Swatches and reviews of five Venomous Cosmetics eyeshadows and one lip pencil

This is an old haul from around Christmastime! I had seen pictures of this limited edition lip liner It's Destiny on the Venomous Cosmetics Facebook page and knew I wanted it, because it is pink with gold shimmer ^_^; Obsessed much?

January Venomous Cosmetics haul. Top: Venomous Cosmetics pen; middle: loose shadow samples in Futuristic, My Favorite Ornament, and O Christmas Tree; bottom: pressed samples in Mermaid and Constellation, lip liner in It's Destiny

I also ordered two pressed eyeshadow samples, Mermaid and Constellation ($2 each), because Venomous is known for being one of the few indies to sell pressed shadows and the only one to sell little samples of the pressed shadows! They are so tiny and cute :D (about the size of a dime)
The order took a while to get shipped; I received an email apology with a coupon code to use on future orders along with my shipping notification, about two weeks after I placed the order. I have experienced far worse TATs from other companies and gotten no apology or offer from them, so I really wasn't too disappointed about this!

L-R: loose shadow samples in Futuristic, My Favorite Ornament, and O Christmas Tree

Along with the items I ordered, I also received free samples of Futuristic, My Favorite Ornament, and O Christmas Tree.

Swatches, L-R: pressed shadow Mermaid, Constellation, over bare skin; loose shadow samples Futuristic, My Favorite Ornament, and O Christmas Tree over Pixie Epoxy; direct sunlight, no flash

Here they are, with the loose shadows swatched over Pixie Epoxy - I wanted to swatch the pressed ones without anything underneath, to see how pigmented they are. Futuristic is a shimmery golden green, My Favorite Ornament is a juicy strawberry pink with golden green shimmer, and O Christmas Tree is blue-green with silver sparkles.

Swatches, L-R: pressed shadow Mermaid, Constellation, over bare skin; loose shadow samples Futuristic, My Favorite Ornament, and O Christmas Tree over Pixie Epoxy; direct sunlight, no flash

You definitely need Pixie Epoxy for all three of the loose shadows shown here! They are all very sparkly, and that glitter will get all over the place if you're not careful.

L-R: pressed samples in Mermaid and Constellation

Mermaid and Constellation are both really pretty.

Closeup of Mermaid

Mermaid is that green with gold sheen every company makes, so I have a lot of those in my stash, but I wanted to have it in pressed shadow form as well.

Closeup of Constellation

Constellation is sort of a blackened plum with reddish-pink sparkle.

Swatches over Pixie Epoxy, L-R: pressed samples in Mermaid and Constellation; direct sunlight, no flash

Both Mermaid and Constellation can be worn without a primer, but look great over Pixie Epoxy, as shown above.

Lip liner in It's Destiny

And here is my lip liner, It's Destiny! I have to admit, I was a bit unpleasantly surprised by how small it was when I first opened the package, but for $4 I guess it makes sense. Also, it looked worn down already - the photo above is the way it looked brand-new - and though I know it wasn't used, I still wish it had been a nice sharp point instead like most new pencils ...

It's Destiny turned on its side and swiped several times (left) and only once with the tip (right) over otherwise bare skin; direct sunlight, no flash

Another unhappy shock: the color is much more pale than I had expected it to be based on the product photos. It's a baby pink that is so light it's almost white, and then has soft gold shimmer. As with so many lip liners, this feels really dry and sort of tugs the skin as you apply it. However, that type of lip liner usually lasts the longest (I can't say for sure because I never wear my lip stuff for very long anyway).

It's Destiny applied to otherwise bare lips; direct sunlight, no flash

It's Destiny makes my lips look super pale and frosty, but of course, I bought it to use under other pink-gold lip products, not alone!

Darling Girl Cosmetics tinted lip balm in Sugar Rush (left) compared to It's Destiny (right); direct sunlight, no flash

Here it is swatched on the right next to Darling Girl's Sugar Rush tinted balm on the left. You can see that, though Sugar Rush is light pink, It's Destiny is even more pale.

Overall I'm a bit meh about the lip liner. It's not exactly what I expected, but it does work well under pink-gold lippies, to intensify the color. Since it was LE and is no longer for sale, I guess I don't completely regret ordering it (because pink lip liners with gold shimmer are not very easy to find), but at the same time, I feel it could be better.

I've got pictures of this under Sugar Rush and 24k Rose gloss so you can see how it helps intensify the colors, will post that next! Also, there are some GORGEOUS new Lip Poisons for spring and I am in love with almost all of them >.>