Review & Rave: Hello Waffle Cosmetics

Warning, this post is going to be pretty long and also photo heavy.

Today I'll be reviewing Hello Waffle Cosmetics, a fairly new indie cosmetics brand that opened earlier this year. There's a blogger pack available, which included 2 full sized eyeshadows, 1 full size lip balm, 10 eyeshadow samples, and 2 lip balm samples. It's a pretty fantastic deal, and she recently had a flash sale that I simply could not pass up. I've always seen the owner Christine answering questions and posting swatches and reviews of other companies and she just seemed so lovely, so I figured that even if I didn't like the products at least I'd be supporting somebody who was genuinely nice. Fortunately, the products are absolutely fantastic. Like I heard they were good but these are my favorite indies thus far, and actually favorite eyeshadow colors in general (except for Climbing Chaos, Climbing Chaos is right up there with some of these). I also really really like the lip products.

The Haul
So I bought the blogger pack, an extra set of 5 samples, and one extra lip balm sample. Unfortunately I completely forgot to include which lip balm samples I wanted in the note to seller and thus didn't get them :( I had it all typed out but ended up backtracking from paypal because it said I had a different address, and when I tried to go back the entire note was erased and I had to type it from memory. Afterwards I never double checked my order, so that was my fault. She did include an extra sample and also upgraded one of my samples which was nice of her! However, I was sent the incorrect lip balm sample. I'd contact her about it, but I actually quite like the accidentally sent one so I'm planning on just buying a full size during her next free ship sale. Also since she included all those additional freebies I kind of want to let her have the extra $2, especially since she covers the difference in shipping out of pocket! There was also a GWP in an absolutely gorgeous color included. SUPER generous.

The goods.

Lippies
So I got two lip products. A full size of Roses of the Vale and a sample of Seedless. I had ordered a sample of Vamp, but based on swatches and now after testing the others on my own lips I feel safe getting a full size next round :)

Rubbing a bit of Seedless, that tiny amount tinted my lips that much.

This formula is a lot more slick and pigmented than the Shiro tinted lip balms. It's a bit grainy, but the colors are great and work well with my favorite lip application. Instead of applying them all over my lips and having my entire lips heavily pigmented I prefer to have a sort of stained style. Like the "I've been eating popsicles and so the inside of my mouth is slightly more colorful than the outside" look. It's really easy to maintain and I don't have to worry about feathering or precise application.

One swipe of Roses of the Vale on bottom lip, rubbed lips together and voila! Tore the wrapping so you could see how much is included in a full size (which is a lot!) and also took a photo of it before applying so you could see how it's not quite flat and actually sinks a bit.

These also were good at actually moisturizing my lips. They clung a bit to dry skin patches but it somehow made them peel off???? Like what I imagine treatments and scrubs are supposed to do but this is a lip balm. They were also minty, which I enjoyed a lot.

Eyeshadows 

So here are 19 EYESHADOWS. 19!! And four of them are full sized! And the stickers on the full sizes are GORGEOUS.

The full sizes: Sloth, Greed, Rainforest, and Rose Champagne (which she upgraded from a sample!)

I confess I chose Sloth and Greed as my full sizes because of the stickers, but the new logo is pretty darn cute as well. Here are swatches of the lot. UDPP on the left side of arm, small stripe of Pixie Epoxy on the right side of arm. Indirect sunlight on left, direct sunlight on right.

Swatches of the browns.

Reds and purples.

Gold and pink.

Misc others and the full sizes. 

Application for all of these was actually really great. Not quite as buttery as Morgana's Crypt's Selene, but easier to apply than the Notoriously Morbid and Shiro samples I have. Also more pigmented than the pressed Tarte eyeshadows which I had been using prior to this indie adventure. The sample sizes themselves were also really generous.

Trying to capture the pretty that is Rainforest.

