Shiro Cosmetics: The Fullmetal Collection

Ok you folks, Shiro Cosmetics is something I've been meaning to check out for a while but when I say I went in... I went IN! Like... so excite to own all these beauties and play with them! This is the Fullmetal Alchemist collection. The colors in this collection are just absolutely beautiful but I had to limit myself.

Availability: Shiro is no longer in business.

Would I buy this again? I can't say for sure yet.
Notes: Notes will accompany each shade respectively. Please note that while I grouped these by collection I didn't purchase each shade from every collection because that's crazy excessive.

Colonel - This is described as a military blue packed with gold sparkle. This is a deep, matte navy with LOADS of golden sparkle that changes to silver and almost red when the light hits it. Beautiful. 

Disclaimer: I paid for these myself.

Shiro Cosmetics: The Legends Collection

Ok you folks, Shiro Cosmetics is something I've been meaning to check out for a while but when I say I went in... I went IN! Like... so excite to own all these beauties and play with them! This is the Zelda collection. For me personally, one of the most exciting.

Availability: Shiro is no longer in business.

Would I buy this again? I can't say for sure yet.
Notes: Notes will accompany each shade respectively. Please note that while I grouped these by collection I didn't purchase each shade from every collection because that's crazy excessive. 

Hero of Ages - the Link color, is described as a dark, near-matte blue toned forest green. This is a cool-toned grassy/forest green, I wouldn't go so far as to call it blue. It has a really pretty green shimmer running through it.

Zora Sapphire is described as a deep teal with strong green shimmer. Pictures do no justice to the Safyre (see what I did there?) mermaid magic of this color! Gorgeous teal with a teal-green shimmer running through it. LOVE it.

A Terrible Fate is described as a deep blackened indigo with a satin finish. This is a black base with an indigo shift.

Majora's Mask is described as a vivid blurple with orange shimmer and tons of red, green, and yellow sparks. Blurple indeed, it's almost pastel but isn't white enough to be there. The base color is matte but has green and copper shimmer. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I paid for these myself.

LUSH Soap Review: Miranda

'Ello folksickles. Today's review will be for Miranda Soap.

Availability: This appears to have been discontinued.

Would I buy this again?: Doubt it.

What is this product designed to address?

According to lushusa.com this is what the product is and what it does:

A fresh fruit salad of a soap, each green piece of sudsy delight is packed with enough fruit inside and out to fill your basket (and then some!). We make each batch of Miranda by hand with fresh, organic kiwi fruit to gently cleanse, tone, and brighten your skin. We add in gorgeous bergamot for its soothing, orange-scented effects. To clear up congested skin and to refresh weary spirits we blend in ylang ylang and juniper berry. Simply fruit-tastic, it’s the perfect way to start your day!

Does it contain any special/beneficial ingredients?
According to the lovely lushusa.com the star ingredient in here is the

Fresh Kiwi Fruit (Actinidia chinensis) The action of actinidin will break down protein-based, dead skin cells and dirt on the skin. This can then be removed, leaving the skin fresh and clean. The other vitamins and minerals in the fruit are highly nutritious for the skin. This cleansing and nourishing process is achieved by using the fruit fresh, mulched straight in to the product. The vitamin content greatly improves skin condition.

This also contains:
Glycerin, rapeseed oil, and coconut oil to hydrate the skin.
Ylang ylang, bergamot, myrrh, juniper berry, and gardenia extracts for scent.

What is the texture like?

This soap feels like a really straightforward cleansing soap that doesn't foam all that well but cleans ok without the foaming element.

Is it scented?

Ok so... I find that in this particular soap, although it has a base of kiwi, it smells very strongly of myrrh and juniper with a very slight hint of kiwi that comes through after the fact. The scent is strong, smoky, almost peppery. It smells very close to blue mist hookah to me, which isn't a bad thing but I don't know that I personally want to smell smoky.

