2015 Valentine's Day/Spring Collection, "In Just-"

Time for official introductions. ^_^ As stated in my last post, this Valentine's Day/Spring 2015 collection was inspired by the beautiful poetry of e.e. cummings. Edward Estlin Cummings was an American poet who lived 1894-1962. He is known for his writing style, instantly recognizable for its unconventional structure and wild punctuation. His work is still immensely popular. Cummings often referenced flowers in his poetry, and many of his poems alluded to spring, so it only seemed natural to name the components of this collection after spring flowers, and to look for inspiration in his poems. This collection embodies first loves and fresh experiences, youth and innocence. So without further delay, follow me down the garden path and I'll introduce you to the flowers...

First, we have the eye shadows, there are 6 in this collection, starting with #156 Daffodil. Daffodils are the heralds of spring, I always look forward to seeing their sunny faces in the garden. I knew they were the natural springboard for this collection, and are beloved by poets, Cummings being no exception. In time of daffodils sums it up beautifully with its opening lines:

"in time of daffodils(who know
the goal of living is to grow)
forgetting why,remember how..."

The link above takes you to the full poem, which references 2 of our other flowers. ^_^ (I will link the rest of the poems for each item, just click on the titles to go to the full text).

Daffodil is a cool toned pale yellow shadow with a beautiful purple iridescence. This shadow goes on semi-opaque, and can be either built up to an opaque soft yellow, or sheered down to a soft milky lavender. Like all of our shadows, it wears best over a primer. This is the very first truly yellow eye shadow for The Chequered Lily Apothecary.

When I was a young girl, my grandmother planted a strip of spring flowers in her front yard. There were clouds of sweet Alyssum, and purple stock, and some feathery pink and blue flowers, but my favorites were the snapdragons! There were loads of them, in all shades of yellow and orange, pink, coral, and white. This eye shadow is a sweet tangerine orange pastel, with loads of pink shimmer and sparkle. It builds up beautifully to opaque and will transition perfectly into summer. The accompanying poem is i have found what you are like

Cannas are one of my favorite flowers. They rise up in spring and their flowers unfurl like bright banners in shades of coral, orange, red, and yellow. They send up more and more, all through spring and into summer. I have one in my garden that is the color of this eye shadow, bright pastel coral against dark leaves, it just glows in the shade like a still life of flame. I never get tired of looking at it, so the poem your little voice seemed the perfect partner for this shade.

Once upon a time, we had an azalea bush. It was neon magenta and when in full bloom, you could barely see any of the green leaves among the riot of hot pink flowers. Azaleas are such sexy flowers; I imagine it is because they seem to be in overdrive. The colors are amped up, the flower production is sky high, and they just seem to scream, "Pollinate me!" ...ahem. This shadow exudes flirtatious femininity. Vibrant magenta with copper iridescence and sparkle. The accompanying poem is  just as racy, i like my body when it is with your. This shadow is not vegan.

And now that we've got the blood flowing, we'll relax a bit. There is nothing quite so heady and sweet as the scent of lilacs. They don't grow here; wrong climate, but they occasionally show up at florists' and when they do, I always buy a bunch. It doesn't take much to perfume an entire room and the scent is so beautiful, full and somnolent, and so perfectly spring - like napping in the sun on a warm afternoon. I felt that love is a place sums it up perfectly. This shadow is a soft pink-toned lavender with silver-pink pearl.This shadow is not lip safe.

Since we are asleep and dreaming, shaded by lilacs and blanketed by blue wisteria petals fallen in the spring breeze, I can introduce you to our last eye shadow, named for those long blue flower chains and their light, cool scent. Wisteria is the color of spring twilight, as the moon ascends - that color between blue and violet, neither and both, the color of dreams. you are tired (i think) is the perfect playful prelude to dreaming, and I felt that it suited this color well. Wisteria is a pastel blue-violet with violet iridescence. This shadow is not lip safe.

There are two glitter blends for this collection, the first is #G14 Bleeding Heart, named for the gracefully arcing shoots of pink and white heart-shaped flowers on this Japanese native, introduced to England in the 1840's. I have always been fond of their old-fashioned charm. This glitter is a bright, warm fuchsia color in the bottle, with pops of red and a pink afterglow of iridescence. And to pair to it, the poem: since feeling it first... (VII) Like all our glitters, it is best used with a sticky base or glitter fixative. This glitter is not vegan.

Our second glitter in this collection is #G15 Forget Me Not, named for the diminutive golden-eyed flowers in shades of soft lavender-pink to clear periwinkle blue. A symbol of remembrance and the endurance of love, I could not help finding inspiration from the lamenting tone of it may not always be so. This glitter is a beautiful silvery cornflower blue with copper, violet, and pink-gold iridescence. It is very reflective, and best used with a glitter fixative or sticky base.This glitter mix is not lip safe.

And lastly, in this collection is our blush, #B08 Damask Rose. Damask roses are an ancient hybrid valued for their heady scent, used in perfumery. They have a soft, disheveled elegance and the whorls of petals resemble layers of petticoats or voluminous ballgowns. Roses being such an enduring symbol of love, I chose my favorite poem to accompany it, somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond. This blusher is a sheer, rosy-hued wash of pink with gold pearl. This blush is not vegan, nor is it approved for use around the eyes, but it is lip-safe.

 This concludes our garden tour. You can find all of these products in our Etsy shop Friday February 5th! ^_^ -Kim