Darling Ghoul, Darling Girl Halloween Swatches and Review

I know I'm late to the party on this one, but my family has just moved houses and I've been going through midterms so trying to get my package has been difficult. I didn't get a chance to do lip swatches but Darling Girl's Halloween collection Darling Ghoul is one of the best Halloween releases of the year. I'm really happy with my order and wish I had gotten more. Though the shop is closed right now, Susan will have it back up after Halloween for a week before the limited edition collection will be taken down. 

My samples! Starting from the clam-shell clockwise: Going Batty Holo Gloss, Will-o-wisp Spectral Shift, Everything's Rosy Blush, New Grass e/s, Pumpkin Eater e/s, Darling Ghoul Sticker, Whimsy e/s, Incognito e/s

Starting from centre going down and clockwise: Corpse Candle Spectral Shift, Jack's Lantern e/s, Monarch e/s, Ghost Light spectral shift, Ghouls Gone Wild lip jelly,  Just Bitten Cream Blush, Poison Plum Kiss You Off Balm, Sweet Lips Sugar Scrub in Amaretto

A little bit about the products. Spectral Shifts are duochrome highlighters/eyeshadows/blushes in one. They can pretty much be used in any fashion you like and are completely awesome. The Sweet Cheeks Cream Blush is also multi-use in that it can also be used as a lip tint. In addition to this, I got quite a few shades from the core line so I'll make note of that  when I come to a swatch of those. First up is the lippie items.

L-R: Sheered layer of Ghouls Gone Wild Lip Jelly, Layered Just Bitten Cream Blush, Single layer Just Bitten Cream Blush, Layered Posion Plum Kiss You Off lip balm, Single layer Poison Plum lip balm.

L-R: Going Batty Holo Gloss single layer, Multi-layer Ghouls Gone Wild lip jelly, Single layer Ghouls Gone Wild, Multi-layer Just Bitten Blush, Single layer Just Bitten

L-R: Going Batty Holo Gloss layered, Single layer Going Batty, Multi-layer Ghouls Gone Wild lip jelly, Sheered Ghouls Gone Wild

Sweet Lips On The Go Sugar'd Lip Scrub in Amaretto

Sweet Lips On The Go Sugar'd Up Lip Scrub

 I was really impressed by the lip products I got from Darling Girl. My favourite has to be Poison Plum Kiss Me Off Lip Balm though. The colour is absolutely stunning for fall and I think it really suits all skin tones. A dark berry with a ton of gold and violet sparkle. The packaging is slim and easy to use, plus the label is waterproof, though it does overlap slightly. The balm itself is moisturizing and balmy in texture, but not so much that it slides around. It has a buildable texture so you can apply sheerly for a tint for layered for a lovely darker lip. I absolutely love it. Poison Plum costs $4.75 USD.
Mini Rating: 10/10 

Ghouls Gone Wild is very pretty but much more subtle than I was hoping. Certainly it is full of holographic glitter which is non-gritty but I was personally hoping it would impart more of a green tint when applied than it does. When you look at it in the pot, it has this amazing light green irredesence but this doesn't transfer to the lips, it really goes on clear. I also wasn't crazy about the pot, as though it was full I had to be really careful when opening it as the whipped texture had a tendency to drag and get outside the pot edge. It does feel nice on though, slightly moisturizing and non-sticky. Doesn't last too long however is better than some glosses I have. It will make a nice layering product. Ghouls Gone Wild Lip Jelly costs $4.25 USD.
Mini Rating: 7.5/10

Going Batty Holo Gloss at first looks scary and unwearable but is the exact opposite in reality. It's absolutely stunning and I wish I bought the full size product instead of just a sample. It's a dark-medium brown based gloss with holographic, orange, pink and green sparkle. On the lips it goes a pretty pink-brown with fantastic sparkle. I've never seen anything even remotely like it. It has a slightly stiffer texture than Ghouls Gone Wild but feels very similar on. Gloss-like with no stickiness and slightly moisturizing. It has decent wear-time for a non-sticky gloss too. I think it looks great on it's own and would be a nice addition over lipsticks in berry and wine shades too. The holo glosses cost $4.50 USD.
Mini Rating: 8.5/10

