As not-very-subtly teased a few days ago, my order from Shiro Cosmetics arrived exactly one week after being dispatched by the lovely Caitlin, whose ability to run a business, study, and raise a child surely puts me to shame. It appears I live in some kind of international-shopping-delivery reverse-Bermuda-Triangle, given how fast things will arrive at my house (whether it’s makeup for me or Judge Dredd trades for the partner).
Shiro iShadow collection
In this post: My swag! And some size comparisons with Avon eyeshadows, the only ones I had in the house.
Not pictured: the Fatality finishing powder, because of course my big powder brush went missing in the house move. But Avon was to the rescue with their latest sale brochure, containing a brush set for a mere something dollars. As I am eternally known to say re: Avon, nope, it won’t be the highest quality, but for one-fifth the price of department stores I will settle for adequacy.
The thing Shiro is really known for is the eyeshadow (though the lip stains are apparently also amazing!) and the geeky connotations thereof. Collections are inspired by Pokemon, Zelda, Death Note, and, my personal favourite, Portal, bestgameofalltime.
There’s also currently a Valentine’s Day collection out. I may be an utter cynic about V-Day, but I can get on board with buying myself pretties to make me feel special and amazing rather than expecting validation from my partner in the form of severed plant genitals.
So, I ordered seven eyeshadows total: the 3-shadow iShadow collection, Rattata, I Feel Fantastic (and I’m still alive!), /love and /kiss.
I’d originally ordered /hug but as you can see it got mislabelled! Not a huge thing (especially given it’s a seasonal collection and seriously, have you seen the size of the full Shiro range?), and after a quick email to Caitlin to let her know, a replacement /hug is on its way together with a sticker to correct the mislabelled one!
The iShadow just made sense as a purchase, containing a white, a black and a silver-grey. You can see below my Star Dust duo from Avon, which I’ve previously blogged, which is well-worn but just not a favourite of mine to use; the white/grey especially is a pain to get on the brush. Anyway, always have some good basics! Magazines tell us that all the time, and they wouldn’t lie.
Rattata!
In terms of the colours, /hug and /kiss are a nice pair (tee hee) and something in my brain just can’t go past the idea of seasonal/limited product runs.
But the point of getting me some Shiro was to get some seriously bright colours into my palette. I Feel Fantastic was a contender almost entirely on the basis of the name (Pikachu was obviously in the running as well, but the red glitter aspect didn’t appeal as much). And since earliest childhood my favourite colour has been purple, and wouldn’t you know it but Rattata brings that to the table in spades (can you even bring things to tables in spades? Wouldn’t buckets be more efficient?).
Shiro vs Avon Mousse Eyeshadow
For US$5 (most shades) you get the “full” or 2.0 gram pack. I’ve photographed /kiss up against three Avon eyeshadows for a size comparison: the tall Mousse Eyeshadow, which is my usual base and thus I use a heck of a lot of; the Smooth Minerals case which is shorter but wider (it ain’t size, it’s what you do with it that counts) and the fairly-standard-sized duo compact.
Shiro vs. Avon Smooth Minerals Eyeshadow
The thing to remember, looking at the apparently-quite-a-bit-smaller Shiro container, is that Shiro pigments (from my limited experience so far) require far less product for far greater effect.
Shiro vs Avon True Color Eyeshadow Duo
The bonus: Caitlin included two free samples of Rapidash and Gyarados, a stunning bright blue. Can’t wait to try them, and I admire the clever marketing – there’s only so much a picture on a website can say, and what’s the risk when someone’s already purchased a lot some of your product?
Shiro Cosmetics has a Tumblr where customers can submit their looks – I’ll be blogging about my own modest efforts shortly!
Much-mentioned BFF Astra has succumbed to the forces of WordPress and now blogs herself at Out Damn Swatch! She is a great seeker of all things online-shopping-bargain-related so 
I highly recommend following her, especially if your wallet is in need of denuding and you’d really like an alternative to $30 bottles of nail polish at Farmers.
