lip swatches once I’ve done something about my icky chapped lips, but for the moment, here’s a run-down of what I thought of the various shades. All of my glosses are in moderate opacity.

Red Wedding

I have to admit that the first time I attempted an application of Red Wedding with the doe foot applicator, I wanted to scream. This has a tendency to go on streaky and due to the sheer intensity of the color, it’s pretty unforgiving. One wrong swipe and I look like a little girl playing with her mother’s make-up. Or the Joker on Halloween, I really don’t know which one is worse. After several attempts, I found that a lip brush is the best way to go with this shade and oh boy, is it well worth the effort. This is a provocative, intense and utterly, utterly sexy blood red color. If Red Wedding was a lady, I’d be wary of her. She’s all full-on woman but there’s a deeper, darker side to her as well.

After the initial infuriating experience with the doe foot, I decided to just stick with my trusty lip brush for the rest of the glosses.

Plausible Walrus

The glitter is strong in this gloss! This is just such a fun shade. Aside from the quirky name, the golden flecks of glitter against the bright pink gloss makes this a really youthful and vibrant shade. I badly want to love this, but it’s a little too… frivolous for me. I don’t mean that as a bad thing, it’s really all down to personal taste. I can see why this is so popular though. The application is like a dream and on the right person, this could be really stunning. I’m going to keep it awhile, but if it doesn’t work out, I might be seeking out a new home for this one.

Wild Flowers

I wanted to love this because of the namesake but on its own, it’s too sheer when applied with a light hand, and gets too frosty with the color build-up. Thankfully, this is a beautiful shade for layering. I like it best worn over It’s Called Love for regular, every day wear. It tames down the bright coral while giving it a gorgeous glittery finish. To be honest, I’d imagine that it’d look lovely layered over almost anything.

Nicolas Cage Churning Butter

Boy, oh boy, are these names long! I got this as a sample clamshell and when I first set eyes on it, I was a little surprised because I thought it would be lighter. On the lips though, this turned out to be a gorgeous and creamy nude. This is a perfect “My Lips but Better” shade. It glides onto my lips in the most natural, healthy color and adds a glossy sheen to them. This is a gorgeous every day shade and I’m definitely getting a full size of this because I want to wear it everyday!

Nicolas Cage Nibbling Petit Fours

This is a gorgeous and sexy muted rose color that was a little less bright on my lips than it appeared on Shiro’s swatch. It’s a perfect red for the office, all understated, dignified and classy. Despite the darker color, this was a dream to apply with a lip brush and it doesn’t take much product for it to reach opaqueness. This is the perfect first step for someone who has mostly stuck to nude and sheer lip colors in her life and wants to begin the shift towards more striking hues.

I am absolutely thrilled with all the lip glosses. I’m already plotting a next order and am having trouble just keeping my cart reasonable, because really, does anyone need that much lip gloss? Before this Shiro order, I couldn’t imagine having to prune down from 10 possible colors, but now, I’m really not so sure.

The regular lip glosses go for $8 for a full size tube (15ml) and $2 for a sample clamshell. Custom glosses start at $9 for an unflavored gloss in an existing eye shadow or blush color with additional add-ons.

♥

Finishing [Move] Powder

I love Mortal Kombat and I needed a new finishing powder so how could I possibly pass up on this? I was a little skeptical despite hearing all the rave reviews about it. How could just three simple little ingredients create such magic? After trying it out though, I have to say this. Everytime you chance upon a rave review of Shiro, believe whatever you read. It’s highly, probably, definitely true. This gave my skin such a healthy glow and it really keeps the oil at bay. I have the oiliest skin on the planet and it doesn’t take long for me to start getting all icky and shiny. I wore this to Salsa class the other day, and at the end of it all, I still looked fresh as a daisy. This is quite an accomplishment and from now, this Finishing [Move] Powder is a definite staple in my make-up regime.

Finishing [Move] Powder goes for $10 for a full sized jar (30g) and $1.50 for a sample bag (1/4 tsp).

Last but not least…

I have to do a massive call-out to Caitlin’s unbelievable customer service. This haul actually comprises of two separate orders – one that I made during the anniversary sale and another that I decided to try and see if I could slip in. I felt really guilty about it, but I just had to add on a couple of products after reading all the good stuff about them. I emailed Caitlin and sheepishly asked if I could add on to my order, with the full understanding that it’d probably delay the processing of my original order. She emailed me back within the day itself, all sweet and bubbly, and told me that it’d no issue. To make matters even more amazing, she actually extended the 15% discount to my new items. I was awestruck because I was totally prepared to pay full price. Anyhow, the next day I got a shipping notice from my original order and an apologetic email from Caitlin, saying that she sent out my package by accident and that the new products would follow shortly. By the time I saw the email, they were already mailed out. I felt really bad that I made her go through all the trouble and covered the postage for the second package, but the fact that Caitlin went so far to accommodate to me was unbelievable. She even included new samples with the second package (which was how I ended up with 4 free eyeshadow samples). I can never imagine such an experience with a commercial company. Truly, Shiro has made me a customer for life.

♥