Indie Spotlight Review : Antoinette's Revolution Cosmetics

Well my lovelies, I have to report that my mailbox over the past week has been like Christmas to me! I've received some awesome cosmetics, and I've decided from now on I'll be sharing my "hauls" with you. Are you excited?? I am! Those will be shared via video- and since I haven't made one yet, I'm going to jump right in and do my first ever review on a company!

Antoinette's Revolution Cosmetics is an indie company that's planning on launching their Grand Opening on May 1st 2011. In the meantime, you can check out their Facebook Page which is currently up and running. Since the product isn't sold in an online store/website yet, you are still able to purchase from Rach by email. That's what I did... And since I'm impossible when it comes to choosing makeup, I knew what I was going to do! I did want to exercise some sort of control... Albeit very little. Buying makeup for me is like trying to pick out a pair of shoes I'm dying for which have 5 different colors. I don't want to choose, I want them all. So I picked 5 full sized colors, and decided the rest (for now) would consist of samples. (click pictures to see bigger photos, and more details!)

Pricing is excellent: $5 each for a full 5g container of product. Samples come in a baggie with a good amount of product- plenty to last more than a few looks. Very generous in my opinion! And as a special, you can buy any 5 full sized products for $20 (saving five bucks!). Shipping in the U.S. is $2.00. It's not stated anywhere I could find what international shipping would be.

I'll start off by showing you a look I created the day after I swatched these colors. On my eyes I have Shadow-Poxy from My Beauty Addiction and ARC's colors: Powdered Wigs on the inside corner of my eyes and my brow bone, Masquerade on my lids only, and Gardens applied into the outer V and crease of my eyes. Gardens is also applied to my bottom lid, tucked underneath my lashes. I finished it off with black kohl eyeliner, and a coat of mascara. Um hello gorgeous! Welcome spring, thank you very much!!

The full and detailed review after the break...

Alright then. Moving on... I made an inquiry by email on March 11th very, very early in the morning. Later that day, Rach had responded and apologized for not getting back to me sooner! Needless to say, the fact that she responded to me the same day and sent me an invoice for the colors I wanted to purchase was wonderful. Honestly, when I contact someone by email/convo, I don't mind if they respond within a 24-48 hour time period- so the fact that I had contact so quickly was really a nice surprise.

I received my package on March 15th... That following Tuesday! Shipping was incredibly fast! I received all my products in a well protected bubble mailer which I obviously dove right in to. Inside, I found my goodies wrapped in pretty blue tissue paper (which you can see hiding behind the card). Two of my full sized colors and all my sample baggies of color were packaged in a larger baggie, and three of my full sized shadows were presented in a pretty damask patterned pillow box. Tucked in with them was a Thank You card with the cutest stickers decorating it:

How sweet! I'm a sucker for anything that sparkles... Of course... It includes stickers! And the personalization of the note being included is a really nice touch! The full sized jars, as you'll see below, don't have labels on them... But as the card states, Rach will be sending me the top and bottom labels free of charge!

(and yes, I cannot wait to play and come up with different looks, thank you very much!)

Colors in jars are Liaisons, Ladies in Waiting, Musket, Revolution and Powdered Wigs. They all came sealed in a really impressive way, and personally how I like to receive my products. Each of the jars was not only shrink-wrapped, but they also had the sifter seal on inside the jar as well. Win! No chance for spillage,during transport to my mailbox, and this tells me that nobody has touched or contaminated my product since it was made.

I received a total of 14 samples, and they came in small baggies. Drool worthy, aren't they? I have a feeling I'll be ordering the full sized jars very soon... I want them all!! From eyeballing them, I'd venture to take a guess and say there's about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of color in there. To me, that amount of product would last through quite a few different looks.

Swatches are done over MBA's Shadow-Poxy eye primer on top, and bare clean skin on the bottom to illustrate how they apply without primer. All the shadows are more intense over primer, as you'll see. And here they are...The first swatches I've ever done!!

 

Honestly, I wanted to see how many colors I could fit on my little arm. I think this worked alright- ha ha ha! Now in order of appearance, I have the colors listed and how I describe them.

La Gateau- A very soft, feminine yellow color... Almost like a pastel buttercup. If sunlight could be bottled, this is what it would look like. Beautiful shimmer and a pearl undertone make this a very unique color.

La Fontaine- Silver, shimmering, and it reminds me very much of iridescent fish scales. The more the color is layered, the more metallic of a finish it has without muddying up or becoming too dark.

Powdered Wigs- A perfect name for this shadow! It's a pearlized matte, with a very subtle shimmer is in this color. It's not too bright, it's not too soft- it's one of the prettiest highlighters I've found to date. Typically when I've used colors similar to this, they're too "chalky" or sparkly. This one is neither!

Icing Collection Pink- Vibrant, sweet and sexy is what comes to mind with this little beauty. It's a soft pink that packs a punch, especially in sunlight where it brings out the iridescence of a very light lavender pearl undertone.

Ladies in Waiting- A warm, pastel mauve color with a lovely pearl shimmer. A hint of peach rounds off the color and makes it quite unique in my collection. This sort of soft color would also be very pretty if used as a blush.

Liasions- Dashing. Daring. Bright. PINK! This is a sexy magenta pop of color for those who dare to step out in this show-stopping hue. And the best part? Magenta micro-glitter gives you sparkle and pizazz! There's also a pretty light purple undertone caught at certain angles.

