A friend of mine had visited Los Angeles and almost immediately text me and asked if I knew about the brand called Morphe; I replied that I had heard of it and it was fairly popular thanks to Youtubers. I also informed her that I had no experience but heard it was good. She informed me there was a brick and mortar store in Burbank that she was currently in and that I should stop by one day.
So I did.
I was in town a few weeks ago and stopped by and was slightly shocked at how long the line was (also, there is a serious lack of parking)! Apparently you want to arrive early so you aren't standing outside for a while. We waited about 45 minutes before we were allowed to enter (wear sunscreen!) and I was actually mildly surprised at how *small* the store was. They only allow about twenty people at a time, and they have a security person working outside to make sure this rule is followed. I wanted to take photos of how the store was laid out but the saleswoman near me slightly tsk'd me when I pulled my phone out. So sad. Honestly, seeing the lack of photos online makes me wonder if photos are allowed or not.
They carried quite a lot of LA Splash, Jeffree Star and LA Colors. I was quite excited to see if they had the famous Pro Concealer but alas, they only had two shades that were a bit too dark for me. I was quite sad. Seeing as I already have more brushes than I need, I didn't buy any (the regret is real) but did stock up on some shadows, a palette and some liners. I do blame my boyfriend for the amount of single eye shadows I got (he saw pretty colors and checked them off) as well as the two gel liners. I honestly went just for the famous 35-O palette!
It's quite an odd process actually. You request the palettes at the checkout and turn in a list off numbers that you've checked off and they'll grab them for you. Prevention for theft I guess? The larger eye-shadows as well as gel liners and brushes you can get on you own though; it's quite odd.
Sorry about the photos - My camera's batteries decided it wanted to not live and so I'm ordering a new one in the mail. Camera potato photos for now.
Sorry about the photos - My camera's batteries decided it wanted to not live and so I'm ordering a new one in the mail. Camera potato photos for now.
Product
Info:
35-O Palette: 35 shadows at 1.5g/0.05oz at $22.99
Single Shadows: 1.5g/0.05oz at $2.29
Premium Single Shadows: 3.6g/0.12oz at $5.99
Gel Eyeliner: 3g/0.1oz at $8.99 (For some reason both mine were $2.99 in store)
Where
to get it:
Morphe Store in Burbank
Morphe Brushes (Online)
Ingredients:
Ingredients vary by shadow or liner.
Packaging:
The palette itself was packed into a plain cardboard sleeve and seems quite....ehhh cheap? It feels flimsy and similar to the 25 neutral palette actually. I figure they're both made by the same factory. The single shadows come in a general cardboard slip (single MAC & Makeupgeek shadows have similar packaging) and the liners come in a black box with the liner inside. The palette does not have the ingredients on the actual plastic but instead on the box it comes in. Both the shadows and the liners have ingredients as well as the name on them. I am however, *quite* upset with these. Although it's partially my fault for not getting a damn Z-palette yet, the other part of the fault applies to these damn slips they're in. When you go to put the shadow back into it's slip, unless you open it really wide, the flap on top will hit the shadow and scrape off a TON of product. I've lost quite a bit of Moolah and some other shades due to this. Boo!
Swatch:
Single Shadows-
ES789 - Bronzed Ivy: A golden bronze with a slight hint of green (Shimmer)
This shadow goes on effortlessly and blends out beautifully. It's very soft and super pigmented so you don't need to pack on a bunch of shadow to get that perfect opaqueness. I've used a more sticky base to bring out the smaller flecks of shimmer though. It's a gorgeous shade. 10/10
This shadow goes on effortlessly and blends out beautifully. It's very soft and super pigmented so you don't need to pack on a bunch of shadow to get that perfect opaqueness. I've used a more sticky base to bring out the smaller flecks of shimmer though. It's a gorgeous shade. 10/10
ES34 - Tokyo Sea: Lime green (Shimmer)
This color was one my boyfriend grabbed for me...*sigh* "But it's like, LIME green! Don't you just NEED lime green in your hoard of makeup!?" I mean, of course I had a chance to say no...but it is kind of a unique color so I let him check off the color. It's very soft to swatch but unfortunately it requires a bit of help (stickier base than usual) to get that full oomph. Otherwise it's just a shimmery green and definitely not this bright on the eyes sadly. 7/10
This color was one my boyfriend grabbed for me...*sigh* "But it's like, LIME green! Don't you just NEED lime green in your hoard of makeup!?" I mean, of course I had a chance to say no...but it is kind of a unique color so I let him check off the color. It's very soft to swatch but unfortunately it requires a bit of help (stickier base than usual) to get that full oomph. Otherwise it's just a shimmery green and definitely not this bright on the eyes sadly. 7/10
ES67 - Petals: Tan/Pink (Duo-chrome)
This shadow is super interesting! I had to make the photo dark so the pink would show through but it's actually a duo-chrome with flashes of tan mixed in. I tried to get a photo of it...but duo-chromes never seem to show up for me on camera. Once again, the shadow is super soft and buttery but it does need help to get that flecks of tan. I usually use this one on the inner corner or in the middle of the lid (think halo eye) for an extra pop of something special. I don't think this shadow performs well on it's own at all and doesn't make for an attractive lid color. It's just....an interesting shade. 6/10
