*Disclosure: PR samples- I received these polishes free of charge in exchange for photography.*

Release: 1 May 2020

A limited-edition release inspired by zones Duskwood and Darkshore from game World of Warcraft

For this release, almost all shades are capped, so depending on sales not every stockist will be able to carry every shade. I will note below which shades have a limit.

Blackwood

Blackwood is the first of two thermals in this collection. It transitions from a greyed-out dark blue when cold to a dark olive green when warm, and it also has a pink/green shimmer overlay. The transition is quite subtle, and it really gives this polish a bit of a spooky aura. The thermal effect is less of a “wow look at that color change!” and more of a “hmm…wasn’t this just slightly different when I put it on?” Dark and mysterious and very FF I think.

Since the transition is subtle, I took lots of photos to try to capture all its faces.

This shade is not limited during the preorder.

3 coats + 1 coat of top coat

The two images below show mainly the cold state.

And these images below show Blackwood in transition.

Moontouched

Moontouched is the second of the two thermals in this collection. It is also a subtle one, transitioning from a medium denim blue when cold to a light blue when warm. It also has red shimmer and those little ruby-red flakes that have been showing up in FF collections recently. In some lights the transition is barely noticeable, and in other lights it is much more visible. The red shimmers make the warm state look almost lilac at times. Such a pretty and soft shade that doesn’t change very much yet looks slightly different every time you glance at your hands.

This shade is limited.

It is really close in two coats. Shorter nails could probably get away with two coats of polish.

3 coats + 1 coat of top coat

The photo below shows Moontouched in its cold state:

And these photos show Moontouched in transition:

The Red Crystal

The Red Crystal features orange shimmer over a true red base, accented with holographic microflakes. Although not designed to be a magnetic polish, the shimmer is a magnetic pigment, so this polish can be worn that way if you’d like. I show this polish magnetized on my ring finger. My photos are pulling this polish a bit more orange, but in real life this is a true bright red (that leans warm).

This shade is not limited.

If you have shorter nails and like to live dangerously, you can probably get away with one coat of this polish!

2 coats + 1 coat of top coat

Cinderfall

Cinderfall features a maroon/berry-ish base color with blue shimmer and various sizes of silver holographic glitter. Super pretty combination, although I’m not sure how I feel about it on my medium skin…I think it would look beautiful on either very pale or very dark skin.

This shade is limited.

2 coats + 1 coat of top coat

Veiled Sea

Veiled Sea features a cool-toned dark brown base with blue/purple/red shifting shimmer and holographic microflakes. I love love love shimmery brown shades, and the far red shift against the base is so pretty.

This shade is limited.

2-3 coats + 1 coat of topcoat

Weathered Grave

Weathered Grave…is a hard one to describe. The base color looks definitively blue in the bottle, but once it is applied, it looks less harshly blue and more like a green-toned blue. The green shimmer takes over to such an extent that the overall look of the polish is a cool green. Scattered within are those magical green/blue shifting glass flecks. This kind of shimmer catches the light and sparkles so beautifully.

This shade is very limited. (emphasis from FF, not from me)

2 coats + 1 coat of top coat

Wildlight

Wildlight features a golden green shimmer over a cold green base, accented with small gold-green UCC flakes and holo glitters. I really like this kind of warm green shade, and the UCC flakes are a really pretty addition along with the holo sparkle.

This shade is limited.

2 coats + 1 coat of top coat

Overall, this release feels kind of older-school FF, almost like 2015-2016 releases, which I absolutely love. Those are the shades that got me collecting bottles of FF the way a greedy dragon might hoard gold, and they are the reason FF dominates my overall polish collection (even excluding press samples). I know Sophie absolutely loves World of Warcraft, and I love it when inspiration is near and dear to a maker’s heart. I’m a huge fan of darker, subdued, more mysterious color palettes, and this collection absolutely delivers. Also it’s great that this collection is coming at a time when most releases are geared more towards brighter and happier colors…which are generally not my cup of tea. Give me all the dark and moody shades please 🙃

My top picks are the two thermals, Moontouched and Blackwood, as well as Weathered Grave. Weathered Grave is the only one marked as “very limited quantity”, so be sure to grab it quick if you love it as much as I do…seriously those shimmer flakes get me every time. And the two thermals, while they aren’t crazy shifters, both have a subtle and mysterious charm that is really the hallmark of Femme Fatale. I could not imagine such shades coming from anyone else.

Femme Fatale Cosmetics: http://www.femmefatalecosmetics.com.au/

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