Hexennacht All Souls Night Perfume

Hi everyone! This is the first in a series that I have been working on for awhile, Scent of the day! I plan to have at least one of these a week for you but hopefully more! I know even on the days where I am too busy/sick/tired to wear makeup, I never leave the house without perfume of some sort on. I thought this might help those of you who are just getting into indie perfume, it is new territory for me as well.

For this first installment, I am bringing you a perfume from Hexennacht.

All Souls Night- This scent is described as "Molten marshmallow blobs on scorched sticks, plumes of woodsmoke,
and hot, glowing campfire embers on a cool autumn night.". On me, this becomes the perfect balance between
marshmallow and campfire. I have noticed other brands marshmallow/campfire/smoke blends tend to rely much
more heavily on one of the notes than the others, while this one seems to be perfectly blended for my skin
chemistry so that both meld together beautifully. I love that this one seems appropriate (in my eyes) for both summer
and fall, as it reminds me both of summer campfires making smores as well as a deep smoky fall scent. Although,
to be honest I tend to wear traditionally “Fall” scents all year round as they tend to be some of my favorites!

Note: I did have to let this one rest. After shipment, I tried it on when I first received it (because I am impatient lol)
and it was super heavy on the smoke and I got no marshmallow at all. After resting for about two weeks I now get
the beautiful mix I described above. Also my dog seems to love this one, she keeps sniffing my wrists when I wear
it which is not typical, so if you want to attract adorable pups apparently this works!

Wake the Dead Scrubs Cherry Pomegranate Cocoa Butter Lotion

Hi everybody! Life has left me little time for makeup recently, so I have a bunch of mini skincare/body
reviews coming your way! Makeup reviews are in the works and will be coming up once I have a little
spare time to shoot for them.

The first up is a hand and body lotion from Wake the Dead Scrubs!

I purchased this in the Cherry Pomegranate scent, although there are others on the site if that is not your
preference! So starting with scent, to me this smells EXACTLY like cherry tootsie rolls with a hint of
pomegranate. Being like that I love candy/sweet scents, this reminding me of one of my favorite candies
is an automatic win for me! This is a bit of strong scent that lasts a while on your skin, while I like this
about it personally, there are other options including the oatmeal and cocoa butter which is naturally
scented, and the Aloe Vera and Hemp Seed which seems to have no added fragrance to it based on
the information available on the website. They also have a Rose Oil and a Lemongrass Sage scent!

Now into formula, this reminds me in ways of their zombie antidote moisturizer. I have done a review on
this previously so go check that out if you haven’t, but I will explain! The zombie antidote moisturizer is a
quick absorbing gel but with the power of a cream moisturizer.  This hand and body cream is a bit
thicker and more cream like, but it has the same quick absorbing and non greasy feel that their facial
moisturizer has. For me this is a huge plus, I have very dry skin and I live in a climate which typically
only makes this worse, but I hate the greasy feeling thicker/ or more traditional “intensely” moisturizing
lotions give me. This gives me the same moisturizing level as those without the icky feeling after. After
the absorption, my hands feel baby soft and smooth like I just put a hydrating face mask on my hands
(it is THAT good).

The price is $5.50-$6.00 depending on scent/formula for 4.5 oz, which I think is completely reasonable
and pretty normal for other indie brands I have seen or tried, maybe even a bit less. It is also around
the same price as your typical Bath and Body works lotion (depending on formula) at approx. $1.2 an oz
for this and $1.5 an oz for Bath and Body Works. The overall quality is far superior to any non-indie
brand I have tried, including both more luxury brands like L'occitane or more accessible ones like Bath
and Body Works. I am hoping she comes out with more scents in these (especially seasonal ones) in
the future!

As a bonus, I feel like this size is perfect for throwing in my bag. Small enough that it fits easily, and
large enough that it doesn’t get lost in the black hole that I call my bag and that I don’t go through it
extremely quickly and have to replace it constantly.

