Linnaeus Cosmetics - Sneak Peak!

On 07/09/2011, Marin's website for Linnaeus Cosmetics is scheduled to launch. She's got a busy week ahead of her, because she has a lot of great plans for us in the week leading up to and the actual launch of her site. To find out what these plans entail, check out her blog post here. I'll give you a hint: It involves free stuff! Very awesome free stuff, too!

Marin was kind enough to send me samples of one her new collections, based on the Orchid Dottyback. The colors include Reef, Ru Blue, and Truculent. Reef is a red with a touch of coral (I think it'd be a beautiful lip color, but it's not lip safe. I may try it anyway, because it's so pretty). Ru Blue is a bright, happy, sky blue. Truculent is a beautiful violet purple - my favorite of the collection. All of these shades are shimmery, but not glittery. For some reason, my camera couldn't capture Reef very well. It's much more pigmented than it appears above, like Ru Blue and Truculent. These are swatched on clean, dry skin. 


Please check out Marin's blog. You can read my previous Linnaeus Cosmetics reviews here and here, to help you figure out what you'll be picking up when her website launches!

Etsy Find- Linnaeus Cosmetics again!

I haven't bought anything from Etsy in a while. That's probably a good thing, because the last purchase I made of 6 eyeshadows was mildly disappointing (and 3 of the sellers I most enjoy are in the process of moving their shops to Artfire, or hosting their own webstore). When I was pawing through my collection of loose eyeshadows, I realized I still hadn't finished swatching and posting my meager collection of Linnaeus Cosmetics shadows.

Marin, honestly, is probably the most-fun (this is totally why funnest should be a word) seller to converse with via email. She's in the middle of launching her own site, and is having a "clearance sale" of sorts in her Etsy shop (20% off with the code "TATAETSY"), which is valid until her shop is cleaned out (hurry!). This review will be of 3 more of her shadows (you can see my first review of one of her other collections here). This time around, I'll discuss three more shadows, two of which are part of the same collection, Kalahari (part of the Gemsbok collection), Twiggy and Those Gams! (both part of the Maned Wolf collection). Like most loose shadows, these are packaged in clear 5 gram jars. I still really like that Marin takes the time to stamp her company's name on the lids. I feel it sets her shadows apart from others who don't do this.

The bottoms of the jars have the name of the shadow and a complete ingredients list. Nice!

Twiggy is a light orange-peach shade, with a lighter shimmer (Marin says it's white in her description, so I'll take her word for it). Those Gams! is a blackened-base with coppery shimmer (which doesn't really appear for me no matter what I do, but that's often the case for me and this type of color). Kalahari is an awesome my-lid-but-better shade, a champagne-beige with shimmer.

I love that these aren't glittery, but shimmery. Glitter falls and can be an annoyance. Shimmer tends to stay where I put it. Like the wallaby collection previous reviewed, I have no issue with these not creasing or fading on me. These blend easily, and are easy to use (unlike some loose shadows). If you have trouble getting loose shadows to stay, here's a tip: apply them wet using a mixing medium (I use MAC's. Fix+ may also work, but I've never tried it), and let that dry. Once dry, take a fluffy eyeshadow brush, like a 224 from MAC, and very lightly dust the same shadow over it. It's like setting your liquid foundation with powder. Even for the most persnickety shadows (I've been trying to work that word into a sentence all week!) will last beautifully, in my experience.

If you are interested in these shadows, please visit Marin's blog, where she posts updates and information. Her shop on Etsy is getting pretty small, and her site launches very, very soon!

Etsy Find- Linnaeus Cosmetics

I'll admit it - I love haul videos on Youtube. I love seeing what other people buy (what people will spend their money on is fascinating, although anymore, the people I watch seem to get most things for free). Anyway, when watching one of Pinkiecharm's haul videos, she mentioned she received some shadows from an Etsy shop called Linnaeus Cosmetics. Having taken my share of biology classes, I had an idea of who Linnaeus was, and was definitely intrigued.

I have made 2 purchases from Marin's shop. Full size shadows are packaged in our good friend the 5 gram jar, with sifters. Marin includes the ingredients for each shade on the bottom of the jar, which is pretty nifty. Full size jars are $5.00 (reasonable), however, entire collections, like this one, are $12.00 (which is a great price!). Shipping is currently $2.50 for your first item, then $0.10 for each additional item - which is, frankly, awesome. I can't begin to discuss how many Etsy shop owners make huge profits on shipping due to their pricing and shipping structures. Each purchase I've made was packed carefully, and Marin was quick to update me on the status of my order each time.

I wanted to review this particular collection, the Brush Tailed Wallaby collection, because it's absolutely my favorite set. It features 3 colors: Sprightly, Cliff Line, and Zippy. If you're unsure of what to purchase, and love neutrals, you must buy this collection!

Sprightly is a warm mid-toned brown with tonal shimmer. Cliff Line is a neutral-toward-cool shimmery taupe (super shimmery). Zippy is a warm brown with a copper shimmery. Above swatches are on dry, bare skin. They have decent pigment, and seem to last all day on me (which can't be said of other Etsy lines). I would love to see all 3 of these colors done in a matte finish (hint, hint).

The names and colors were inspired by the brush tailed wallaby, a species indigenous to Australia. What I love about Linnaeus Cosmetics is how complete the branding is. Marin's attention to detail is fantastic. Although this collection is inspired by a cute, fuzzy animal (seriously cute!), Marin has other collections based on less cuddly animals, like lizards, birds, and frogs (although the frog is cute, too!). Marin includes a short description of the animal, description and ingredients for each shadow (and how that name fits the animal). Her shipping packaging is also detail laden:

Non-bleached cotton canvas bags, with animals stamped on them? Cute! Non-bleached paper tag with application tips and tied with raffia? Cute! Even the out bubble mailer (which I've already reused, so I can't show you) has an animal stamped on it. Her invoices are also printed on non-bleached paper, which demonstrates how committed she is to her brand identity.

Since I've already purchased twice, it's apparent I like the company, and Marin's product. Her customer service is top notch (she's so friendly in convo's!), the products are fantastic, and the attention to detail, I think, is great. I would highly recommend checking out her shop!