7 Years Shattered with the Clavicle of Solomon and the Necronomicon with a Dragon on the Ladder to Hell...

*Purchase and Press*

   Hello Lovelies!
 
               I am back again with another EOTD featuring Notoriously Morbid. I find myself keep going back to the Halloween 2014 Limited Edition Collection because the colors are just that pretty. But they also could be exterting some mind control over me with their sparkly goodness.

    I also have been on a neutral kick lately and so I needed some color!

   While it isn't your traditional festive look, you can rock this at your upcoming holiday party, or just to brave the mindless masses out doing their holiday shopping.

   But enough of my chattering this morning and on with the look!

I used the following products for this look:
Lunatick Cosmetic Labs Primer
Notoriously Morbid (NM) Shadow Bind (Press Sample Coming in January)*
NM 7 Years Shattered
NM Clavicle of Solomon ** (Halloween Limited Edition Collection)
NM Dragon Rouge (yes, I used it for a shadow)**
NM Ladder to Hell
NM Necronomicon**

  I hope that you enjoyed this Notoriously Morbid eye of the day. You and pick up some of these colors as well as many others on the Notoriously Morbid Website. You can also follow them on Facebook, in their Facebook Fan Group (and get first look at sneak peeks and hear about the sales first) and of course follow them on Instagram.  So stay strong when out shopping and until next time lovelies!

In the pursuit of Fabulous: Review of Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics

*Press Sample*
Hello Lovelies!
   I am back again with another makeup review of an indie company called Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics.  Michelle, the owner, contacted me of Facebook and asked if I was interested in doing a review of her cosmetics. She was sweet enough to allow me to pick out some colors and even offered up one of her new vegan lip balms as well and I was thrilled! (Cause I have become a serious lip balm addict recently, I just cant get enough of them). So after around a week from chatting with Michelle my package of goodies arrived..

Check out the cute top hat image on her logo! Love it!

These were the colors that I chose... (All colors were swatched over Lunatick Cosmetic Lab's Primer and in sunlight)

 Dance Magic Dance is listed as a shimmery grey toned purple with lots of silver sparkles. I was a nice dark purple with dark grey (almost black) base with silver shimmers. It is a gorgeous color and I constantly am singing the song from Labyrinth every time I look at this name.

 Dearly Departed is a black with purple and red undertones and red sparkles.  This is one of my favorites due to the combination of the purple and red undertones. It gives the color a lot of depth.

 Hello Sweetie is  a light purplish pink color which is almost matte. There is a slight hint of sparkle but it is straight and to the point. It is lighter than Tangle

 Mermaid is what I would consider a dark sea foam green with a hint of blue with gold sparkles.

 Mermaid's Tears is listed as shimmery blue with a green/yellow duochrome  and lots of sparkles. It is s nice medium blue with the green/yellow shift.  This was another one of my favorites due to the depth of the shadow with the duochrome.

 Morpheus is a lovely black shadow with a ton of blue shimmer which reminds me of the Dream King. While I am not sure if it is named in honor of Gaiman's character it does make me think of him.

 Tangle is listed as a shimmery pink with a purple duochrome shift. The pink and the purple make a lovely color almost creating a nice pink/purple hybrid without being too much of one or the other.It reminds me of my daughter's Rapunzel pjs that she loves to dance around like a princess. It

Unicorns is listed as a mid toned blue that has turquoise, purple/pinkish highlights, and purple,blue, and aqua highlights. This is more of a blue base colors over Mermaid's Tears which seems to have a hint more green. 

I also chose the Watermelon Vegan Lipbalm which is softer lip balm that glides over your lips and is extremely moisturizing. The watermelon scent was light and natural and strong and candy like. I was really pleased with it. 

I always like to see shadows on a person as well in reviews so now on to the looks!

Color and Pigmentation 9 out of 10 bats

   I have to say that while some people may be a little weary of a new indie company I was pleasantly pleased with Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics. The colors that I received were well mixed, bright and vibrant. The shadows lasted all day in sweltering Florida heat and humidity without an issue. 

Shipping and Turn Around Time (not Rated)

  Since I didn't order anything from WBC I don't think that it is fair for me to give a rating. When I order from Wonderland Beauty I will update this rating and the overall. 

Affordability 9.6 out 10 bats

   Wonderland Cosmetics offers two sizes for her shadows the "sample" which is a very large bag with over 1/4 a tsp for $1.30 and the full size which runs 2.7-3 grams for $3.25 and her balms are $2.30 which is a great deal. You can pick up good deal of colors without breaking the bank and that is wonderful things especially when you are on a tight budget. 

