So here’s a funny story. The Fox and Mink have always been a devious duo well skilled in the art of procrastination. I’m more or less resigned to that fact, but the Fox decided to acquire a self-help e-book on Battling the Evils of Procrastination (my own take on the title, I can’t remember what the original was). I remember being highly amused when he brandished a thumb drive which contained the e-book with a look that was part smugness, part self righteousness on his little foxy face. Needless to say, it’s been about half a year since, and he still hasn’t even plugged the thumb drive into his laptop.

What’s the point of this cockamamie tale? Heh, it’s my convoluted way of saying that true to my big, stinky procrastinating ways, I have an entire backlog of reviews to catch up on. I’ve taken pictures, jotted down my thoughts here, there and everywhere, but really, it’s just putting everything together that gets my fur ruffled up. Still, here’s my little attempt at penance. SWATCHES.

I picked up a bunch of eye shadow samples from Notoriously Morbid some time ago and was astounded by how pretty some of the shades were. I went with neutral and somewhat more striking shades this round and somehow managed to end up loving everything. I’ve always meant to try the company out but got deterred by the relatively long turnaround times. Still, I got tempted by a Free Day Friday deal which included free international shipping and it was decided. I was going to have my Notoriously Morbid fix after all!

Here are the shades that I got to try:

Young Merlin

Look Upon Me

Black Cat Crossing

Shadow of Things

Silence

7 Years Shattered

Melancholy One

Ladder to Hell

Tea Tosh (gift from /u/eraserdust!)

Sometimes My Arms Bend (Free Sample!)

Boca del Infierno (Free Sample!)

This is a dedicated eye shadow review post. I did get the Coffin Kissers as well, but I have another Notoriously Morbid order coming in soon so I’ll consolidate my review of those with my other goodies.

♥

a quick brand overview

Notoriously Morbid is an indie cosmetics e-tailer with an effortless flair for the Gothic and other beautiful things of the night. Offering high quality and cruelty-free make-up, this store draws its inspiration from the darker and more delicious aspects of the world. From black cats to vampires to lip balms cleverly dubbed as Coffin Kissers, the Gothic aesthetic of the store is unique, quirky and exceedingly charming. It’s no wonder that the company has chalked up an enormous cult following.

In addition to the fabulous eye shadow collections and exceedingly popular Coffin Kisser Lip Balms, Notoriously Morbid has recently launched her Lipcraft Lip Gloss Collection as well as the tinted versions of Coffin Kissers. There are even pretty little nail polishes for your talons as well. It’s lovely to see how well-rounded this brand has become. In a world well saturated with various cosmetics brand, Notoriously Morbid has created an identity that is unforgettable and that is really quite an impressive feat.

hello packaging, well, aren’t you gorgeous?

My samples arrived in this adorable envelope which is just so reminiscent of Notoriously Morbid’s style. I am a sucker for packaging and nothing gives me more joy than to delight in how much attention and love indie owners put into their products. I know, I know; it’s ultimately the actual product that counts but then again it’s also the little attention to details that this that cement a brand in your memory.

And it definitely helps that the products are awesome as well.

Eye Shadows (Neutrals)

Group Swatches

Over Glitter Glue:

Over Nyx Milk

(from left to right) 7 Years Shattered, Melancholy One, Tea Tosh, Ladder to Hell, Sometimes My Arms Bend Back

Individual Swatches

7 Years Shattered

A luminous, silvery-white, offering blue sparkles and a soft blue sheen.

Ingredients: Titanium dioxde, mica, magnesium stearate, iron oxide, ferric ferrocyanide, tin oxide, ultramarine, synthetic fluorophylogopite, silica, aluminum powder, silicon dioxide.

This is a very pretty white shade with the loveliest cyan sparkles and a slight blue shift. It’s almost ethereal and icy, very much like a mirror. I really like this one!

Melancholy One

Appears like a soft golden beige in the jar, this color, when applied or blended,changes to a light blue with an orange duochrome.

Ingredients: titanium dioxide, mica, magnesium stearate, iron oxide, carmine, tin oxide, manganese ammonium pyrophosphate, ferric ferrocyanide, chromium oxide green.

What kind of sorcery is this?! Melancholy One is one of Notoriously Morbid’s color changing eye shadows which basically turn out quite a bit different from how they look in the pot. Sneaky little things. But it really is such a fun surprise. This is a really unique shade and I just love those colorful specks of glitter.

Tea Tosh

This is a limited edition shade so I couldn’t find information about it on the site.

Ingredients: Mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, magnesium stearate.

This is a gorgeous, gorgeous nude shade that is subtle yet really pretty all at the same time. Perfect for days when you just want a touch of fairy dust without looking like you’re really wearing make-up. This isn’t available on the site anymore, so I’m really grateful that the loveliest girl Francesca was kind enough to pass on a pot to me. It’s got pride of place in my box of shadows!

