Due to clerical errors that led to white-bread white skin+full sun+extended time, a full face will not be included for the betterment of the public. The authorities are looking into who would allow this oversight to happen, but in the meantime, as I am working through applying ungodly amounts of eyeshadow to my arms (I have finally convinced my husband that this is totally normal and that there is no need for alarm… mwahaha) I wanted to still provide an eye-only look for the day while approaching the shadows piecemeal.

A while ago, the beautiful (and enabling) Saskia from Pretty Trivialities suggested I consider Give Me $20 from Notoriously Morbid. I LOVE teal and mint in almost any shade, and although I don’t know they are the best colors for my complexion (maybe? who knows?), they can be pried from my cold, dead hands before I give them up. I am also an unrepentant taupe addict, and have been questing for more great neutral shades to wear to work. Thus, the following swatches were born:

Give Me $20

Is this color AMAZING or what?! It is a very pale, honestly quite stunning shade. My hubbie looked at my shadow and asked “What is the other color you’re wearing?” before looking more closely and saying, “Oh, no wait, it’s just one of those color changing things”. SCORE. I did find that, when applying to the eyelid, simply applying over a good primer didn’t cut it. I put down a layer of NYX Milk and found that the color pay off was MUCH improved, considering it is such a light shade. This also very much benefits from a glitter adhesive, like Darling Girl Glitter Glue (which the upper half of the above swatch is applied over). But at the end of the day, you just can’t beat a delicate mint with warm pink shift.

Cry Wolf Cry

Taupe taupe taupe taupe taupe. This color is… well, taupe, with a bit of purple, maybe a bit of silver, that perfect mix of brown, gray, warmness, yumminess. Again, this shade did MUCH better over glitter adhesive than a primer. I only got a sample baggy of this, and I am pretty sure I’ll be ordering it in a bigger size once I use it up.

Boe

I had a conversation with a 9-year-old this weekend about which Doctor we preferred, and thankfully we both agreed that David Tennant was the best, Matt Smith was acceptable but not as good, but Christopher Eccleston wasn’t as good as either of them. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get into a discussion about the relationship between Boe and Captain Jack, but at the very least I can wear an eyeshadow celebrating Boe. Boe is a warm, brown with some copper, and honestly I see a bit of purple in it as well.

Rotten Rainbow Coffin Kisser

The Holy Grail Hunt by Lipsticks and Libraries led me to consider Notoriously Morbid’s Coffin Kissers. My lips are crazy, crazy dry more often than I would like, and I’m always looking for a terrific lip balm. THIS IS IT, PEOPLE. This tops the lip balms I have ever tried, indie or mainstream. Carrie who owns Notoriously Morbid is also very, very generous– I had e-mailed her after I placed my order and asked if I could add the Rotten Rainbow Coffin Kisser onto it, and she added it into my order for free. Once again, I am incredibly grateful for and impressed with the generosity of indie companies. Shortly after receiving my order I placed another for more Coffin Kissers, one for my husband, another one for me (strawberry cream flavored? YES PLEASE), and a few more shadows… ahem. Who could help it?

TAT

I placed my Notoriously Morbid order on May 26th, and I received my order on June 12th, which is less than 14 days from order to delivery. NM has a 10-14 day TAT for shipping, so this was well within the turn around time I was anticipating. And for the reasonable wait I experienced, it was totally worth it!

Final Thoughts

Yet another company I am so impressed with, enough that I have another order on the way! I did find that their eye shadows didn’t perform as strongly over primer alone as some other shadows I have tried, but honestly, friends don’t let friends not use primer and proper adhesives under loose shadows anyway (needle-point that on a pillow!). I preferred a good, white base for these shadows to get the best color payoff, especially the paler ones like Give Me $20. Also, don’t skip the glitter adhesives to really let their shimmer and shifts shine! I have Mint To Die For and Ladder to Hell coming my way next, among a few others, and am excited to use them. A last shout out for Coffin Kissers: If you are looking for an excellent lip balm, I recommend giving them a try. I just got back from a camping trip and used my Coffin Kisser all weekend, and my lips stayed moisturized even despite being a little bit sunburned. I’ll have more Notoriously Morbid swatches and looks coming soon, but I really like what I have tried so far.

It should be noted that apart from the Coffin Kisser lip balm, which I generously received for free from Notoriously Morbid (but without their knowing I was going to blog their products), I purchased these products completely on my own and am reviewing them independently, without affiliation to anything or anyone other than my mild (ahem) addiction to makeup.