This shadow is super interesting! I had to make the photo dark so the pink would show through but it's actually a duo-chrome with flashes of tan mixed in. I tried to get a photo of it...but duo-chromes never seem to show up for me on camera. Once again, the shadow is super soft and buttery but it does need help to get that flecks of tan. I usually use this one on the inner corner or in the middle of the lid (think halo eye) for an extra pop of something special. I don't think this shadow performs well on it's own at all and doesn't make for an attractive lid color. It's just....an interesting shade. 6/10
ES9 - Glamourous: Violet/pink with hints of white glitter (Shimmer/Glitter)
Oh. My. God. Can we just LOOK at this color for a second? I mean, just LOOK at it. This color is so gorgeous I couldn't stop moving my hand to look at the color shift. It has *tons* of white glitters in it so it's super reflective. It's so insanely opaque with the smallest amount of color, I just can't stop being impressed by it and how gorgeous it is on my eyes. 10/10
ES46 - Sea Thru My Eyes: Bright blue with hints of white glitter (Matte/Barely Shimmer)
This shade reminds me a lot of Urban Decay's Deep End with the shimmery, turquoise color. It applies nicely and is pretty opaque. I think this has more green reflects than white and it makes look teal in certain light - I love that! Like most blues, it does stain unfortunately even with a double cleansing method. However, it does last quite a long time (I would hope so...shesh) and looks gorgeous on. 8/10
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| SEE?! CHUNKS MISSING |
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| I've no idea wtf happened to this photo... |
ES108 - Magic: Dark mauve with golden flecks (Shimmer)
For a second I thought I had bought an exact replica of Makeup Geek's Burlesque, but although they are *quite* similar, this one has more of a copper tint to it. Like most of their shimmers, this color goes on very well, is super opaque and lasts all day. 10/10
ES111 - Beautify: Dark purple with black shimmer.
I literally bought a dupe for MAC's Beauty Marked, except that this one applies really well. BM applies super chalky and skips quite a bit, whereas Beautify glides on and applies really nicely. I was a bit upset as I hate BM but this color has totally changed my thoughts on dark purples with black in them. It does absolute wonders for a purple smokey eye. Unffff. 10/10
ES27- -Dark Night: Black with glitter particles (Matte)
I am super upset about this shade. I tested it in store on myself and my boyfriend to see what this shade looked like and was *SO* excited to get this color. I've bought many a black eye-shadow with glitter only to find out....the glitter falls off. When I tested it in store, the glitter stayed on both our hands and even through the makeup wipes they offered (those were just straight up terrible makeup removing wipes though, lets be real). the glitter stayed on. I was like, okay...This needs to be mine. My second day back home, I whipped this shade out and was like....yaaaaas black smokey eye, lets do this. And the disappointment set in. I mean, it's a really nice DARK black (think Corrupt by MakeupGeek or Carbon by MAC) but there was zero glitter. It was there on my brush...but it definitely did not make the transfer from brush to lid. When I swatched it, it kind of felt like there was a film on it. I wonder if I need to use a bit more so I can get the quality I got from the tester? Also, I found out while trying to remove this, it stains. Like a MOFO. I usually use a makeup wipe to take everything off before double cleansing my face (for ease) but wow. None of the makeup removing wipes worked. Hell, my oil cleanser barely took this off and I had a primer that was set with shadow on as a base. I have better, more cooperative black shadows that don't stain and are a bit darker.
3/10
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| L-R Dark Night, Bronzed Ivy, Glamorous, Magic |
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| L-R Beautify, Petals, Sea Thru My Eyes, Tokyo Sea Sorry about this photo, I was trying to show off Petals T_T |
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| L-R Made of Gold, Date Night, Moolah |
ES510 - Moolah: Red/Brown/Green (Duochrome)
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| I am so upset by this. Hmph. |
ES509 - Made of Gold - White/Gold (Shimmer)
Made of Gold is definitely how I would describe this color. It's almost the perfect highlight color if you're into strobbing or some serious highlighting actually. I wouldn't have thought of it until my friend informed me that that is what she uses this color for. Hmmm... It has a little too much gold for my skin but whew, this color is gorgeous! Smooth, buttery and opaque. 10/10
Made of Gold is definitely how I would describe this color. It's almost the perfect highlight color if you're into strobbing or some serious highlighting actually. I wouldn't have thought of it until my friend informed me that that is what she uses this color for. Hmmm... It has a little too much gold for my skin but whew, this color is gorgeous! Smooth, buttery and opaque. 10/10
ES502 - Date Night - Purple/Gold (Duochrome)
This color is so similar to Glamorous, that at first, I was kind of disappointed that I had bought two colors that were *so* damn similar....until I wore it. Magic has more of a white shimmer base whereas this color has a more gold base. It's pretty and it makes me happy! 10/10
35-O:
Anyways! I am in love with almost every single shade here....aside from one. The bottom left hand corner. See that giant chunk missing? Yeah. I took a mascara wand to it as there was a weird film on it and the color barely came off. It still doesn't work that well and I've given up all hope on it working for me. I was kind of sad as this palette doesn't have a *dark* brown but is instead filled with dark *grey* browns. It's definitely different when applying them. I personally didn't have problems with the mattes and have started using this more than my original Naked palette when I want browns actually. The shimmers and glitter colors though? Unf. They are so gorgeous in this palette and they apply BEAUTIFULLY.
