Olive Violetear by Rouge Bunny Rouge

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I have a weakness for olive green eyeshadow, so it was no surprise that Olive Violatear was one of my choices during HauteLook's sale of Rouge Bunny Rouge products. 

Olive Violetear reminds me of a particularly dirty Vodka martini, which I'm partial to as well.  It has the same murky olive gray tint that results from mixing olive brine with vodka, although it can be built up to the darker olive shown in the arm swatch.

My limited experience with Rouge Bunny Rouge eye shadows have shown that different finishes have different levels of pigmentation, with the metallics like Abyssinian Catbird being the most intense.  Both Delicate Hummingbird and Olive Violetear (satin finish) are more sheer yet I like the complexity that comes from the shifts of light on the mica bits.  You can see what I'm talking about by clicking to enlarge the pictures.

Rouge Bunny Rouge shadow single compacts are $25 each and $19 for refills, which makes the HauteLook sales all the more attractive.  I paid $10 for the refills and $11 for the trio shadow case that house the shadows.

Delicate Hummingbird Long-Lasting Eye Shadow by Rouge Bunny Rouge

Now how's this as in intro to Rouge Bunny Rouge's Long-lasting Eyeshadow Refills?

The firefly festival is eagerly awaited all year in the Enchanted Garden. For then on this very special day, the best voices of the bird-world feed on tiny fireworks to embellish their voices and then gather to perform a single concert together. Their jubilant musical notes are inscribed in a syrup of figs and milk and preserved in tiny pots to be enjoyed all year round. Like this golden froth of musical syrup, WHEN BIRDS ARE SINGING... eye shadows are a time defying exotic enigma. This is plumage to adorn you in shades as deliciously mellow as soft silence that flows, or as brilliantly potent as jewelled notes. So addictive are these morsels that you’ll be causing your own kaleidoscopic ripples every time you wear them.

Gah, but I love me some over the top magical storytelling when it comes to cosmetics, perfumes, or beauty products in general.  I'd much rather apply defying exotic enigma plumage that flows as soft as silence than say, eyeshadow, to my eyes :-) I mean, one of the reasons I love makeup is because of how it makes me feels as I'm applying and wearing it, and storytelling is all part of that!

Enter Delicate Hummingbird, one of the shadow refills I picked up for $10 (regularly priced $19) from HauteLook a few months back.  I love that HauteLook has featured Rouge Bunny Rouge products several times now, and am eagerly awaiting for the blushes to show up at some point.

The shadow refills can be housed in RBR's two ($12) or three pan ($18) compacts called Eye Shadow Keepers (I paid $11 for the trio), and are easy to pop in or out of the magnetic pans.  Delicate Hummingbird is one of the more sheer colors in the line, described as "cool, dusky sugar-frosted plum, iridescent with pink shimmer". 

Here I'm wearing Delicate Hummingbird as a wash over ColourPop's coral hued Cheeky (review here). That glimmer you see along the lash line is Urban Decay's discontinued 24/7 pencil in 1999.  I don't know why they discontinued it, as it's LOVELY.

You can purchase singles of RBR's shadows for $25 or refills for $19 from Beautyhabit.com, but considering RBR is not the easiest brand to track down nor the cheapest, I'd keep an eye out for their next appearance on HauteLook.  I will be.

Abyssinian Catbird by Rouge Bunny Rouge: Stunning

Did anybody indulge in the Rouge Bunny Rouge (RBR) sale at Hautelook last week?  This is the second time I've seen them there, and this time I picked up two more shadows refills and a compact to keep them in.  I was hoping to score another RBR powder blush, but alas, they were not included in the sale.  But first, let me show you Abyssinian Catbird, which I picked up last spring and have just now gotten around to reviewing.

The shadow refills are slightly smaller in size than the single shadow compacts, and less expensive at $19 versus $25 as well.  I've been keeping Abyssinian Catbird in the perfectly functional (and pretty) cardboard sleeve that it comes in for a year now, and it has not suffered at all.

Abyssinian Catbird is a stunning bronze with an olive shift, and it's complexity makes it stand out above other similar colors.  I'm drawn to this shade over and over again, which means I've got more than a few potential dupes.  However, Abyssinian Catbird isn't quite like anything I've got.  Almost, but not quite.

For example, here it is compared to Armani's Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow in Khaki Pulse, another beauty which I've yet to review.  Abyssinian Catbird has a more notable golden shift to it, again amping up that complexity which makes it so unique.  The shadow can be built up in intensity level quite easily, and I usually opt for a more sheer look as metallics are not the most forgiving on my more textured lids.

If you are looking for a complementary liner to go with Abyssinian Catbird, I recommend Jane's Golden Black liquid eyeliner (see review here).  It is similar enough in color to blend well yet the gold shimmer in the blackened base makes for an extra nice affect.

I can't wait til my two new RBR shadows arrive, which given Hautelook's notoriously slow delivery schedule, could be a while.  Not complaining however, as how often do you find Rouge Bunny Rouge at a significant discount?  Not often, trust me.

Starina Original Skin Blush by Rouge Bunny Rouge

Disclaimer:  I purchased this, links provided for convenience.

Rouge Bunny Rouge is one of those mystical unicorn brands that you occasionally see glimpses of on beauty blogs.  I've never seen it carried in any store in my area, and would not even be aware of it except for reading beauty blogs. 

Lovely packaging design

It's a London born brand based in London and Moscow, with lovely packaging that combines a Victorian-style fairy tale quality with Tsarist aristocratic leanings.   I'm pretty sure no other brand is going to be described that way :-)

For my first foray into Rouge Bunny Rouge I chose a blush shade that was somewhat unique to my collection - the golden tan Starina.  This color works especially well during the warm weather months, as it can also double as a bronzer. 

Starina is describe on the site I bought it at as the "palest coral with an illuminating radiance" for those with fair skin, and I can see that as well.  It warms my cheeks and would possible work as a highlighting shade on darker complexions. 

Starina

The formula is very nice, with smooth color and very little powder kick up.  Even though this is a light color, I found pigmentation to be good and I did not have to pile it on to achieve what you see above.

The Original Skin Blushes by Rouge Bunny Rouge are $28 and there are six shades available.  I bought Starina from Beauty Habit.