Me-RWOWR!... Meow Cosmetics

Alrighty guys, I've got some photos of swatches of products from the Meow Cosmetics Egyptian Treasures. They can be found on the meow cosmetics website right here: http://www.meowcosmetics.com/egyptiantreasures.htm 

I don't know if these are limited edition since they're in this special collection, but I don't see anything on the website that indicates they're going away anytime soon, and they've been around since Fall of 2009, according to this page. I ordered Scarab, Ra, Reincarnation, Bast, Artifact, Royal, and Tutankhamen. These are all eyeshadows, and are $8.00 each; I got them for 20% off during a special promotion! I also ordered samples for $1 each of an additional eye shadow, Nile, a blush called Nefertiti, and a Glow Powder in Eternal Glow. 

So, first up is a picture of all the products I received, arranged around the cute fabric bag they sent my order in: 

The Whole She-Bang

You'll have to forgive the utter lack of professionalism in these pictures; they are literally just meant to give you an idea of what the colors and products look like. I do not profess to have a professional set-up, nor do I have any skills as a photographer. 

Next, I have a couple more pictures of the packaging, and of the products in their sifter jars so you can get an idea of how the product translates from in the packaging to the skin

All of these shades are very metallic with a lot of depth, and very different finishes depending on whether they're applied wet or dry; when applied wet, they can be painted on and produce an opaque, metallic finish. When dry, they look shimmery, but not glittery, and can be layered to near-opacity. When they are dry, they rub off pretty easily, so I recommend wearing them with a base if you plan on wearing them sheer like this. I've been wearing these on and off since I received them, and I tend to use them wet because I love the metallic foiled appearance. Wet and dry, they're a little tricky to blend together, even though they apply directly onto the skin beautifully; I've been going back over them with a fluffy brush to buff the edges together, and using a medium-colored shadow to soften the edges as well.

Ok, these next photographs are of the product on my skin. Here was my process; the left/ top swatch (depending on how I have my hand oriented in the photo) is a sheer swipe of product (applied with my finger), the middle swatch is the product patted on heavily with my finger, and the far right/ bottom swatch is applied wet with a damp brush. Additionally, I swiped some on a white paper towel labelled with the shade name so you could see what the color looks like on its own, without my skin tone changing the color. I don't know if I'll do this in the future, but it seemed like a good idea at the time... There are two pictures of each swatch; the first is in indirect indoor light, the second is in direct indoor light. None of the following pictures were taken with flash.

This is reincarnation, which is a bronze color. It's just a tad yellower than a very shiny penny.

Reincarnation, indirect indoor light

Reincarnation, direct bright indoor light

 This is Bast, a mauvey metallic brown; rather than a coppery brown, this is more of a taupe/platinum brown:

Bast, indirect indoor light

Bast, direct bright indoor light

 This is Artifact. I've been loving using this one wet as an eyeliner, because it has a lot more depth than a regular black. It almost seems like a matte powder with shimmer mixed in, rather than an all-over metallic finish, which gives it a very velvety appearance. It's a very dark burgundy black-brown.

Artifact, indirect indoor light

Artifact, bright indoor light

Next up we've got Royal. This is a metallic warm plum.

Royal, indirect indoor light

Royal, direct bright indoor light

This next color is Tutankhamen, an orangey-er red than Royal. I initially expected the shades to be very close, but they're considerably different. It doesn't really show  in the photos, but it looks much redder when used dry, and leans a bit more orange when used wet.

Tutankhamen, indirect indoor light

Tutankhamen, direct bright indoor light

This next shadow is Nile, a dusty, metallic Wedgewood blue. This definitely brings to mind Hollywood Cleopatra...

Nile, indirect indoor light

Nile, direct bright indoor light

The next color is Scarab; it's a faintly olive-toned metallic gold that feels ever-so-slightly blackened. When the light hits it, it glows a very wearable chartreuse.

Scarab, indirect indoor light

Scarab, direct bright indoor light

And here's Ra, a bright, true gold. This one is so incredibly glowy; I've been loving it for lining the inner corner of my eye and the waterline (though I don't know whether or not it's waterline safe, so don't take my word for it!) When wet, this looks like gold leaf.

Ra, indirect indoor light

Ra, direct bright indoor light

Next I have the swatches of the cheek products; I swatched these heavier than I would actually wear them on the face, so that you could see the color, but didn't swatch them wet or opaque so that you could get a feel for what they look like blended out. I find these to be too brown on my very pale skin, which is a shame because the colors are gorgeous, but they look muddy on me. However, if you have medium to dark toned skin, I think these would be gorgeous. 

This is Eternal Glow, which seems to be bronzey-peach with a mauvey shimmer throughout. 

Eternal Glow, indirect indoor light

Eternal Glow, bright direct indoor light

 This one is the Nefertiti blush, a pink-lavender shade with gold shimmer and a little glitter.

Nefertiti, indirect indoor light

Nefertiti, direct bright indoor light

Overall, I'm really happy with these products. I don't think I'd order the full sizes of these face products because they don't suit me, but with the great sample policy, I would definitely sample other blushes from them. The eye shadows can be tricky to blend and work with since they look best wet, but the effect is stunning and definitely worth it, if you're willing to put in the time to play around and learn how to use them. I had no issues ordering from Meow Cosmetics, and they seem to run 15% and 20% off promotions fairly frequently. I also really like the idea of supporting a smaller cosmetics business, and all of the products came looking pristinely clean and securely sealed, with a sticker around the lid and on top of the sifter holes. Another bonus: shipping was free! With frequent sales on products and shipping, generous samples for only $1 (enough for at least four or five generous uses, probably more), and gorgeous colors, I'll be back for more! 

Thanks kittens, until next time!