The Sweet Lips On The Go Sugar'd Up Lip Scrub is a wonderful product too. It is a sugar scrub that you can choose the flavour of out of 36 different flavours (that's a HUGE amount!). I chose Amaretto (my favourite alcoholic drink. I particularly love it mixed with strawberry daiquiri instead of rum. Yummy!), and I am SO glad I did. This smells amazing and exactly like Amaretto does (a sort of almond-cherry for those of you who haven't tried the drink). Plus it tastes awesome too, lovely and sweet without being overpowering. A bit tough to get the hang of, you only need the smallest amount of scrub from the top of the overpacked spin-up tube to sufficiently scrub dry patches from your lips. When you're done you can sort of rub/wash/lick away the excess. *guilty of licking* It doesn't leave much of a residue, though I kind of wish it did. Though I found my lips very soft and smooth afterwards, I did feel that I needed a balm after to really finish treating my lips as they felt a bit battered. This may be because I used a bit much on my first go though (I'm still experimenting with perfecting exactly the right amount to use- you need so little it's hard to estimate at first.) Overall, this is the best lip scrub product at the most decent price I've found to date. Most of the bigger brand companies only offer lip scrubs at exorbitant prices in pots. I love not having to dip my finger in a pot then transferring it to my lips afterwards. This lip scrub costs $5.50 USD.
Mini Rating: 9/10

Just Bitten Sweet Cheeks Cream Blush was originally made as a dupe for the Tarte for True Blood Cheek Stain, and I have to say I like the texture of this one even more! Though slightly expensive for the size at $6.50 USD you need so little of this product to get the needed amount for your cheeks it will take you quite an amount of time to get through the pot. It's a beautiful red flush with a very subtle and spread-out gold shimmer (you can only sometimes barely see it). I do wish the gold showed up a bit more personally but others who complained about the Tarte True Blood one having too much gold shimmer will like and appreciate this one. This product spreads well and sinks in super quick. Despite some of the main  ingredients being oils they aren't bad for your skin oils but instead ones that are good for it instead- meaning it won't break you out. I love the flush this gives and it makes me want to try out other shades from the Sweet Cheeks range. I'm not too sure I like the pot, just because I find it kind of deep so as I go through it I can see having to angle my finger weird to get product out and I don't like grooves near my blush/gel products because I'm spoiled and messy and am likely to eventually get product stuck in the  threads.
Mini Rating: 8/10

Whimsy eyeshadow (Main Collection)

New Grass eyeshadow (Main Collection)

Everything's Rosy Blush (Main collection)

Incognito eyeshadow (Main collection)

T-B: Ghost Light Spectral Shift, Pumpkin Eater eyeshadow, Will-o-Wisp Spectral Shift 

L-R: Monarch eyeshadow (Main collection), Jack's Lantern eyeshadow, Will-o-Wisp Spectral Shift 

T-B: Corpse Candle Spectral Shift, Ghost Light Spectral Shift, Pumpkin Eater eyeshadow

L-R: Pumpkin Eater eyeshadow, Ghost Light spectral shift, Corpse Candle spectral shift

I tried to get these as colour accurate as possible but some of them are off or only showing one part of the duochrome effect. I tried but I wasn't as successful as I'd hoped to be. All the eyeshadows and spectral shifts came with sticker-sealed shifter tops on them.

The spectral shifts are lovely products. Well pigmented and slightly washed out shades they have awesome duochrome to them. I LOVE Corpse Candle and Ghost Light- both are truly unique and pretty. Corpse Candle is a light grey with lavender duochrome. Ghost Light is a washed-out teal/medium blue with lighter blue duochrome. Exactly what a ghost-light I think would look like. The shade is really other-worldly and ethereal. It's not as bright as the pictures show it to be in real life. Will-o-Wisp is a slightly coral pink shade with slight blue reflect. Another really unique shade though I'm not quite sure how it will look as a blush I'm highly tempted to try it as such. 

Spectral Shifts Mini Rating: 8.5/10

Pumpkin Eater is a bright orange metallic shade with really small green glitter. I was a bit disappointed with this one as I was hoping for a more obvious/denser green sparkle as it is really subtle. It is a very pretty shade though.

