Review: Notoriously Morbid Cosmetics Eyeshadows

So time for my second ever indie cosmetics haul ah! I heard/saw great things about Notoriously Morbid  (link here) on various message boards, and when I saw their 40% off sale I knew I had to take the plunge. Since it's indie I decided I would order a bunch of bright colors, though I got 2 larger sizes of more neutral shades. They've been sitting in my desk for a while now but I figured I should start swatching/using them haha. All of the cosmetics have geeky themes, which is really fun and they vary greatly, including pop culture, history, and even mythology.

Here are the two larger ones. I got a mini of My Log Saw Something and a full sized Sometimes My Arms Bend Back which are both from her Twin Peaks collection (!!!). These two are very practical colors, and though MLSS was a bit more orange in the jar than I expected it wasn't as orange on. Though one is full sized and the other is mini they're actually pretty similar in size, which I was disappointed by since the full size cost $5.50 and the mini was $2.75.  The jars are the same, and the amount of eyeshadow looked very similar as well, there was a little bit more of SMABB but it was nowhere near full. Closer to the mini size than the top. I also weighed them both on my kitchen scale and they both weighed .2 oz so if I order larger sizes again I would go for the mini, unless I really loved the sticker. And even then I think I'd rather get two minis versus one full size with a cool sticker since a full is double the cost of the mini.

On the left My Log Saw Something (mini), on the right Sometimes My Arms Bend Back (full). Pretty similar amounts...

So swatches first, comments after. All of the swatches are done over Pixie Epoxy and $1 elf eye primer. Here are all the colors besides the reds I got. L to R: Sometimes My Arms Bend Back, My Log Saw Something, Shadow of Things, Gypsy Curse, Boe, Victorian Gypsy, Noble, He's Going Through Changes, Belle's Bounty, Welcome to Vinnland, and The Doctor's Wife.

Swatches in indirect light

Swatches in Direct Sunlight.

Rainbow of colors~ I messed up swatching The Doctor's Wife, but there's a cleaner one next to it. I was really impressed by the pigmentation of the eyeshadows, especially the shimmery ones. They were a bit difficult to work with since I'm unused to loose shadows but I made do. Quick thoughts on all of them:

• SMABB - Looks much better in person. Really like this. Light neutrally color but still lots of dimension and not dull/boring.
• MLSS - Decent neutral color. A bit too warm toned for my skin by the looks of it though.
• Shadow of Things - Reminds me of Midna which I LOVE but don't know when I'd use. Shifts color a lot in the light.
• Gypsy Curse - Seems like a good crease shade. Matte coolish toned taupe.
• Boe - Gorgeous, photos can't even do it justice. Sort of coppery rosy multidimensional color?
• Victorian Gypsy - The perfect princess pink, gorgeous finish. This was also one of the easiest to put on. I wish all of them applied like this.
• Noble - Whoa, orange. I have no idea when I'll use this but if I ever need orange I know I'm set. Very pigmented matte orange, might be good for a Giants game?
• HGTC - Looks like it'll be a nice neutral! Going to try it on face first before making final decision though. Not too sparkly, but not completely matte (which I actually prefer).
• Belle's Bounty - Gorgeous. Gold with a slight yellow lean, this applied similarly to VG except I like this color way more.
• WtV - A really nice forest green, surprising amount of glitter but I like it.
• Doctor's Wife - A pain to apply but a very nice true blue. Applying wet is easier but surprisingly pigmentation is better dry.

Time for the reds and I also redid some of the "brown"s. Though I was waffling a bit about buying so many different reds I'm actually glad I did. Though they look really similar in their bags once they're on skin the differences between them become really apparent. I feel like these photos are also better at showing how gorgeous Boe is. L to R: Quiet in the Dark, Crimson Horror, Dita, Boe, Gypsy Curse, and Shadow of Things.

Direct Sunlight

Indirect Sunlight

Close up of the reds. L to R Quiet In the Dark, Crimson Horror, and Dita. Still can't quite use Pixie Epoxy.

Lone photo of Dita, Quiet in the Dark, and Crimson Horror to showcase the differences. You can see the Pixie Epoxy. Applied wet on the left.

These are nice quality eyeshadows. Personally I didn't find any of the products to be life changing or holy grail-esque, but it was really fun getting to test out (and now own) a bunch of unusual eyeshadow colors, and I think I may try mixing some of the reds with lip balm because I adore the colors but really can't wear red around my eyes. Some of them had more fallout than others, but really there wasn't anything obnoxious. I can't say anything about lone lasting power because I usually wear my eyeshadows with primers and couldn't leave the swatches on my arm all day because of work and life. They washed off really easily though, no staining after rubbing with plain water. Also I didn't take a photo of the water as I washed off the swatches but the blues and reds were quite pigmented, as I was washing them off the water was like I washed out used paintbrushes it was pretty cool. My favorites of the batch are Sometimes My Arms Bend Back, Belle's Bounty, and Boe. I think Victorian Gypsy was the best quality, but personally I just don't go for pinks.

It took a bit of time to receive my order, I placed it April 2 and received it in the mail on April 18. However I did place it during a MASSIVE sale, 40% I'm sure many people were placing big orders. I never emailed her with questions so I don't have any raves about customer service, however she did write a personalized message on the receipt that was mailed to me and she's pretty active on the Facebook account for Notoriously Morbid so kudos for that. Also others have said she's been great when they contacted her but I don't want to say she's fantastic without contributing my own experience. People raving or hating on objects/people/things they haven't gotten themselves throws me off a bit. There was this post about the best etsy shops to buy indie perfumes from and the poster said that she hadn't tried any products from all but one of the stores she listed (which was her own). Why would you do that. Why promote a product you've never tried, why put out information that isn't backed by experience?? It's like being a reference for a person you've never really talked to. Bleh.

Any way, overall I would recommend buying, especially since she has so many sales (there's a thing called Free Day Friday where she posts a one day Friday deal which is quite cool). The quality is great, and I feel like I'm just not super stoked about my order because I didn't choose any colors that I can actually wear daily besides SMABB. There's always next time though! And on the plus side if you do have any issues based on the Facebook page her customer service seems great. For example she just posted a notice concerning a slight mishap with a product and said that anybody who ordered the defective product can contact her which is pretty awesome of her. Some people would sweep problems under the rug or send out private notices or something but announcing it publicly and acknowledging that there was a problem takes chutzpah, and I like that. Might have to go back for minis of some of these and try out some of her new duochromes and other neutrals. Like there's a mostly matte Buffy collection that is calling my name. I do not recommend buying the full sizes at all though.