My First Darling Girl Cosmetics Haul! (SPOILER: I Love Everything!)

Sometimes I get tired of the monotony of the bigger-named brands in the cosmetics industry and I like to look into what the more indie brands have to offer.  I'm so happy that the first indie company that I've ordered from has turned out to be awesome!  This company is Darling Girl Cosmetics, and I'm not going to make you read this entire post to tell you that I'm in love with everything!  But you should still keep reading for some swatches =)

Watercolor Paint Pots

Kiss My Clover (L) & Peony for Your Thoughts (R)

The products that I was most interested in, and were the reason why I put in an order in the first place, were the Watercolor Paint Pots.  You guys know my love for cream shadows and jumbo pencils so there's no doubt I had to try these out.  I got the shades in Kiss My Clover, which is described as a celery green with golden undertones, and Peony for Your Thoughts, described as a pale pink with gold shimmer.  Personally I think the Peony for Your Thoughts is more of a medium pink with a bit of rosiness to it.


They have a very unique formula.  It's like a heavy, creamy mousse texture.  To apply it for best results, I like to get just a tiny bit on my finger and blend it over my lid.  Depending on how opaque I want the color, I will apply thin layer after layer until I'm satisfied.  This is pretty much how I apply all cream shadows really.  I don't recommend ever putting on a ton of cream shadow all at once because that's how you end up with creasing issues.  I had no problem with creasing or fading at all with either of these shades with powder eyeshadow on top (although I think they would've been fine without a shadow on top for my dryer lids).


Note:  I've just noticed on the Darling Girl Cosmetics website the Watercolor Paint Pots have been reformulated since I've tried them into an improved formula.  They are also on sale right now, going from $5.25 to $4.73 :)


Powder Blushes/Highlighters

Fantasia, Trademark This!, Little Miss Sunshine

I ordered 2 different blushes/highlighters and received another blush as a sample.  Across the board, I'm so impressed with how pigmented and soft all Darling Girl's powder products are.


As soon as I read the description of the DuoChrome blush in Fantasia I knew it had to be mine.  Its an orange coral base with a gorgeous violet sheen.  This looks so cool on my cheeks, but its definitely flattering and wearable so don't be afraid of the violet shift.  According to the site, Fantasia is the #1 selling blush and I can see why as its so unique!  


The sample I received in Trademark This! is a fun shade too.  It's a cotton candy pink with gold shimmers.  This reminds me of swatches I've seen of NARS' Angelika blush!  I can't seem to find this shade on the website for sale yet, but I hope it becomes available because I love it.


Finally, I bought the shade in Little Miss Sunshine of the Spectral Shifts.  The Spectral Shifts can be used as shadows, blushes, or as I prefer, highlighters.  Little Miss Sunshine is a sheer, pale yellow base with a red shift.  On my face, it creates the most other-worldly glow!  The "red" shift doesn't really look red on my, more of a pink or violet.  I especially appreciate that it's very wearable despite it being so unique.


Eyeshadow

Making Merry

I also received 2 sample baggies of shadows.  Unfortunately I seem to have misplaced one but the one that I did get to swatch is phenomenal!  With just a tiny bit of the shadow on my finger I was able to produce the swatch that you see above.  Making Merry is a red-violet base with a high pearl sheen that looks silver or blue-ish depending on how the light hits it.


I'm not normally interested in loose shadows (hence why I didn't order any) but judging on the quality of Making Merry I think I might pop a few in my next order...


Sweet Cheeks Cream Blush

USAHANA

Finally, I grabbed a Sweet Cheeks Cream Blush in USAHANA, which is a lilac pink shade with just a hint of shimmer enough to provide a fresh glow to the cheeks.  I was worried about this blush at first because when I swatched it it was a bit sheerer than I expected after having swatched the other more pigmented products.  I was also concerned because it feels a bit greasy when you first go to apply it.


My fears faded, however after I was totally finished with application.  Although it was a bit sheer, you can build the color up a bit and I found the sheerness adds to its natural look on the cheeks.  And that greasiness I detected at first?  Once blended into the skin the oil absorbs quickly into my skin and doesn't leave even the slightest residue!  This color just makes my skin look extra golden and wonderful too.  


Now, my bottom line on everything is that I clearly a huge AMBER LOVES!!!.  I wasn't disappointed with any of the products I ordered nor the free samples that came with my purchase.  Honestly, I don't have anything bad to say.  I'm especially happy with the customer service:

This is why I love ordering from smaller companies!  I feel like they truly appreciate my business as opposed to bigger brands who don't even know I exist and, at times, don't seem to really care.  The fact that Susan, the founder/creater of Darling Girl Cosmetics, took the time to hand-write a little thank you note on my order slip makes all the difference.  


I love that Darling Girl Cosmetics such a range a different and unique products.  I've found that a lot of the smaller companies offer mostly loose powders, so it's awesome that they offer such a broad arrangement of cosmetics in addition to those like the Watercolor Paint Pots and the Cream Blush.  There are also some pigmented lip balms, glosses, and stains that I'm eager to try as well!


You can find more information on all these products at the Darling Girl Cosmetics Website!