Linnaeus Cosmetics Review: The Puna Flamingo Collection

Clockwise from Top Left: Go Go Flamingo, Kitsch, Stilts, Balancing Act

Haha, yes a bit more Linnaeus. I thought I'd post about the rest of what I have in the lead up to the opening of their site (which I believe is happening on the 14th!) The Puna Flamingo collection is a collection of lovely, flamingo inspired pinks.

The texture of these shadows is lovely, as always. They blend beautifully and are easy to work with. The wear, as always, is lovely: no problems with primer (and only Stilts creased without). When blended out, Balancing Act can look much more pink than it does when applied heavily, like in these swatches.

Patted on, this is what they look like:

Clockwise from Top Left: Go Go Flamingo!, Kitsch, Stilts, Balancing Act

Go Go Flamingo! and Stilts are extra smooth and do a great job of highlighting. Stilts is such a pale pink it has the tendency to look straight up white. The silvery overlay tends to make that effect tenfold. You can still see some pinkness, though. Stilts is technically a pale, frosty pink, but if you really want a frosty pink, I'd recommend Go Go Flamingo! over Stilts (unless you want it really pale). Don't get me wrong, though. I happen to really like Stilts!

So you might have noticed that Kitsch is not hot pink in that photo. It's a funny color, described by Linnaeus as a hot pink: more specifically an "iridescent pink sheen over a light red/pinky background". It looks like a straight up hot pink in their provided swatch and here, but for me it looks more like an orange-y red with pink overlay (ie, the pink sheen on a red background that is described). In dim light, it looks like a red orange, but when light hits it directly, it gets this surprising and lovely bright pink glow. I checked Phyrra's blog and Kitsch looks the same against her skin as it does on mine. I have no clue why this might be: I'm not sure if there may be some inconsistency in blending, or if it's just a color that happens to look different on different people (or perhaps the photography's to blame?). I'd say sample it before buying.

Here they are swept out:

Left to Right: Go Go Flamingo!, Kitsch, Stilts, Balancing Act

Kitsch looks a bit pinker here, right? Honestly, comparing against the swatches on Color Me Obsessed, I can definitely see this being the exact same color, it just doesn't look as pink on me. Stilts definitely looks more pink when it's swept out than it does when patted on or foiled.

Left to Right: Go Go Flamingo!, Kitsch, Stilts, Balancing Act

When Stilts is foiled, it looks like straight up silver, don't you think? All of these foil beautifully. The silver in Balancing Act really begins to pop! You can see the hot pink highlight in Kitsch more when it's foiled. It still looks red, though!

On to the colors:

Clockwise from Top Left: Go Go Flamingo, Kitsch, Stilts, Balancing Act

Go Go Flamingo! is a pretty, light frosty pink. Compared to Stilts, it's darker and more pink.
Kitsch is tricky. I'm going to go with my own instinct and describe it as an orange-y red with a hot pink sheen. It's really a stunning shade. When I first put it on I kinda looked in the mirror and went, "Oh, it's red!" Then I walked into a different room, also with a mirror, and caught sight of it, and thought "Oh my gosh, it is pink!" and then I went back into the other room, it wasn't. It's all in how the light hits it. By the way, in the jar it looks like a pinkish orange.
Stilts is a very light, frosty pink with  lovely silvery sheen that makes it look even lighter most of the time. If you want it pinker, apply by sweeping. It's like Go Go Flamingo's younger sister.
Balancing Act is a very pinkish, red-based purple with some lovely silver shimmer. Foiling really makes the shimmer pop! I bought this before it was figured out that it wsn't lip-safe, so it isn't marked as such.

All of these except Balancing Act is lip safe. They all contain FD&C dyes.

Go Go Flamingo! applied wet to lips.

Kitsch applied wet to lips.

Stilts applied wet to lips.

Go Go Flamingo! would look really beautiful mixed into gloss. I love how it gives my lips a frosty pink sheen when applied lightly. You can see the pink sheen in Kitsch here a bit more (But see how red it is! I'm obsessed with mentioning it!) Stilts looks like I got in a fight with a powdery doughnut and won! If I'd applied more sheerly, it could still make a very viable gloss color, but it was hard to get even when applied lightly, so I built it up more than Go Go Flamingo!

Can I add one additional thing? These paper seals? They leak. Stilts was fine but at least two of the colors sealed with paper had shadow get out from under the sifter. Kitsch, as you can see in the photo, did have a minor leak. Kalahari, though, looked as though there were a minor eyeshadow explosion within the jar--you'll be able to see that when I post the Gemsbok review. These were both heat-sealed, so the shadow stayed in-jar; it wasn't really an issue. But I just wanted to volunteer that while before I didn't have any feelings toward paper sifter seals, now I just think they're awful.

The Good:

• The texture of these is smooth and the shadows are easy to use (not at all fussy).
• The shimmer is very fine; there wasn't any migration or fall out.
• Lovely colors, in my opinion.
• The wear, as always, is incredible. 

The Bad:
Nothing "bad" per se. Please read the items in neutral.

The Neutral:

• Kitsch doesn't look like the provided swatch, in my opinion: it looks more red less pink in my opinion. Like I've said, though, I'm not really sure why that is. It's still really cool, though, and it's described accurately.

Overall, I really do like the color Kitsch, but it definitely wasn't what I expected. Stilts and Go Go Flamingo! aren't the hardest colors in the world to dupe, so check your stash for similar things. They're great staple colors to have in your collection (I'm very fond of Go Go Flamingo! in particular). Balancing act is ZOMG, pretty! I love purples, and pinky purples have a special place in my heart.

You can currently buy the full collection for $17 here. Each individual color is also available separately for $5.