Review & Rave: Hello Waffle Cosmetics

Warning, this post is going to be pretty long and also photo heavy.

Today I'll be reviewing Hello Waffle Cosmetics, a fairly new indie cosmetics brand that opened earlier this year. There's a blogger pack available, which included 2 full sized eyeshadows, 1 full size lip balm, 10 eyeshadow samples, and 2 lip balm samples. It's a pretty fantastic deal, and she recently had a flash sale that I simply could not pass up. I've always seen the owner Christine answering questions and posting swatches and reviews of other companies and she just seemed so lovely, so I figured that even if I didn't like the products at least I'd be supporting somebody who was genuinely nice. Fortunately, the products are absolutely fantastic. Like I heard they were good but these are my favorite indies thus far, and actually favorite eyeshadow colors in general (except for Climbing Chaos, Climbing Chaos is right up there with some of these). I also really really like the lip products.

The Haul
So I bought the blogger pack, an extra set of 5 samples, and one extra lip balm sample. Unfortunately I completely forgot to include which lip balm samples I wanted in the note to seller and thus didn't get them :( I had it all typed out but ended up backtracking from paypal because it said I had a different address, and when I tried to go back the entire note was erased and I had to type it from memory. Afterwards I never double checked my order, so that was my fault. She did include an extra sample and also upgraded one of my samples which was nice of her! However, I was sent the incorrect lip balm sample. I'd contact her about it, but I actually quite like the accidentally sent one so I'm planning on just buying a full size during her next free ship sale. Also since she included all those additional freebies I kind of want to let her have the extra $2, especially since she covers the difference in shipping out of pocket! There was also a GWP in an absolutely gorgeous color included. SUPER generous.

The goods.

Lippies
So I got two lip products. A full size of Roses of the Vale and a sample of Seedless. I had ordered a sample of Vamp, but based on swatches and now after testing the others on my own lips I feel safe getting a full size next round :)

Rubbing a bit of Seedless, that tiny amount tinted my lips that much.

This formula is a lot more slick and pigmented than the Shiro tinted lip balms. It's a bit grainy, but the colors are great and work well with my favorite lip application. Instead of applying them all over my lips and having my entire lips heavily pigmented I prefer to have a sort of stained style. Like the "I've been eating popsicles and so the inside of my mouth is slightly more colorful than the outside" look. It's really easy to maintain and I don't have to worry about feathering or precise application.

One swipe of Roses of the Vale on bottom lip, rubbed lips together and voila! Tore the wrapping so you could see how much is included in a full size (which is a lot!) and also took a photo of it before applying so you could see how it's not quite flat and actually sinks a bit.

These also were good at actually moisturizing my lips. They clung a bit to dry skin patches but it somehow made them peel off???? Like what I imagine treatments and scrubs are supposed to do but this is a lip balm. They were also minty, which I enjoyed a lot.

Eyeshadows 

So here are 19 EYESHADOWS. 19!! And four of them are full sized! And the stickers on the full sizes are GORGEOUS.

The full sizes: Sloth, Greed, Rainforest, and Rose Champagne (which she upgraded from a sample!)

I confess I chose Sloth and Greed as my full sizes because of the stickers, but the new logo is pretty darn cute as well. Here are swatches of the lot. UDPP on the left side of arm, small stripe of Pixie Epoxy on the right side of arm. Indirect sunlight on left, direct sunlight on right.

Swatches of the browns.

Reds and purples.

Gold and pink.

Misc others and the full sizes. 

Application for all of these was actually really great. Not quite as buttery as Morgana's Crypt's Selene, but easier to apply than the Notoriously Morbid and Shiro samples I have. Also more pigmented than the pressed Tarte eyeshadows which I had been using prior to this indie adventure. The sample sizes themselves were also really generous.

Trying to capture the pretty that is Rainforest.

