Squeeeee! Wow do I have something special to share! I got my first order ever from Innocent + Twisted Alchemy the other day and it contained their brand new "Release the Clow" collection based on one of my favorite anime/manga of all time: Cardcaptor Sakura! I had a ton of fun with photographing this collection alongside some of my Cardcaptor toys and merch, and I hope you enjoy it too.
Innocent + Twisted Alchemy is an indie, cruelty free brand that produces mostly loose eye shadow and blush pigments. They feature some amazing art for their collections, and this one is no exception! Although the "Release the Clow" collectible tin with "Lippie Slick" which I purchased for $32.00 seems to currently be sold out on the website, individual shadows are still available for purchase for $6.00 each (full size) or $3.00 (deluxe sample size). There is supposedly a restock coming sometime in the next couple weeks, so keep your eyes open for that! This collection contains six loose eye shadow pigments, one loose blush pigment, and one "Lippie Slick" lip product.
I've tried to not put in too many spoilers for the series, in case you haven't seen it yet... but seriously if you haven't seen it yet, GO SEE IT!
First up we have the Lippie Slick in the color "Innocent Love". One of the things I like most about Cardcaptor Sakura is the theme of love that runs through it - always seen from a child's innocent perspective. At first, due to the packaging, I thought this was a gloss, but it's actually more along the lines of a liquid lipstick but without a matte finish. I would compare it in texture to Too Faced's "Melted" line of lip products. This product, in a mauve shade with green and blue reflects, is super pigmented and smooth, with a strong, fruity lychee scent that I quite enjoyed but people who don't enjoy scented lip products may not like it so much, though it does fade fairly quickly. The reflects are hard to catch on film, but they are much more noticeable once on the lips, providing an almost metallic finish. This product is also really comfortable to wear!
Next up we have the loose blush pigment in the shade "Invincible Spell". Sakura's invincible spell is her positivity and optimism, her belief that "everything will definitely be all right". This blush is a cherry blossom pink with gold sparkles. I've swatched it on bare skin at full strength (left) and blended out (right). These are definitely not subtle sparkles!
The loose eye shadow pigments all come packaged together in this absolutely adorable tin! As much as I love themed collections, I love them even more when they come in packaging I can proudly display! As usual, all loose eye shadows are swatched over Geek Chic Cosmetics' Power Up Primer.
For the first eye shadow pigment, we have "Moon Castles", named for Sakura's crush through much of the series, Yukito. This color has a white base with an aqua sheen. It reminds me a lot of "Ice Angel" from Sugarpill. Super pretty, and very appropriate for Yukito's character.
The next pigment is called "Cherry Blossom Magic" ("Sakura" means "cherry blossom" in Japanese) and it's a lovely cherry blossom pink, almost the same shade as the blush, but with a much more noticeable gold sheen in addition to green sparkles.
Kero-chan! Kero has to be my all-time favorite magical girl mascot. He's just so adorable! (Don't tell him that, though!) This shadow, called "Lion of the Sun" pays tribute to him with a gorgeous metallic orange/gold.
Though starting out as bitter enemies (from his perspective, anyway) , Sakura and Syaoran eventually learn to cooperate and even become close. This color, "Little Wolf" is named for Syaoran and the deep forest green with gold and purple sparkles reflects the color of his mystic robes which he wears to battle.
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| Blurred to show sparkles |
Tomoyo is one of my favorite characters in the series. Her deep, selfless love for Sakura allows her to watch over her and always be there for her in a time of need. She is also the designer behind all of Sakura's many outfits she wears to battle Clow Cards, thus, her shadow is called "Feats of Fashion", a deep grey violet (like Tomoyo's hair) with an aqua sheen and red sparkles. This shadow is simply magical - it almost seems to glow!
And finally, we have the last eye shadow in the collection - "Solitary Savior". I'm not 100% certain who this color is based on, but it seems like it would be suited to Clow himself. This is another gorgeous shade with a dark blue purple base and a blue sheen.
Final Thoughts: For me, it just doesn't get any better than this. A collection full of gorgeous pigments in adorable packaging, plus I found a new formula of lip product that I really enjoy!
What do you think of the collection? Are you a Cardcaptor fan? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for hanging out!
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