Weekend Looks: NYX Air and Notoriously Morbid

I'm still unable to get myself to stop using my custom "Just Peachy Mattes" palette, and I wanted to use NYX Air again and get a better sense of how the overall palette performs. This has been a really good week for me getting back into the swing of regular blogging, and it has made me really happy to receive many messages from people saying that they are enjoying the regular content. 

It's a pretty gross day here in New York City, and usually when that happens, I am drawn to putting all the color possible all over my face to bring a little brightness into an otherwise dreary day. 

Here are two looks I did this weekend.

Look 1: Notoriously Morbid Paradise Island

Paradise Island (over Pixie Epoxy) on the lid, Colourpop The News blended into the crease as a transition shade, Colourpop Slim Fit and Stay Golden blended into the crease, and Colourpop 143 padded onto the outer corner. Marc Jacobs highliner in Whirl(pool) on the waterline. 

Look 2: NYX Air

8 on the inner lid, 6 on the middle lid, 4 on the outer lid, 5, 3, and 4 blended into the crease as transition shades, 11 blended into the crease on top of 5, 3, and 4, and 9 padded onto the outer corner. 

Notoriously Morbid Paradise Island

Status: Love 

I purchased this shadow a long time ago when the Wonder Woman collection was in stock, but I hadn't had an opportunity to wear it until now, which is a shame because it's a stunning color. Using this color reminded me of how much fun it was when I was first exploring indie eyeshadows, because the colors are truly unique. I don't remember why I had such a personal stigma against indie shadows for the longest time (maybe because most influencers don't talk about them?), but that was certainly my loss. I absolutely loved Wonder Woman (and this is coming from a person who doesn't like most comic book/superhero movies) and even asked several men in my life, "Is this what it felt like to grow up as a boy and have all these badass characters to look up to?" So when I saw that Notoriously Morbid had a Wonder Woman collection, I was interested to see what kind of shades they would come up with. And I love this one. It is such a unique shade as it can look icy blue, green, or purple. I paired it with my duped Just Peachy Mattes because because I literally can't go more than a day it seems without using it, and I have to say that I really love this color combination. Typically, I would have been tempted to pair a color like Paradise Island with other purples or dark greens in my collection, and I probably would have used my Viseart Dark Matte palette, but since I've been so inspired by the peachy palette, I decided to see what it would look like with bright corals. And I loved this look. Putting Colorpop 143 on the outer corner proved to be the only difficult part of this look, and that was because it is very similar to the purple shift of Paradise Island, so I had to really build up that shadow to look distinct and intentional. Overall, this is certainly a favorite look.

NYX Air

I can't decide if I really like this look or if I think it's a hot mess. This look also slightly changed the way I feel about the Air palette, which is why I wanted to try out more than a few shades before giving a proper opinion on it. I used seven shadows in this look, and I was impressed/happy with the vast majority of them. The biggest problem-makers were the shadows I used on the lid. Before I started this look, because I knew I was going to be working with pastel shades, I wanted to put down a base of NYX Milk to really help the shadows pop. But more than that, I wanted to see how the shadows would perform on their own. So, I think what might be most helpful is if I walk through the look and how each shadow performed. 

• First, I applied the blue shade, 5, into my crease as a kind of transition shade. This color packed an impressive amount of pigment, especially considering that I applied it with a fluffy blending brush and wasn't going for intense pigment. 
• Next, I applied the light peachy shade, 3, above the blue shade to warm up the transition area. I've used this shade before, and even though it is a very light color, I still think it performs nicely as a transition. 
• I then applied 8, which is a pinky/lilac duochrome onto the inner part of my lid. These kind of shades are always a little tricky because since they are duochrome, depending on the light, they completely disappear. It's a similar color to something like Urban Decay Roadstripe (which I used on my brow bone and inner corner) or Makeup Geek Phantom, or the violet shade from the Kat Von D Alchemist palette. This is a pretty color, and it was more visible on my lid than in the photo (which, again, makes sense given the duochrome), but it did require a couple layers to build up. 
• Next, I applied 6, which is the mint shade, in the center of the lid. This is the least impressive shade that I have used thus far, but at the same time, I have never met a truly impressive pastel mint. (If you know of one, please let me know!) This required several layers, and I still don't find it all that impressive. I think it would have really popped with Milk as a base, and I'm looking forward to trying it out again and seeing if it performs differently. 
• I then applied 4, which is a purple sheen (not shimmer), to the outer corner. This is also a shade that I think could pack a little more pigment, but I am also not disappointed with it. I then blended this shadow lightly into the crease, just to give the blue a more purple tint. 
• Then I blended 11 in the crease, which is the hot pink. I really love this color. It packs a ton of pigment and doesn't require any building up. It worked beautifully in the crease and blended well with the blue and purple shades to make the crease more purple. I also like that this color peaks through between the shades on the lid and the purple crease. 
• Finally, I applied 9, which is the peachy orange shade, above all the other crease colors. This is a great shade. I love the tone, pigment, and how it blends. It think it added a nice amount of warmth to the look.