Jack's Lantern was the last of the Halloween eyeshadows I got. It is a black-plum shade with a medium/dark purple/burgundy highlight. It's supposed to represent the glowing cut out portions of a Jack-o-Lantern. I think the colour idea is a great one and I get the feeling of the inspiration from it but personally find it a bit too black/charcoal-like. I had to layer it quite heavily to get the burgundy/aubergine aspects to really show up.

Mini Rating for the Halloween Eyeshadows: 6.5/10

Monarch eyeshadow was the Gift with Purchase for the week that I purchased my order from. It's a reddened brown with super-sparkly blue/green shimmer. It's reminiscent of Mac Club though not as duochromy or dark as that and less green. It also reminds me a bit of Fyrinnae's Sumatran Tiger eyeshadow. It's a nice shade that was prettier than expected because of it's uber shimmer but one I don't think I'll use too often.

Whimsy is a light grey shade with a light green duochrome. Very pretty and subtle but an interesting everyday shade. It was well pigmented too.

New Grass was a free sample from my purchase. It's a bright grass green with an interesting but subtle purple/red glitter. Not obvious enough to make it look christmasy or strange but unique for sure. 

Incognito was my other free sample with purchase. A bright reddened purple shimmer. It's very rich and pigmented. 

Eyeshadows Mini Rating: 7/10

Everything's Rosy Blush is a yellow based medium pink with very faint gold in it. It is very pigmented so you'd have to go extremely light when applying this but it is a nice shade. Not too unique but pretty.

Mini Rating 6.5/10

Darling Girl has a slightly long TAT (Turn Around Time) of about 14-16 buisness days but everything is well packed and her samples are generous. Plus I got little goodies with my order (a package of Candy Corn a Darling Girl Sticker and two Halloween rings which was cute). The variety of product sizes was great (most things have a sample size, a small size and a large size). The prices are also reasonable and the shipping is low. Plus Susan the owner is an absolute sweetheart to speak to in person or over facebook. Plus she keeps a blog that regularly updates with information about what is happening in her life, what is going on at Darling Girl and upcoming products.

The most popular products from the Darling Ghoul collection are Poison Plum Lip Balm, Ghost Light Spectral Shift, Bats in the Belfry eyeshadow and Jack's Lantern eyeshadow, if you want a starting point at what to look for!

Sprite Overall Rating: 9/10

Would I buy from Darling Girl Cosmetics again? Yes! I'd love to try more of their products. This company is so unique and the quality is really there. Not to mention the sheer variety of products!

NOTD: Nubar Reclaim

In Shade

I finally got my bottle of Nubar Reclaim and I must say it is amazing! Such a gorgeous bright grass green with the most awesome holographic rainbow shimmer. The formula is wonderful and long-wearing, it needs 3 coats to be fully opaque, though 2 is almost good enough. I'm on day 2 and no chips or major tip wear yet.

Bright Sunlight

Look at the amazing rainbows! And the colour itself is just awesome!

In Sunlight

In Sunlight

Overall- This polish is about as perfect as you can get on the market in my opinion. The formula is amazing; easy to use and long lasting, the colour is wonderful and the holographic aspect rocks! The price is rather inexpensive for such a good product, I bought mine off Amazon for around $10 USD including shipping.

Would I buy it again? Yes. I love this polish so much and is I think my favourite green polish in my collection (which is big because Green is my favourite colour!)

Sprite Rating: 10/10 There is nothing more I would ask from this polish except that Nubar be more readily available! Holy Grail Polish here people!

NOTD: Color Club Fashion Addict

Yet another awesome colour (and my last that I purchased) from Color Club polishes that I picked up over the holidays, and most certainly a spring one! I ADORE this, named Fashion Addict it is unbelieveable. Two coats, though almost opaque in one this applied wonderfully like the other Color Club shades I purchased and has worn well to boot. Take a look!

Rainbow wonderfulness!

Direct Sunlight

In direct sunlight this is so pretty I can't stop looking at it! It takes my breath away!

Overall Rating: 10/10 - Seriously amazing, can't believe how inexpensive and high quality this is, plus it's vegan too!
Would I buy it again? YES!

