Antionette's Revolution Cosmetics & LOTD

A few days ago, I was having one of those "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad" days.  Really it was that bad: absolute junk at work (weeping on the job?  not one of my fav things to do) and then when I got home--a gift waiting for me from one of my dogs, one that just kept on giving...and giving...and giving  all night long.  Poor puppeh was sick all night from the candy he'd broken a bowl to get into.  


That's about as nasty as it gets without the occurrence of some heaven-forbidden tragedy.  Within three hours of getting home from the work day from hell I had crawled into bed, curled up, and was praying for the day to be over.  I ended up staying with our other dog at home while the hubby took our boy to the vet.  I was so upset I couldn't even eat!  Boo.


The following morning, I checked email including a tracking message for a package I was expecting and what did I find?  "Package delivered..." the previous night!  I was so caught up in the DOTD (drama of the day lol!) that I hadn't even checked the mail.  Wanna see what I practically ran to retrieve from my mailbox?

How lovely is this??  I totally appreciate the gift packaging...

...even, or perhaps especially, when the gift is for me ;)

I had been following the pre-sales of Antionette's Revolution Cosmetics (ARC) through their Facebook page as well as the blogs of several online friends, many of whom were raving about the quality, color, and wearability of these products.  I was fortunate that the owner/creator, Rachael, still had some of the "pick 6 full sizes for $20" deals available when I was finally able to purchase--so I jumped on it!  The order was placed last weekend and shipped almost immediately, which is why it was in my mailbox on Thursday.  That's one quick TAT ;)  Here's what I received:

A rainbow of pretties ;)

I ordered full sizes of: Liaisons, von Fersen, Gouttiere, Guillotine, Versailles, and Gangrene. Also ordered were samples of: le Gateau, Ladies in Waiting, Musket, Revolution, Powdered Wigs, Masquerade, le Dauphin, and Louis.  A sample of Dusty Rose, from the newly released ARC Rose Collection, was included as a gift (mahalo, Rach!)


I love that the full sizes came not only sifter-sealed and shrink-wrapped but also in a little zip bag--Rach goes above and beyond to ensure nothing is leaking out of its packaging.  I also love the little baroque design, pillow-shaped gift box the samples came in--another failsafe to prevent leakage and pretty at the same time!


Another plus of the packaging that I'd like to point out is the labeling; as many of my savvy readers out there know, there have been major concerns in the indie MMU industry about "hidden" repackaging and misleading--or missing--information about the ingredients in several companies' products, leading to an outpouring of customer demand for accuracy in labeling.  ARC is doing a fab job of leaving no room for doubt as to the contents and safety of their products, consider the following:

Right away, you can see that Gouttiere is clearly labeled not lip safe and that Liaisons  contains carmine, for those who wish to avoid non-vegan products.  No secrets here :D

Extra props for the same quality and quantity of information on sample labels!

It is clear that ARC wants to take very good care of their customers and ensure they are informed of what they are buying before they make their purchases.  On their recently launched Artfire site, one can browse the shop and see the same information on these labels is included in each listing, for example here is a sample size of Gouttiere and this is Liaisons; each listing includes a full disclosure of ingredients and whether the product is not lip safe--even in the sample listing (rather than simply referring you back to the full size listing; extra extra props for this, as it means the buyer does not have to hunt around for the information they need!).


Additionally, the shop includes in each listing a bit of backstory for each shade created, like this one for von Fersen:

Inspiration / Story behind this Product:

von Fersen in history was a lover of Marie Antoinette, and was also a member of the Swedish army. As a nod to him, we've made this beautiful military-inspired navy blue.

Folks, you know how I am all about the storytelling and this puts ARC over the moon in my book--I love seeing what inspired the product, not just a prettily poetic description of the color!


Based on feedback from fans on my Facebook page, I decided to create a look using my new ARC shades, possibly mixing in a sample or two I received in another recent order from the highly recommended Meow Cosmetics (MC).  I laid out the goods, including a new lip gloss I was dying to try out, shuffled and reshuffled, and came up with this:

Look!  Blush!!

Yes, dear and patient readers, that is actual blush (not a photoshopped effect) applied to my cheeks!  You may recall my saying that I prefer to use bronzer in place of blush because I felt inept at a proper application of the latter.  In previous looks actually using blush I'd apply it so lightly you could barely (if at all) tell I was wearing the stuff.  Turns out all I needed was a really good blush brush.

See?  Even with my camera's "super flash" you can still see the blush ;p

On my eyes:
MAC Paint Pot in Painterly (base)
ARC Rose Collection in Dusty Rose (lid and blended into crease)
ARC Ladies in Waiting (upper crease/brow bone)
ARC Powdered Wigs (just below brow)
ARC Liaisons, foiled (lining upper/lower lash line & "swallowtail" on outer corners)
MC Egyptian Treasures Collection in Sand Dune (inner corners and under Liaisons on lower lid)
Indy by Mixology (in brows)
Gunsmoke by Mixology, foiled (thin line under Liaisons on upper lash line)
e.l.f. Mineral Eye Liner in Black (lower waterlines)
Aveda Mosscara in Black


On the face:
"Franken" foundation (lol!  Want the story?  Check it out here)


On the cheeks:
MC Masterpiece Blush in Starry Night (LOVE this!!  It is a perfect coral-pink--and we all know I loves me some coral shades!--and gives me a very natural-looking flush.  I got it as a sample and would definitely buy a full size)


On the lips:
Lip balm for base topped with MAC Lipglass in Viva Glam Cyndi (I cannot believe I found this out-of-stock & discontinued LE shade on ebay for a less than astronomical price, it was so worth the hunt!)  I absolutely adore this creamy coral-rose shade of gloss--it has great opacity and texture, looks amazing on, and wears very well.

Well I just loved this look and my fans did too; the combo of soft and dusky pinks and coral-tinted roses looked amazing on!  I would certainly wear this any day, even to work (well, perhaps without the fancy-kine swallowtail pattern eyeliner ;D ).  I like the texture and color payoff of ARC and MC both--the ARC pale shades in particular (since I used mostly these) had a very nice buildable opacity and did not lose their gorgeousness when blended out, which is a plus.  Would I buy again?  Folks, I'm already planning my next purchase lmbo!!


Any other experiences with Antionette's Revolution Cosmetics or Meow Cosmetics out there?  I'd love to hear from you!


MKA,


Lizzy


Disclaimer:  All content is my own opinion only and should in no way be construed as a paid endorsement or representation of any companies named.  I receive no compensation whatsoever from any makeup or other companies named/linked to in my posts for my looks or reviews.  All of the products used in this look I paid for with my own money (my hubby wouldn't have it any other way, lol!), except for one free sample included in my ARC purchase.  I just like to have fun with all the pretty pretty colors...