There are still three shades in the palette that I have yet to try, which is 1 (looks like it will be pink, but when swatched, it looks like a green duochrome), 2 (the pale yellow), and 10 (light purple sheen). I feel like I have a pretty good sense of the palette now, though I still wouldn't say I have a full, complete opinion. However, at this point, I don't think this palette is worth $30. I paid $20 for this palette through an Ulta sale, and I think that is a more appropriate price. (Please note, I think the NYX Fire palette is worth the $30, but Colourpop Yes, Please! is a fantastic alternative for $16.) 

Without a white base, I don't know how well this palette would work on multiple skin tones. I have light to medium skin with a warm olive undertone, and with some of the lighter shades, I feel like they almost disappear into my skin and have to be built up quite a bit. It's hard for me to imagine these shades would perform really well on darker skin tones without some kind of a base. 

At the same time, I also acknowledge that pastel shadows perform like this. Kat Von D Pastel Goth, for example, performs similarly, though those shadows have a darker base. Again, these aren't my final thoughts on the palette as I would like to try them out with a white base, but on the whole I do enjoy this palette. 

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Weekend Looks: Fyrinnae, Shiro, and Notoriously Morbid

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I found out yesterday that a Racked article I was interviewed for was published, which was really cool. I think it's really great that anti-hauls and project pans are really picking up steam, and hopefully this will produce a new wave in the beauty industry where we are not constantly inundated with new products and people on YouTube trying to sell us stuff. 

The sun is out in New York City today, which seems to be a rare thing, so I am in a pretty good mood sitting with my coffee. As far as makeup, I'm still using indie shadows—no surprise there. 

Here are the looks I did this weekend. 

Look 1: Fyrinnae Abandoned Hotel 

Abandoned Hotel on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Melt Rust Stack blended into the crease. 

Look 2: Notoriously Morbid Silent Samurai and Shiro Cosmetics Little Bird

Silent Samurai on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy), Little Bird blended into the crease, and Viseart Dark Matte padded onto the outer corner and blended into the crease.

Fyrinnae Abandoned Hotel

Status: Undecided

I absolutely love this color and thought it was stunning, especially when paired with the Melt Rust Stack. I love how it was equal parts green and gold and pulled some of the green tones in my eye color. The only reason that this is marked as an "undecided" shadow instead of a "favorite" shadow is because, on the eye, it looks very similar to Fyrinnae Aztec Gold:

Aztec Gold

Abandoned Hotel

(As a side note, for those of you who are trying to identify duplicate shades in your collection, taking a picture of your makeup is an incredibly helpful tool.)

When I swatch both of these colors on the back of my hand, they look totally different. But on the eye, especially paired with similar colors, I think they look pretty close. I'm still undecided, however, because I do feel Abandoned Hotel is a little less patina than Aztec Gold, and I really love both colors. 

Notoriously Morbid Silent Samurai

Status: Keep

This is a really pretty blue shadow that is almost periwinkle. I paired it will Little Bird, which is a soft pink shade, and a dark blue shadow from Viseart Dark Matte, and I really like how the look turned out. This is one of those looks that, while colorful, still feels really neutral to me. And maybe that's because my definition of neutral has become more liberal since discovering my love of color, but I feel this color is just a step beyond some taupe shades. I've already talked about Little Bird in a previous post, but I'll reiterate to say that this is a really pretty shade, is smooth, and blends really well. Overall, I just really like this look. 

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April Favorites

April was a really fun month for makeup. I started an indie shadow project where the majority of my eye looks were all indie shadows; I discovered some new favorites, and I got a lot of good use out of my products. 