Customer Service 9 out of 10 bats

   Michelle was really lovely. She was extremely prompt and professional in dealing with any questions that I had about her products.

Overall 9.3 out of 10 bats

    Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics is a lovely new indie company on the scene. I was pleased with the products that I was given to review.While she doesn't have a large selection of colors, which is common for new indie companies, I look forward to see what color creations she will think of next and with her prices anyone can afford to pick up some new shadows without having to worry if they are going to have pinch pennies for everything else.  You can find Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics on Esty and on Facebook. 

Hope that you enjoyed this review and until next time lovelies!

In the Pursuit of Fabulous: Review of Baroque Cosmetics

*Press Sample*
Hello Lovelies!
   I am back again with an overdue review of Baroque Cosmetics. Sadly with summer kicking off and swimming lessons for all three of my little Dreadfuls makes it really hard to have any uninterrupted computer time or makeup time for that matter. But I am finally able to get to review Baroque Cosmetics' Viva La Revolution Collection.
    Viva La Revolution is a eight colored collection based off the French Revolution which is a revolutionary idea since I have seen collections based off of fandom but never one based off of history (now there could be others but this is the first one I have come across). So of course my inner history nerd simply died and the colors that she sent me are just gorgeous. But take a look for yourself...

Death of Marat is described on the site as creamy oatmeal with a blue flash. It is a lovely light toasted brown that is simply perfect for any neutral look.

Affair of the Diamond is described on the site as silver with a blue shift. This is a lighter silver not as dramatic as an in your face metallic silver but with the hint of blue gives it just the right sparkle and sultry appeal.

Dicatateur Sanguinarie is described as deep blood red on the site. This color was naturally one of my favorites since I LOVE reds. While this is a nice deep blood red it has almost a metallic like quality to it which really makes this color pop.

Madame Deficit is described as a lovely soft pink with a gold sheen on the site. While most people wouldn't consider pink a highlight color due to my fair complexion this color is my perfect highlight color. It is soft and subtle and completely fit for a queen.

National Razor is described on the site as gunmetal with a red sheen. This is a gorgeous dark grey with a just a hint of red for that extra touch of sparkle. I loved using this for smokey looks.

 The Republic (which whenever I hear of "The Republic" I always think of Star Wars first) but this color is described as rich leathery brown. This color like most of the collection also has a metallic like feel to me. It is a nice mid ranged chestnut brown and is a great companion for any neutral look.

 Sun King is yet another one of my favorites and is described as a deep noble blue with flecks of gold. Which is named after the French Blue and its setting.  I will freely admit that my French history is horribly rusty if not really quite atrocious so I went ahead and googled it.  The French Blue is also known as the Blue Diamond of the French Crown and it was stolen during the turbulence of the French Revolution and later cut into the equally famous Hope Diamond to conceal its' origins. So there you go, you don't have to google it. ^_~ But back to this gorgeous color, it is a stunning true navy blue. Often too many "navy blues" are either too blue or even black but this is the perfect combination of both and the hint of gold makes it all the more lovely.

  

  Finally, last but not least, is Versailles which is listed as an antiqued molten gold.  This is another one of my favorites since I really love the look of metallic gold and this color does remind of Versailles which I visited many years ago when I was 16 cause everything was GOLD. 

While swatches are great I like to see the colors incorporated as a look on a person. So here are two looks that I did with this collection. 

Now on to the ratings....

Color and Pigmentation: 9.5 out of 10 bats

  I really liked the colors and pigmentation of this collection. Andi did an amazing job with nailing down the historical aspects (like with Sun King) as well as creating some truly gorgeous colors. The first two pictures were taken after an entire day of walking around an outlet mall in 95 degree weather with sweltering humidity. If that doesn't say anything about the staying power of this collection I don't know what does.

Shipping/Turn around Time (TAT): not rated

  This was collection was provided to me as a press sample for consideration so I am not rating the TAT due to the fact that I didn't order it. When I do place and order I will update this rating in order to reflect that turn around time. 

Affordability: 9 out of 10 bats

  Baroque Cosmetics offers full size jars for  $6.00 and sample baggies for $1.50 individually. But if you wanted to try out the entire collection in samples you can pick it up for #10.50 and full sized is $44.00 which is really a good deal. 

Customer Service: 9.3 out of 10 bats

   Andi was super sweet and answered any and all of my questions concerning the collection in a super fast manner. She was always polite and very well spoken and super friendly. 

