i recently discovered detrivore. it's not new. it's been around, but it's recently popping around blogs i read.

the most raved about item is the primer. i was going to order just that. however the flat rate international shipping of usd$5 does not justify a single item. i knew there was going to be a sale coming up shortly so i waited.

this is going to be a general review of the order. i'll post details of the product later. hopefully with some swatches too. /fingers crossed.

items received from this order. it was submitted on 1/11 and arrived 3 weeks later.

i bought primer in original, 10 full size jars for usd$20. the sample baggies were samples included with my order.

i don't usually order full size eyeshadows without trying. but it was a good deal. the price of most sample jars range from usd$2 to $3. getting them at $2 each is very good value. you know me, i can't resist good offers, especially people have been raving these eyeshadows.

i can't believe i ordered so many brown shades. they're 'safe' colors for me, but still, i wish i had order something more colorful.

the site

the website was relaunched when i placed the order. the interface is quite similar (or the same?) to morgana cryptoria's website.

navigation is easy. products are categorized by type. eyeshadows are grouped by finish or color. besides eyeshadows there are blushes, powder and fragrance. lip balm section says 'coming soon'.

the only downside is, only a few eyeshadows have swatch photos. i know that they'll be gradually adding more. i had to g00gle for swatches and fortunately there are many bloggers who do great swatches. (how do you do that? my swatch photos always fail...)

price-wise the eyeshadows are very good value, usd$4 per 5g jar. most eyeshadows from indies nowadays range from usd$5 to $7. i wouldn't pay anything more unless it's really really good and really really worth it.

shipping fee is flat rate. it's usd$3 within the states and usd$5 international.

my order was very smooth from beginning to the end. no customer service involved.

the product

all the jars are shrink wrapped.

ingredients are sticked to the side. if you're totally into ingredient list, you probably don't like it, as the label may be torn off with the wrap.

the label at the bottom of the jar. i'm not a fan of any insects but i think the logo looks really cool.

the top of the jar is clear. which is nice. i can easily look for colors i want.

the eyeshadows come with sifter. however i was disappointed to find that there are no stickers on the sifter. the powder was all over the place. it was a mess when i removed the shrink wraps and open the cap. one of the jars already made a mess with powders leaked through the cap.

i later re-check some reviews and found that some people actually like that there are no sticker. huh?! isn't the purpose of sticker to keep shadows in place and not make a mess during transport?

i like sifters because i hate making a mess. it also controls the amount of powder for application. now it doesn't make that much difference. it's so hard to control the amount of powder being picked up by the brush. (my poor makeup skill...)

i tried to tap the jars hoping that the powder would fall back through the holes. major fail! probably taking the sifter out and back is the best way, but i really hate the mess it's going to make.

quality wise, they are pretty good. i like the ones i've tried so far. i like the colors. well, they're 'safe' colors, you can't go wrong with them. they are pigmented and stay all day (with tsfi).

i have too many eyeshadows...

the current state of my loose eyeshadow drawer after adding these new loots. and there are more to come...

i was a bit crazy during this year's black friday sale. i finally did my maths (been trying to avoid that) and was shocked with the overspending. it could be more shocking if i had not restrain myself from buying more... and there are so many more i want to buy!

ok, i wasn't a bit crazy. i was really crazy. and now i'm so guilty!

initially i'm on no buy for the rest of the year. just one more month left, that's easy! at this rate, i better not buy anything in the next 3 months. let's see if i can do it.