scaredy cat cosmetics: no scare here, but a solid "meh".

A shot of ScaredyCat's Trial Vials in natural light.
L to R: Rose Gold, Hivemind, Kid You Not, Poysonberry Pie, Cirrina.

Please note the photos in this post have been adjusted for lighting tint using photoshop to make the colors of the product appear to true life. However, the product has not been enhanced, saturated or otherwise improved in any way.

Yeah. They're cute, right? Yeah, they're really cute.

ScaredyCat is one of the indie shops known for using unique vial-style samples for their eyeshadows instead of the classic baggies or clamshells. Personally I do enjoy this style, I find them easier for travel and I enjoy how secure they feel in comparison to a flimsy bag, but in the end I'm not one to outright refuse any style of sample if I want something badly enough.

And oh, how I wanted the reddest of all red eyeshadows.





I ended up placing my order for a five-pack of trial vials, which arrived neatly at my local post office about twoish weeks later. I ordered on the 21st of May and they shipped out on the 26th, so they went out pretty fast!

They came packed no frills, just neatly wrapped in a small plastic bag with a printout of my etsy invoice. I was really excited, mostly for Kid You Not and Cirrina, so I uncorked the small vials of sparkly wonder and went to work.

Cirrina uncorked and ready to go!

I'd read previously on reddit that others tend to use these by dabbing their brush on the end of the stopper, which is a pretty good method. I like to roll it on my hand and then swirl my brush in it, because lately I've come into the habit of using the back of my hand as a mixing/swirling palette.

Rose Gold and Cirrina in natural light, over UDPP.

Cirrina was a color I was very excited to recieve, and color-wise it does not disappoint. ScaredyCat has it as a copper with pink undertones. I see the pink in the bottle and on-camera, but in real life I find it a bit more fiery and orange. I have dreamed of owning MAC's Coppering, and from swatches I've seen this seems to be up that same river.

However formula-wise, this and I have our differences. It's hard to get even on bare lid, it goes patchy in some spots and doesn't want to stick. Over primer it is much easier to smooth out and get even. But, then even with a primer like UDPP, I've had some fading. And weirdly enough the fading wasn't on the sides of the lid but in the center. The color wasn't totally gone but it looked a bit transparent in some spots. I'd worn it maybe four hours or so at that point. Usually with shadows I get creasing but not patchy fading, so this was new for me. I do have very oily lids, so if you have drier lids or have no issues with creasing or fading over a primer you might find these a lot longer wearing than I do!

Either way Cirrina's color is gorgeous though, and I'm currently debating if I want a full jar of this color badly enough to put up with its quirks.

Rose Gold is considered a "holy grail" rose gold color by some, so I had to try it. It's rose gold man! It speaks to me on levels. It's a very lovely metallic rose gold that doesn't lean too orange or too gold. I haven't worn this all over the lid yet, so I can't say if it's prone to fading like Cirrina, but I would expect it probably is, since their ingredient lists are pretty close. Overall it's a very nice balanced rose gold color to add to your collection if you're the type that can't get enough.

L to R: Poysonberry Pie, Kid You Not and Hivemind, all over UDPP in natural light.

Poysonberry Pie is a soft and slighty warm-toned violet shade with a blue shift. It appears a bit more pink than it photographed here, but it's a lovely shade. Not overly unique, but a good staple. I picked it up because I tend to lack proper purples when I need them. It's sheer but can be built up and looks good patted over other shades to give them a nice twist.

It's really not Kidding around.

Kid You Not is crazy. It's red. I've seen people compare this to other reds and say this is the reddest red eyeshadow they've ever found, and I'd believe it. It does need a primer to get the real power out of it, but even without primer it's still decently red. You can see above the difference of the opaque red over primer vs the part where the swatch I've done has gone a bit beyond my circle of primer. It feels rough to the touch and a bit grainy/chalky but somehow blends wonderfully with no streaks or pulling. If you want the reddest red to fulfill your teenage goth dreams, I can see why people mention this one.

NO NOT THE BEES!

Hivemind is a bright matte yellow shade, and boy is it bright. Weirdly though it does seem to have a bit of tonal shimmer? You can see it a bit better in the fullsizes of this and the previous photo above. It's very fine and not enough to make it metallic, but there is some kind of sheen to it. It seems to appear matte when actually used on the eyes. It also needs a primer to get actual impact out of it, without it's fairly faint. You can see on my swatch the part where this has also lapsed into the "no-primer zone" and how it's much less bold than the rest of the swatch. Still I feel this, like Kid You Not, is a fairly solid color and blends well. If you need a super-bright bee butt yellow, this is probably a decent choice.

Overall these shadows are mostly okay but they don't wow me as much as I'd expected. Cirrina is an amazing color but the formula is a bit weak for my taste, since it doesn't apply as evenly as I'd like. Rose Gold is lovely but the color overall isn't too unique to make it a must-have. Poysonberry Pie is similar in that sense, pretty but overall fairly dupeable, and if your stash is large enough there's a chance you'll have something similar. Kid You Not is the real standout in how bold and punchy it is, but it does require a primer for full effect, though it also does blend well, which is a huge point in its favor. Hivemind is also wonderfully bright over a primer and blends decently.

For me, I probably won't really be going back for anything unless I decide I'll die without a fullsize of Cirrina and I can't find anything similar to it. I think ScaredyCat makes okay shadows, but your best bet in ordering would be to go after their unique shades or their mattes. I'm not sure if other colors of their shadows share some of Cirrina's quirks but it's quite possible, so if you want to commit to a color, do so to one you absolutely must have and can't get anywhere else.

Where to buy: ScaredyCatCosmetics can be found here at their Etsy shop.