Review: Detrivore Cosmetics May LE Set

I placed my most recent order with Detrivore Cosmetics on the 22nd of May. One month later, on the 22nd of June, I got an email saying that my order had been shipped. Their stated TAT is 1-20 business days, so I can't complain about that. However, once I got the package, I realized that they hadn't been completely honest - the post stamp on the package says JUN 27 2012, and so does the customs declaration form that had been signed by hand. Now, I don't really care whether my package was shipped on the 22nd or the 27th, but it does annoy me that they chose to lie about it, and for that reason I want to mention it in this review. It's a matter of principle more than anything else.

(Click the pictures to see them in full size)

Let's move on to the products. I ordered the May LE set of eyeshadows, three of their permanent eyeshadows and two of their Embalming Tubes (lip balms). I may review the other products another time, but today I'm just gonna focus on the eyeshadows in the May set. 

Swatches

The first three pictures below are of all five eyeshadows swatched dry over the e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer. In the last five pictures, the shadows are swatched over Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy.

 From left - right: Baleen, Cetacea, Lividity, Mollusk & Incatiation

Baleen

Cetacea

Lividity

Mollusk

Incantaion

Official color descriptions ~ My own color descriptions

"Baleen is a LE emerald green shimmey eyeshadow." ~ A medium green with silver shimmer. Really pretty, but not very unique.

"Cetacea is a dense puplish blue satin eyeshadow. It has blue, purple, red, and pink shimmer." ~ A shimmery blue with a very strong purple shift. This is a very interesting color in my opinion, more so in real life than in photos (the purple shift was difficult to capture). Absolutely beautiful!

"Lividity is a dark pink shimmery eye shadow on a black base. It's very similar in concept to Livor Mortis, but is much more glittery." ~ A very sparkly dark purple. This looks like jewels in the jar and applied over a tacky base. Gorgeous!

"Mollusk is a bright coral  pink satin eye shadow loaded with shimmer." ~ A medium peachy pink with shimmer. Again, really pretty, but not very unique.

"Incantation is a bright gold LE eye shadow with copper, pink, and gold shimmer." ~ I definitely wouldn't call this a bright gold... I'd say it's a camel color full of pink shimmer. This is, whithout a doubt, my favorite eyeshadow of the bunch. I've never seen anything like it before, it's amazing!

My thoughts

I think all these eyeshadows are beautiful - especially Cetacea, Lividity and Incantation. Unfortunately, I had a reaction to Cetacea, so I don't think I'll be able to wear it. I tried it once and got this red, itchy rash exactly where I put it. I've never had a problem with any other Detrivore shadows though, I'm probably just oversensitive to something in this one (the ultramarine, perhaps?). These shadows definitely need a tacky base to reach their full potential; I wasn't too impressed with them ober the e.l.f. primer alone, but over the Pixie Epoxy - WOW!

Would I repurchase this set?

I would definitely repurchase Lividity and Incantation, and I would repurchase Cetacea if I wasn't oversensitive to it. I'd probably not repurchase Baleen and Mollusk, simply because I own a lot of shadows that are quite similar to them. But if you don't have any similar eyeshadows, I think they're a good buy.

Where to buy

You can purchase this set at detrivorecosmetics.net, more specifically here. The price is $17.

H&M Vivid Eyeshadows

I went to H&M last week, and they had quite a few things on sale. So I picked up this 4-in-1 eyeshadow called Vivid Eyeshadows for 20SEK, which is pretty damn cheap! It's quite big (the packaging is the same as their standard blush packaging), so I thought if the quality is nice, it's really good value for money.

I usually don't buy makeup at H&M. Last time I did I was quite disappointed, but that was in the early 2000s so things could have changed since. 

Now, you guys probably know that I'm not the biggest fan of blue eyeshadow, but I quite like this one. I think it'll be pretty as a pop of color in an otherwise neutral look. I haven't tried that yet, but I have worn the shadows. I wore them over my Urban Decay Primer Potion, as usual, and the staying power was pretty impressive. I usually don't have a problem with creasing, but I kind of expected some creasing with these considering that I was so disappointed with the last H&M eyeshadows I tried. I'm glad these proved me wrong :)

The pigmentation of these shadows is okay. It's definitely not great, but considering how cheap they were, I can't really complain. As with all eyeshadows, the color payoff is a lot better over a white base. You will need a white base if you want these colors to pop.

These eyeshadows are definitely better than the other ones I've tried by H&M, so there has been some improvement over the past 10 years, but I still wouldn't recommend these shadows (unless you're on a budget and really can't spend more money on makeup). You can get samples of similar colors from many indie companies, for example BFTE, that will have a lot better color payoff and still be pretty cheap. That's my recommendation ;)

H&M Vivid Eyeshadows

Review: Calvin Klein Intense Eyeshadow in Brown Velvet

Brown Velvet is the first makeup product I ever tried by Calvin Klein. I've been a fan of their perfumes for years, but didn't know about their makeup until quite recently. Being the makeup junkie that I am, of course I had to try it...

So far, I have tried two different makeup products by Calvin Klein - their Electric Edge Liquid Eyeliner Pen, and this eyeshadow, and I really like both of them! 

I didn't really have high expectations for this eyeshadow, because I hadn't heard anyone talk about it, but I must say that I am very pleasantly surprised by the quality of it. Brown Velvet is definitely one of the most pigmented eyeshadows I own, and I love the colour! I'm a big fan of neutrals... if you have watched my videos on youtube, you'll know how much I love my UD Naked palette, for example. And this eyeshadow is just as good as the eyeshadows in that palette. However, Calvin Klein eyeshadows are a lot cheaper than the ones Urban Decay, which is always a plus ;)

This is one of my favourite ways to wear Brown Velvet:

I'm wearing Modelette by Mac on my lid, and Brown Velvet in my crease

Also, the packaging of this eyeshadow is absolutely gorgeous! All in all, this is a great eyeshadow. I honestly can't find anything wrong with it; it's incredibly well pigmented and easy to work with, the packaging is beautiful, and, compared to other eyeshadows of the same quality, it's not expensive at all. I paid £2.99 for mine, and I bought it online, at eastendcosmetics.co.uk. I haven't seen Calvin Klein makeup in stores here in Sweden, but I do believe that it's sold in some stores in the US.