Detrivore Swatches Part One: Green

I just want to start by saying that these swatches took me an outrageous time to do. I've probably had these sample baggies in my arsenal for almost two years. I even looked on the Detrivore site to make sure these were still current colors and worth posting to the interwebs. Thankfully, the only discontinued color was Ectoplasm, which you can still buy in a limited edition three piece set.

I also wanted to swatch these in sets, since half of the colors I have are green. I'll try to have the second part up within a couple of days, now that I've actually broken the swatch seal on these!

From left: Tommyknocker, Gangrene, Dr. West, Ectoplasma.

From left: Tommyknocker, Gangrene, Dr. West, