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

Release: 1 February 2020

25 polishes + 2 exclusive gifts

A megacollection inspired by enchanted items from magical stories

Click here to jump to the thermals.
Click here to jump to the non-thermals.
Click here to jump to the full collection collage.

Femme Fatale is back with a fifth(!) installation of the beloved Enchanted Fables megacollections, with the inspiration this time being magical items!

The inspiration began strictly with magical fables, but over time and especially with this collection, Sophie’s been pulling from a wider variety of stories that wouldn’t all necessarily fall strictly under “enchanted fables” per say, but I love the leeway this provides in terms of potential inspiration! Sophie provided descriptions and links to some of her inspiration, so I’ve added them here as well for a richer experience.

This set is the largest EF installation to date, containing twenty-five individually-buyable shades. Purchasing the full set directly from FF (not from a stockist) in the launch preorder nets you two additional gifts that are not available any other way.

Let’s begin with the thermals, of which there are eleven.

Bearskin Mantle

Inspired by Grimms’ “Snow White and Rose Red“, specifically the bear’s skin that was bewitched over the Prince by a wicked dwarf.

Bearskin Mantle is a trithermal that transitions between chartreuse (warm), orange (mid), and brown (cold), with a strong green/pink shimmer overlay. Quite an unusual shift, but there’s an odd charm to it. The formula covered really well in two coats, and I’m not sure I needed a third.

2-3 coats + top coat

Enchanted Beans

Inspired by the magical beans that grow into a beanstalk in “Jack and the Beanstalk” as recorded by Joseph Jacobs.

Enchanted Beans transitions between pale green (warm) and medium teal (cold). It also has green/blue/purple shifting shimmer. This one is a bit sheer, especially in the warm state, so I ended up using two normal coats plus one thicker one to cover in three coats.

3 coats + top coat

Fairy Dust

Inspired by the magical duel between the fairy godmothers when deciding Sleeping Beauty’s dress colour.

Fairy Dust is a trithermal that transitions between various shades of hot pink, accented with blue/pink shifting microflake shimmer. It really does have three states, but it’s difficult to distinguish between them, and it’s not wrong to describe all of them as hot pink. The darkest is a bit fuchsia-toned, and the warmest is very bright and distinctly lighter.

3 coats + top coat

Firefly Ring

Inspired by the magical item of the same name in “Robin Hood”.

Firefly Ring transitions between light green/grey (warm) and purple (cold), with pink/green shimmer to complement. The green/purple thermal transition is one of the most common, but somehow I’m always surprised by how pretty it is when actually worn. The shimmer accents beautifully by mirroring the thermal shift.

3 coats + top coat

Gift of Wings

Inspired by the wings gifted to Thumbelina from a white fly in “Thumbelina” by Hans Christian Andersen.

Gift of Wings transitions between bubblegum pink (warm) and neon orange (cold), with fuchsia shimmer to complement. The formula is quite sheer, so I recommend using thicker coats.

3 coats + top coat

Magic Wand

Inspired by the Fairy Godmother’s wand from Cinderella.

Magic Wand transitions between a pink-ish lilac (warm) and a periwinkle (cold), overlaid with green/blue/purple shifting shimmer. This combination is SO delicate and magical! I find that this thermal shift usually looks terrible on my skin, but the shimmer really makes this polish wearable for me. The thermal shift is a bit subtle but very, very beautiful.

3 coats + top coat

Magician’s Fife

Inspired by the tale of the Pied Piper.

Magician’s Fife transitions between a beige-tan (warm) and a blue-teal (cold), overlaid with green/pink shifting shimmer. This one tended to sit in an in-between green state though, as the extreme states took quite a lot of heat/cold to shift, respectively. The far pink shift is super pretty against all the states.

3 coats + top coat

Sorcerer’s Hat

Inspired by the magician’s hat in Fantasia.

Sorcerer’s Hat transitions between a sheer red (warm) and a sheer green (cold), accented with golden microflake shimmer. It also looks like there are some copper and green shimmer particles as well. I was shocked at how sheer this polish was on the first coat, but it built up nicely in three coats with no VNL. The overall appearance remains light and delicate though, which is nice because red to green is quite an intense shift.

