Weekend Looks: Fyrinnae and Makeup Geek Singles

As I mentioned in yesterday's post as well as posts in the last couple of weeks, I've been really into my single shadows. And by "really into," I mean really into. As my disgust with the marketing and hype tactics around palette releases grows and quality of palettes drop, the allure of singles becomes prominent. 

And I keep thinking: Had I really forgotten how great singles are? 

For the first two years or so of my interest in makeup, I used MAC singles (depotted into a palette) almost exclusively. As the Naked palettes were released, I bought them and other popular palettes, but I still heavily favored my MAC shadows. And I guess I had just forgotten about that and forgotten why I favored those shadows. And it was because I had selected them. Me. Not MAC. Not YouTube. Not bloggers. Me. 

And I'm kind of shocked how easily I was taken off course and along the marketing and hype path and forgot how great it is to select shadows yourself. 

Over the three-day weekend I wanted to use some shadows that were new to me that I don't yet feel comfortable wearing to work. 

Look 1: Fyrinnae Shenanigans

Shenanigans on the lid and Makeup Geek Desert Sands blended into the crease.

Look 2: Makeup Geek Backlight

Backlight on the lid, Colourpop Sliver Lining blended into the crease, and Colourpop 143 padded onto the outer corner. 

Look 3: Fyrinnae Mephisto

Mephisto on the lid and Viseart Dark Matte shades blended into the crease. 

Fyrinnae Shenanigans

Status: Favorite

I mentioned in yesterday's post that Dior Cosmopolite is one of my top two favorite bronze shadows I have ever used. Shenanigans is the other. This shadow blew me away. The pictures don't really do it justice, but this is one of the most complex bronzes I have ever seen. I paired it with Makeup Geek Desert Sands, which is a gorgeous kaki brown, and I think the look came out really pretty. Shenanigans is a darker bronze, which is the main reason I would hesitate about wearing it to work, but I could see in the future potentially being able to wear it. 

I also mentioned in yesterday's post that I am new to Fyrinnae, and the main reason for exploring the brand was to show my support for them taking a stand and supporting the ACLU and Human Rights Watch. I was thoroughly impressed by this shadow and am even more impressed that it was less than $7 for a sizable jar of product. I don't have a ton of experience shopping with "indie" brands other than Makeup Geek, Colourpop, Juvia's Place, and Coloured Raine, but Fyrinnae has seriously impressed me. 

Makeup Geek Backlight

Status: Favorite

I've wanted a shadow like this for a while, but was never going to buy the Urban Decay single Tonic because I think it's overpriced. I came close to building a Buxom custom palette that included a similar shade, but I really, really didn't want another palette. When I discovered Backlight and saw that it was pretty much an exact duplicate of Tonic, I knew that was the shade that I wanted. And man, do I love it. It's everything that I wanted it to be. It's a pigmented, smooth pinky-purple and blue duochrome shadow. I paired it with Colourpop Silver Lining and Colourpop 143, and I thought it made a gorgeous combination. 

I'd like to talk for a moment about Colourpop Silver Lining. I haven't heard the best things about this shadow, and Temptalia even gave it an F rating. There are times where I don't agree with Temptalia's ratings, but I am usually within the same ballpark. I'm not in the same ballpark with Silver Lining. I think it's a great shadow that works really well for me. I've mentioned before that I don't subscribe to the way of thinking of "maybe I got a dud" because I think it's perfectly acceptable for people to have different opinions on products, especially since skin tones and textures vary so much. But I've seen Temptalia's swatch of Silver Lining and I've seen other swatches as well, and they look nothing like mine. Temptalia's swatch looks visibly patchy and chunky, but whenever I swatch mine, it is smooth and pigmented. My swatch is also significantly cooler in tone than hers, and I find that swatches usually look the same on her as they do on me. So, I don't know what any of that means. I don't know if I got a totally one-off shadow that is unlike what everyone else received, or if Colourpop may be experiencing some quality control issues. When I saw Temptalia's F rating and read her review, I swatched Silver Lining yet again to see if there was something that I had overlooked. But I really do like that color, so I don't know what the issue may be.   

Fyrinnae Mephisto

Status: Favorite

Holy moly, this color. When I was researching Fyrinnae to see what some of the "classic" or favorite colors from the brand are, I tried to find unique colors that I didn't already own. When I came across Mephisto, I stopped in my tracks. The color was just so interesting and multidimensional that I had a hard time believing the photos were real. Mephisto is very dark, so I assumed I probably wouldn't like it, but I was so drawn to it that I ended up purchasing it. 

To say I am impressed is an understatement. This shadow blew me away. It looked like I had velvet on my eyes. I paired it with the maroon and purple shadows from Viseart Dark Matte, I think they they paired quite well. I feel Mephisto could have paired nicely with brown, orange, and blue tones as well since they are all present in the shadow, but I chose to go with the obvious purple choice. 

This shadow certainly gives a dramatic look, and I think it would make a fantastic alternative to a traditional smokey eye. 

All things considered, the shadows I chose to use over the weekend were all winners. As always, I wish I lived in a world where it was perfectly acceptable to wear whatever I wanted to work, and maybe I will achieve that one day. Earlier in my career, I worked at one of the most prestigious museums in the world. And a woman who was very high up wore a black smoky eye every single day. It was a very dramatic look, and I loved it. And I remember thinking that you had to be high up in your career to get away with something like that. My current position is pretty high, but I still don't feel like I have the license to do that. And I think that's primarily because the women in my office don't really wear much makeup. Or maybe it's because of the type of institution I'm at now, which leans pretty conservative. But wouldn't it be cool if my signature look was Mephisto smoked out all over the lid? That would be pretty awesome.