Wet n' Wild Vixen Mittens Holiday Polishes

Top Row Left to Right: Dancer, Dasher, Blitzen, Cupid
Bottom Row Left to Right: Prancer, Rudolph, Donner, Comet
Thanks to naildiva87 for the image!

Have you seen the awesome Wet n' Wild Vixen Mittens Holiday Mini Polish collection out? This Limited Edition collection is beyond adorable, as all the polishes are named after reindeer! There is a polish for everyone of them except for Vixen, who instead has the entire polish collection named after her :P. 

Dasher- Fine silver almost holographic glitter, not opaque

Dancer- Large silver almost holographic glitter, not opaque

Prancer- Large hexagonal and fine red glitter, not opaque

Vixen- Name of the collection (honestly I just put her in here because this keeps the reindeer in order :D)

Comet- Silver and gold fine glitter with large circle silver/almost holographic glitter- not opaque

Cupid- Very light nude/cream colour with silver bar glitter- not opaque

Donner- Gold with orange undertone with silver bar and fine silver glitter- opaque

Blitzen- Pink Champagne with with small red glitter and super fine silver glitter- opaque

Rudolph - Candy Apple red with shimmer- opaque

Left to Right: Rudolph, Prancer, Donner, Comet, (Dancer is missing)
Image thanks to Jaybirdiscrafty!

Far left to right: Donner, Comet, Cupid, Blitzen, Dasher
Image thanks to Jaybirdiscrafty!

Personally I see Prancer becoming a crowd favourite right away as it's very similar to Deborah Lippmann's Ruby Slippers, and it just would make a wonderful manicure layered over a green over white don't you think? Very christmas tree ornament! I also quite like how unique Blitzen is, lovely and subtle but still very in theme. I can see this on an angel's nails actually! (I can see Dashers as an angel manicure too! Overactive imagination, right here, hehe.)

Thanks to naildiva87 for the image!

Click on any of the images to see them bigger! If you see these in store I think they're worth picking up, even though they are mini bottles. I just think the entirety of this collection is adorable! I only wish they had a vixen polish, maybe a green!

What do you think? Hoping some reindeer will drop these off at your local drugstore, or should they fly on by?

Wet n' Wild Night Owl and First Franken!

Wet n' Wild Night Owl Coloricon polish came out recently as a limited edition part of the insomnia collection. I got it for $2.99 and honestly was disappointed in it. Although the colour is very halloween suitable- a dark almost black burgundy-plum, that sometimes looks like dried blood- it just didn't work well. To get it completely even it really needs three coats, it drags and it goes on unevenly, it also dries a strange half-matte finish as well (thank goodness for top coats). It chipped fairly quickly as well even with my top and base coat, it only lasted about three days (with Gelous base coat I usually get a minimum of four). So unless you love the colour, I don't recommend it it didn't live up to Black Fog's formula unfortunately.

See the weird ripples/bubbles/ridges? It just wouldn't smooth out!

Natural Light

However, I was in Zellars today and they had just put out the Wet n' Wild Fantasy Makers display out, a Halloween display made for wacky costume make-up and I found a little gem.

Fantasy Makers Display

Glitter Liners, Glitter Body Gel

More Glitter liners, Purple glitter, HOLOGRAPHIC GLITTER!

From my capitals I'm sure you can guess what the little gem was for $4.99. A vial of silver holographic glitter. Seriously this stuff has the whole rainbow spectrum when you move it!

So I made a Franken because I was so enthralled with this little beauty! For those of you who don't know a Franken stands for a nail polish colour of effect you've made yourself- it stands for Frankenpolish. I took Night Owl and made it into my new polish which I've names Owl Eyes.

 Gorgeous right? I am loving it! I decided to name it Owl Eyes because the original was Night Owl and the sparkles kind of look like eyes in the dark. Silly, and overly dramatic but that's just the type of person I am :D. I only did one nail as I'm about to do my nails in Sephora Sample Sale (an awesome Candy Apple red) for Thanksgiving this weekend, but I'm really pleased with the colour now, so I can put up with the not so great formula.

The holo captured!

What do you think? Any polishes you want to spice up? Have you Frankened before?