3 coats + top coat

Sugar Plum Fairy Droplets

Inspired by the dancing flower fairies in Fantasia.

Sugar Plum Fairy Droplets transitions between an orchid purple (warm) and a cool, purple-tinged indigo (cold), accented with copperish-red shimmer particles. The warm shimmer pops beautifully against both base colors.

3 coats + top coat

The Enchanted Rose

Inspired by the rose from “Beauty and the Beast” by Madame de Villeneuve.

The Enchanted Rose transitions between a bright fuchsia (warm) and a deep purple (cold), accented with pink and indigo shimmers. This shade is quite vampy and dramatic.

3 coats + top coat

Twilight Bark

Inspired by 101 Dalmations, where it is a whimsical notion that at the end of the day, dogs pass messages in a daisy-chain fashion with barking that can carry detailed information and gossip across hundreds of miles.

Twilight Bark transitions between a warm caramel-tan (warm) and a grey-blue (cold), overlaid with strong pink and copper microflake shimmers. The shimmer basically overtakes the cold state, so the resulting thermal transition is actually quite subtle, with the colder state just looking a bit darker than the warm state. It feels like this thermal tended to sit in the warm state, so I think it transitions at a lower temperature than most thermals.

3 coats + top coat

And onto the plain shimmers! There are fourteen of these.

Balloon

Inspired by the balloon from Winnie the Pooh.

Balloon actually features a purple base, but it is overrun with red/green shifting shimmer that completely overtakes any hint of the original base color. I suspect there’s multiple different shimmers in this polish, because the shimmer does not shift uniformly. At the far shift to green, there are still a good number of particles that are still red. This mosaic-like effect adds a fascinating complexity.

Great two-coat formula.

2 coats + top coat

Black Blood of the Sea Witch

Inspired by “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen, where the sea witch used her blood as part of a magical draught to give the little mermaid legs instead of her tail.

Black Blood of the Sea Witch features a sheer, swamp-green base with purple/pink/gold/green shifting microflake shimmer. This polish has a very sheer formula. I don’t like doing four coats for swatches, but I felt that three sold it short just a bit, and it felt worth it to add that fourth coat. They all go on nice and evenly, so there’s no trouble there. The final result is absolutely beautiful.

4 coats + top coat

Black Cauldron

Inspired by the Black Cauldron, which has the ability to raise the dead, from the movie of the same name.

Black Cauldron features a sheer grey-tinted base overlaid with strong green/blue/purple shifting shimmer. The tint of the base deepens and desaturates the colors just a bit for an elegant, hazy, smoked-out effect. Fair warning: I was shocked by how sheer the first coat was…I was NOT prepared for another potential four-coater. Luckily, this polish built up quickly and after three coats I was happy with the opacity.

3 coats + top coat

Cursed Spindle

Inspired by the magical spindle in Grimms’ “Little Brier-Rose“.

Cursed Spindle features an olive green base loaded with antique gold shimmer. The overall effect is so lush and opulent, reminiscent of plush velvet. The shimmer doesn’t shift at all, so the focus is entirely on the beautiful visual texture of the shimmer. Sometimes the color is more olive, but other times the color looked almost more like a green-tinged antique gold. This polish is a beautiful chameleon.

Perfect two-coat formula, with great coverage on the first coat.

2 coats + top coat

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole

Inspired by the rabbit hole through which Alice falls into Wonderland.

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole features a deep purple base with bright cerulean microflakes. You know, I think sometimes…there can’t possibly be any new duochrome shimmer combinations. And then something like this comes along and proves me absolutely wrong. This one is deep and striking and intense and hits every button in my dark-loving heart.

Easy two-coat formula. I recommend using medium to heavier coats, which is no issue with this formula. If you go thinner, you may need a third coat, which I think might darken the base purple to almost-black, which I think would be a less visually-interesting result.

2 coats + top coat

Glass Slipper

Inspired by the glass slipper from Grimms’ “Cinderella“.

Glass Slipper features a warm blue base with purple shimmer. This base is quite sheer, and I still had obvious VNL after three coats. The coats go on smoothly and easily–they’re just sheer. My lighting setup really emphasized the shimmer, so please know that it is a bit sheerer in real life than my photos here show.

