Dusk Cosmetics - Review and Swatches

I've been on an indie spending binge lately, and when Jessica - the owner of Dusk Cosmetics  - posted about her site on Reddit, I was drawn in by her colors. They're GORGEOUS. She currently has two collections, one based on Princess Mononoke and one based on Howl's Moving Castle. I'm not a fan of either, but I ordered seven samples anyway! 

I should mention that when I got home yesterday, before I had a chance to open these shadows, I had a new Etsy message from Jessica. She said that her sample sizes (supposedly 1/8 tsp) were inconsistent and she was sending replacements of everything I'd purchased for free. Wow! I haven't received those yet (obviously), but I am severely impressed by her dedication to provide good customer service. I ordered May 29th, she shipped May 30th, and I had my shadows on June 3rd. 

My purchase, plus a free sample

I can't tell if these are inconsistent, and I'm not dedicated enough to go measure them myself. I will say they look just a bit small for a sample but that could be the baggies, me being spoiled by other companies with larger samples, etc. Here's how Sophie looked after I swatched it:

Sophie: Shimmery, cool toned gray with subtle blue sparkles. PERIWINKLE. That was my first thought when I saw this color in the light. Not what I expected from the picture but it's absolutely stunning. If I'm looking for the grey I can see it, but mostly it's blue/purple. One of my favorites!

Kodama: Subtle, ochre tinged bone ivory with cool green chrome and green sparkles. This is another favorite of mine; it's a beautiful pale yellow on my skin.

Howl: Bright dandelion yellow with gold chrome and golden sparkles. Definitely a dandelion yellow! Perfect for bright looks.

Yakul: Toasted orange with golden chrome and gold reflecting sparkles.This was my freebie, and while I wouldn't have chosen it, I like it. It reminds me a lot of Fyrinnae's Pyromantic Erotica, but without the shift.

San: Cool toned red with copper chrome and copper sparkles. I see less 'red' and more 'pink'; it reminds me, somehow, of Femme Fatale's Sunfire, though not a duochrome. 

Markl: Spring green with green chrome and copper sparkles. Definitely a very spring-y green! I like it, but really, I love all greens.

Raven Howl: Deep, inky navy with blue chrome and turquoise sparkles. I would not call this a navy, but I knew that from the swatches. It's more of a cobalt blue and it's absolutely stunning.

Turnip Head: Dark burgundy with red chrome and silver shifting sparkles. Not sure if burgundy is the right word; it's very purple. Very obvious sparkle on this one!

Overall, I'm pleased with the shadows. The standouts, for me, are Sophie, Kodama, and Raven Howl; I will definitely be purchasing a full-size of Kodama. Jessica's customer service also kicks things up a notch for me. I liked Dusk Cosmetics on Facebook, and I look forward to seeing future collections. 

Dusk Cosmetics eyeshadows retail for $1.25 for 1/8 tsp and $5.80 for 1 tsp/2 grams of product. 

Project Swatch: Oranges and Peaches

The project continues! This post I cover all of my orange/peach/orange-ish shadows.

Please note that Hello Waffle's shadows changed names recently. Christine had Disney inspired collections, and unfortunately Disney's copyright protection forced her to change names for fear of getting sued. I will use the name that I received the product under, and if it is the old name, I will put the new at the end of the blurb on each color.

The first of the colors...

and the second.

 Hello Waffle Rose Champagne: a sparkly champagne colour with a tinge of pink. This was May's color of the month, and pictures don't do it justice. It should have gone in with pinks but 1) I didn't get it til last week 2) it's my blog I do what I want. This is going to be a great light/middle shade for a neutral look.

Hello Waffle Hatter: shimmery orange peach that leans copper with a gold undertone. I'm kind of obsessed with this color. As you can see in the swatch, there's a ton of dimension to it. Almost all peaches flatter blue eyes, but I feel like Christine's somehow go above and beyond. Note: this shadow is now called "Mad".

Hello Waffle Summertime: light creamsicle orange with silver shimmer. I got a sample of this back when it was "Hit in the Heart" and was so obsessed I had to buy the full-size. It's really lovely. This and Hatter get used together quite a lot!

Hello Waffle Magic Hair: shimmering golden apricot with rosy undertones. This is nearly a neutral on my skin, but in a shimmery, gold-rose way. It's absolutely stunning. Note: this shadow is now called "Fey".

Just realized I flipped this the wrong way. Oopsies.

Darling Girl Knock Knock Penny: slightly earthy orange with blue/green shift. You can see the shift at the right and bottom edges of the color; I like the color when it has the shift. Without, it's pretty harsh on my skin. I will definitely use this, but it might be a bit of a challenge!

Darling Girl Positively Peachy: bright peach with gold shift and iridescence. This is another one where the pictures don't accurately capture how awesome this shadow is, and it still looks awesome in pictures. Definitely recommend this one if you're looking for a peach shadow.

Also flipped weird... Ermahgerd comes first in the big pic. OH WELL.

Darling Girl Dreamsicle: I specifically made my second order from DG to get this color when it was a Gift with Purchase because IT'S SO FREAKING PRETTY. Because it was a GWP I can't find the description, but you should be jealous because I have it xoxo

Darling Girl Ermahgerd: pastel orange with a silvery green flash and subtle shift to coral. Phew - I don't know if I see all of that, but this is yet another gorgeous color. I think this and Positively Peachy would do well together.

Hello Waffle Golden Flower: peach with golden shimmer. I don't know why a bunch of HW shadows are leaning brown on me; I think it's just a reflection of how freaking well they work with my skin tone. In person this is more peachy but still a bit of a neutral. Note: this shadow is now called "Golden Stairs".

Siren Clumsy: This is a glitter and not a shadow, but I swatched it anyway! No description other than "novelty use", which is basically how companies don't get in trouble with the FDA as glitter is not approved around the eye area. Whatever. I REALLY like this color - it's a pastel orange and obviously shiny as hell.

Femme Fatale Sunfire: a sweet peachy pink with coral tones and a striking copper gold shine. My first thought when I swatched this was "oh, fuck" because I was just part of a Femme Fatale group order. I have to buy this. Seriously, LOOK AT IT. And yes, it's even more amazing off-camera.

Dreamworld Hermetica Dead Reckoning: a soft orange with reddish undertones. Yeah, apparently it's called Dead Reckoning. My bad! Anyway, this is the shadow that made me realize I could totally pull of orange shadows. Love the copper nonsense going on, love that it's easy to work with. Hate that now I am obligated to buy from Dreamworld Hermetica because SO MANY PRETTY COLORS. Onto my wishlist they go!

Fyrinnae Pyromantic Erotica: a deep orange with an obvious chartreuse highlight. I think I saw a swatch of this one and was like I MUST HAVE IT but I don't really get that on my skin. I don't really see the obvious highlight, tbh. I still like it, but it's less complex than I expected.


In conclusion: oranges/peaches are pretty. Go buy them.