I don’t know what happened, but I went sampler-crazy in January. There were a lot more brands I wanted to try but didn’t get to (i.e. Fyrinnae, Black Rose Minerals, Aromaleigh, etc) because they don’t ship to the Philippines. However, I have had my fill of indies for now, I think. (I’m still expecting parcels from Victorian Disco, Notoriously Morbid and Hello Waffle… So yes. I have a problem.)

Aside from all of that, though, I picked up a 10-sampler pack from Darling Girl Cosmetics. It’s one of the indie brands that I hear frequently, so I thought it might be a safe place to start.

They have quite an extensive collection of collections (lol), including an all-matte one called MILF or Matte I’d Like to Find. I love their musically-named ones, too. Here’s what I ended up getting:

And somehow, I ended up receiving one more sample baggie and this GWP:

Swatched, L-R: Vicar in a Tutu, Saddle Up, Heaving Bosom, Between the Sheets, Naughty Bits, Bodice Ripper, Tainted Love, Miss Argentina, Pirate’s Booty, London Calling, Throwing Stones, It’s a Ginger Thing

Throwing Stones and It’s a Ginger Thing are both GWPs/free samples with the order.

Vicar in a Tutu — shimmery pale cream (described: cool cucumber green with a subtle pink and orange duo-chrome)
Saddle Up — pearly pink-toned neutral (described: neutral, pinky-beige, satin pearl)
Heaving Bosom — pale matte lavender (described: pale, softly greyed lavender)
Between the Sheets — matte dusty rose (described: light plummy brown)

Naughty Bits — matte rose-toned brick (described: saturated chocolate cherry)
Bodice Ripper — matte deep mauve (described: soft dirtied plum)
Tainted Love — matte indigo (described: deep mysterious smoked out plum)

Miss Argentina — matte blue-tinted grass green with fine blue sparks (I think?) (described: Pale minty slightly blueish green with red undertones, flashes of copper and shimmering lavender shimmer)
Pirate’s Booty — matte pea green
London Calling — matte blue base with copper sparks (described: an indigo base with heavy red shift)

GWPs:
Throwing Stones — purple-toned pink with blue and pink sparks
It’s a Ginger Thing — warm mid-tone peach pink with gold shimmer

Here are a few looks I threw together using these shadows, which is a task that, if you must know, was a challenge.

Look 1: It’s a Ginger Thing all over the lid, fading into Between the Sheets on the crease. Lined the upper and 2/3 of the outer lower lash line with London Calling

Look 2: Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Furore on lid, Darling Girl in Naughty Bits on the outer corner and smudged under lashes (neutral haze).

As far as pricing goes, I find these to be a bit more expensive than I’d like since they are sample baggies samples. I picked the “International Baggies” option, but the amount of product doesn’t feel like the standard 1/4 tsp for petits. Does that make sense? I’m not an expert, obviously, but that’s just how it feels to me as the samples feel fairly flimsy.

In any case, I wish I had known that DG’s Glitter Glue (a primer variant) was comparable to Fyrinnae’s Pixie Epoxy. It’s something I really want to try. I want to make another order (since their mattes are really awesome) just for the primers, but I’ll hold off for now.

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