Kiss Of Thorns - A Valentine Ritual for the Dark-Hearted
A Valentine Shadowplay for those who love deeply, dangerously, and in shadow.
Valentine season is often painted in soft pinks and sweet promises. Kiss Of Thorns lives somewhere else entirely. In the space where love is worn like armor, where romance has edges, and where beauty blooms best in the dark.
This ritual is for the dark-hearted romantics. The ones drawn to wilted roses, black lace, and love letters never sent. For those who reach instinctively for berries, blood reds, bruised plums, and wine-soaked tones when their heart feels full, fractured, or both.
Kiss Of Thorns is not about perfection. It is about devotion. About choosing shadows that mean something to you and offering them back to the mirror as an act of beauty, memory, and quiet rebellion.
Shadowplay is our seasonal ritual - a space for the Devinah community to create, connect, and shop the shadows they already own.
For Valentine season, our collaboration is called Kiss Of Thorns. Think wilted roses, black lace, and love letters that were never sent. Reds, berries, mauves, dried rose tones, and the bruised plums you reach for when you want romance with a little bite.
Shadowplay is not a challenge or a contest. It is a community collaboration - a simple way for all of us to contribute, create, express, share, and connect with the Devinah singles we already love.
How to join Kiss Of Thorns:
- Pick up to three Devinah single shadows in red, berry, mauve, wine, or vampy romantic tones.
- Finger swatch them or create a simple Valentine-inspired eye look.
- Label your shades so other Devinah lovers can find them.
- Share your entry on Instagram or upload it through our Shadowplay submission page link below.
Everything must be created with Devinah single shadows only.
This ritual is perfect for anyone searching for:
- ❤️ goth Valentine makeup looks
- 💋 red and berry eyeshadow ideas
- 🌹 romantic but spooky date night eye looks
- 🖤 vampy Valentine smokey eye inspiration
- ✨ single shadow Valentine looks with Devinah
This collaboration runs January 24 to February 16.
Share your Valentine creation, tag @devinahcosmetics , and use #DevinahShadowplay and #KissOfThorns to join our Valentine archive.
Let us create something soft, wicked, and a little heartbroken together. 🌹🖤
Kiss Of Thorns - Valentine Archive
Each entry below features a creator, their Valentine swatches or eye look, and the Devinah single shadows they chose for this Shadowplay ritual.
Tip: swipe to see the full look, close-up texture, and eye detail.
“I’m starting our Kiss Of Thorns archive with my own entry, because this ritual is meant to feel real, not polished. I’m a single shadow lover before anything else, and I photograph my looks the same way I build them...intentional, imperfect, and unfiltered. I’m 48, and I want you to feel comfortable showing your real skin too.
For this look, I built a color story that feels like romance with a bruise. Sybil washed over the lid as my base mood...soft but haunted. Magnus carved the outer corner for that deep plum edge. Midnight Sun kept the lower lash line moody and warm, while Lucretia tied both inner corner and lower lash line together like a glowing ember. And Ice Kissed flashed in the inner corner...a cold spark to break the heat.
If you’ve been waiting for a sign to join in, this is it. Grab a few shades, swatch or play, and add your heart to the archive. There is no wrong way to create here.”
- @deandra.irene (founder of @devinahcosmetics)
Shades: Sybil · Magnus · Midnight Sun · Grunge · Ice Kissed · Lucretia
Kiss of Thorns for @devinahcosmetics #devinahshadowplay and #sundayisforredlipstoo @thenicethingsfairy I used Dosne contour for the matte shadow (and contour) with Blood moon, Star Fire and Serpent’s Kiss on the lid and Pixy Stix, Fairy Fire and Yumlicks on the lower lash line and inner corner.
Shades: Dosne · Blood Moon · Starfire · Serpent’s Kiss · Pixy Stix · Fairy Fire · Yumlicks
Kiss of thorns 🥀
Shades used (all from @devinahcosmetics): Nemesis, Karma, Ethereal, Blazed, Illusion, Kori.
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#indiemakeup #indiemakeuplover #motd #goth @devinahcosmetics @deandra.irene #kissofthorns
There is something quietly powerful about this interpretation.
Instead of leaning fully into darkness, this look plays with tension. Depth in the crease. Light catching at the center. A shimmer that feels almost deceptive...soft at first glance, sharper the longer you stare.
This combination creates movement.
Nemesis and Karma anchor the depth. Ethereal and Illusion catch the light like glass. Blazed adds heat. Kori sharpens the edges.
It’s romantic...but not gentle. Glowing...but not innocent.
This is what makes community collabs powerful. The same theme. A completely different pulse.
And this version? It blooms...then bites.
Shades: Nemesis · Karma · Ethereal · Blazed · Illusion · Kori
“Kiss of Thorns” 🥀
➡️SWIPE for swatches!
This didn’t exactly turn out as grungy as I wanted but I am still living for this Valentine’s look rather than the traditional bright pink and red.💔
✨Eyebrows used: (all @devinahcosmetics)✨
Blow
Virago
Frothy Surf
Esmeray
Blood Moon
Gloom
#devinahcosmetics #kissofthorns #valentinemakeup #indiemakeup
There is something honest about this version. It steps away from expected Valentine tones and leans into something moodier.
Blow and Virago shape the structure. Gloom deepens the edges and adds weight. Blood Moon pulls the eye forward with that rich shimmer flash. Frothy Surf lifts the highlight so the look still breathes.
It may not have gone full grunge...but it went somewhere better. Personal.