Ladder to Hell

A tawny brown with loads of pink sparkle and a faint purple shift.

Ingredients: Mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, magnesium stearate.

I am so in love with the pink and purple sparkles in this; it’s such a lovely girly touch on a neutral cool brown. For such a serious sounding name, it really has quite a pretty appearance.

Sometimes My Arms Bend Back

A soft rose copper with a slight blue shift.

Ingredients: Magnesium myristrate, iron oxide, mica, titanium dioxide, tin oxide, Isopropyl Myristate, Dimeticone, Bis-Vinyl Dimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer

I found this to be a little similar to Ladder to Hell although instead of the reddish purple glitter and shift, this one has a turquoise touch that really stands out against the pretty copper brown. I couldn’t tell you which shade I prefer because I really love both equally. They’re definitely treasured additions to my collection of browns!

Eye Shadow (Jewels)

Group Swatches

Over Glitter Glue

Over Nyx Milk

(from left to right) Young Merlin, Look Upon Me, Boca Del Infierno, Black Cat Crossing, Shadow of Things, Silence

Individual Swatches

Young Merlin

It is a dark brown with rainbow sparkles and a blue sheen once applied.

Ingredients: mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide.

This is actually a really interesting color and I love how it looks together with Ladder to Hell and Sometimes My Arms Bend Back. A rich chocolate brown with rainbow sparkles to add that bit of magic. Who said that brown couldn’t be extremely unique and fun?

Look Upon Me

Appears like a dusty mauve in the jar, this color, when applied or blended,changes to a metallic purple with a blue duochrome.

Ingredients: magnesium myristrate, mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, carmine, calcium aluminum borosilicate, silica, tin oxide.

This is another of what I’d call Notoriously Morbid’s magical colors. It looks so unassuming in the sample baggie but the moment I swatch it on, the entire eye shadow just pops to life. The duo chrome in this blend is amazing and the shade of blue is electrifying. It definitely lives up to its name since all eyes will be on yours once you’re wearing this.

Boca Del Infierno

A rich, deep oxblood.

Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, mica, magnesium stearate, carnauba wax, iron oxide, manganese ammonium pyrophospate, carmine.

This was another surprise to me since I honestly didn’t expect to see the little specks of purplish glitter against the rich, unapologetic blood red shade. I got this as a free sample and I’m glad that I did because I don’t think I would have picked this one out for myself. It looks pretty much like a matte red on Nyx Milk but I really like how the glitter makes a surprise appearance on a glitter adhesive. I would love to try mixing this with some lip balm because I think it’d be an awesome lip color.

Black Cat Crossing

A darker take on cat eye green with cool purple and warm amber sparkles.

Ingredients: Manganese violet, mica, titanium dioxide, ferric ferrocyanide, chromium oxide green, calcium sodium borosili

I found this to be a lot more striking in person than in the site pictures which was a nice surprise. This is a jewel tone shade and I can totally picture myself looking into the mesmerizing eyes of a magical black cat.

Shadow of Things

Appears as a charcoal gray with aqua green sparkles in jar and on bare skin, this color, when applied over primer changes to a dark metallic teal green.

Ingredients: magnesium myristrate, manganese ammonium pyrophosphate,mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide,ferric ferrocyanide, chromium oxide green, boron nitride.

I’m going to be honest here; I totally went blind and misread the site description (and somehow the swatches as well, yay me) and thought that this was a charcoal grey with aqua green sparkles, full stop. As it turns out, this is another color changing shade and it blossomed into this rich, striking green with teal sparkles. It’s kinda like Black Cat Crossing’s cooler toned cousin in a way because these are really two striking and gorgeous green shadows.

Silence

a very dark grey boarding on black except this bad baby has a crap load of sparkles to lighten your eyes!

I’m really not sure how this one turned out like a dark grey with a great greenish shift on me, but I really love the multicolored sparkles. It’s a lot more grey when swatched over Nyx Milk although the glitter isn’t anywhere as prominent then.

On the whole…

I’m really happy with my Notoriously Morbid eye shadows. Most of them were smooth and easy to apply both over Nyx Milk and Glitter Glue. (On a side note, my Glitter Glue did a disappearing act so until I get another tube, this will be the last of my Glitter Glue swatches for a while. *sadface*) This definitely won’t be my last time purchasing from Notoriously Morbid and I hope to eventually be able to get in on their Vanishing Cabinet subscriptions (assuming that they ever become available again. I hope they do!)

Eye shadows cost $1.25 for a sample bag, $2.75 for a mini jar and $5.50 for a full jar. Which is definitely reasonable considering how unique, gorgeous and pigmented these shadows are.

I’ll be getting my paws on more Notoriously Morbid loot some time next month and will be reviewing their lip products then, together with some of their new Supernatural inspired shades. Hopefully this little appetizer is enough for now to whet your Notoriously Morbid appetite!