Notoriously Morbid Shadow Bind - Review and Comparisons

I have some exciting news, everyone!  Notoriously Morbid released their version of a glitter adhesive this morning.  It's called "Shadow Bind" and is supposed to make glittery/sparkly eyeshadows adhere to your lids better, instead of having a bunch of fallout on your face.  Shadow Bind is not a primer, so you will need to prime your lids with regular primer beforehand.  I was sent a tester sample a few months ago and I have been using it this whole time.  The site advises you to primer your lids, apply a bit of Shadow Bind to your lids and wait 15-20 seconds to dry.  However, I find that I don't really have to wait that long, I end up dabbing it on my lids, smoothing it over and then applying my shadows immediately.  It also has a watery texture, as opposed to fan favorite's Pixie Epoxy by Fyrinnae.  Pixie Epoxy (PE) is said to have a very steep learning curve as you have to wait for the appropriate amount of time to try and it tends to be hard to blend afterward.  

As soon as I received this product, I got straight to work with tests and comparisons.  I've put it through several different tests, so there will be a lot of pictures!  For all the swatches I'll be showing, I applied a layer of ELF Essential Primer (non-sticky) and then applied NM's Shadow Bind on the top half - everything is shot under a daylight bulb.

Dry Time

(using NM's Goblet of Red)

0 seconds

0 seconds:  this is Goblet of Red (plum with a strong blue duochrome) swatched immediately after applying the Shadow Bind.  As you can see, the shadow is light and patchy.

15 seconds

15 seconds:  After waiting 15 seconds like the site advises, I find the application to be smooth, aside from the tiny bald spot in the upper left where I applied the binder a bit heavier.  This dry-time gave the strongest duochrome and most intense pigmentation.

20 seconds

20 seconds:  This resulted in a beautiful and smooth surface with a strong duochrome.  20 seconds gave the most even coverage and consistent pigmentation.  This would be my dry-time of choice if you aren't in a rush and can afford to wait a bit more. 

30 seconds

30 seconds:  The binder dried down too much and the glitters could barely stick on.  The results were similar to 0 seconds of dry-time.

Daylight:  0 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds

Flash:  0 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds

Verdict:  In my initial tests, 20 seconds seem to be the most optimal dry-time as it provided the most consistent and beautiful results.  However, I've been using the Shadow Bind daily and I wait almost no time between applying and putting on shadows and still get great results.  That may be because it takes a few seconds for me to finish smoothing/evening out the binder over my lids, reaching for the shadows, and then applying, but the results are still great.  So I think you can definitely get away with a quicker dry time if you're in a huge rush.

Blending

(using NM's Nobel Rage and swatched after 20 seconds of drying)

 Blended areas are in the bottom right

0 seconds

0 seconds:  This was the result of trying to blend the shadow immediately after application.  It did not blend at all and needs a lot of work.

5 seconds

5 seconds:  This blends alright with a bit of work and ended up being the best result.

10 seconds

10 seconds:  After 10 seconds, it starts to fade while blending.

15 seconds

15 seconds:  Like the 10 second test, it fades during blending as well, but more evenly.

Daylight:  0 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds

Flash:  0 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds

Verdict:  The pictures might not show a huge difference between blending results, but I can assure you they are much more apparent in person.  I decided to use a dark color because it would be easier to see.  As I've said before, waiting 5 seconds to blend after you've applied your shadow yields a better result than the rest.

Matte

(NM's Douglas Firs)

Matte Shadow

Matte Shadow:  Applying a matte shadow over Shadow Bind provides a consistent and smooth finish.  I experienced no patchiness or color changes.

Comparisons

(using NM's Zinthos)

Shadow Bind

Shadow Bind:  This is shown as a control for the comparisons to the other sticky bases.

ELF Glitter Primer

ELF Glitter Primer:  This base has a creamier texture compared to Shadow Bind's watery one and yielded identical results with no dry time needed.

Dreamworld Hermetica's Eye Dew

Dreamworld Hermetica's Eye Dew:  This base needs 10 seconds of dry time and yields slightly better results (slightly stronger blue sheen).

Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy

Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy:  I found this needs almost 30 seconds of dry time, but had the best result.  It gave the strongest pigmentation and strongest blue sheen.

Daylight:  Shadow Bind, ELF Glitter Primer, Dreamworld Eye Dew, Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Flash:  Shadow Bind, ELF Glitter Primer, Dreamworld Eye Dew, Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Verdict:  As you can tell from the pictures, PE gives better results while the others are all similar.  However, with such a long dry-time needed for PE, I would definitely skip it during busy mornings and reach for the others.  Even when I do have the time to spend on my makeup, I still reach for Shadow Bind mainly because I know I can blend my shadows over it easily.  This review was literally the first time I even opened my PE sample.

Overall, I really enjoy using the Shadow Bind.  I definitely find it effortless to use and it even lasts a really long time.  I've had this product for over two months, use it almost every day and I still have 2/3rds left!

How much I have left as of today!

Mind you, the sample I received is the same tube as their mini lip glosses, so this stuff lasts forever.  I definitely recommend this nifty little product and would pick up another one if I ever run out!

- Jolie ♥