My overall experience/comments on the product:

I have to say this soap is just not for me for several reasons. Firstly the smell is like... I can tolerate it and use it up but I don't LOVE it and for the price of these I'd have to love something to rebuy it. I use this as a hand-soap and I like to use solid soaps for that purpose only... I tend to prefer a liquid for showering purposes so, I felt like I'd point that out as it might affect how you feel about purchasing it in the future. That said, I know a lot of more naturally-based soaps don't foam but I happen to like foam in my soap... sodium cocoate is a foaming agent derived from coconut oil... it's natural, and you can use it to get your soap to foam... for the price that it is I don't see why not... I just have to throw that out there. So many people seem to love Lush and I was very excited to try them out but honestly, so far, I'm underwhelmed.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: This was provided as a sample with purchase. 

Shiro Cosmetics: The Hobbit Collection

Ok you folks, Shiro Cosmetics is something I've been meaning to check out for a while but when I say I went in... I went IN! Like... so excite to own all these beauties and play with them! This is the Hobbit collection, kind of self-explanatory here. For me personally, one of the most exciting.

Availability: Shiro is no longer in business.

Would I buy this again? I can't say for sure yet.
Notes: Notes will accompany each shade respectively. Please note that while I grouped these by collection I didn't purchase each shade from every collection because that's crazy excessive.

War of Five Armies - is described as a near-matte, red-brown blood spilled on earth. Well that's rather morbid and the fact that it looks like dried up blood in the packet makes it questionable... This is a very deep reddish brown with just a hint of red-copper sparkle through it. 

Lingered in Twilight - is described as a blackened blue and green tones with slightly metallic shimmer. This has the absolute illest shift to it. The base is black but it has this green shift full of teal, forest green, and gold micro-shimmer. I LOVE IT!

The Wandering Wizard - is described as a pale, matte, blue-toned grey. This is a very grayed light blue with a strong soft grey shift. Really soft and pretty. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I paid for these myself.

Shiro Cosmetics: The Seven Kingdoms Collection

Ok you folks, Shiro Cosmetics is something I've been meaning to check out for a while but when I say I went in... I went IN! Like... so excite to own all these beauties and play with them! This collection is inspired by Game of Thrones. 

Availability: Shiro is no longer in business.

Would I buy this again? I can't say for sure yet.
Notes: Notes will accompany each shade respectively. Please note that while I grouped these by collection I didn't purchase each shade from every collection because that's crazy excessive.

Maiden Queen - is described as an emerald with bright aqua shimmer and golden-rose sparks . This color is pretty close to its description - I'd say this is more turquoise than it is emerald though and the sparks are both rose and gold, not a rose-gold but overall this color is right up my alley. 

Gift of Mercy is described as a blackened plate-steel grey shot through with hints of orange fire. This color looks meh in the packet but omg it's so pretty!!! This has a mega dark base, very charcoal... almost black with a multicolored shift featuring gold, reddish pink, even a bit of aqua. When you look at it up close it could be dragon-skin colored... at least I'd imagine a dragon's skin looking like this. Quite magical.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I paid for these myself.

Shiro Cosmetics: The Earth's Mightiest Heroes Collection ft The Anguished Sighs of Retail Employees

Ok you folks, Shiro Cosmetics is something I've been meaning to check out for a while but when I say I went in... I went IN! Like... so excite to own all these beauties and play with them! This particular collection is inspired by The Avengers. 

Availability: Shiro is no longer in business.

Would I buy this again? I can't say for sure yet.
Notes: Notes will accompany each shade respectively. Please note that while I grouped these by collection I didn't purchase each shade from every collection because that's crazy excessive. 

Genius Millionaire Playboy Philanthropist - aka the Tony Stark shade is described as a metallic copper-tinted gold with a subtle red shift. I'd really have to agree with that description. It's such a pretty color!

Glowstick of Destiny is described as a muted Tesseract blue with strong golden duochrome. This is a soft sky-blue-meets-periwinkle with a strong gold shift. Really soft but beautiful!

The Anguished Sighs of Retail Employees (the name just SLAYS me) is described as a mid-tone green with with an intense coppery-red shift and loaded with pinky-red sparkle. I'd describe the color as a cool-toned mossy green base with a subtle pink shimmer running through it and loaded with bursts of pink micro-shimmer. The shimmer borders on fuchsia but I wouldn't call it red.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I paid for these myself with the exception of The Anguished Sighs of Retail Employees, which was provided as a sample.