Updated Cover Girl Capital (Hunger Games) Collection: Review & Swatches

I'm sure based on the tons of publicity that Covergirl has had regarding the Hunger Game Catching Fire collaboration over the last few months, that you know about this new release. Not everything in the release is new/limited edition items, but few are. These are available at drug stores, and you have a variety of limited edition products including new Glosstinis, Flamed Up Mega Curl mascara, and Smoochie lipgloss. Check out Part 2 review here.

To continue reading the review and see swatches, click the link below.

The Capital Collection may be found in a display like the one above. As you can see there are Glosstinis, Flamed Up Mega Curl mascara, Smoochies lipgloss, and Flamed Out Shadow Pencils. It even comes with a "Get the District Looks" booklet with ideas on make up looks inspired by the Hunger Game "Districts".

The Flamed Out Shadow Pencil in Gold Flame is a typical chubby pencil/crayon looking eyeshadow base/color. It comes to a rounded point to make it easy to apply on larger surface areas. It applies very smoothly without tugging, and I swear it feels like a gel with a cooling sensation when applied. You can use this as a wash of color, or build up the color intensity. If you want to blend, do it quickly since it tends to set easily and stay put. I haven't had a chance to try this as a base, but I would imagine it would work well as one.

Flamed Up Mega Curl mascara is a newer version of the Flamed Out mascara from this summer. I never jumped on it during the summer release, but I was curious about it. This counterpart doesn't have the hourglass shape wand of the original, and is a curved bristle wand. It's a super fat and chunky wand as well. The shape (not the size) reminds me of Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes mascara. Application is different though. The Flamed Up Mega Curl, does give a super nice curl as the name would imply, as well as thickens lashes. If you're not careful, it does lend itself to thick clumping and sticking of the lashes together, so be careful. Also, those with smaller eyes might find navigating such a large wand to be rather difficult.

Next are two Glosstini limited edition shades. There's 4 in the display, but I have a suspicion that there are more in the collection because the pamphlet shows colors not in this display. I've never tried any of the other Glosstinis or other nail polishes from the regular range, so I can't comment on whether or not these are comparable in quality or application.

Pyro Pink is a maroon with a slight leaning toward pink with silver shimmer particles. The shimmer is very noticeable, and not subtle. It gives the polish a textured look. It applies well and is opaque in 2 coats. Wear time was average 4-5 days with minor tip wear.





Seared Bronze is an antique gold color with coppery-bronze shimmers and  lighter pale gold shimmers. It's rather complicated, but makes the nails look nice and shimmery. This polish still has the characteristic textured look of this line. Again it applied well and was opaque in two coats. Wear time was the same.

 As mentioned earlier, a close up of the booklet (that's free) that shows some District looks, and briefly explains a "how-to" of it. Some of the looks are artistically interesting, but as would be suspected, most are not wearable for daily life. However, Halloween is coming up, so there's always an opportunity.

Swatches

Following are are the fun swatches involved in this re-/release. First is the the Flamed Out Shadow Pencil in Gold Flame. It's very much a yellow-gold. It's metallic, but leans heavily towards the yellow spectrum. Almost like a yellow metallic shimmer. 

A quick eye look using the Flamed Out Shadow Pencil in Gold Flame all over the lid and past my crease, as well as along the lower lash line.

Flamed Out Mega Curl mascara on the lashes. It builds up volume and holds curl very well throughout the day, but if you're not careful it can clamp. You might be able to see the beginning of potential clumping of the lashes in the swatch pic below.

Two coats each of both polishes with top coat. Seared Bronze on second (index) and fifth (pinky) fingers, and Pyro Pink on my third (middle) and fourth (ring) fingers. The swatch pictures do a better job of highlighting the shimmery aspect of the polish and what I mean by a textured look.

Natural Light Pic

Flash Pic

Bottom Line: I do realize that not all items in this release are new, but I was pleasantly surprised with everything in the release. The only item that I had a slight problem with is the mascara, but even that was not a deal breaker.