Wake the Dead Scrubs Cleanser and Zombie Antidote Moisturizer

After quite a while, I finally finished up my stock of some non-indie skincare products that I had from
before making the decision to switch to only indie products*. As I was running out I began searching
for an indie skincare line that would work for me. My skin is super dry (thanks New England weather)
and I can also be sensitive to lavender and tea. This is exactly where my issue came in, most of the
affordable indie skincare lines were either acne focused (which will dry out my skin even more) or
contain lavender and/or tea in most of their products, which seem to be very common skincare
ingredients. Just a heads up, this review is super in depth but that also means its pretty text heavy.

Finally, I came across Wake the Dead Scrubs thanks to the suggestion of some other indie lovers in a
group I am in on Facebook. They are affordable, and the owner is not only incredibly nice and involved,
but was also very available and willing to lead me in the right direction on products that would work for
me. She also mentioned that due to my sensitivities, I may be interested in custom products, which she
has open from January through September. Due to everything being made to order/in extremely small
batches, she has this option available for people like me with allergies or sensitivities who may need
certain things left out of products or different flavors scents made, as well as for the possibility of
making things such as products in custom scents for those who are interested or just have a great
idea! Thankfully, I have noticed that most of her products just happen to not contain either lavender or
tea. There are some that do and there is always the custom option if I wanted to try those, but for now
the two products I needed to replace were both safe.

(Also I couldn’t resist trying some more involved product shots with a name like Wake the Dead...I am a
sucker for anything Halloween/horror/fall themed. We have now learned that I am not good at this lol but
I will continue to practice!)

I chose the “normal” facial cleanser. There are three on the site, the one I purchased, and then one that
has benzoyl peroxide and the other is called the “zombie blood” cleanser and contains salicylic acid.
Both of these would be great for anyone suffering from acne or breakouts, but will not work for me and
my dry skin. The other product I chose was the zombie antidote gel moisturizer. This has rave reviews
and is said to work for even the driest skin.

Here is my “before” picture. This is just after using these two products for the first time. Remember, I am
not really looking for an improvement in my skin but rather to use indie products maintain what I have
managed to get under control with non-indie products. As you can see, for the most part my skin is
okay, although I do have some dryness on and around my nose that just won’t go away, as well as a
little bit of redness and unevenness over my whole face.

First impressions: The cleanser is super smooth and creamy, and I love the scent. I was born and
raised in New England, and the orange cranberry just smells like home and holidays to me! It is a light
and sweet scent but still noticeable and pleasant. After using it, my face feels soft and clean. The
moisturizer is supposed to be lightweight like a gel but with the moisturizing power of a cream (which
my face desperately needs). After the first use my face feels pretty adequately hydrated, but it soaked
in very fast, so we will see how long the hydration lasts on my skin.

One week check in: So far, all is well. The cleanser is not drying me out and is keeping my usual little
breakouts at bay for the most part. I have had one or two, but that's pretty typical for me when I switch
up skincare products for about the first two weeks. What I have to rave about the most however is this
moisturizer!!! Usually I was stuck using super heavy creams that left me feeling greasy just to keep
my face from flaking off. This soaks in so fast, leaves my face feeling incredibly soft, and no dry
patches or flakes!!! I used to literally use a night cream morning and night because I needed that much
hydration, and this works just as well as feels so much better on my skin!!! I have even been able to go
from using my overnight hydrating face mask every day to every two days. So far, these are both wins
for me.

One month (plus a little) later: Okay you guys, I have nothing but amazing things to say. These products
have beyond exceeded my expectations, and have outdone any product I was using previously. My
skin has always been an insecurity of mine, and I want to cry every time I look in a mirror because of
how beautiful this has made my skin. The fact that I can look in a mirror and not even think about how I
am not wearing makeup is such a gift for me, so thank you to Wake the Dead Scrubs from the bottom
of my heart, you have a zombabe for life here. Overall, my skin tone is more even, any redness has
about disappeared, this magic gel moisturizer somehow keeps my face more hydrated than the thick
night time cream moisturizer that I used to have to use every day. My need to use the overnight
hydrating mask is now down to maybe two times a week and only in my driest spots. My dryness on
and around my nose has not completely gone away, but it is even more manageable than it was before
so for me that is a massive improvement. In the beginning I had said I was just looking to maintain, not
improve and well...look at the after picture for yourself.