Melt Rust Stack:

When I used the Melt Lovesick Stack in my one week, one palette series, I concluded that Melt Stacks were fine, but not really worth the money. When the Rust Stack came back into stock (it was out of stock for a very long time), I very hesitantly purchased it. I didn't think it was a reckless purchase, but I am surprised that I pulled the trigger. And I am so glad that I did because this is my favorite neutral companion palette in my collection. In fact, this palette might make me able to declutter my Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye palette. And I say that because the shadows in the warm quad in the KVD palette are ones I use the most. Since getting Rust, I have used Shade and Light a couple of times, and it was to use the cooler quads. This is the absolute perfect collection of warm neutral shadows for me, and I found myself reaching for it consistently all month. I highly doubt I will be tempted by another set of warm matte shadows because this is very honestly perfect for me and my skin tone. Added to that, the quality of these shadows are incredible, and much nicer than Lovesick. 

Bobbi Brown Camel:

This is probably my favorite brown shadow in my collection and that I have ever used. It looks really similar in the pan to Rubbish from the Melt Rust Stack, but Camel is more of a mustard, which I love. This really is a unique shade to my collection, and it is an incredibly versatile shade. I wish it would not have taken me so long to pull the trigger on it, but this is also one of those makeup discoveries that only comes after you really know yourself and your makeup preferences. I realized that there was a color "lacking" from my collection, and I knew exactly what it looked liked. When I was younger and didn't know much about my makeup preferences, I wouldn't have realized this was a shadow I really wanted and "needed."

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel:

This is a product that I have heard about for years but only recently purchased. I was never much of a bronzer person until about a year and a half ago, so this product was never something I was interested in. The reason I started loving bronzer was because I applied it in the winter. I am from the Southwest originally, and my skin always had a natural bronze to it because of all the sun exposure, and when I moved to NYC, between winter and the buildings just blocking any sun at all, I completely lost that bronze. I tried bronzer that winter and was amazed that it made my skin look like it used to. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder, so I get really sad during the winter, and using bronzer in a way tricked my brain into thinking it was warmer. And ever since then, I have worn it. 

I bought this specific bronzer because my skin was looking really powdery for a period of time, and I thought it might have been my bronzer. I knew this was a warm-toned bronzer, so I thought I would try it. And, man, I love it. This is a great shade for my skin tone, but I think it is really crappy that Chanel does not offer this in other tones. I later realized that it was the power I was using to set my foundation that made my skin look so caky, and layering a light bronzer on top of this gives my skin a really healthy glow. 

Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer in Light Bronzer:

As a bronzer for the majority of the year for me, this product sucks. It is so light that it is barely a face powder for me. And I have a light to medium skin tone. This is also the warmer-toned Butter Bronzer, so the slightly darker shade, Bronzer, would be too cool on my skin tone. I bought this when I was in vacation in California last summer (because of the hype and because of the smell), and when I realized that it did not show up on my skin, I put it in the declutter pile. When the winter rolled around and my normal bronzers were getting a little dark for me, I decided to pull this out. It was still too light for me, but it provided a tiny hint of color. I started using it more and more, and when I saw Jacquelyn Lovene start her "Build Pan Not Walls" project and saw that she included her PF Butter Bronzer, I decided to join that project as well and include this product. I've used this bronzer every day for a few months now, and as you can see, I've hit the pan in two places. As the weather is (finally) starting to warm up, this bronzer really won't cut for me anymore, buy layered over Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel, it is really beautiful. 

Indie Shadows

Fyrinne Illusionary:

Femme Fatale Candied Apple:

Notoriously Morbid Philosophoscope:

It should really come as no surprise, especially after completing indie month, that indie shadows would be in my favorites this month. There were some ups and down with the project, and I learned that not all shadows are created equal, but for the most part, the project was a success for me and has really taught me the value of single shadows and unique shadows. I've included my three favorites above, but since I talked about each of them in their own posts, I feel I would only be repetitive here. Suffice to say they are all incredibly beautiful and unique and are three of my favorite shadows that I own.

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Weekend Looks: Notoriously Morbid and Hello Waffle

I have received many comments lately that have remarked on my absence from posting, and I just wanted to take a moment to talk about that. The people who read my weekly and weekend looks are typically those who are regular readers of my blog, and those are the people who I would like to update. 

