Notoriously Morbid

After my pledge to only buy cruelty free, I was scouring the internet for unique 'indie' brands which specialise in relatively affordable but quality eyeshadows. So I placed an order at Notoriously Morbid; a company situated in West Virginia which sell hand sifted cosmetics. I ordered eight eyeshadows which the company seem to specialise in because they offer a plethora of colours and finishes. All of the shadows I ordered were the 'mini' size which costs $2.75, they were obviously posted from the United States and to the UK at a cost of $10 however they all arrived safely and I didn't have to pay import tax. 

Unicorn Horn was the first shadow I ordered, was a 'pale iced purple with silver and lilac shimmer'. Although the images on the website all show how truly pigmented the shadows are, I wasn't sure they would be as pigmented upon arrival. As soon as the parcel arrived I swatched them all to see how intense the colour pay off really was. I found myself pleasantly surprised by all of the shadows and how truly intense the really were when swatched on top of the primer I'd also ordered as they're shown on the website. A truly beautiful icy grey, that's almost an iridescent muted lilac with, as promised a magical shimmer. Not only was I surprised by the pay off of the shades but also the buttery texture which could rival some high end makeup I've tried.

Alongside Unicorn Horn, I also ordered Degrees of Death and Vitue described as 'a blackened teal with green and blue shimmers' this shadow reminded me or mermaids and onyx. I felt like this would make a beautiful addition to an otherwise standard smokey eye, this was one of the reasons it was one of the shadows I tested first and wore out and about, not only was the colour pay off and texture splendid but so was how easy they were to blend and their longevity. Momo Monster; a 'dusky berry toned' shade with a 'glowing green overlay', is a shade I'd describe more as a green toned greige with green shimmer, this shadow makes me think swamp queen and is a shadow I imagine would be in Bunny's Tarte palette however I think this was the one of the two shades that looked slightly different than expected. 

'A red orange with a purple, blue and golden bronze shift', Spring-heeled Jack is a beautiful shade which I think is more orange based shadow with a silver and gold shimmer which makes the shadow look almost copper, I think this shade looks incredible as a crease colour when paired with a crisp gold or bronze. 

The next two shades were from the same collection, the Alpha and Omega range. Timeshift is a beautiful pink toned, pearlescent shade which looks beautiful as a transition colour or in the inner corner. It's also wonderful as a base colour which is how it is described on the website. A beautiful 'golden shade', Hercules is an essential for any lover of a bronzed look and screams Grecian beauty to me, however this shade was the other shadow which was slightly different to what I expected but is still a beautiful bronze toned, shimmery delight. 

The final shadows I hauled were 18th Century Dandy and Nearly Headless Nick. I think these two vegan friendly shadows are my favourite, Nearly Headless Nick is a lovely shade described as 'dark burgundy' with 'golden overlay' which has rocketed it way into my top ten of my favourite shadows, I love using this in the outer v of my eye as a less intense but still beautiful smokey look, it adds a glamorous edge to an otherwise standard look. Finally is hands down my favourite shade out of all eight of the ones I'd ordered, a bronze base with a peach shimmer which is described as a 'metallic rose gold' when used with a good primer and I definitely agree with the description, this is an incredibly pigmented, frosty pink which looks remarkable when added to almost any look. 

Overall I think my Notoriously Morbid order was very successful, six out of eight shades were entirely as expected but I still loved all eight of the beautifully coloured shades and will definitely be ordering again and trying some of their other products. Have you tried anything from this brand? If so what did you think? Do you know of any other brands similar to them?

*The shades which aren't vegan-friendly as as following; Degrees of Death and Virtue, Momo Monster and Hercules. 

Bloom Where You Are Planted

"You have such strong ethics"

This is a comment I received in the middle of one of my makeup lessons, whilst pinching my nose and persevering with stippling vegetarian gelatine onto my forearm to practice burns. I've never thought of myself as someone with particularly strong ethical values however they are becoming somewhat stronger.

About a year ago I became vegetarian, I watched a documentary about "free range" meat and it left me in tears knowing I was a consumer of  a product which was coming out of an industry I felt repulsed by, this past year I have become increasingly aware of just how much we, as a species, abuse animals. This is where the strengthening of my ethics is coming in.

I'm now working towards a goal of going entirely vegan and cruelty free - I'm not anticipating becoming a fully fledged vegan until I move out of my parents home because expecting them to pay for vegan alternatives and spend even more time cooking my separate meals isn't fair. My parents have been incredibly supportive of my becoming vegetarian, bar the odd 'hippie' jibe here and there, and are seemingly so in my decision to become cruelty free - not only do I not want to be eating them, I don't want to be wearing them (suede, fur or leather) or plastering my face in things which have made bunnies go blind.