Top Row:
L-R
First Shadow: Pale vanilla. Matte
Second Shadow: Light pink. Satin
Third Shadow: Champagne-shimmery color. Glitter
Fourth Shadow: This gold is unf. It's beautiful, shimmery and a PURE gold. Love this color.
Fifth Shadow: Warm Orange-Brown. Matte.
Sixth Shadow: This color is so close to MAC's Uninterrupted and it is by far my favorite matte.
Seventh Shadow: Warm bright orange. Matte
Second Row:
First Shadow: Pale yellow-nude. Matte
Second Shadow: I am obsessed with this color. It's a tan/pink duochrome and is *beautiful*
Third Shadow: Rose gold, gold. Shimmer.
Fourth Shadow: Nice light-medium brown. Matte.
Fifth Shadow: Orange-brown. Matte
Sixth Shadow: Medium-dark brown. Matte
Seventh Shadow: Brown/Orange. Matte
Third Row (My favorite row!):
Third Row (My favorite row!):
First Shadow: Warm orange/brown. Matte
Second Shadow: Slate/Brown. Matte (BUTTERY AF)
Third Shadow: Dark Slate/Brown. Matte
Fourth Shadow: Reddish-brown. Matte
Fifth Shadow; Burgundy/Red-Brown. Satin.
Sixth Shadow: Okay. This is my FAVORITE shade in the entire palette. Pink-champagne. Shimmer
Seventh Shadow: Coral-orange. Matte
Fourth Row:
First Shadow: Dark brown. Satin.
Second Shadow: Antique gold. Shimmer. Unfffffff
Third Shadow: Dark slate brown. Matte.
Fourth Shadow: Dark brown. Matte
Fifth Shadow: Dark Burgundy. Satin.
Sixth Shadow: A bit dark rose/gold. Satin.
Seventh Shadow: Dark reddish brown. Matte
Fifth Row:
First Shadow: This color had a film on it. Took a mascara wand to it and no luck. It still sucks. Dark glittery brown. Satin.
Second Shadow: Medium Brown. Matte
Third Shadow: Dark brown. Matte
Fourth Shadow: Dark warm brown. Matte
Fifth Shadow: Dark slate. Matte.
Sixth Shadow: Reddish-copper. Satin.
Seventh Shadow: (MY SECOND FAVORITE SHADOW): Warm copper. Shimmer
Gel Liners:
Plum - Dark...plum. Hah, I'm so punny. This is very smooth and easy to apply - I'd recommend doing two layers.
Agua - A bright teal with dark blue glitters/shimmer. It kind of skips and is a bit dry.
Pros:
-Affordable price
-Wide variety of colors and finishes
-Long lasting
Cons:
-Packaging may ruin single shadows
-Packaging may ruin single shadows
-Some stain
-Mattes are iffy
-Feels like a film on some mattes
Pros (In store):
-Ease of selection
-Wide variety of products
-Wide variety of products
-Salespeople are awesome and helpful
-Testers are available for every item and they look *clean.*
-Nothing out of stock (they had a 1 per person limit on some things, but nothing OOS in store)
Cons (In store):
-Serious lack of parking
-Large line
-Items appear different in store
-Makeup wipes they offer are *terrible*. I repeat: TERRIBLE.
All in all, I think Morphe is definitely worth the try. I mean, a shadow for 3 bucks? That's not bad at all. I only had one really bad experience with the matte shadows...So damn. I mean, that's awesome! Their shimmer shadows though? Oh god. SO worth the price. They're smooth as butter, glide on with barely any product and *stay* all damn day.
On the other hand though, my friend got the same palette as I did and apparently it performed horribly for her and she tossed it. I had an awesome palette as did another friend who ordered online. Then again, I do hear on the subreddit MakeupAddiction that it's a 50/50 chance of getting good quality. Although, I'd be a little upset if I bought a palette (regardless of the price) and the performance varied for it. Fair warning... I guess?
On the other hand though, my friend got the same palette as I did and apparently it performed horribly for her and she tossed it. I had an awesome palette as did another friend who ordered online. Then again, I do hear on the subreddit MakeupAddiction that it's a 50/50 chance of getting good quality. Although, I'd be a little upset if I bought a palette (regardless of the price) and the performance varied for it. Fair warning... I guess?
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