I started experiencing some health issues a couple months ago, and I have spent a lot of time since then having appointments, getting scans, and seeking out second and third opinions. And what I have learned is that I need two pretty big surgeries. This has been an incredibly stressful time for me as it is also the busiest time at work, which will last through the summer. I still put on makeup every day as it is something that I enjoy, and that is why I am able to do the weekly wrap ups of my looks on the weekend. I love writing anti-haul posts and really love being able to interact with my readers, but those posts take a lot of time that I just haven't had recently. 

There are still a lot of unknowns for me, and how often I will be able to update the blog is one, but I really do love this blog and interacting with people and I will eventually get back to posting frequently. 

Separately, this marks the official end of indie month. And I have to say, I think I really went out with a bang because I loved the shadows I used. 

Here are the looks I did this weekend, featuring Bobbi Brown Camel.

Look 1: Notoriously Morbid Philosophoscope

Philosophoscope on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Camel blended into the crease.

Look 2: Hello Waffle The Great Catsby

The Great Catsby on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Camel blended into the crease. 

Notoriously Morbid Philosophoscope

Status: Favorite 

When I bought this shadow, I thought it might look like Fyrinnae Serendipity, and I have said many times that that is a favorite shadow of mine. When I got the pot, however, it looked much deeper and I wasn't sure if I could pull it off, so I delayed wearing it. When I decided to use it yesterday, safely on the weekend, I was blown away by how beautiful it was. I paired it with Bobbi Brown Camel, which is easily one of my favorite shadows I own, and I thought the look was just lovely. I don't think the shadow pays off all that well on camera, because I feel this looks like an average cranberry shade, but in person it was really beautiful. Compared to some of the light and frosty looks I have been doing recently, this shadow made me feel really sophisticated. 

Hello Waffle The Great Catsby
Status: Favorite

This shadow has also become a favorite of mine. I somehow ended up with a lot of blue shades when I delved into indie shadows, and I have been trying to space them out. This one, however, feels very wearable to me. My first instinct when I wear color is to be as bold as I can, pairing it with other intense colors or meeting somewhere in the middle by pairing it with Viseart Dark Matte. And while I think this shadow would work well with either approach, I decided to pull out Camel again and see how I liked the blue paired with a mustard brown. And man, do I love it. For a shimmery blue shadow, I think this has a lot of dimension, and pairing it with Camel made it surprisingly wearable.

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This Week's Looks: Femme Fatale, Notoriously Morbid, Hello Waffle, and Shiro Cosmetics

This was the last full week of indie month. I have not grown fatigued at all with using indie shadows, and in fact, this is the most fun I have had with makeup in a long time. For one, single shadows are totally my preference (a fact I did not know about myself until I started my one week, one palette project), and two, the colors are so unique and special. 

With every new release that has come out, I find myself thinking that all of those shadows don't hold a candle to my collection of single shadows, especially indie shadows. And for this revelation, I am grateful. I love feeling in control when a new palette releases and thinking that most of everything is an easy pass. 

And that's really interesting for me because when I watch a lot of people's makeup collection videos or declutter videos, I've noticed that most people don't have a ton of single shadows. Or they say how they never use their singles because palettes are just so much better. And I wonder if that phenomenon happens because most people genuinely feel that way or if it's because we continue to hear people hype palettes. When's the last time you heard about a collection of single shadows be hyped? And not in the sense that you can buy a ton of them and pop them into a custom palette. So, this excludes MAC, Makeup Geek, Make Up For Ever, Colourpop pressed shadows, etc. When's the last time people seriously hyped a single shadow that came in it's own distinct packaging? 

Or is the reason that singles are not hyped because we all have become so conscientious of saving space and putting everything into palettes because we have all accumulated so much?

Whatever it is, I'm happy I found singles again and am even happier I have a beautiful collection of unique indie shadows. 

Here are five looks I did this week. 

Look 1: Femme Fatale Faerie Fire and Shiro Cosmetics There's No Such Thing As Magic

Faerie Fire on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and There's No Such Thing As Magic blended into the crease.

Look 2: Shiro Cosmetics He Loves His Hammer

He Loves His Hammer on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Kat Von D Shade and Light Quad in Plum blended into the crease. 

Look 3: Hello Waffle Furry Godmewther and Shiro Cosmetics Little Bird

Furry Godmother on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Little Bird blended into the crease. 

Look 4: Femme Fatale Candied Apple

Candied Apple on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Melt Rust Stack blended into the crease. 

Look 5: Notoriously Morbid Fight for Beauty

Fight for Beauty on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Kat Von D Meow blended into the crease. 

