Sparkling Rings from Dreamy Rings

Nothing makes a girl sparkle like a gem on her finger!

Yeah, okay, I don't totally mean that, but I do love a pretty and simple ring, which is why I'm sharing my latest purchase from Dreamy Rings on Etsy.

I got this lovely sapphire heart stone set in silver ring made in my size and I love it!

I have to admit that I'm really partial to heart-rings. My most cherished ring is a heart-cut of my birth stone set in gold, which I've had since I was 14 years old! Dreamy Rings has such a selection, it made my choice difficult! I would love to have tons, but realistically I'll only wear one at a time, so dangerous. But I've already ordered a second ring from here and can't wait for it to arrive.

Prices range from $30 to $770 USD, so there should be something for any budget. I really appreciate the sizing option as no one ever stocks my size, so anytime I've ever bought a ring I've always had to get it resized.

Here is a small selection of some of the gorgeous offerings at Dreamy Rings. Aren't they lovely?

Pannier and Revolutionary Ball from Victorian Disco Cosmetics

From my latest haul from Victorian Disco Cosmetics, I have two colours from the Rococo Roller Rink series.

When I hear Rococo I can't help think of Momoko's explanation of the Rococo period in European history from the film Kamikaze Girls (also known as 下妻物語, which is based on a book by the same titles). I really love this film and book, but for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I've dug up a clip below.

I think Momoko would approve of Pannier and Revolutionary Ball.  

Pannier

Revolutionary Ball

Both of these were taken with flash, and you can see some of the colour as it has come off on the lids (international shipping, these things happen!) 

swatches: (left) Pannier and (right) Revolutionary Ball

VDC describe Pannier as deep brownish taupe with violet and gold flecks and Revolutionary Ball as dark black with a deep blue sheen. 

I think those are pretty spot on descriptions, altho I thought Pannier's shimmer almost looks like there's a light green, but I think this might be the gold colour playing off the taupe. Either way, they're both lovely and not bad at $4.50 USD for 2 grams of pigment. 

Speaking of Kamikaze Girls... 

makes me think of Anna Tsuchiya, who played Ichigo, the Yanki (think street punk) best friend of Momoko in Kamikaze Girls. Anna Tsuchiya is also pretty badass in real life as well. She's known for her outspoken opinions, and has an amazing career so far which includes modelling and singing as well as acting. 

I hope it's true, but Wikipedia quotes her in reference to her difficult modelling days as saying: 

"We were all teens at that time. I guess you guys expect some epic stories like — Anna did it, and those who laughed at Anna are now flipping burgers at McDonald's or distributing handbills at Jusco or especially, getting f***ed in porn videos — but sorry, y'all know God is such a balless mofo, now some of those who laughed at me have got bigger successes than me and are super rich... I sometimes feel frustrated with it, but yeah, they made me better."

That just cracks me up! Love Anna Tsuchiya, how could you not!? This girl rocks!

Here's a song from the anime NANA performed by her. 

Harry Potter and Final Fantasy inspired cosmetics

I can't wait until my next 20 parcels arrive from Victorian Disco Cosmetics! You think I'm exaggerating, ok, I am, but only just!  I couldn't wait for them to arrive because I wanted to share with you before they're sold out. Btw, these are limited editions! Once they're gone, they're gone! eeeep!

I ordered several colours from the Sailor Moon inspired collection, Sailor Scouts collection, which is a permanent part of the range. I had ordered samples of all the colours in the collection and swatched them here if you're interested.

Today I want to share some of what I've got coming (don't worry, I will be swatching), but I couldn't wait and didn't want anyone to miss out on these amazing collections!

House Points 

The first collection is the newest - just unveiled on Friday 27th Jan 2012. Not to sound smug, but I *knew* this was coming. Okay, well I knew something Harry Potter-related was on its way. There were a few hints on twitter, and okay some begging too, but Smashley made it happen!

Hogwarts Founders Fan Art from EvaAngel at DeviantArt

That's right. House Points is a collection named after the Hogwarts Founders!

There are 4 gorgeous colours available:

Godric - Rust red with a golden sheen and shimmer.

Helga - Deep rose golden color with golden sheen.

Rowena - Bright slate blue with silver sparkles and shimmer.

Salazar - Shamrock green with bright silver shimmers.

Colour descriptions are from VDC. Aren't they lovely?! I've already ordered all 4, and cannot wait to try them out!

Here's a swatch from VDC for you to gush over!

These are available full size for $4.50 USD each, or get all 4 for $15.00 USD. There is also a small jar set available as well.



Crystalline Affections

The other limited edition is a special for Valentine's Day, inspired by Final Fantasy. These colours come in couples inspired by characters from various Final Fantasy video games.

Cloud x Tifa from FFVII

(left) Tifa - Reddish brown with golden glitter and red flecks

(right) Cloud - Deep blue with golden flecks

Cloud x Aeris from FFVII

(left) Aeris - Light pink with red and rose colored glitter

(right) Cloud - Deep blue with golden flecks

Squall x Rinoa from FFVIII

(left) Rinoa - Cornflower blue with blue flecks and blue sheen

(right) Squall - Deep brown with golden brown flecks and gold glitter

Zidane x Princess Garnet from FFIX

(left) Garnet - Reddish rust color with orange flecks and red glitter

(right) Zidane - Golden beige with golden flecks

Tidus x Yuna from FFX and FFX-2

(left) Yuna - Very light lavender with pink flecks

(right) Tidus - Yellowish gold with golden flecks

Wakka x Lulu Garnet from FFX and FFX-2

(left) Lulu - Blackish purple with purple sheen and purple glitter

(right) Wakka - Golden orangey rust color with orange flecks and copper glitter

These pigments are available only as couples, for $8.00 each. There was also a 3-some of CloudxTifaxAeris, but that's already sold out.