Quick thoughts on the colors

• Gluttony - Deep brown, more sparkly than expected but also more interesting.
• Locked Doors - Actually a really nice crease color.
• Bach - This is quite pleasant in person. I don't think I built it up enough to tell in the swatch but it has a pretty shift and I like that it's more muted.
• Bartok - UGH IT IS SO NICE. Like this exquisite coppery shimmery explosion of gloriousness. Bit of fallout though.
• Tchaikovsky - Not as gold as I was expecting, good for a toned down look.
• Fey - Everybody raves about this, and while it is pretty it wasn't my cup of tea. The color shift was fantastic though, I tried but failed to capture it in the photos. The smallest movement would make it switch which was SO fun.
• Mendelssohn - Quite pink. Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of pinks, but it applied smoothly.
• Enchantress - The moment I started swatching I knew this would be a favorite. This is stunning. Deep burgundy color with just the right amount of flicks. So good.
• Kai - A coppery version of Enchantress which I adore. It's a lot more copper in person and I want to wear this every day. Every. Day.
• Wastelands - Not as glorious as Enchantress or Kai but it's still fantastic. More brown than purple, I don't know why I swatched it with the purples. Has different multicolored glitters though which makes it more interesting than your ordinary deep brown. 
• Silk - Sparkly prettiness. This also had quite a shift that was hard to capture on camera.
• Lust - I liked it, but it was hard to appreciate it after the glory of Enchantress and Kai. A bit more red toned than the others and I actually really want to try it on my lips.
• Pride - Pride kind of reminded me of Bach, a more cool toned taupey wearable shade.  
• Chopin - Holy god this is gorgeous. I couldn't capture the shift but this was my favorite of the Musicians collection that I tried. It is ethereal and shifts so beautifully, highly recommend.
• Schubert - I want to try Schubert with Pride and Bach, I feel like the three would look good together. Shift is more prominent over Pixie Epoxy.
• Sloth - Mmm, pretty. Glad I got a full size of this one, it's neutral and wearable but has a lot of dimension and has a slight shift as well.
• Greed - A gold, honestly not too impressed but I was spoiled by the gorgeous purples.
• Rainforest - SOOOO PRETTY. I want to try this as a liner. 
• Rose Champagne - I used to think gold and champagne colored eyeshadows were my favorite, but after many eyeshadow samples I think I actually prefer coppers and bronzes. Still very nice though, will look good with Sloth or possibly even as a highlight.

A Few Looks
I decided I'd try a wash of color which is my usual daily eyeshadow look, and also a more graphic ombre cat eye since the colors just begged to used that way. First, Sloth, Greed, and Looked Doors as a neutral wash. Hard to see it in the photo but you can see how it covered my eyeliner. Think I'll have to experiment with application methods (maybe foiling? Pixie Epoxy?).

Bit of Sloth, Greed, and Locked Doors layered over bare skin & liquid liner.

Also, Enchantress, Lust, and Rainforest as an ombre liner. Again a bit hard to see but it was my first attempt at this! This was just with water/a wet brush, Rainforest wasn't as vibrant without primer.

Enchantress, Lust, and Rainforest. Again, not as pigmented without primer.

Finally, Kai, Enchantress, and Lust as an ombre liner.

Kai, Enchantress, and Lust as an ombre liner atop my black liquid liner. Roses of the Vale on lips, 2 hours after initial application. Also brushed my brows and tried a bit of eyeshadow in them!

I think my favorite application method for these colors is the ombre liner. I need to practice more obviously, but I find it quick, subtle, and delightful. I'm going to experiment with making it more opaque and thicker as well because these colors work SO well for this.

Overall
Overall this haul had the most hits out of all my indie hauls thus far, and actually probably the most hits out of any makeup splurge in general. Like I've had mini Sephora hauls in the past that ended in general disappointment but these shadows and lippies were all great. Highly highly recommend giving Christine's products a shot. My absolute favorites were Enchantress, Kai, Bartok, Chopin, Rose of the Vale, and Rainforest but honestly I think I was pleased with everything except for Greed (because I already have a bunch of golds, but the sticker makes it worth it haha).

