FACE GOOP: Shiro Cosmetics Review

Make up is fun right? Eye shadows and lip glosses in every colour imaginable. But it can be hard to find quality products that animal cruelty free and vegan friendly. Fear not! Shiro Cosmetics ticks all the right boxes, plus all their products are nerd themed. What’s not to like?

Shiro is a great little indie cosmetics brand based in Portland, Oregon. I first found put about them through a YouTube make up review from Chloe Dykstra (all the thank yous EVER, Chloe). The names of the eye shadows were pretty cool and the colours were incredible. Triforce, Smell Ya Later and TARDIS. Nerd themed make up? YES PLEASE. The coolest thing about indie companies is that because they are small, they include free samples in all their orders. This is usually two eyeshadows and some American candy. I had Hodor in my last order, which is amazing!

The Hobbit Collection, $1-$6.

Super Effective Collection, $1-$6.

The eyeshadows are neatly sorted into franchise collections, with all colours having a similar property, whether it be sparkle, matte or colour palette. Each is available in sample size, medium or full pot. Prices range from $1 (Yes, you read that right) to about $6. So they are a very fair price. Fans of the Facebook page suggest names for the Colour of the Month, with a new shade available for that month. Previous names include Still No Oscar for Leo, TARDIS and Nic Cage Raking Leaves on a Brisk OctoberAfternoon. All are produced as a loose pigment so they can be a little messy… You can buy them as individual colours, full collections or the entire Shiro Eyeshadow range, made up of over one hundred full sized eye shadows. Obviously if you choose this option, there’s a discount. They work out about £2.80 per eyeshadow, which is amazing. A girl can dream…

Along with ALL THE EYESHADOWS EVER, they have a great range of lip glosses. Shiro has just revamped it’s website and added new products, but also sadly discontinued others. Their range of Intertubes was awesome. These were tinted lip balms in all kinds of crazy colours, from blue to coral. They‘ve had to make way for new formulas, but only five new colours are available at the moment so it might be worth keeping an eye out to see if new ones are added soon. My favourites from the Intertubes range are Three Wolf Moon, Why Not Zoidberg, Nyan Cat and Team Buffy. I ordered a butt load of them when I saw they were being discontinued!

New tinted balms, $5 each

Old intertubes

Three Wolf Moon. SO PRETTY.

International postage is flat rate $7.50, which works out around £4.50. Not too shabby. It means you can get a fair amount of decent make up without having to pay a ridiculous amount of money! It’d be great for them to introduce some pressed palettes and maybe some more vibrant colours like Sugarpill Cosmetics, but apart from that I can’t fault them. The extra goodies in the order and the handwritten thank you from Caitlin and her team is what makes this indie company so wonderful.

Need a gift for a nerdy lady friend? Want to treat yourself? If you love make up or fun, head over to Shiro Cosmetics and have a look around. I take no responsibility for the stupid amount of time you’ll lose while you’re on there.

FINALLY, A CAPITOL COUTURE COLLECTION. Worth The Wait?

Let’s face it, who didn’t like the Capitol costumes in The Hunger Games? Ok, so some of the wardrobe for Catching Fire was provided by McQueen, but Trish Summerfield was the lady behind the other great outfits. She has recently released a collection inspired by the movie. But would the Capitol approve?

 Maybe fashion trends like we see in the Capitol should be reserved for Gaga and fancy dress, but I think Summerville could’ve been a bit more daring with this collection. So there’s some interesting panelling and fancy cocktail dresses, but where are the bold colours and crazy proportions? 

Although the name implies Capitol Crazy, the collection is I think based more on the outfits used to portray Katniss than the Capitol look itself. They could reflect the fact that her own clothes were used to build and portray her image into a symbol of rebellion before she herself realized. The elements of this show in the use of bold block colours along with the strong lines, all connected to her strong personality.

Frazzled letters on Girl On Fire T-shirt £60

My other issue is the price. I understand why clothing can be expensive. The process of designing and making clothes is hard work (trust me on this one, it’s not all pretty drawings and sewing machines). But I don’t understand how a brand can print a slogan on a shirt, sew their label in it and whack a great big price tag on it. Especially when there are younger people interested in a franchise like the Hunger Games, who would be interested in getting a nice piece of clothing that is linked to the film in some way. A bit like designer Henry Holland having two labels: One high up fashion house and another smaller one in Debenhams, which younger people can afford.

Shiny Laser-cut Leather Dress £800

 All that aside, it is a nice collection! Made up of 23 items, it’s monochrome with hints of colour and a nice mix of daywear and eveningwear. The active wear has a slight nod to the training outfits worn by the Tributes and designed by Lucas Hugh. My favourite piece is the silver arrow arm cuff- it’s gorgeous! Also the leather jacket. But the ear cuff’s a bit weird.

Oh so pretty Silver Cuff £220

Glorified fanny pack £230

Will I be saving up for a piece from this collection anytime soon? I don’t think so. Maybe the cuff can go on this year’s birthday wish list. If you want to get your mits on a fancy dress, pretty jewellery or glorified fanny pack, head over to NET-A-PORTER, where you can find the whole collection, exclusive to the site.

Thanks to Sarah for making me sound a little less stroppy x