Overall: 9.4 out of 10 bats

   I do have to say that I am extremely pleased with Baroque Cosmetic's premiere collection. Not only has Andi taken the time to create a collection based off of something that I haven't seen before, but she has also done her research which really impresses me. The colors are extremely vibrant and long lasting and the affordability is killer. Andi is also quick and helpful to answer any question so I look forward to her newest collection which is based off of Howl's Moving Castle (another one of my favorites).

You can purchase Baroque Cosmetics here. You can also follow her on Facebook for the newest sneak peaks of the upcoming collections that she is working on. I hope that you enjoyed this review and until next time lovelies!

In the Pursuit of Fabulous: Review of Glamour Doll Eyes

   *Gift*

Hello Lovelies!
    Welcome back!  Today I am doing a review on another lovely indie company, Glamour Doll Eyes. Vee , the owner, posted in the indie group that I frequent that she was offering up blogger review packs for her products so naturally I jumped at the chance. She was kind enough to allow me to choose the five colors that I wanted and after a super quick email they were on their way to me.  They arrived in record time and like a little kid on her birthday I tore into the package to check out the goodies that arrived!

Fiji Mermaid 

   Fiji Mermaid is described as "this greenish blue tells the story of a commonly used sideshow act. The Fiji Mermaid is alive and real with green shimmer undertones, reminiscent of scales."

The first color I was immediately drawn to was Fiji Mermaid cause honestly if you stick mermaid on the end of anything you INSTANTLY have my attention but when you take a look at it you will instantly know why I had to have it.

Tattooed

Tattooed is described as a " bright blue mixed with a gorgeous shimmery purple."

   I have recently been on a blue kick lately with my makeup so I was drawn to Tattooed immediately as well. I was intrigued by the description of it being a  "unque blend of matte and shimmer" which made me think of bright bold color with a hint of sparkle.

Blue Ribbon

Blue Ribbon is described as a great medium to deep royal blue color. At first this may look like a  matte color but it's more sheen when it's on."

  Like I mentioned, I am on a blue kick and I don't think that I currently can get enough of them and it seems that in my collection only had either light or dark blues and I was missing a lot of nice medium tones. The name of the color fits perfectly since it makes me picture a big blue ribbon that the best apple pie has won in the fair.

Undead

Undead is described as "a black with red undertones/ sheen, however, some have said that is has a maroonish color to it."

Just like how if you stick the word mermaid on the end of the color you instantly have my attention the same goes for undead/monster/zombie references. I am a huge horror fan and being a goth mommy I really can't have enough colors that are what I would consider part of the vamp color scheme.

S & M is described as a "dark purple (nearly black) with blue and green sheen & silver sparkle"

  S & M caught my eye since I can really never have enough purple in my collection. It is a gorgeous dark purple with  hints of blue, green and silver sparkles. It makes me think of concord grapes with a touch of sparkle.

Taylor

Taylor is described as a "rich red with medium sheen that rubs down to an intense, almost metallic pink"

   When you add the word "metallic" to any description you instantly have my attention. I would have to say that is this more of a metallic red than metallic pink but either way it is simply a gorgeous color.

  I dunno if you are like me, while product pictures are great, I also want to see swatches and looks where the product was used. So your wish is my command....

Over NYX Milk taken indoors with Flash

Over NYX Milk in Natural Light

And of course I always like to see how the product is used in looks... So here are some looks done with the colors (and there are also some other GDE shadows used in one look but the reviewed shadows are marked with an *)

Done with Sword Swallower (GDE), Fiji Mermaid* (GDE), Blue Ribbon * (GDE), 

Done with Disco White (GDE), Taylor* (GDE), Undead* (GDE), S&M * (GDE), Blue Ribbon* (GDE), and Tattooed* (GDE) 

Now finally on to the ratings..

Color/ Pigmentation 9.8 out of 10 bats
  These shadows not only have amazing color and pigmentation but their staying power is incredible. They are vibrant, applied well, blended easily and lasted all day.

Affordability 9.5 out of 10 bats
    I would have to say that Glamour Doll Eyes has excellent pricing as well on their products. Prices start at $1.25 for sample baggies with .5 grams of product. Sample Jars, which is the size that I was sent for this review, are listed at $2.50 for 1 gram of product in a 5 gram jar (which is the average size jar for most indie companies) and finally the Full Size products are $6.00 and are broken down into two options: sifter and no sifter. Sifters have 1.5-2 grams in a 5 gram jar and no sifters have 2-2.5 grams in a 5 gram jar. So you are getting a decent amount of product for the price and GDE often has sales where you can snatch up full size jars for a steal.