3 coats + top coat

Golden Egg

Inspired by “The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs“.

Golden Egg features a warm orange base with bright green/pink shifting shimmer. I especially love that this color truly looks like a bright golden yolk. Great formula.

2 coats + top coat

Great Star in the Sky

Inspired by the crystal’s energy expulsion in Atlantis; remembered by Kida as ‘Great Star in the Sky’.

Great Star in the Sky features a deep blue tinted base absolutely packed with strong teal blue microflake shimmers. The effect is almost like a foil. This one is ridiculously shiny and blingy, and the formula has fantastic coverage.

2 coats + top coat

Magic Mirror

Inspired by the evil Queen’s mirror in Grimms’ “Little Snow-White“.

Magic Mirror features a pale robin’s egg blue base overlaid with indigo/violet shimmer. This polish has such a delicate feel. The contrast of the warm-toned base with the cool-toned shimmer is beautiful. I recommend using thicker coats and working quickly but deliberately for the most even result, as like many polishes with a pastel base, the formula can be a bit streaky and sheer.

3 coats + top coat

Mist Ablaze

Inspired by Grimms’ “Juniper Tree“.

Mist Ablaze features a coral base loaded with blue/purple/pink shifting shimmer. This one was a major surprise…I’m obsessed with the shimmer in this polish! It is so glowy, and it almost has a bit of a foiled effect. The shimmer leans the coral base more towards a blushy pink-toned kind of coral, so it’s a polish that could play either beautifully or terribly with your skin tone…so definitely check it out on a swatcher with comparable skin tone!

The formula is on the sheerer side to let all that shimmer glow through, but it applies very smoothly and easily. I had no VNL after three coats.

3 coats + top coat

Queen’s Cordial

Inspired by Lucy’s cordial (healing potion) from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

Queen’s Cordial features a fuchsia purple base with red/green shifting shimmer. Very classic, very beautiful, very lush shade. It’s saturated, feminine, and bright.

3 coats + top coat

Rover Bellflower

Inspired by Grimms’ “Rapunzel“. The Rapunzel plant is also known as rover bellflower.

Rover Bellflower features a warm medium purple base with green/blue/purple shifting microflake shimmer. Another classic shade that still has a magical, fairy-tale feel. Smooth and easy to apply.

3 coats + top coat

Ruby Slippers

Inspired by the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.

Ruby Slippers features a red base loaded with fuchsia red shimmer. This shimmer is similar in texture to Cursed Spindle–the same gorgeously plush and luxe effect. On some screens the shimmer might be blending into the base color, but it does have a bit more of a cool pink tint that sets it off from the more neutral red base.

The formula is dense with great coverage on the first coat, and it is easily opaque in two.

2 coats + top coat

The Golden Ball

Inspired by the golden ball in Grimms’ “The Frog King“.

The Golden Ball features an undersaturated yellow base with copper/gold shifting shimmer. In the bottle the base color actually looks like a yellow-toned olive green, but on the nail it does look more yellow. Unfortunately I don’t love green-tinged yellows on me. The copper shimmer stands out better against the yellow base in real life than it is appearing in the photos.

3 coats + top coat

Should you purchase the full set directly from FF, you will also receive two exclusive gifts!

Awoken by a Kiss

Awoken by a Kiss features a bright purple base filled with red/green shifting shimmer and a galaxy of silver holographic glitters in various sizes. Classically beautiful shade amped up with rainbow glitter sparkle.

3 coats + 2 coats of top coat

Under a Spell

Under a Spell actually has a purple base, but it is overwhelmed by a bronze-copper shimmer and filled with silver holographic glitter. Beautifully rich and warm shade.

2 coats + 2 coats of top coat

And we’re through!

A collage of the individually-available 25 for your convenience:

My personal favorites (in no particular order) are Mist Ablaze, Magic Wand, Firefly Ring, Black Blood of the Sea, and Falling Down the Rabbit Hole, with honorable mentions to the beautiful velvety textures of Cursed Spindle and Ruby Slippers.

Click here to jump back up to the thermals.
Click here to jump back up to the non-thermals.

The Enchanted Fables Magical Items collection releases for preorder on February 1 at 9pm AEST.

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

Facebook fan group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/841072659271220/