Femme Fatale Faerie Fire

Status: Keep

I enjoyed this shadow, I just think that I am a bit over the duochromes that mainly look white or gold on the lid. I do like those shadows, but I have used a lot of them in this indie month challenge, and they are not always all that flattering on me. With this color, it looks so pink in the pot, but when applied to my eyes, it was lime green. It was a really cool color, and I'm glad that the camera picked up the duochrome of it. I think for work, it wasn't my favorite color, but it is certainly a color that I will wear again and enjoy. 

Shiro Cosmetics There's No Such Thing As Magic

Status: Love

I paired Faerie Fire with this shadow, and I really loved it. This was a lovely pink satin color that looked more matte than satin. I don't have a ton to say about nice mattes other than they are nice and I enjoy using them. And that's how I feel about this shadow. I don't think this is a "must have" if you have other mattes in your collection that you enjoy, but it is certainly a nice shadow. 

Shiro Cosmetics He Loves His Hammer

Status: Love

This color really took me by surprise. I have mentioned a lot during indie month that many of the colors in the pot have surprised me when applied to the lid, but it is usually in a slightly negative way. The opposite was true for this color. I actually avoided using this color for a long while because it looked so gray and dark in the pot. I just wasn't excited to use it. I finally forced myself to use it this week, and holy cow, was I surprised. It is a gorgeous taupe purple color, and may be one of my favorite taupes in my entire collection. 

Hello Waffle Furry Godmewther

Status: Love

I just love this color. This is definitely one of the best performing shadows from Hello Waffle that I've tried. It is a bit cool-toned for me, but I still love it. I think it gives that perfect soft, pretty color. I paired it with a pink in my crease, and I thought the look was really pretty. I would love to try this color with some of the shades in my Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Quad in Plum as well as some of the purple shadows from the Viseart Dark Matte palette. And I really appreciate that this shadow is one that can be versatile in that way while still being very unique. 

Shiro Cosmetics Little Bird

Status: Love

I liked this color a little more than There's No Such Thing As Magic, but I think both are really great. This was a shadow that was highly recommended, and I can see why. I have a few matte pinks in my collection, but they payoff is not as good as from this shadow. I thought it paired so beautifully with the shadow from Hello Waffle, and I imagine since it is a satin finish, that it would also be very lovely all over the lid. 

Femme Fatale Candied Apple
Status: Favorite

This was the biggest surprise of not only this week, but probably all of indie month for me. When I was researching which colors I wanted to buy in exploring these different indie brands, I kept hearing about this shadow from Femme Fatale. And I actually ordered it in a large size (most of the shadows I've purchased have been mini sizes) because of all the glowing recommendations. When it arrived and I swatched it on my hand, I was so, so disappointed. It looked just like any green-brown duochrome shadow, like MAC Club or the shadow from Wet N Wild Comfort Zone. And as I've mentioned before, I am actually not a huge fan of that kind of shadow. I think it looks interesting when swatched, but I just don't like how it looks on my warm olive skin. I was so sure that I was going to declutter this shadow, and it was also one that I put off wearing. I finally decided that I had to wear it in the last week and that I could just live with wearing a shadow that I didn't really like for one day.

But, oh my gosh, I was so wrong. I love this shadow. I think what's so special about it is that it is really soft, bight, and shiny. I don't know how else to describe it. The "brown" undertone in it is essentially not brown at all, and is more pink. And I guess that's what I didn't see when I swatched it for the first time. This shadow reminds me a lot of the concept of Femme Fatale Faerie Fire, but is much more successful (in my opinion) in application. I love this shadow and I could not be happier that I have it in my collection.

Notoriously Morbid Fight for Beauty

Status: Enjoy

This shadow was the one I was most looking forward to using this week. When I swatched it on my hand, I couldn't believe how stunning it was. It was a perfect light blue and pink duochrome that didn't seem to sacrifice on either color the way I feel a lot of duochomes do (like Faerie Fire). However, when I applied it onto my lid over Pixie Epoxy, It came of very heavily blue, but the concentration of color was also quite patchy, if that makes sense. It wasn't a smooth duochrome. Some areas looked blue and others looked pink instead of the color shifting. I don't know it that was due to user error, and maybe this is a shadow that doesn't work with Pixie Epoxy. I'm not sure. I liked it enough that I am happy to keep it in my collection, but I didn't fall as hard for it as I was expecting, and that is always a little disappointing. 

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