karmicdreaming.

I just haven’t found a good way to swatch these little multi-taskers from Sobe Botanicals, but the Cheek & Lip Colors are phenomenal.  I use them solely as lip colors, since I’m not big on non-powdered cheek colors, but I tried to blend them out a little on one side so you could see how they sheer out.  Unfortunately, this wasn’t the greatest way to showcase them.  The formula varies depending on color- some are creamier and other are more firm, so they didn’t sheer uniformly.  This wouldn’t be a problem on a larger area like the cheek, but on the limited space of my arm, it didn’t work so well.  Lesson learned.  My original review can be found here.

tl;dr: It’s not the product, it’s my shitty swatching.

Cheek & Lip Color: Parasol, Dolly, Takes the Cake, Mauvin’ Out

Starlet Laquered Up Lip Gloss, Havok eyeshadow

Detrivore Cosmetics has been around for a long time.  I first heard about them in 2009, but the lack of reviews always put me off ordering.  I naively thought if no one was talking about them, they couldn’t possibly be good.  In short, I’m an idiot.  Detrivore is amazeballs, and I don’t understand why more people aren’t singing their praises.  I’m on a mission to change that.  This company deserves your patronage.  YOUR FACE DESERVES SOME SWEET, SWEET DETRIVORE LOVE.

I’m not one to tell people to run out and buy something.  I prefer to give you a list of why I love a product, and allow you to decide if you might love it too.  But if you’re at all like me, who wants to read reviews on companies before dropping my hard earned cash, I hope I can convince you that these products are spectacular, and worth checking out.  I’ll even flail a little if you need me to.

Detrivore Cosmetics bills itself as a gothic makeup company.  The webpage fits the concept;  it is simple, straightforward, no nonsense.  I appreciate this.  I know exactly where I need to go to order what I want.  The product photos show a picture of a full container, minus a sifter.  There are no eyeshadow swatch photos.  That might put some people off, and it did me, until I finally ordered and realized they don’t need swatch photos because what you see is what you get.  The color is what it is, both in the jar and in a swatch, and that is so incredibly refreshing.  It’s a huge disappointment for me to purchase colors that look completely different in the jar than they do on my face.  Detrivore’s listings tell me what the color is (example, for Mildew: a pretty teal color) and shows me what it looks like.  See my swatch for Mildew.  You will always know what you’re going to get.  One of the things you may notice in my swatches is the lack of glittery colors.  These are all from Detrivore’s Original collection.  They all have a pretty sheen, and they blend incredibly well.  I am literally counting the days until I can try some of the Satins and Highlights.  I love the shadows so much that they immediately took a spot in my top 10.

As much as I love these eyeshadows, they are not my favorite product from the company.  That distinction goes to the blushes.  I adore every single Detrivore blush I own.  I have 3 full sizes, and two samples, and I am announcing here for all the world to read: I need them ALL.  I am incredibly surprised by how much I love these, as I have previously stated many times my disdain for matte blushes.  I still stand by that statement with any other company, but Detrivore’s matte blushes have this otherworldly quality that makes them appear to become part of the skin itself, rather than a chalky swipe of color that rests on top and looks awful.  These blushes are the best.  I know if you’re looking at the page in another tab, and seeing the brightness of the blushes- especially if you’re remembering my statement about how the eyeshadows look exactly the same on as they do in the jar- you’re probably wondering what I am smoking.  These blushes, while pigmented, are beautiful.

This is me, wearing nothing but BB cream, lip balm, and Detrivore Cosmetics blush in Gallows, applied with a duo-fiber brush.  I have the flu, and the blush still manages to make me look like I’m not a zombie.  Love love LOVE.

Detrivore also makes face powders, which I haven’t yet tried but hear good things about, and three different colored primers.  Many, many people have had great luck with their primers.  It’s an amazing formula, and has become my favorite swatching primer.  However, as with almost every other indie primer in existence, my eyelids ate it.

Detrivore products arrive in a shrink band with a sifter. There is no sifter sticker (thank you!!!!) and an ingredients label is on the side.  There is a slight turn around time that is always clearly posted on the front of the site.

Now, the last thing to which I’d like to draw your attention: look at the prices.  A full size shadow is $4.  A full size blush is $5, as is the primer.  Powder is $5 for a 10 gram jar, or $10 for a 30 gram jar.  WHUT.  I am still reeling that products this good are available for such a low price.

Would I buy from Detrivore again?  A thousand times yes.  I give them an 11 out of 10.  Why isn’t this company famous yet?

Smog, Nameless, Consume

Abnormal, Sacrilege, Amazon

Dagon, Shroud, Mildew

Swine, Scar, Dreary

I wrote a guest post for Eplefe on fall fragrances.  Go read it, then buy all the smellies!