That is the point of this archive. Not perfection. Interpretation.
Sometimes the thorns don’t scratch. They smolder.
Shades: Blow · Virago · Frothy Surf · Esmeray (discontinued) · Blood Moon · Gloom
Founder Interlude
This is the part of the archive where I pause.
When I started Kiss Of Thorns, I did not want it to feel like a trend or a theme for a week. I wanted it to feel like a ritual. Something that evolves each time someone touches it.
What I love most so far is how different every interpretation has been. Some lean romantic. Some lean bruised. Some glow. Some smolder.
The shades are the same tools. The hands are different. The mood shifts.
That is the magic of single shadows. You are never locked into one story.
If you are reading this and thinking about joining…do it. There is no perfect version of Kiss Of Thorns. There is only your version.
Soft mauves for @devinahcosmetics #kissofthorns #devinahshadowplay
Frisson, Desma, Gelicide, Mystic Moonpie
#devinahcosmetics #indieeyeshadow #indiemakeup
This version leans softer...but not weaker.
Frisson and Desma build that muted mauve base. Gelicide shifts the tone cooler, adding a glassy sheen. Mystic Moonpie lifts the center with a reflective glow that keeps everything from going flat.
It proves something important about Kiss Of Thorns. It does not have to scream red. It does not have to bruise purple. It can whisper.
Sometimes the thorns are not sharp. Sometimes they are silk.
Shades: Frisson · Desma · Gelicide · Mystic Moonpie
Heyyyy beautiful peeps and happy FriYay 🥰 I thought I'd participate in @devinahcosmetics Shadowplay this time since I had those kinda shades. I really need to get more colors from them 🫣
This season it's Kiss of Thorns, a Valentine ritual for dark hearts, bruised romance, and beauty who knows how to bite back 🥰
@devinahcosmetics Shadows in Promise, Ilithyia, Sibyl, Avalon, Ladylove & Rouge 🥰
#kissofthorns #devinahshadowplay #makeupover60 #makeuphasnoage
There is something powerful about seeing this ritual worn with confidence and ease.
Sybil lays down that soft haunted base. Ilithyia and Promise bring glow without overpowering the structure. Avalon adds that balanced warmth that keeps the look grounded instead of overly sweet.
Ladylove and Rouge may be discontinued...but their presence here feels intentional. A reminder that every shadow carries history.
Kiss Of Thorns is not about age. It is about attitude.
Beauty does not expire. It sharpens.
Shades: Promise · Ilithyia · Sybil · Avalon · Ladylove (discontinued) · Rouge (discontinued)
Today’s look joining the kiss of thorns single shadow play by @devinahcosmetics using many of the beautiful shadows Tessa,Zorina,Pyramid,Amphitrite,Elektra,Frozen Secrets and Blood Moon. Giving Valentine’s Day vibes 💕💕💓💓💓#devinahcosmetics #devinahshadowplay #kissofthorns #indiecosmetics #indieeyeshaodws
This interpretation leans fully into layered glow.
Tessa and Zorina create the romantic base. Pyramid and Amphitrite shift the tone with dimension and subtle reflect. Elektra and Frozen Secrets bring lift and brightness, while Blood Moon anchors the entire look with that unmistakable rich shimmer depth.
It feels celebratory. Bold. Unapologetically Valentine.
Kiss Of Thorns does not have one face. Sometimes it broods. Sometimes it blooms loud.
This one blooms loud.
Shades: Tessa · Zorina · Pyramid · Amphitrite · Elektra · Frozen Secrets · Blood Moon
Founder Interlude
Watching this ritual widen has been my favorite part.
Some of you leaned soft and mauve. Some went bold and reflective. Some bruised the edges. Some let the shimmer speak first.
The same theme. Completely different emotional tones.
That is what single shadows allow. You are not boxed into a palette story. You are not locked into one direction. You choose depth. You choose light. You decide how sharp the thorns feel.
Kiss Of Thorns started as a Valentine ritual for dark hearts. Now it feels bigger than that. It feels like proof that artistry expands when the rules loosen.
This archive is not about one look.
It is about range.
So glad I was finally able to play along with @devinahcosmetics Kiss of Thorns challenge. I’m using my Single Shadows all month and have some beauties to share with you!
This look highlights the dark and light side of the season of love. Part light and romantic and part dark and broody. I love the shades together.
I used:
Starlett
Vallan
Ice Kissed (spelled wrong in photo…oops)
Frozen Secrets
Magnus
Definitely checkout Devinah. The shadows are so beautiful.
#simplysingleshadows #devinahcosmetics #devinahshadowplay #singleshadows #kissofthorns
This interpretation captures the duality at the heart of Kiss Of Thorns.
Magnus carves that broody depth. Vallan strengthens the structure. Starlet softens the transition so the look does not feel heavy. Frozen Secrets adds that crystalline lift, while Ice Kissed sharpens with a cool flash.
Light and dark working side by side instead of fighting for control.
Romance does not have to choose a mood.
It can hold both.
Shades: Starlet · Vallan · Ice Kissed · Frozen Secrets · Magnus
Keep Playing In Kiss Of Thorns
Every Valentine swatch and eye look added here turns Kiss Of Thorns into a living archive of red, berry, and love-soaked color stories. Thank you for creating with the shadows you already own.
Post your Valentine swatches or eye look, tag @devinahcosmetics , and use #DevinahShadowplay and #KissOfThorns for a chance to be featured in this Kiss Of Thorns archive.
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