Here is my official after picture. Fair disclosure, I have learned that my bathroom lighting is not my friend
so this was taken in slightly different lighting, however it is still obvious how improved my skin is.

Let's talk price. Previous to this, I had been using an origins cleanser and moisturizer. The cleansers by
this company run anywhere from $4.60 to $8.00 an oz, and I have used different ones over the years.
The moisturizer I used from them was $26 an oz. The wake the dead cleanser was $2.88 an oz, and the
moisturizer was $6.00 an oz. Some of their other versions of these products do run at slightly higher
prices, but all are similar. So the moisturizer I used to use is over 4 times more expensive than the WTD
one! The cleansers were also 2-3 times the price of the WTD cleanser that I chose.

I am excited to see what new formulas come from this brand! So far I am very happy with the quality of
their products and how they work for me. I would love to see a leave on hydrating night mask from them!
I plan on trying many more products they already have as well as soon as I run out of my non-indies.

Ps...There is another WTD product review I already have in the works!

And for a bonus picture, even my dog Poppy is interested in the products! She crashed my shoot but it
was adorable so I had to share.

*I am still currently working through the last of some of my non-indie skincare including a moisturizing
leave on mask that I use daily, exfoliators and a few various masks. I will be making a larger post later
with my entire skincare routine once I finish and find replacements for all of these products. Any
recommendations are welcome!

Notoriously Morbid Halfway to Halloween Collection

Happy Halfway to Halloween Everybody! To celebrate, Notoriously Morbid created a whole collection
based on some of their favorite Halloween movies. We all know I can not resist anything Halloween
related, and this collection definitely is helping hold me over right now until the fall!

This collection consisted of five shades, and I have also included swatches of the GWP that was
available for the weekend of the release. All of these products (minus the GWP) are still available on the
Notoriously Morbid website so go get them while you can!

Here are the swatches! I will note that all swatches are done over shadow bind on top and no base on
the bottom, and it is recommended that these shades all be used over a sticky base. So in order from
left to right we have Salty Misery Sandwich (GWP), Demonic-Whatchamacallit and Toxic Waste.

Salty Misery Sandwich is a Dark grey-ish teal with aqua and some copper sparkles in there. This is a
gorgeous GWP, and I think really looks like it belongs with the rest of the collection. I will be stalking the
Buy/Trade/Sell page to grab a backup of this one for sure!

Demonic-Whatchamacallit is described as “A black base with blue and violet sparkles with a dark purple
sheen.” I adore this color, I have been looking for dark but more fun than basic black matte shade to use
on my lower lid, and I think I have found exactly what I was looking for! I swear every time I begin to think
I need something, Notoriously Morbid somehow reads my mind and releases it. This is clearly black
based, the purple sheen does not overpower it but compliments it, and the blue and violet sparkles really
set it apart from any other black shade I have come across.

Toxic waste is described as “A sage green that flashes lime with a strong bronze shift and red sparkles”.  
I am really loving the red sparkles in here, I find often when red and green are mixed it can look
Christmas-y, and this one does not at all. This truly looks like I dumped by eyeballs in a pile of toxic
waste when I wear it and I could not be happier.

Next up from left to right we have Not dead exactly, Alien Bozos and Dead dates.

Not dead exactly is described as “A warm mauve base with a strong champagne shimmer.”. This shade
is an awesome one and done that's a bit more fun than your average neutral. I also love it for a halo eye,
or for an inner corner highlight. It is a versatile shade, and I know I have said it before but Notoriously
Morbid has been killing it with the not so average neutrals lately and this is just one more example of that!