Persephone Minerals has some great new collections, and I had to pick up two of them.  The first set of swatches is the Sailor Pluto set from the Sailor Senshi collection, and the second is the Lost collection.  The last two shades are the free samples that came with my order.  The quality is every bit as good as the other Persephone colors I’ve tried.  As usual, click the swatches to see the full sizes.

Princess Pluto, Setsuna, Pluto Planet Power

Closeup of the colors – see the green sparkle in Princess Pluto!

Sailor Pluto, Dead Scream

16, 23, 42

4, 8, 15

Floyd Pink, Topless

Longtime readers will know by now my enduring love of Korean brand Holika Holika.  The line is filled with witchy-themed products that actually do what they claim without breaking the bank.  The latest product which has fallen into Holy Grail territory is Holika Holika Pore Magic Cover Powder SPF 50+ PA ++.  Three things drew me to this product, the first being pore coverage.  I have oily skin and visible pores.  The second is SPF 50+ PA++.  I am pale and live by sunscreen.  The third?  Well, it’s Holika Holika.  I’ve yet to find a product by them that I don’t like.  Also, the price was right, at $16.99 for 10 grams on EBay with free shipping.  (It has now increased to $18.99, still a bargain for what it does.)

Pore Magic Cover Powder, at first glance, looks like a translucent powder.  It’s white in the container but goes on clear.  The difference is that Pore Magic Cover Powder gives the face a pretty airbrushed finish.  The pores really are less visible.  There are also a primer and a BB Cream in this range, and the three products together would likely leave the face flawless.  (I haven’t tried them, this is only an assumption based on the effectiveness of other HH products.)  I use this over the HH Petit BB creams or Skin79 Pink and my skin looks retouched.  I can tell the difference between the sides of my face when I am applying this.

The product is a very finely milled powder, more so than most powders.  It is reminiscent of corn starch.  The container has a sifter, but I find that it works better to pop the sifter out and dip the puff gently into the product.  The puff works well, although I prefer a flocked sponge because it is easier to clean.  You can see in the photo how discolored the edge of the puff is from just a few days’ use, which isn’t very hygienic.  I don’t recommend using a brush to apply this product.

Since this is a translucent powder, it doesn’t do anything to tone down color, such as if too much blush is applied, or absorb oil.  The sole purpose is to give an airbrushed finish by minimizing pore appearance, and at that, it succeeds remarkably well.  I am going to be purchasing more of the Pore Magic line to see how well the products work together, so keep an eye out for further reviews.

I purchased Holika Holika Pore Magic Cover Powder SPF 50+ PA++ from seller bello_girl on EBay.

This review is going to be a bit different than my others, because I will be reviewing a company, rather than the products they sell.  I was contacted by Soap Hope in regards to doing a review.  Usually, I turn down these requests because many of the emails make it clear they expect a good review in exchange for product.  I will always be honest in my reviews and rather than have to haggle with an unhappy company in the event of a less-than-glowing review, I politely decline.  However, something about Soap Hope caught my attention and when I investigated further, I decided I wanted to share this company with you.

Soap Hope sells many different brands on their store.  Some of them are brands I am familiar with and have used, like Biokleen, Kleen Kanteen, Pangea Organics, and Badger, while other are new to me or ones I know only by reputation.  All of the brands have a common theme of organic sustainability.  Soap Hope sells items ranging from personal care products, to home goods and pet supplies.  It’s nothing terribly out of the ordinary, but the business model of Soap Hope is one that amazes me.

Every dollar of profit that Soap Hope earns is donated to an institution that uses it to tackle poverty around the globe by investing in woman’s education and business opportunities.  After those profits have spent a year in service, the money is returned to Soap Hope.  Soap Hope says it’s like the Peace Corps in that every dollar volunteers for a year of service.  They call this the Good Returns model, which they say combines the efficiency and power of a for-profit business with the heart of a non-profit.  This is a totally new concept to me, and one that I applaud.

Soap Hope sent me a small package of samples from brands that they sell.  I am looking forward to using them all and giving individual reviews on them.  I was happy to see that Soap Hope practices what it preaches with the “ugly box” packaging.  Scraps of cardboard were taped together to create a box for the samples.  I wish more companies did this.  I end up with so much cardboard from packaging, and most of it is brand new boxes emblazoned with logos.  I don’t need fancy outer packaging for my products.  It’s what is inside the box that I care about.  I am a fan of repurposing, so the ugly box made me quite happy.

I tend to buy most of my care products from either Asia or indie companies, but for household goods, I’ll be buying from Soap Hope.