Notoriously Morbid Ancient Mystic Matte Liquid Lipstick Swatches!

I'm almost all caught up with older blog posts but I have something new for you today!  Notoriously Morbid recently released their newest METALLIC liquid matte lipsticks called Ancient Mystic Mattes and I bought them all without question.  I received them a few days ago and finally had a chance to swatch them all since it's my weekend.  I found the formula consistent with the Mystic Mattes in the regular line, where it's very thin and watery but opaque and dries quickly.

The company has stated the pigments used in the Ancient Mystics are heavier than the regular line, so they tend to settle more.  They recommend shaking the tubes before each use to distribute pigments.  I tried doing so with all my tubes before swatching, but I didn't shake a few enough and ended up with slightly sheer swatches (you'll see in a bit).  Most were opaque in one layer, but I applied two to even out the color.

A little info card was included with tips on how to use the Ancient Mystic Mattes.  It reads:

• Prime your lips by exfoliating and using a light lip balm.  Remove excess lip balm before applying your Ancient Mystic.

• The Ancient Mystic pigments are heavier than our regular Mystics and will settle a bit more.  So give the tube a hearty shake before applying.

• Let your Ancient Mystic dry between coats or before touching up your application.

Akhenaten

Akhenaten:  moderately opaque metallic gold.  This was one that I thought was opaque on my lips until I took the close up picture and realized it didn't cover my lips fully.  I think it's due to the pigments not distributing evenly instead of actually being sheer.  It looks wonderfully reflective in person though and I never noticed the sheer spots at all.

Notoriously Morbid ManBearPig and Mystic Matte Juju Swatches

I have a small Notoriously Morbid swatch post for you today!  I bought some restocked shadows, August's CotM, and received the GWP as well.  The GWP was ManBearPig from South Park, Colorado and was released along with the other State of Fear shadows.  

Pictures taken under daylight bulb and swatched over ELF Glitter Glue (top/left half) and ELF Essential Primer (bottom/right half)

ManBearPig

ManBearPig:  plum with green and red shimmers

The Power of the Wish

The Power of the Wish:  matte green.  This was my free sample and a sneak peek into the new upcoming wave of the Slay Me mattes!

Lizard on a Window Pane

Lizard on a Window Pane:  beautiful oat shadow with strong green duochrome.  This was previously out of stock for a long time because NM couldn't get one of the ingredients.  I'm glad they finally got it because this shadow was one of my favorites and I've been waiting for it to come back!

13 Black Rainbows

13 Black Rainbows:  black shadow with TONS of rainbow sparkles

Juju

Juju:  matte medium pink.  This was the CotM for August and the first ever Mystic Matte CotM!  I really like the color and think it's a surprisingly flattering pink on me.  I hope NM does more Mystic Matte CotMs because I love lip products :D

ManBearPig, The Power of the Wish, Lizard on a Window Pane, 13 Black Rainbows, Juju

This was a smaller haul than I'm used to but I enjoyed everything!  I still need help with matte shadows though, especially bright matte shadows.  Hopefully I'll find some inspiration because they're too pretty to not be used!  I also hope Juju becomes permanent someday because it's gorgeous and I love the Mystic Matte formula.  I recently received my order of the Ancient Mystic Mattes (metallic matte lipsticks) and can't wait to swatch them for you!

- Jolie ♥

Aromaleigh Cybele Blush Swatches

I have a short swatch post for you today showcasing Aromaleigh's Cybele blush and the free samples that came with it.  I really enjoy Aromaleigh's Goddess blushes because they all feature beautiful label art.  I'm collecting them right now and am figuring out a good way to display them all later on!

Pictures taken under daylight bulb and swatched over ELF Glitter Glue (top/left half) and ELF Essential Primer (bottom/right half)

Erato

Erato:  shimmery warm pink

Janus Primus Vesta Extrema

Janus Primus Vesta Extrema:  shimmery lavender with gold sparkles

Cybele

Cybele:  burnt rose blush with gold sparkles

Erato, Janus Primus Vesta Extrema, Cybele

- Jolie ♥

Notoriously Morbid August 2015 Vanishing Cabinet - Moonlight Magic Swatches

Alright, I'm slowly but surely making my way through my August posts!  Up now is Notoriously Morbid's August Vanishing Cabinet inspired by the 80s movie, Teen Witch.  I've never watched the movie but if it's anything like TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, I'd probably love it.  The box came with four mini shadows, one matte lipstick sample, and an eyeshadow sample by Hello Waffle Cosmetics!

Little info card!

Pictures taken under daylight bulb and swatched over ELF Glitter Glue (top/left half) and ELF Essential Primer (bottom/right half)

Brad Power

Brad Power:  seafoam with gold and orange shimmers

Take a Chance

Take a Chance:  gorgeous blue with gold sheen and copper microshimmer

Shiro Still Not a Planet and Glitter Bomb Swatches

Woooo, here's to me crazily catching up on all the blog posts I've had sitting in my draft folder!  I've been wanting to post this for awhile because I'm really excited about the colors :)  I made an order during one of Shiro's recent CotMs because it was Pluto based and I love the labels.  They also released something in their Sandbox, which is where they release products that the team just wants to create and doesn't belong in any particular collection.  Shiro blended together their previous CotMs as well and sold those shades, I only picked one of them up because the others looked like something I had in my collection already.