Icing Collection Purple- A duochrome purple, with lavender and light blue tones when viewed from different angles. This is one of the prettiest in the collection! (apologies for my big vein)

 

Masquerade- A light, shimmering, minty fresh green. Undertones of white pearl give this color a really beautiful appearance when blended out slightly. And there's just enough sparkle in there to really make your eyes pop!

Gardens- This is a color that reminds me of peat moss- simply because of how it applies. Blended out, there's a hint of green which is the color of moss. Layered, the color builds up to an intense deep forest green. Swiped on lightly, it's a beautiful medium green. Not a color I thought I'd like- but I have turned out to adore.

Damask- A mix between aquamarine and teal, this color is multifaceted and very dimensional. Teal undertones and shimmer makes it a must-have in your collection. Applied as eyeliner, this would be a knockout!

von Fersen- Deep, dark sapphires are what comes to mind. This color sparkles and shimmers in the light. My camera does not do this hue justice. Imagine a brand new pair of gorgeous deep blue denim jeans... Add sparkle and iridescence, and this is it!!

Pomp- This color is difficult to describe, but if I had to pick something for comparison- I'd say a pumpkin. Shimmery, silky and absolutely unique from anything I've seen. Not quite orange, not a rusty color.... Just... Pretty! Depending on how the light plays, it's lighter or darker based upon the view angle.

Le Dauphin- This color likes to play too... Not quite champagne, not quite tangerine, not quite yellow... But hints of all three colors mixed together. A unique color that shifts depending on how the light illuminates it- as you can see from the large swatch photo and the smaller one.

Versailles- Burnished gold, with a gorgeous brown undertone. This has plenty of metallic pigment, and enough sparkle to captivate. This is another of the metallic colors which does not "muddy" when the color is blended. If you could gold foil your skin- this is what you'd use.

Le Chocolat- Somebody pass me a chocolate bar... This is one of the richest, sexy brown colors I've seen in a while. Straight on the color appears to be matte, but upon closer inspection there's a healthy dose of shimmer in there. Viewed from an angle, the shimmer is set off stunningly and almost becomes a gray-brown.

Louis- Rich, royal purple and blue color shifter. It looks very similar to Majesty, however there's more of a blue and violet undertone to this color along with a considerable amount more of iridescence. Turn to the side, and an explosion of deep blue emerges.

Majesty- A rich, semi-matte purple. It's not as intense as Louis, but no less pretty! This one has more of a dark purple undertone, and does not muddy when trying to blend the color. This would look beautiful if foiled or used as an eyeliner.

Musket-A true gunmetal gray, with a healthy dose of shimmer and pearl! With shimmery flecks, and metallic tones- this is sure to be a staple in your collection. It warms from a cool silver, to gunmetal, and to a dark seal gray when viewed from different angles.

Revolution- My favorite of the bunch. This is a jet-black, slightly shimmery color with red micro-glitter spread throughout is the slickest of the lot! I love creating smoky eyes, so this will be perfect to do so now! Click on the thumbnail above to check out what I mean- this color is amazing!!! You need to look at it in detail!

So there you have it- all the current colors Antoinette's Revolution Cosmetics has to offer! I know I've written a lot, but I really wanted to illustrate by pictures to you what I like about this makeup.

Pros

Pricing: Excellent
Amounts are USD
5g jars are $5 each
Sample baggies are $1, with about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of product included.
Special Buy 5 5g jars for $20
Shipping domestically is only $2.00

Customer Service: Excellent
My inquiry was responded to quickly, and Rach is extremely kind. The entire process of ordering from her was easy... And I like that!

Shipping: Excellent
I had my package well within a week- my order was placed on a Friday, and I received it that following Tuesday. Outstanding!

Presentation: Excellent
My products came well packed in a bubble mailer, to avoid damage during transit, and wrapped in tissue paper for further protection. I love when a handwritten note is included- and this I did receive, even with stickers! That little personalization adds a whole lot of reassurance to me when I purchase a product. It tells me I'm a customer, not just another number in line to order products.

Packaging: Excellent
While I expect samples to come in baggies (as is pretty much the norm for companies who offer them), I was very comforted to see that my full sized jars were shrink-wrapped and had sifter seals on each one. This shows me that my product has been made in a sanitary environment, and sealed there as well.

Product: Excellent
Well, of course I dove right into my makeup. I'm not crazy about how the colors weren't that pigmented applied without primer, but since I use primer each time I apply makeup... The colors went on smoothly,  highly pigmented, blended like a dream, and didn't "muddy" or create much fallout at all. A little goes a long way, and the intensity of these few colors is leaving me anxious to see what others will inevitably be added to the collection. On a side note- they aren't chalky or difficult to pick up at all.

Con:
I didn't have an invoice. I know, quite a small thing to not be absolutely happy with- but I do have an electronic copy in my email. I do prefer to have a hard copy sent to me- this shows that orders are being matched up and itemized correctly. Again- this isn't a huge deal to me, just something that would have been nice to see included. It doesn't negatively impact my overall opinion about ARC.

Conclusion: Would I purchase products and/or recommend products from this company to others?
Yes. I would. I like the long lasting wear of these cosmetics, the diversity and complexity of the shadows themselves, and the near effortless way they apply. They're not chalky or difficult to work with, and the colors are pretty unique compared to everything currently in my stash. You can't go wrong with the price either!

Thanks for sticking around for the long read... But I'd much rather have you informed, than guessing what you're getting!

Thank You Rach for making some terrific makeup!

x0x0x0 ~*Snarky P

~*Disclaimer: All products reviewed were purchased with my own money, and I have not been compensated in any way, shape or form for reviewing these cosmetics. Had compensation been offered, it would not in any way change my personal opinion in regards to ARC's products.*~