Darling Girl Haul & Swatches: Blush and Eyeshadow

I love trying out indie cosmetics because indie companies offer interesting colors and great value! Today, I'm showing you my very first Darling Girl Cosmetics order. I chose a variety of blushes, including a contour shade and a bronzer, and a few satin finish eyeshadows. My order shipped out within the stated turn around time (TAT) and was packed in a pretty pink mailer.

Let's see what I ordered!

 I Ordered: 

- Aloha soft focus blush, matte, petit size
- Koalification soft focus blush, matte, petit size
- Kiss the Frog soft focus blush, satin, petit size
- Berry Merry blush you, satin matte, petit size
- Portal of Faces blush, satin shimmer, gift with purchase

Left to right: (top) Portal of Faces, Berry Merry, (bottom) Koalification, Kiss the Frog, Aloha

As shown on the label, Berry Merry, Koalification, Kiss the Frog, and Aloha are all vegan.

Plus Samples:

- Eyeshadow sample in Ginger, satin
- Eyeshadow sample in Calla, satin
- Cheeky soft focus blush sample, matte
- Fuji soft focus blush sample, satin matte
- Beach Baby bronzer sample, satin

From left to right, (top) Calla, Fuji, (bottom) Ginger, Beach Baby, Cheeky

Swatches & Comparisons

All swatches were done with my finger on bare, unprimed skin. Photos were taken in natural light and have not been color corrected.

 Darling Girl Eyeshadows: Calla on the left, Ginger on the right.

Calla is a satin finish ivory with a neutral undertone, Ginger is a satin finish light peachy bronze with a warm undertone. Compared to Ginger, Bare Minerals Enjoy is more pink and pressed and Bare Minerals Vanilla Sugar is more orange  and less shimmery.

From left to right, Bare Minerals Skinny Dip bronzer, Darling Girl Beach Baby bronzer, Darling Girl Koalification blush, NYX Taupe blush

I swatched the Darling Girl products next to the closest item in my collection. Compared to Bare Minerals Skinny Dip, Beach Baby is a little more brown, but they have a similar satin finish. Compared to NYX Taupe, Darling Girl Koalification is much cooler and has a slight purple undertone, while Taupe has a neutral leaning cool undertone. On my cool toned fair skin, Koalification is too cool and looks comically ashy, while Taupe looks like a natural shadow under my cheekbones.

From left to right, Benefit Rockateur blush, NARS Douceur blush, Darling Girl Aloha blush

Compared to Darling Girl Aloha, Benefit Rockateur is a little more pink and has a satin finish, while NARS Douceur is slightly deeper, cooler, and more brown.

Left to right, Darling Girl Fuji, Cheeky, Aloha, Portal of Faces, Berry Merry, Kiss the Frog (full on), and Kiss the Frog (blended)

Fuji is a muted peachy pink, Cheeky is a bright pink pop, Aloha is a muted nude peach, Portal of Faces is a coral pink, Berry Merry is a saturated berry leaning pink, and Kiss the Frog is a cool toned deep plum purple.  Of the lineup, Fuji and Portal of Faces are the most easily wearable, and Kiss the Frog is the most unique. My personal favorite for fall is Berry Merry.

Brushes for Loose Powder Blush

Left to right, Real Techniques Duo Fiber Face Brush, Elf Studio Small Stipple Brush, Real Techniques Setting Brush

People new to playing with loose powder products often experience some application trouble, most of which can be remedied with brush choice. I like a loosely packed duo-fiber for very pigmented blushes, because it will diffuse the pigment into your skin. I like a larger brush for natural blush or bronzer application and a medium to small brush for strategic blush application or for highlighters.  Particularly with a shade like Kiss the Frog, a brush like the Real Techniques Duo Fiber Face Brush will be the key to a wearable result.

First Impression

I haven't had these products in my stash for long, but so far I am pleased with the products I chose. I had a little bit of trouble with blending Kiss the Frog, but that is expected for a strong purple. It's hard to find subtle satin finishes in many indie shops, so I applaud Darling Girl for producing a variety of finishes.