Linnaeus Cosmetics Review: The Axolotl Collection

Left to Right: Archetypal, Puerile, Branchial

Red eyeshadow? Linnaeus's Axolotl Collection, you had me at hello. Seriously, this color combo caught my attention from the first second... even if I had no idea what an Axolotl was until I Googled it. It's a salamander, in case y'all are wondering.

So let's start off with some notes on formula. Linnaeus shadows wear very well on me, both with and without primer. It's a bizarre phenomenon that no other shadow formula has quite replicated. Don't get me wrong, they don't stand up to sweat, or anything extreme like that, but if I'm having a normal day with normal weather, I don't have to worry about them becoming... well, crease-y and gross.

And the texture? Usually very nice. There's an exception in this lineup unfortunately: Branchial had a bit of grit to it. It was nothing horrific, and it didn't effect the performance, but I prefer a smoother, silkier feel--especially from a loose shadow. It just matters to me what my shadows feel like to the touch, you know? For reference, it feels almost exactly like Shiro's 2+2=10. Grainy.

Left to Right: Archetypal, Puerile, Branchial

Here the shadows are swept out. I really love that this collection contains two reds that are entirely different. While Archetypal is a yellower red, Branchial is a clearly blue red. Puerile is a beautifully textured light pink frost that has the tones of a yellow-red, if that makes any sense.

As for Puerile, I know that I have shades in the same family with this, but I don't have anything quite like this. It's hard to explain: it's like if a peach and it had a baby with a yellow pink. Very unique!

First Row, Left to Right: Archetypal, Puerile, Branchial patted on.
Second Row, Left to Right: Archetypal, Puerile, Branchial foiled.

As you can see, foiling makes Archetypal more red, and with Puerile, the pink tones are brought out. Branchial, on the other hand looks much bluer.

On to the colors:

Archetypal is an yellow-y tomato red. It's the more 'red' of the two reds in this collection.
Puerile is a pinkish, yellowish peachy, frosty sort of shade. I have nothing quite like this.
Branchial is a very blue, shimmery red. It has a bit of a graininess to it.

All three of these shades are approved for lip use.

Left: Branchial, Right: Puerile

Archetypal on lips

Archetypal did not want to go on looking nice, though Branchial and Puerile were very agreeable. I think if you're into using micas on your lips, Puerile could make a nifty gloss!

The Good:

• Archetypal and Puerile had lovely textures.
• I really like the wear of these. All day with and without primer. Linnaeus shadows just do well on me!
• I really like the shades. I think Puerile is a more difficult color to dupe (though there are somewhat similar things out there, I've never seen something quite like it). I also like that there's both a warm and cool red in the collection.

The Bad:

• Branchial didn't feel good to the touch. Smoother, please!

The Neutral:

• These are all lip safe!

Overall, other than the grit in Branchial, I'd say this is another wonderful collection from Linnaeus. For those just starting with red shadows, I think this would be a great jumping off point because you get two very different shades to start with. If you don't mind the textural issue of the one shadow, I highly recommend the entire collection. If you do, I'd still pick up Puerile at least, because it's really neat!

This collection is currently $16.00 from Linnaeus Cosmetics.