Shipping/ Turn Around Time 10 out of 10 bats
   The shipping on this blogger package was fast, while I was waiting for it to arrive GDE had an Easter Sale which I couldn't pass up on. I placed the order early Sunday morning and my packaged was shipped out on Monday. I am impressed when turn around time for an indie company is less than two weeks but shipped out in a day? That is AMAZING.

Customer Service 9.8 out of 10 bats
  As I mentioned earlier, the shipping time was simply incredible. I was super lucky to catch the fact that I had ordered a duplicate shadow by accident on my Easter purchase so I messaged Vee immediately asking if I could switch out the duplicate for a different color. ( I list the larger collection of my shadows by company on a spreadsheet to prevent this and after that incident I have created one for GDE) She didn't ever bat an eye and was super sweet about the whole thing and shipping the correct color and the rest of my order off the next day was incredible.

Overall 9.8 out of 10 bats
  I am extremely impressed with Glamour Doll Eyes. Not only is the product fantastic with color and pigmentation and the price is extremely fair, but the shipping and turn around time are just out of this world! As I mentioned earlier when I placed an order only to have it shipped out the very next day. Color me impressed. And the customer service can't be beat since Vee was super sweet and understanding when I asked if she could switch out a color that I accidentally ordered a duplicate of. Needless to say, I will be placing another order with Glamour Doll  Eyes in the future and I highly recommend them as well.




Until next time Lovelies!

Pursuit of Fabulous: Review of Innocent +Twisted Alchemy and April 2014 Monthly subscription.

Hello lovelies!
       I am back again, after a recent bout of bronchitis which decided to share itself with the WHOLE Dreadful household (all FIVE of us came down with it--yay  -_-), with a review of Innocent+Twisted Alchemy. Innocent + Twisted is a name that I kept running across in the We <3 Indie Cosmetics room and her monthly subscriptions struck my interest. The I+T subscription is extremely similar to other makeup subscriptions that you have heard of but instead of the big box subscriptions, you get mainly her products with samples from other indie companies. Since I love supporting indie and I had heard such good things I decided to check it out.
   Essentially you have basically a couple of  choices when choosing a subscription from Innocent +Twisted Alchemy. First off you will need to decide if you would like to get the samples verses the full size. When people first think of samples I know a lot of you think of baggies but her "deluxe samples" come in clam shells that are literally filled to the brim bursting with shadows or full size shadows which are also filled to the top without sifters.Just take a look at them and how filled they are!

Amaranthine is full sized while Haunted Heart is a "deluxe sample" sized! They are both filled the the brim!

    Then you have three choices on how you want to receive them. You can choose to have  a one month trial trail subscription (ranging from $9.50-$15  plus your shipping cost) , a recurring deluxe subscription which is billed at the same time each month (ranging from $12-16 whether you are US or international) or the recurring full sized monthly subscription which is also billed at the same time each month (ranging from $18-22). Now some of you may notice the difference in price from the trail subscription (1 month) and the recurring subscription which continuously bills the same time each month. The difference is that you are paying for shipping with the trail subscription verses with the automatic subscription the shipping is all ready figured in.
    But now on to the actual subscription, I was a little worried about receiving three surprise shadows since I was worried that I would like them or use them so I decided to pick up the April deluxe trail subscription just to be safe. It came with three gorgeous colors : Saccharine Nectar, Empyrean and Fathomless Chasm .

Look at the gorgeous packaging!  Linda  actually does the drawings! O.O

Packaging of the April 2014 subscription. Look at the adorable top labels!

  The purple paper included with your subscription details the colors and their listed ingredients as well as the featured samples that are included with your monthly subscription and their websites. Finally LAST but not least there is a COUPON code (yes, you read that correctly and you KNOW how much I love getting makeup at a bargain) off your next order!

April 2014 Deluxe Sample 

   The first color, Saccharine Nectar, is a soft shimmery light orange with subtle hints of gold. While a lot of people may shy away from anything orange related this colors is simply beautiful and perfect for neutral looks.  The second color , Empyrean, which is delicate and shimmery blue with hints of silver sparkle. Last but not least is Fathomless Chasm which is simply are gorgeous almost metallic steel blue gray and of course turned out to be my favorite of the three. Now a lot of people with the April subscription received a badly blended batch of Fathomless Chasm due to a bad blender which she has thrown away and purchased a new one. The owner Linda, has apologized for this issue and issued refunds to those that received a bad batch. I was one of the lucky ones and I managed to receive a Fathomless Chasm that doesn't have issues.