Quick thoughts on the colors

• Gluttony - Deep brown, more sparkly than expected but also more interesting.
• Locked Doors - Actually a really nice crease color.
• Bach - This is quite pleasant in person. I don't think I built it up enough to tell in the swatch but it has a pretty shift and I like that it's more muted.
• Bartok - UGH IT IS SO NICE. Like this exquisite coppery shimmery explosion of gloriousness. Bit of fallout though.
• Tchaikovsky - Not as gold as I was expecting, good for a toned down look.
• Fey - Everybody raves about this, and while it is pretty it wasn't my cup of tea. The color shift was fantastic though, I tried but failed to capture it in the photos. The smallest movement would make it switch which was SO fun.
• Mendelssohn - Quite pink. Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of pinks, but it applied smoothly.
• Enchantress - The moment I started swatching I knew this would be a favorite. This is stunning. Deep burgundy color with just the right amount of flicks. So good.
• Kai - A coppery version of Enchantress which I adore. It's a lot more copper in person and I want to wear this every day. Every. Day.
• Wastelands - Not as glorious as Enchantress or Kai but it's still fantastic. More brown than purple, I don't know why I swatched it with the purples. Has different multicolored glitters though which makes it more interesting than your ordinary deep brown. 
• Silk - Sparkly prettiness. This also had quite a shift that was hard to capture on camera.
• Lust - I liked it, but it was hard to appreciate it after the glory of Enchantress and Kai. A bit more red toned than the others and I actually really want to try it on my lips.
• Pride - Pride kind of reminded me of Bach, a more cool toned taupey wearable shade.  
• Chopin - Holy god this is gorgeous. I couldn't capture the shift but this was my favorite of the Musicians collection that I tried. It is ethereal and shifts so beautifully, highly recommend.
• Schubert - I want to try Schubert with Pride and Bach, I feel like the three would look good together. Shift is more prominent over Pixie Epoxy.
• Sloth - Mmm, pretty. Glad I got a full size of this one, it's neutral and wearable but has a lot of dimension and has a slight shift as well.
• Greed - A gold, honestly not too impressed but I was spoiled by the gorgeous purples.
• Rainforest - SOOOO PRETTY. I want to try this as a liner. 
• Rose Champagne - I used to think gold and champagne colored eyeshadows were my favorite, but after many eyeshadow samples I think I actually prefer coppers and bronzes. Still very nice though, will look good with Sloth or possibly even as a highlight.

A Few Looks
I decided I'd try a wash of color which is my usual daily eyeshadow look, and also a more graphic ombre cat eye since the colors just begged to used that way. First, Sloth, Greed, and Looked Doors as a neutral wash. Hard to see it in the photo but you can see how it covered my eyeliner. Think I'll have to experiment with application methods (maybe foiling? Pixie Epoxy?).

Bit of Sloth, Greed, and Locked Doors layered over bare skin & liquid liner.

Also, Enchantress, Lust, and Rainforest as an ombre liner. Again a bit hard to see but it was my first attempt at this! This was just with water/a wet brush, Rainforest wasn't as vibrant without primer.

Enchantress, Lust, and Rainforest. Again, not as pigmented without primer.

Finally, Kai, Enchantress, and Lust as an ombre liner.

Kai, Enchantress, and Lust as an ombre liner atop my black liquid liner. Roses of the Vale on lips, 2 hours after initial application. Also brushed my brows and tried a bit of eyeshadow in them!

I think my favorite application method for these colors is the ombre liner. I need to practice more obviously, but I find it quick, subtle, and delightful. I'm going to experiment with making it more opaque and thicker as well because these colors work SO well for this.

Overall
Overall this haul had the most hits out of all my indie hauls thus far, and actually probably the most hits out of any makeup splurge in general. Like I've had mini Sephora hauls in the past that ended in general disappointment but these shadows and lippies were all great. Highly highly recommend giving Christine's products a shot. My absolute favorites were Enchantress, Kai, Bartok, Chopin, Rose of the Vale, and Rainforest but honestly I think I was pleased with everything except for Greed (because I already have a bunch of golds, but the sticker makes it worth it haha).

Are there any brands you've found where you adore all or most of the products tried? Also, does anybody have any tips for getting more vibrant color payoff without using NYX Milk or Pixie Epoxy? Milk doesn't agree with my oily lids and Pixie Epoxy is too difficult for me to use in the morning, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated~