Well, won't you look at that? I kept my promise to swatch my Femme Fatale swatches and it only took me a week! It was the first sunny day in ages, so even the weather gods were kind to me. The bright light made swatching all the glittery shades very interesting, to say the least. Glitter everywhere! I guess that's what you get for accidentally swatching with a fluffy crease brush.
Speaking of brushes, we celebrated Sinterklaas (the main Dutch gift giving holiday, pretty much what Santa is based on) yesterday. I'd asked for the Real Techniques eyes starter set, which my parents ordered off Amazon. It arrived just fine. Thrice. I'd hate to work at Amazon this time of year, with all the mistakes they're making because they're just so goddamn busy. I read somewhere that it's cheaper to just send multiples or drop stuff than it is to correct these mistakes. I'm not complaining, though. They also send us a damaged copy of Neil Gaiman's The Sleeper and the Spindle, so I had to get that one replaced. My mother's keeping the damaged copy since it's still such a gorgeous book, even with a tear in the dust jacket.
It's too dark to take proper photographs now, but I got the cutest acrylic storage unit for my indies. Too bad it's nearly full already, oops.
Okay, onto the swatches! I was going to wait until my other FF order had arrived, but it's been in transit for nearly six weeks now after getting returned to Australia. Damn thing's seen more of the world than I have. Good thing it's going to be more than worth it when it arrives somewhere next week.
Prices: I ordered nine mini's, which were about 3.30 AUD after the taxes had been taken off. The website shows a slightly higher price (3.63 AUD) but only Australians need to pay those taxes. Everything is in Australian dollars, meaning mini's cost about $2.75 / €2.25. Full sizes are 6.60 AUD for a 5g jar with sifter (mini's being 3g jars with sifter). They are sealed individually to avoid spillage. At 17 AUD (including insurance), international shipping is rather pricey, but it is definitely worth it.
TAT: Their current TAT is 10 business days, beginning the following business day from order placement. Since it is close to Christmas, shipping times might take up to two weeks extra. I placed this order October 22nd and it shipped October 28th. It arrived in the Netherlands on November 5th, so that is very decent considering Australia is literally on the other side of the world. My other order (partially for me, partially for a friend) was placed on October 23th, shipped October 31st and hasn't arrived yet due to Sophie forgetting to include my house number. It will probably arrive somewhere next week.
Customer service: Like I said, my other order was returned to Australia and Sophie was an absolute sweetheart about it, especially when she learned it had been her mistake. She shipped it back to me free of charge as soon as it arrived there and was very prompt in responding to my emails. It was an unfortunate mistake, but she apologised for it profusely. I had placed my order during a sale so she was probably really busy anyway. Mistakes happen and she handled it like a true professional.
These swatches were done over Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy. They are loose powder and definitely need a sticky base or glitter glue for the duochrome and glitter to show up. Fallout is minimal, though, and over PE they are a complete dream to work with. I received two free samples, which I kinda forgot to swatch. I'll include them when my other order comes in!
Femme Fatale's description: "An eggplant purple base with intense golden green glimmers and sparkles."
My verdict: Okay, first of all: I screwed up. I completely forgot to take photo's with flash for these first five swatches. Sorry! I might redo them later, but for now it's all natural light. I love this colour so much! The eggplant base is a medium, slightly blue-leaning purple that is completely different from Impsy's base. The sparkles are bright green, but there's some pink-ish highlights too. It is a glitterbomb, but the colours are muted enough to use this shade during the day. It is magical to look at, both in the jar and on your skin.
Femme Fatale's description: "A rich mulberry purple with strong red tones and golden shimmer."
My verdict: Impsy is so gorgeous! I prefer purples that lean a little red, which this one definitely does. It shifts between pure purple and dark red, making it such a lovely, warm colour. The golden shimmer leans slightly green and is very apparent even in artificial light. I reach for it quite a lot when I want to truly spice up a look.
Femme Fatale's description: "A buttery smooth mid range brown with warm tones and a satin finish. "
My verdict: I initially got Time Lost and Wizards Only, Fools after seeing another blogger pair them with Cake to create the perfect neutral smokey eye. Let me tell you: she wasn't wrong. Cake was part of the order that went astray, but Time Lost and Wizards Only, Fools really are the perfect combination. Time Lost is a lovely light brown that leans slightly orange on me and it is so versatile! I use it as my base colour, adding golds, yellows, browns and reds to create whatever look I'm going for. It is quite light, so it might not show up as well on darker skintones.
Femme Fatale's description: "A pale redwood pink with a green duochrome. Blends out to have an almost brown undertone to it."
My verdict: Candied Apple is magic in a jar. If you're only going to order one thing from Femme Fatale, this is the only right choice. It is such a unique shade, which works both on its own and combined with other colours. The base is a pinkish mauve on me, but I've seen it range from red to brown to bright pink. The shift is really strong, making it very wearable for redheads like me. I'm telling you, buy this shade. You need it.
Femme Fatale's description: "A translucent baby pink with strong aqua shift – will appear more striking over a dark base."
My verdict: I love Perspecto-Illusion - in the jar and as a swatch. The blue shift is very strong and makes the pinkish base disappear on me, turning the whole thing a little too blue for me to be able to use it. It is quite overpowering even when used over a dark base, but that might just be my disability to make blues work for me speaking. It is so pretty to look at, though.
Femme Fatale's description: "A sultry imperial purple with deep tones and an overlay of fiery red shimmer. This colour is delicate, and depending on how you apply or blend this shade will affect the soft shimmer. We recommend use over a primer, with patting the product on (minimal blending)."
My verdict: Quite similar to Fyrinnae's Mephisto, but without the royal blue base. There is something about the whole dark purple with copper shift that disagrees with PE, as this swatch turned out super patchy. Femme Fatale is right in warning about how to apply this, as overblending makes the red shift much more muted. It is more apparent in artificial or bright light. I like it a lot, as it isn't quite as bold as some of the other dark reds out there. Makes for a gorgeous liner, too!
Femme Fatale's description: "A gorgeous smooth bronze-brown with golden tones – almost leans olive or orange in some lights."
My verdict: Cosmic Owl is such a lovely, warm bronze/gold! I adore pretty much all golds, but this one is one of my favourites. It's warm without being too bright and overpowering, making it a very suitable all-over colour. I get the orange, but the olive not so much.
Femme Fatale's description: "A rich teal-blue base with strong, bright green shimmer."
My verdict: This shade would not photograph properly. When looking at it directly, it's a very bright and glittery green on a blue base, which doesn't really show until you twist your arm. Somehow I managed to catch an almost golden gleam, too, which isn't quite as apparent in real life. It is extremely glittery and bright - and absolutely gorgeous.
Femme Fatale's description: "A rich purple-brown base with warm-toned sparks and shimmer."
My verdict: Like I said, this shade is best when used in combination with Time Lost, but it is a lovely crease colour for pretty much every look. It is very dark, with bright copper and green shimmer. I love how warm it is, without being too bright or overpowering. Glittery neutrals are rare, but this is definitely one.
Added bonus: My first Hello Waffle shadow, which I got in a Christmas card from a lovely IMAM user! Hello Waffle's shop is currently closed so I can't give you their description, but I do know that it is from their Tangled collection. It's a lovely lavender with a gorgeous golden glimmer that is quite muted. It is so soft and feminine, I love it! It does need a sticky base, but I guess most glitter shadows do. This was definitely a great introduction to Hello Waffle!
Overall impression: These shadows are so worth the wait and the pricey shipping! I dare say these are some of the most unique shades on the market right now, especially when it comes to their duochromes. I can't wait for my other order to arrive!
You can buy Femme Fatale's shadows here. They're open right now, but will be closing for the holidays on December 18th. Shiro Cosmetics has also started stocking Femme Fatale and they will restock somewhere in January. Keep in mind that they only stock full sizes, though!
