Calypso Minerals review!

*Edit* I know these colors are beautiful but I just found out that Calypso Minerals has been taking people's money and not sending them the products they've ordered.  So please don't order from them!  I don't know about dupes for all of the colors but Glamour Doll Eyes has a color called "Mingles" which is a good dupe for "True Blue".  I'm so sorry!*

Just so ya know, this is going to be a LONG post!!

If you've been following me for a little bit, you've seen me use Calypso Minerals matte loose pigments.  I stumbled across these by accident.  I was looking around on etsy, which I think is a cool site because it gives people a chance to sell their homemade products (anything from makeup to soap to jewelry to paintings to hats, scarves, and all sorts of stuff) on that site.  I'd been browsing around for a while and almost all of the loose pigments (I call them pigments, I'm not sure if they're actually considered that but they are mineral makeup) that I came across are shimmery.  I like some shimmer but not a ton of shimmer.  So I searched for matte pigments and Calypso Minerals' store popped up.

I was very intrigued by the swatches I saw.  So I contacted Jennifer, the owner, and asked if they do custom stackers because, while I liked most of the colors in both of the premade stackers I saw, I wanted some different colors.  She said they did and so I told her what colors I wanted and she put those colors in a stacker for me, as well as ordering a few extra pigments.  I also asked for 2 of her "Lipthix" which are supposedlly similar to OCC liptars (which I have never tried) and I told her what lip colors I like wearing.

So I placed my order, and like an hour later I got a notice saying that my order had shipped along with a tracking number.  I checked the tracking number a few times over the next couple days and all it ever said was that the electronic shipping information was received.  It never said it shipped.  It never said where it was.  But I placed my order at like 11:00 at night on November 11 and my order came on the 17th.  There was also a holiday and a Sunday in between those dates when the mail doesn't come so I thought that was pretty good.

So I got my makeup and swatched it right away, which I've shown you before but I'll show you again (swatched over NYX JEP "milk").

Here's what I got

Now I really wanted to test these out before I attempted a review.  So I did.

Each of these (except the loose glitter) comes with a sifter and a piece of sticky plastic over the sifter so you don't lose any product during shipping.

They're each 5 grams of product and individually cost around $7.  A stacker generally has 11 or 13 colors and costs $75 in her Etsy store.  However, since following Calypso Minerals' Facebook page, I have seen her offer many deals such as buy one get one free.  And I have to say, I did get confused because I couldn't seem to find a concrete listing of colors they offer.  Their Calypso Cosmedics webstore has some different prices and different colors than they show on both their facebook page and in their etsy store.  So that was a negative for me.

I have been applying these with my Studio Tools smudge brush (which I got from Target) over NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk" to help them stick.  The colors are really really beautiful.  And for the most part, they've been pretty easy to work with.  Now, my favorite color would be "True Blue."  I mean, look at it.  But I noticed if I didn't pack it on, the color went more navy blue than the bright blue that you see in the container.  This is another color I completely believe is worth fighting for.  You really have to pack it on to get the same color on your lid that in the container.  Like really pack it on.  But I'm willing to do that.

I haven't had issues like that with the other colors.  Here are some looks I've done using these

"True Blue," "Sublime," "Lemon Sorbet"

"Drama"

I used "Matte Violet" and "Razzle Dazzle" and a little bit of the black for this

"True Blue", "Grape Pop", "Matte Violet"

Now here are some swatches of these colors vs other similar (or maybe not so much similar) colors

I was very impressed with this black.  It's really nice!

Gosh, it looks like someone here likes purples.  I think they're all great.  I love all of these colors (except the Inglot AMC's because they're just not favorites of mine).  The Calypso Minerals do not stain like Sugarpill and the MUFE shadows do.  That's because there are NO dyes added!  So they're perfect for anyone who has dye allergies!

Yeah, I really don't have any colors similar to the Calypso Minerals ones.  This was the best I could come up with.  Envy is the only color I have yet to use, which is weird because I LOVE olive greens.

Ahhh True Blue, what a beautiful color you are!  

Besides True Blue so badly wanting to be navy blue, I still love it.  Also, I'm not sure if the particle size is a little bigger on True Blue but I have to take the sifter off of the container when I use it because I can't really get any out.  And Drama worked very well for me the one time I used it!

Again, I really don't have any colors like these Calypso Minerals colors.  I just figured I'd show them next to other colors so you could see the differences.  Lemon Sorbet is so much more of a wearable yellow than Buttercupcake.  It's much more subtle.  And Torrid is a GORGEOUS color!  I love the warmness of it.  I've used it like 3 times just by itself in the outer corners of my eyes, just for something simple but pretty.  And that Inglot shadow is the color I fill my brows in with.

And now the Lipthix I received

I have yet to use the one on the right.  It's a bit grey for me.  I've held it up to my face and it doesn't really look like it'd be that flattering.  So I didn't want to use it if I might give it away, you know?

LOVE this color!!! HATE the packaging!  It makes such a mess.  Without me even having to touch it.  I'll use some, clean up the tube, set it down, and when I come back an hour later, it's sitting in a little puddle of color. Very messy.  Not something I can carry around with me because it'll get all over everything.

This is a very light, cool toned pink.  It reminds me very much of a lighter version of MAC's Pink Friday lipstick.  I like this but I cannot wear it by itself.  It looks very very unnatural.

Love these under glosses but definitely not alone.  And you need only the littlest bit!  They're $10.  But they will last you forever!  I think I read somewhere that she can match any color you want her to, she just needs a sample.  I think that would be worth doing.  I've actually been considering it.  I've used these under other colors I think every day since I got them.

Overall, I would definitely 100% recommend these!  I love them.  Loose pigments are a bit different to work with than pressed shadows but that doesn't bother me.  Again, the color selection is a bit confusing, as are the prices but Jennifer got back to me very quickly with answers to my questions.  I'm a big fan of supporting small businesses as opposed to huge ones.  That's why I'd been looking around etsy for stuff.  I'm so glad I did!!!  

But man, am I sick of typing haha.  I hope that helps someone if you've been looking at these. 

Disclosure notice: I did purchase all of these products with my husband's own money (haha, I'm a stay at home mom).  Jennifer sent some extra products because that's another promotion type thing she does.   

I'm doing a giveaway that's running until December 19th, 2011 at 10:00 pm (EST) so be sure to enter HERE!