Shiro’s The Notebook Collection thrilled me when I first saw it. I’m a big fan of the anime that inspired it (Death Note), and was super excited to see how the shades would perform. I’m happy to say that most of them were impressive, if not very unique. There are ten shadows in the collection, all loose. As I’ve stated in reviews, one can purchase the whole collection at once and receive a 10% discount.
Sadly, there was not a lot of diversity in this collection. It’s more muted/neutral, with softer pops of color compared to the brand’s brighter, more pastel collections. There are two greys (Detective and More Sugar), two browns (Divine Justice and Mistrust), two burgundy-reds (Heart Attack and Task Force), a blue (Heaven Nor Hell), a gold (Perfect World), a black (Second Kira), and a purple (Shinigami). In more detail:
- Detective: Cool, iridescent silver with silver glitter. This one was more of a layering shade and was a bit sheer. It had some issues with fading and glitter migration. This is safe to use on the lips. (3.8 C+)
- Divine Justice: Warm, medium orange, with warm brown overlay and golden shimmer. This was probably the most unique in the collection, as I’ve never seen another shadow self-layer like this one did. This shade only slightly faded around the edges. This is safe to use on the lips. (4.5 A-)
- Heart Attack: Frosty cranberry wine with silver and blue glitter. Urban Decay Last Call, L’Oreal Glistening Garnet, and MAC Star Ruby are considerable dupes. This wore flawlessly, without creasing, fading, or falling out. This is safe for use on the lips. (4.3 B+)
- Heaven Nor Hell: Steely, gunmetal blue-grey. This was an interesting shade and another that wore perfectly without any problems. This is safe for use on the lips. (4.3 B+)
- Mistrust: Warm, chocolaty brown with silver and orange sparkles. Apart from the special layering effect of Divine Justice, the two colors aren’t that different. This had application fallout but wore well. This is safe for use on the lips. (4.1 B-)
- More Sugar: Steely, storm cloud grey. This applied and wore perfectly. This is safe for use on the lips. (4.2 B)
- Perfect World: Soft yellow gold with slightly metallic frost. Urban Decay Maui Wowie is similar. It applied and wore perfectly. This is safe for use on the lips. (4.5 A-)
- Second Kira: Dark, cool grey with a greenish tinge and highly reflective gold sparkles. This shade was so unique. This faded slightly around the edges. This is safe for use on the lips. (4.4 B+)
- Shinigami: Light lavender with silver shimmer. This faded and had glitter migration, and had fallout during application. This is safe for use on the lips (4.2 B)
- Task Force: Cool, purplish pink-burgundy. This faded around the edges. This isn’t that different from Heart Attack, except that the latter has the bluish shimmer. This is the only shadow not safe for use on the lips. (4.2 B)
I wore all of these shadows foiled (wet). Some of these had issues with application over a base. Generally they went on well, opaque and easy to blend. More often than not these wore greatly, although some did fade around the edges or on the lid. Application was generally good too. I experienced no creasing with any of the ten shades, despite their wet application.
All of these shadows are cruelty free and vegan, made with gentle ingredients. The ingredients are readily available, listed on the brand’s site and stamped on the bottom of each shade. The mini 1g jars, which are the ones I purchased, are small, about the size of a quarter, with clear lids and sifters. The light weight of the plastic and the shadows’ small size make these tricky to store, and I imagine even worse to travel with.
The cost of this collection was not too steep, and US shipping was only $2.50 USD. They do ship internationally for a flat rate of $7.50. It wasn’t long before I got my order (less than 2 weeks), and the customer service was out of this world amazing.
On the whole, I liked the Notebook Collection. Second Kira ended up being my favorite, followed by Perfect World and Heart Attack. I thought Divine Justice was unique but not flattering. Heaven Nor Hell also stands out to me. Shinigami is a pretty purple, but not that different from others on the market.While Detective got the lowest score, it is a fantastic layering shade and I look forward to experimenting with it over different bases. Mistrust, More Sugar, and Task Force are more forgettable, but none of them are really poor quality. This collection may be better for someone who still needs to round out their stash as opposed to someone who’s makeup collection is more extensive, as one only needs so many of the same few shades.
I’m looking forward to trying some of the brand’s brighter, more unique shades. I didn’t think the Notebook Collection was that inspired or interesting-some of the colors within the collection are dupes of each other! The sifters and lids can be unreliable and at times, problematic. But the color quality, wear time, and lack off issues (creasing/fading/fallout, etc) are excellent. I’m always happy to see cruelty free, vegan, and non-irritating cosmetics that are pretty and good quality on the market. And, I’m equally very happy to support the indie, smaller businesses. Overall, this brand is great, I’m satisfied with my purchase, and would highly recommend them to anyone.
The average score for this collection is 4.25 (B).
Shiro products are available exclusively on their website, shirocosmetics.com
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