However, as an aspiring makeup artist, in training becoming totally cruelty free in my cosmetics cupboard is proving difficult, but I'm committed to my cause. A cause I feel passion for, a cause which I am committed to, planted to my beliefs the animals are not ours to neglect or abuse. 

Alongside following my progress as an aspiring cruelty free, vegan, hippie makeup artist, I'm going to use this blog as a general space for my mind, to document my medical condition and the progress and downfalls in regards to that, my progress within the makeup industry and anything else Hannah. If you have any cruelty free recommendations or yummy vegan recipes, please let me know!

Sephora Top Ten

I'm a bit behind on the bandwagon with ordering from Sephora but have narrowed down my somewhat enormous wishlist to the top 10 things I'm wishing for.

1. Number one is the Laura Mercier 'Eye Art Artist's Palette' ($55.00/£38.24). When this was released last year, I was obsessed with it but hesitant to make the plunge because I wasn't a big eyeshadow wearer, I missed out. Now, I wear shadows almost daily and have been on a hunt for this beauty to no avail, it is like gold dust in the UK and I have not found it in stock anywhere apart from eBay, but at £90+ and probably not the real thing that wasn't going to happen.. So I am ecstatic to know that as soon as I'm ready to press that 'checkout' button, I'll be able to get my grubby little paws on this baby.

2. Sticking with eyeshadow palettes, number two is the Stila 'Eyes are the Window' Palette ($49.00/£34.07). The first time I saw this was on Zoella's April Favorites video (link) and I instantly knew I needed it for three reasons, a) if it's good enough for Zoe, it's good enough for me, b) have you seen those colors and finally c) rose gold packaging?! Need I say more.

3. In it at number three are Josie Moran's 'Coconut Watercolour Eyeshadow' ($18.00/£12.52). There are a few colors I want but the one that caught my eye the most is Rio De Rose Gold (are you sensing a theme here?) I've read a tonne of reviews about these, which all say they're incredibly pigmented and as beautiful as they look! I've wanted to try Josie Moran for a while, and the idea of an eyeshadow being infused with coconut? This peaked my interest.

4. My eye area is the most problematic of my face, so last month when I was watching Amelia Liana's NYC Haul (link) and she mentioned that she had brought and instantly loved the AmorePacific 'Rejuvenating Eye Treatment' ($85.00/£59.10), I was sold! I went on a hunt to see if I could order it the same day but unfortunately AmorePacific aren't a brand which ship to the UK, so it landed in my Sephora loves! 

5. Number five is another Amelia Liana's skincare favorite,  Boscia 'Makeup Breakup Cleansing Oil' ($28.00/£19.47) sounds like it could become a skincare staple as opposed to the Una Brennan offering which irritates my skin something rotten.

6. The Makeup Eraser ($20.00/£13.91) peaked my interest, a cloth which takes off all your makeup without having to add any product? Now call me pessimist, but I doubt it will work.. however at less than £15.00 the curious cat in me will be the one clicking the 'checkout' button on this one...

7. As a pale girl, the lure of Kat Von D's super pale foundations got me, which means number seven on my top ten Sephora products to try is Kat Von D 'Lock-It Foundation' ($35.00/£24.34). Apparently with enough coverage to conceal a tattoo, I figure this will be the perfect foundation for a night out when I want to look as airbrushed and flawless as a cover girl. 

8. Number eight? It's the only brush on the list, a concealer one at that. The domed beauty that is the Marc Jacobs 'Full Cover Correcting Brush' or 'No 14' ($30.00/£20.86) calls my name every time I see it, I am a full time concealer lover who's yet to find the perfect tool.. I'm hoping this brush could be it?

9. The Cover FX 'Contour Kit' ($48.00/£33.37) has hit everyone and their mother's blog, I'm going to be honest and say the hype has hit me, I'd like to think I'm not one to normally give into it, but Lordy Lordy whenever I see this little palette of cheekbone creating goodness I go weak at the knees and know I need it the way my dad needed his 3D television.

10. Finally, is the ultra blend able contour offering from Tarte. A brand I've always wanted to try, why is why, for me The Sculpter' ($24.00/£16.69) was a no brainier when it came to compiling this list. Although a lot of people say powder contour is a lot easier, I'm incredibly into cream products, so a stick of cream cheek bones and a way of concealing that unsightly double chin really appeals to me. The fact that it comes in three different shades so I don't have to be sporting an ultra dark, muddy looking contour but one which actually suits my ghostly skin was a deal sealer... You'll be coming home with me soon, deary.

What are you eager to purchase from Sephora? Let me know in the comments below!