I didn't buy all of these, and I have to confess that I've never even played FF, but I have watched some of it over the years. So I really picked based on colours.

My picks? You'll have to wait and see! Hit me up in the comments on your picks!

NB: All photos in this post courtesy of Victorian Disco Cosmetics

Victorian Disco Cosmetics: Sailor Moon Collection Eyeshadow Swatches

What first brought me to Victorian Disco Cosmetics was Pink Sith's post on her Star Wars collection of eye shadow pigments. Although I'm not a Star Wars fan myself (don't hate me!), I have many friends who are, so had to share it with them! I of course checked out what else Smashley has to offer at Victorian Disco Cosmetics shop on Etsy.

That's when I saw it: Sailor Moon Collection (called Sailor Scouts Collection on website)!! OMG! I love Sailor Moon. I mean, seriously love it. I mean I own all the manga in Japanese (regular & deluxe) and in French (regular). I have all 200 episodes of the anime. I've even watched a bunch of the live action stuff, as this manga and anime holds such a soft spot in my heart. So I had to swatch all of the Sailor Scouts Collection and share it with you!

All swatches have been applied with UDPP as a base, if you apply wet, many of these colours are even more vibrant. 

Sailor Moon True golden color with gold flecks and sheen Lip-safe and Vegan This is a shimmery gold with sparkles and I love it. It's so beautiful. It's a colour I really adore for eye shadows.

Sailor Mercury Bright royal blue with blue and red flecks Vegan, but not lip-safe Lovely royal blue as described with blue and red shimmer. Gorgeous!

Sailor Mars Rusty red with a pink sheen Lip-safe and vegan  This comes off more a pinky red than a red red to me. It has subtle pink shimmer which is nice. It's a lovely colour, but I often find this shade hard to pull off personally as an eye shadow. I'm curious to see this as a lip colour, and think it might be more suitable for my lips than my eyes, but haven't tried it yet.

Sailor Jupiter Bright lime green with gold flecks Lip-safe and vegan Lime green, definitely! A touch frosty on me.

Sailor Venus Bright golden orange with a slight pink sheen Lip-safe and vegan Bright orange, kinda frosty. Very pigmented.

Tuxedo Mask Deep reddish black with purple and gold sheen Lip-safe and vegan OMG, love this colour! It comes out more of a dark purple on me and is super shimmery. I love it!  The multicolour shimmer is a-mazing. It's also very well pigmented. I can only image how dark it goes when applied wet!

Rini  Light baby pink with a pink sheen and gold sparkles Vegan, but not lip-safe  A frosty light pink, lovely just like Small Lady. It's a Pink Sugar Heart Attack.

Artemis Bright silvery white with a gold sheen Vegan, but not lip-safe Lovely silver, although I can't really see the gold sheen. Looks like a frosty silver with shimmer to me. Diana Bright blue based pink with a light purple sheen Lip-safe and vegan I'd describe it as a magenta or a berry with a bright pink sparkle. Very bright. Luna Deep strong black with a very prominent gold sheen and sparkles Lip-safe and vegan Applied wet maybe it looks black, but I found it to apply with primer as a dark charcoal grey with sparkles. Love it. Can't wait to wear it.

Sailor Pluto Deep teal green with purple reflects Vegan, but not lip-safe This is a lovely colour. I really do love the shimmer and the reflects in this colour. I have trouble wearing this sort of colour on my eyes, so I probably won't order it, but it's so beautiful I'm still tempted.

Sailor Neptune Bright teal with purple reflects Vegan but not lip-safe A lovely light aqua with violet shimmer. Beautiful shade.

Sailor Uranus Bright bright yellow with yellow sparkles Lip-safe and vegan Yes, bright is repeated twice in the colour description, and this is such a bright yellow! It's very strongly pigmented and a true yellow. If you're looking for a true and bright yellow, this would be perfect!

Sailor Saturn Bright purple with red undertones and red flecks Vegan, but not lip-safe A lovely colour, although I would describe it more as a light purple or a lilac. It's very soft. I do really like it though. I particularly love the reddish sparkles.

From left to right: Sailor Saturn, Diana, Sailor Mars, Rini

From left to right: Artemis, Luna, and Tuxedo Mask

From left to right: Sailor Uranus, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Venus

From left to right: Sailor Mercury, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Pluto, and Sailor Jupiter

My favourites from the collection?

Tuxedo Mask is amazing! I also love Sailor Moon, Rini, and Luna. These are colours that I wear, so I'm biased. I also want to mention Sailor Pluto, as it's amazing, but teal isn't really my thing on eyes. Sailor Saturn is also beautiful.

Smashley is a smart business woman and has just released some Final Fantasy colours as well! I've heard she's working on something else equally if not more, amazing which I'm sure I'll be posting about when it's released! Actually, I've already ordered a couple of full size Final Fantasy inspired colours, so I'll definitely swatch them. Victorian Disco Cosmetics is the perfect match for a geek girl who loves makeup! I can't wait to dive into these colours and start wearing them!

You can find Victorian Disco Cosmetics on Etsy and full size pigments are $4.50 USD, with sample bags or jars available for all colours.