Alien Bozos is described as “A cotton candy metallic pink with flashes of red, orange, and soft pink with
rainbow sparkles.”. I think this might be my favorite shade out of the collection. I am a sucker for a good
pink, and I think this is a perfect shade for summer. Just bright enough with the metallic making it super
unique and then the rainbow sparkles on top of that make this one an all over winner for me.

Dead Dates is described as “A dark berry with shifts of violet and pink and green to gold sparkles.”. This
is a very vampy color, and to me the green to gold sparkles stand out the most, and yet again they keep
the red/green from looking like Christmas which I appreciate so much.

Overall this whole collection is a huge hit for me, with every color being so unique and different yet
somehow they all go together so well. Below is a picture where I used all colors of the collection (minus
the GWP) I used Dead Dates blended out in my crease, Alien Bozos on lid over shadow bind and Not
Dead Exactly in the middle of the lid over shadow bind. Demonic-Whatchamacallit was on my lower lash
line and Toxic Waste was on my inner corner. I used it for a pretty soft look, but these colors have so
much versatility that you could easily make a much more colorful or dramatic look using them as well.

I may be needing to grab backups of these before they leave, I think this is my favorite collection to date
since I have started following this brand! Be sure to check out their socials and website, and they also
have a wonderful Facebook group called “Notoriously Morbid’s Customer Crypt” you can join for more
information!

Notoriously Morbid Easter Egg-stravaganza 2019

This year Notoriously Morbid was holding their annual Egg-stravaganza for Easter and I just couldn’t resist! This included exclusive products and tiered GWPs! I am actually splitting this review into two separate posts which will be explained down below.

I purchased all the Easter exclusive individual items, as well as three rainbow mystery bags. I will be covering the mystery bags in a later post as people are still receiving them and finding new shades so I want to have all of the information before I make a full review! The picture above is what I will be covering here.

First up is the Egg-ar Allan Peep slumber salve. I adore this name as well as the slumber salve product so I had to pick this one up. From what I can tell this seems to be a returning product from previous years. It is flavored in marshmallow and malt ball and it is just so delicious. I usually use this product before bed to sit on my lips all night and help hydrate, but I have been seriously considering throwing this one in my bag so I can use it all the time!

Next up is the Lenore lip balm. This is the lip product that actually IS in my bag right now. This is a lip balm flavored in “chocolate and sangria with pink and purple shimmers”. It is very chocolate and mildly fruity but not overly sweet. I do not really see much of a shimmer, however this does seem to look almost glossier on my lips than normal, so I am guessing that is the very fine shimmer in there. As usual, I love the formula and find it light and hydrating.

There were tiered GWPs as well for this event. After spending $15 you received a “fluff my Nutter” lip balm. This was flavored “butterfingers and marshmallow“. It has a sweet and lightly peanut buttery scent (not overpowering) and tastes so good! This lip balm seems slightly different than their normal formula to me. This one seems to be thicker and even more hydrating than usual which I love! Definitely no complaints here, however the ingredients seem to be the same in both this and all other lip balms from them so I am not sure where this difference is coming from. I would highly recommend this lip balm in particular, and while it is not available for purchase on their website it may pop up in a buy/sell/trade page at some point.

After spending $25 you received a “Peep Show” multichrome shadow. This is a loose multichrome which does perform best over some sort of sticky base, they have their own which is available for purchase on the website and is called shadow bind. This multichrome seems to have shades of baby pink, icy silver, glowing green and super light blue. This is gorgeous and extremely wearable and easy to work with. Again, this is not available for purchase on their site. Above there is a swatch, I had to blur this one to capture the shift as whenever it was in focus all the camera would capture are the silvery tones.

After spending $45 you received a mystery egg which could hold a free product or discount code of some sort. There were even eggs with codes for large amounts of money off for a few lucky people! I got “I am No King” in mine which I am super excited about because I did not snag a backup of it before it was gone! I do have a previous post with swatches of this shade so go check that out if you are interested

Here is a picture of me wearing peep show on my lids and Lenore lip balm as well!