Pictures taken under daylight bulb and swatched over ELF Glitter Glue (top/left half) and ELF Essential Primer (bottom/right half)

It's Mine, I Licked It

It's Mine, I Licked It:  absolutely gorgeous dark green with blue sparkles.  This was actually included as my free sample and I'm so happy because I love it so much.  I love greens like this and I guess the Shiro team could tell!

Innocent + Twisted Alchemy August 2015 Subscription Swatches

I know this is a bit late, but here's Innocent + Twisted Alchemy's August subscription box!  I was particularly happy for this one because of the theme.  It was originally inspired after my favorite podcast, Welcome to Night Vale, which I listen to before bed because Cecil's voice is soothing and I pre ordered the book as well (I also saw the cast at a live reading!).  However, due to the creators of the show asking people not to sell fan made products, I+T's owner, Linda, changed the names.  Several guest indies who created products exclusively for that box didn't get to change their names in time so it's still Night Vale themed.  I asked Linda what the original names were, mainly because I love WtNV and will be putting them next to the new names.

Most of the colors are also purple themed, as that is WtNV's color palette.  I don't usually care for purples, but I'm such a sucker for packaging and themes that I absolutely love this box ♥

Pictures taken under daylight bulb and swatched over ELF Glitter Glue (top/left half) and ELF Essential Primer (bottom/right half) 

Moon Dreams

Moon Dreams/A Color for You:  pigmented silvery lavender

Dark Moon Rising

Dark Moon Rising/Eternal:  beautiful royal purple with blue sparkles and red shimmers, perfect Night Vale color

Geek Chic Cosmetics Black Moon Bunny and Joysticks Swatches

Welcome back!  I feel like it's been awhile since my last Geek Chic haul.  I couldn't resist after they debuted their newest Joysticks because they were all sciencey and some of them were Doctor Who themed!  I also picked up the CotM and highlighter samples in that order to try out.

Pictures taken under daylight bulb and swatched over Geek Chic Power Up Primer

Black Moon Bunny

Black Moon Bunny:  black base with tons of pink sparkle

Aromaleigh More Human than Human Collection and Ishtar Blush Swatches

Woop woop, I have a TON of blog catching up to do!  A big-ish order I made from Aromaleigh awhile back is first up on the list :D  They came out with a Bladerunner inspired collection recently and it was on sale so I picked those colors up.  I never watched the movie, but I'm a big fan of sci fi so it's definitely on my to-watch list.  Around that time, the new Goddess Blush Ishtar also came out and Aromaleigh released a GWP as well.  This will be pretty picture heavy so I'll get on with swatches!

Pictures taken under daylight bulb and swatched over Notoriously Morbid Eureka! eye base

Pleasure Model

Pleasure Model:  pink with pink shimmers

Origami Unicorn

Origami Unicorn:  silver with rainbow shimmers

Prodigal Son

Prodigal Son:  gold with gold sparkles

Maple Holistics Shampoo and Conditioner Review

Welcome back, everyone!  I have something new to review today - some shampoo and conditioner from Maple Holistics.  They reached out to me awhile back (I've been a VERY bad blogger) and asked if I was interested in reviewing some products.  While I'm not well versed in bath and body products, I still do the bare minimum of showering and washing my hair so I said yes :P  Their blogger connection is sponsored by edumuch.com and there's also a chance for everyone else to score some free products here.  I responded with some info about my hair type (thin/flat and dandruff prone) and they sent me free full sized Sage Shampoo that is anti-dandruff and a Silk 18 conditioner. 

 You can see the packaging they use for their shampoo and conditioner bottles in the picture above.  Those bottles are big enough to last me a year and then some, especially since I alternate shampoos a lot.  What I really appreciate about the packaging is the waterproof labels.  That's definitely important since you'll be storing them in your shower/bath and you don't want it getting damaged.

Sage Shampoo

Sage Shampoo:  I've been using this shampoo on and off for the last few weeks and it has definitely kept my hair clean.  I've used it in conjunction with the conditioner and have gotten good results.  I think it works just as well as my volumizing Pantene shampoo and Head and Shoulder shampoo.  I haven't noticed any adverse effects on my hair and scalp at all, but then again, I'm not particularly sensitive anyway.

Silk 18 Conditioner

Silk 18 Conditioner:  I've been using this alongside the Sage Shampoo and it's worked well in conditioning my hair and keeping it shiny.  I don't usually use conditioner because they usually weigh down my hair and make it oily quicker.  I've tried the reverse shampoo/conditioning method where you condition your hair first then shampoo after and I've noticed my hair getting shinier when it dries.  I prefer that method because I feel my hair isn't really weighed down by the conditioner afterward.

Overall, my experiences with Maple Holistics' hair products were good.  Again, I'm not a hair or skincare aficionado (I mainly focus on indie cosmetics) so take my opinions with a grain of salt.  Maple Holistics also carries a wide range of products on their website and I recommend taking a look.  I'd like to thank Maple Holistics again for generously sending me these products and letting me try them out!

- Jolie ♥