Notoriously Morbid 'A Dark Christmas Dream' Swatches!

Ok! So I win the worst blogger of 2014 award so far! :P I completely underestimated how busy these 3 kids were going to keep me. Last year my 1 year old slept most of the time, my 3 year old didn't talk (constantly!) and my 5 year old .. well he's about the same, although he does fight with that 3 year old a bit more! But enough excuses :P

I promised I was going to show you swatches of the Notoriously Morbid Christmas collection 'A Dark Christmas Dream' and they've just been sitting here waiting. Fortunately Carrie has told me that she is going to be making the collection permanent so you can still grab these (and you will want to!). I purchased a full size set during the Black Friday sale.

The following swatches are over Pixie Epoxy and the descriptions are borrowed from Notoriously Morbid's website.

Ebenezer, I Release You: 'Perfect victorian pink shade with a violet duochrome.'

No Warmth Could Warm: 'Ice cold blue with a slight violet shift.'

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.'

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.'

(Left to Right: Ebenezer, I Releaes You, No Warmth Could Warm, Look Upon Me, Shadow of Things)

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.'

Stake of Holly: 'A holly green with aqua sparkles.'

Spirit of All Three: 'Gold with green and red sparkles (the green is more prominent).'

Frozen Whisper: This beautiful shade was only available as a GWP during the Black Friday sale - so glad I snagged it!

(Left to Right: Melancholy One, Stake of Holly, Spirit of All Three, Frozen Whisper)

I mentioned in a previous post that this is not only my fave Notoriously Morbid collection so far, its my favorite of any eyeshadow collection I have seen. Its perfection - the shadows are perfectly creamy and pigmented and the duochromes are beautiful. There is a great range of shades here also.

Carrie has just launched her own website which looks great, plus for the next week you can get an extra 25% off with code NEWNM25 - this code expires 12AM EST on Jan 31st 2014.

Thanks for viewing my review - the madness at my home will end soon when the kids return to school and I should be able to get back to regular posting :) xx

Serenity's Top Indie Brand of 2013!

Hi guys! Happy New Year! I thought to celebrate the end of 2013 I would pick my top indie brand of the year. I started the blog this year to share my love for everything indie - it seemed a shame to have all these sparkles and not share them! I've tried a lot of brands this year, most of which I've reviewed at least once. I have however overlooked a few that I've had some fantastic hauls from (including Shiro Cosmetics - how have I not had a Shiro post yet?!).  I do, however have a clear favourite for the year! While many brands have impressed me, none have blown me away quite like this one in particular. I'm sure its not going to come as a surprise to anybody who frequents this blog, my brand of the year is:

Notoriously Morbid came out of nowhere with a perfect formula from the beginning. I was quickly drawn in by the awesome branding and great choice of shades, and became addicted from my first order. Throughout the year Carrie has released collection after collection of amazing shades, as well as running some spectacular promos and discounts.
I have not been disappointed in anything I've received and was super impressed with her mattes, because they seem to be something that a lot of companies struggle to get right, but as I posted about here, NM's mattes are smooth, creamy and blendable. I've also become quite a fan of her lip balms (Coffin Kissers) - Vanilla Veil, which is vanilla and honey flavor is my favourite.

My first Notoriously Morbid order! (The Bloggers pack)

Coffin Kissers

Of course we can't forget the wonderful blushes! I use mine on a daily basis :) 

The Gallows Hill collection held the spot for my favorite collection since it came out, but its just been knocked off its perch by the masterpiece of a Christmas collection NM released - 'A Dark Christmas Dream'. I'll be posting individual swatches of those tomorrow, but heres a sneak peek:

I just want to congratulate Carrie on doing such a great job, she is obviously doing something she loves - its easy to see that a lot of time and effort is put into getting things just right, and her presentation is stunning too! Remember the Coffin set from Halloween??

Halloween '13 'Bitten' Coffin Set

Thanks Notoriously Morbid for all of the beautiful additions to my makeup collection this year, I can't wait to see what is coming in 2014! Do I hear whispers of a new product...? Oh and also, confession time - this is my Notoriously Morbid collection currently: 

This is minus a few coffin kissers - they're spread throughout bags and cars :P

*cackles*

aaaand some of my fave shades:

If you made it this far, then good work!!! Notoriously Morbid's facebook page, and storenvy.

Thanks so much for reading and following in 2013, best wishes for the New Year! I already have some hauls on the way so I'm starting 2014 right! :P xx