Are there any brands you've found where you adore all or most of the products tried? Also, does anybody have any tips for getting more vibrant color payoff without using NYX Milk or Pixie Epoxy? Milk doesn't agree with my oily lids and Pixie Epoxy is too difficult for me to use in the morning, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated~

Review: Morgana's Crypt Eyeshadows and Swatches

So Morgana's Crypt is another indie cosmetics company. They recently decided to downsize so they could focus on their lipsticks (which look gorgeous) and had a $3 for 1 tsp which was a pretty sweet deal, especially considering they have semi loose shadows instead of just loose. I thought these would make them easier to use, or at least faster since the semi loose wouldn't require a sticky base.

6 baggies of eyeshadows

I weighed them on my food scale and noticed slight differences in weight, 4 of the baggies measured .1 ounces, however two of them (Selene and Pyramid Scheme) didn't even register, which was a bit disappointing. However they were the two regular lose shadows I ordered, which may account for the difference. Also, Selene exploded a bit in transit (which of course would happen to my favorite one) but it still measured the same as Pyramid Scheme.

Spiritus Vini on my food scale.

Selene on my food scale.

But onto the swatches! From left to right it's Peeping Angels, Spiritus Vini, Labyrinth, Shrieking Angels, Pyramid Scheme, and Selene. All swatches were done with UDPP on top, bare skin in the middle, and a small stripe of Pixie Epoxy on the bottom.

Swatches indirect natural light.

Swatches in direct sunlight. 

So, quick thoughts!

• Peeping Angels (SL) - Rich, deep color. Less glittery than expected which is quite nice! Also is great even without a base which is fantastic. 
• Spiritus Vini (SL) - Really gorgeous multifaceted color, lots of glitter. Didn't perform as well on bare skin but is nice over primer and great over a sticky base like Pixie Epoxy. Kind of reminds me of Notoriously Morbid's Boe.
• Labyrinth (SL) - Quite sparkly. Though the base is purple it has magenta/pink sparkles, which makes it interesting.
• Shrieking Angels (SL) - This was an absolute pain swatching. It was more clumpy/wet than any of the other shadows, and getting it off the brush and onto the skin was trying. The color is very vibrant though, a very orangey red. 
• Pyramid Scheme - Really nice pink/champagne color. Applied like butter.
• Selene - Great neutral, applied like butter. A bit more golden than Pyramid Scheme and has a more metallic finish in person.

I was surprised that I preferred the "loose" to the semi loose shadows. It may have been the brush I was using, which was flat, but the two loose shadows applied much more smoothly than the others. They also applied a lot more smoothly than other loose indie shadows I've tried, and had less fallout. I also generally prefer more neutral shades, so the colors are much more wearable for me. I don't think you need both Selene and Pyramid Scheme though, since they are pretty similar. Peeping Angels seems like it'll be a good blending/outer color for Labyrinth.

TAT was a bit disappointing as well, I ordered on the 25th, got a shipping notice on the 15th, and received my package on the 19th. The estimated delivery when I placed the order was a solid week ahead of when I actually received it, and I placed my order really early in the sale, like wee hours of the morning I hadn't gone to sleep for the night yet hours. I also left a note to seller asking about jars (which she stated to do on Facebook) but she never contacted me about it and thus I received baggies, though I really would have preferred jars (especially since one of the baggies died in transit).

Overall it's a good deal (when she reopens, all of these shadows are final sale ah!) but none of the shadows I ordered were really mind blowing. The colors and the textures for all the eye shadows were good (except Shrieking Angels) but again, nothing screams amazing. It's worth checking out if you'd like a non loose shadow, or even a more buttery loose shadow. Selene may be incorporated into my go-to casual/daily makeup look if I can find a jar for it. Honestly though my experience wasn't too great, and I would rather recommend a company that I did have a good experience with over one that was subpar.

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.