Indie Weekends: Innocent+Twisted Alchemy September 2014 Subscription Review

In my quest to try more Indie subscriptions, I signed up for the Innocent+Twisted Alchemy sample size subscription, and wow does this thing come with a lot of products! There are always three eyeshadows from Innocent+Twisted Alchemy, a coupon code for your next purchase, and then bonuses from other indie companies. There is a sample sized sub ($12/month), and a full size sub ($18/month). It's a recurring subscription, so once you're in, you're in, no having to sign up every month or every few months.

Linda, the owner, only lives 30 minutes from me! Shout out to Linda, who has said she will be putting her subscription on hiatus for November and December because she works retail! I know how it goes, I worked retail for over 3 years, and it's a huge time suck (and even worse now that most places make their employees work on Thanksgiving...). She has said current subscribers can either cancel, or do nothing, and their subscription will just be put on hiatus for those two months. No charge and no subscription, but it should start back up in January. 

And since it was only a 30 minute journey, my subscription only took 1 day to arrive within California, via USPS.

Here are all the goodies I got this month! Not everyone got the same bonus items (which is everything but the pretty woodland creature woman clamshells), but I think there was a good variety! Shadows, perfume, and a lip product for me. It all came in a cute little shark printed ziploc bag, and it was all nice and safe in an envelope mailer.

Linda, who runs Innocent+Twisted Alchemy drew the beautiful artwork on the info card! How cool is that! The card also includes a 30% discount code off your next purchase for the sample size subscribers, and the full size subscribers receive a 35% off coupon code.

I took photos of the products (wow those clamshells were full to the brim!) and eyeshadow swatches were done over Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer.

Chains of Reality - (deluxe sample/$3)

This shadow looks like a matte brown in the clamshell, but when swatched it turns into a matte brownish gunmetal gray. I was so confused, I thought for sure I still had some Slumber in Peace on my finger or something. And even weirder is that most people seemed to swatch this as the matte brown color it looks in the jar. I think if you have a very light touch with it, it stays brown, and if you press harder and blend more, I believe the iron oxide in the shadow makes it turn gray. So, I will have to pat this one and be very light handed with it.

Slumber in Peace - (deluxe sample/$3)

This shadow is a dark forest matte green, and excuse my swatch I had a little trouble getting it to stay over my primer. This shadow should definitely be patted on, and not swiped on. Not something I'm used to doing yet, I'm always trying to blend blend blend eyeshadows, so it will take some getting used to.

Souls Entwined - (deluxe sample/$3)

This shadow looked to me like a brownish purple, with a lavender/blue shift. I always love me a good purple eyeshadow, so this one will be lovely with a tan or brown shade.

Bonus: AFK Cosmetics Mikasa - (sample bag/$1.50) "A deep jewel toned red bordering on burgundy with a very subtle sparkle inspired by Mikasa's scarf."

I see more brick red in this shade when I swatched it, but I was really impressed by how smooth it was, and how pigmented. It has a very pretty sheen, and I think I'll have to check out what other shades AFK Cosmetics has to offer.

Beauty Bar Baby Opulent Opaque Lipstick in Island of the Fay - (sample jar/$2) "A dreamy orchid color similar to beautiful flowers one would find on an Island of the Fay."

These lipsticks from Beauty Bar Baby are described as "a super highly pigmented lipstick which will give you full opaque coverage in 1-2 swipes! These are bold intense colors & are not for the weak at heart." It was fairly easy to apply with my finger, I didn't need a brush because it's a fairly solid lipstick. But I did need a mirror to apply, and it was fairly opaque. I had to do a few swipes to get it that pigmented as shown in my swatch. But it stayed glossy and stained a little bit. But I liked it overall, I might check out some of their other colors.

Midsummer Dreams Apothecary Sultan's Daughter Perfume Oil - (sample/$2.50) "Vanilla, Jasmine, Amber, Fig, Ylang Ylang"

Sultan's Daughter...Jasmine...get it? B got it before I did, so I felt pretty lame. But I love jasmine in perfumes, and it's great to finally have a perfume oil with jasmine in it. I can smell a little bit of the amber in it, but it's mostly jasmine. It doesn't last very long on my skin, a few hours max, and it's not too strong either. But like a dope, I spilled two thirds of my sample on the floor...I was so sad! I really like this scent though, and I've been meaning to try more from Midsummer Dreams Apothecary, so I may just have to make a purchase sooner rather than later.

Scaredy Cat Cosmetics Fomhar - (trial vial/$1) "Warm and autumnal, Fómhar will add spice to any look."

What a cute package for eyeshadow samples! I can't say it's the most practical way to store eyeshadow, but it is definitely unusual. I have been accumulating a plethora of orange shadows lately, but I do like this one. It has a kind of yellow gold sheen and I think could be blended out for a more subtle look, or packed on for a dramatic look. And there's a freaking kitty on the bottle!

Overall, my Innocent+Twisted Alchemy sample size subscription for September had a total value of $16, and I only paid $12 for this sub, so I'd say it was a pretty good value, plus you get the generous coupon code. And it's a good chance to try other indie companies' products to get an idea if they're someplace you want to buy from. And it helps to discover other companies as well, since some of these are lesser known. I am really liking this subscription, I will be leaving my sub on hiatus for the holiday season, but in the mean time, I'm looking forward to October's sub!

What did you think of this month's Innocent+Twisted Alchemy subscription? Let me know in the comments!

Innocent+Twisted Alchemy Sample Size Subscription: Available on the 1st of the month
• $12/month
• 3 deluxe sized samples that are exclusive ONLY to the subscriptions
• 30% off coupon code
• BONUS! Surprise items 

Innocent+Twisted Alchemy Full Size Subscription: Available on the 1st of the month
• $18/month
• 3 full sized samples that are exclusive ONLY to the subscriptions
• 35% off coupon code
• BONUS! Surprise items 

For all other Innocent+Twisted Alchemy reviews, click here