   I also picked up another color Amaranthine , which is a simply stunning dark violet red duochrome (as you know I have such a weakness for duochromes). I+T also added another jam packed sample of Haunted Heart that is a lovely mid tone blue with hints of purple and multicolored shimmer. (**See the full size verses size photos for those two colors**)  But enough of the chatter and on to the actual swatches!

Swatched over Milk and taken WITH a flash

Swatched over Milk in IN DIRECT sunlight

Here is an eye look done with all of the colors I received from Innocent + Twisted Alchemy to show you how lovely these colors work together

As I mentioned earlier, not only did you receive a coupon code off your next order from I+T there were also a bunch of lovely samples from other indie companies to try which is an added bonus since I love trying things before buying. Now on to pictures of the lovely samples that I received in this month's subscription..

Tangerine Dream from Candii Blossom Cosmetics

The Beast You Made from Antimony Blue

Celtic Sunset from DreamWorld Hermetica

Ossuary from Detrivore Cosmetics which is now distributed by Shiro

Raspberry Tart from Little Sparrow Cosmetics

Sample Swatches L-R : Detrivore Cosmetics (from Shiro), Candii Blossom Cosmetics, Dream World and Little Sparrow.

  The samples were a wonderful addition to the subscription. Ossuary by Detrivore was a gorgeous neutral matte light tan color. It had to be taken with a flash since it was so close to my complexion. Tangerine Dream from Candii Blossom Cosmetics was a light shimmery tangerine color with lots of sparkle. Celtic Sunset from Dream World is a rich deep brown with lots of sparkles and a slight greenish tint. Raspberry Tart from Little Sparrow Cosmetics is a bright raspberry red tinted balm just perfect when you want just a hint of color on your lips. which fits it perfectly. Finally last but not least was the amazing scent of The Beast You Made from Antimony Blue, it is was described on the site as, "Forests of birch trees and evergreens, carpeted with thick green mosses and hung with the misty, electric haze of a summer thunder storm. Tart red fruits and sweet yellow berries cut the fog like lightning, melting against something alive and warm. This blend contains rainbow moonstone to strengthen out ties to the natural world, awaken long-forgotten intuitions, and soothe the wild beast within,"  which fits it perfectly. It is a combination of a fruity, earthy smell with a hint of musk which isn't too overpowering and the full size bottles contain chips of gemstones which is fantastic!

    Now finally on to the ratings for I+T...

Color/Pigmentation 9 out of 10 bats
  Like I mentioned before, I managed to luck out and receive a good batch of Fathomless Chasm and I haven't had any issues with the color using it, swatching it and blending it out. I did a series of tests after the first reviews came out about the issue with the color. All of the colors I received were simply gorgeous, applied well and blended easily.

Affordability 9.5 out of 10 bats
   Innocent+Twisted Alchemy's prices is simply a seal for the amount of product you receive in the jars and clam shells. (I highly recommend placing the clam shells on a white sheet of paper and tapping the top to keep all of the gorgeous goodness inside but if there is spillage you can put the spillage back in your clam shell with the paper ^_~) With full size jars priced at $6.00 and deluxe samples filled to the brim for $3.00 this price honestly can't be beat.

Shipping/ Turn Around Time 9.5 out of 10 bats
    I was super pleased with the shipping and turn around time. I placed my order on the 26th of March and knew that it wasn't going to be shipped out until either the 31st of March and I received it in my hot little hands on April 2nd. I could be more pleased. Everything was packaged nice and securely with to problems.

Customer Service 10 out 10 bats
   While I super hesitant on giving 10 out of 10 bats for anything since I don't care for constant perfect scores in anything (*see my reason why in my other reviews) I believe that Linda of I+T really deserves this. She has shown extreme professionalism with is issue that arose with some batches of Fathomless Chasm. She not only has posted the negative reviews on her Facebook page for her customers (new, old and potential) she also offered a public apology and even offered refunds. That shows me what kind of company this is, one that is dedicated to creating the best product that she can and acknowledging any mistakes and learning from them. So Linda of I+T deserves a perfect rating on customer service because THAT is what customer service and professionalism is.

Overall 9.5 out of 10 bats

    As I mentioned earlier in this SUPER long review, I was initially worried about picking up a monthly subscription since I was concerned with not liking the colors chosen or being able to use them. I was completely surprised and this was an excellent experience with a monthly subscription as well as with the other two products I received from her. Everything was simply fantastic from the color and pigmentation, the amount of product for the price, super fast shipping /turn around time and the excellent customer service.  I would not hesitate to recommend Innocent + Twisted Alchemy to anyone and I am all ready planning my sights on my next order.

Until next time lovelies!