So overall, I would say my first Egg-stravaganza was a success! I loved everything I received. Did any of you participate? If so, what would you like to see in the future? I would LOVE a marshmallow/Easter themed body spray/lotion to pop up sometime.

Notoriously Morbid Mystic Monthly April 2019

Notoriously Morbid Mystic Monthly April 2019

Hello everyone! Today I am bringing you another installment of the Notoriously Morbid Mystic Monthly subscription! This year, the theme for Notoriously Morbid's mystic monthly are the Original Penny Dreadfuls. This month, the chosen one was the story of the Flying Dutchman!

First up is the mystic matte for the month. Demon Ship is described as “ A warm copper for a lovely summer lip” and is flavored in pink frosting. This lip is gorgeous, and the formula as always is amazing and wearable on even my super dry lips! I also love how they change up the flavor of the lipstick every month, I feel like this is a small detail which keeps it fresh and interesting every month. This shade did leave a slight stain on my lips. This color also appears slightly more chocolate brown on me than some, but it still has that beautiful bronze sheen! ( Also, I am working on getting a new background so that annoying ring light reflection won't be there anymore!)

 

The “extra” item this month is a lip scrub. Called “Never Make Port”, this lip scrub is flavored in cherry almond. These lip scrubs are a personal favorite formula of mine, I find often lip scrubs are either not scrubby enough for me, or too harsh. These fall in a perfect middle for me, with enough sugar to thoroughly exfoliate but they still have a softening product in it which to me feels very similar in formula to their slumber salves. Currently they do not have any permanent lip scrubs, but I have heard rumors they may have some soon, and they have popped up in the store for short releases before so make sure to keep your eye out on their social media pages to see when they become available!

Here is a swatch of demon Ship and since the extra item this month is a lip scrub and I can't really swatch it, I included a close up of the scrub so you can see some texture!

Here is a picture of me wearing Demon ship! This subscription costs $12 a month including shipping. The Mystic matte alone goes for $12 on their website so this is a great deal! It is always a unique color/flavor and never comparable to anything I own. To sign up go onto their website and look under subscriptions. This is typically charged monthly, but they have also occasionally been offering prepaid plan options lately. To find out about those, sign up for their emails or watch their social media pages, including their facebook group which I highly recommend joining to hear about things such as this!

Notoriously Morbid March 2019 Mystic Monthly

Hello everyone! Today I am bringing you another installment of the Notoriously Morbid Mystic Monthly subscription! This year, the theme for Notoriously Morbid's mystic monthly are the Original Penny Dreadfuls. This month, the chosen one was Spring Heeled Jack!

First up is the mystic matte for the month. Spring Heeled is described as “ A deep purple with heavy
bronze shimmer and blue sparkles" and is flavored in tutti fruitti. As always, the mystic formula is
amazing. The formula is thin but dries quickly and is there to last all day! I also have very dry skin and
lips, and this is the best liquid matte formula I have found for me, it does not dry out my lips more than
usual like many other formulas do.

Next up is the “extra” item. This month it is a sinister sprite which is a tinted lip balm. It is called
Devil-like-Gentleman and is described as “A springy red sparkle with blue shimmer". I am a huge fan of sinister sprites and I use them on the daily if I am not wearing a mystic matte. They give just enough color or sparkle for a low-key day, or for before I actually put makeup on for the day but need to run an errand somewhere.

Now here are some swatches if them next to each other. Spring Heeled is on the top, and it looks much more red/berry in swatches than it does on my lips. Devil-like-Gentleman is on the bottom.

And here is a picture of me wearing Spring Heeled, I tried to catch the bronze shift there it is such a beautiful shade!

This subscription costs $12 a month including shipping. The Mystic matte alone goes for $12 on their
website so this is a great deal! I love the surprise in my mail every month and the colors are always
incredibly unique and something I don’t already own, and that most people even with large collections
wouldn’t. I definitely recommend giving it a shot, to sign up go onto their website and look under
subscriptions. This is typically charged monthly, but they have also occasionally been offering prepaid
plan options lately. To find out about those, sign up for their emails or join their facebook group!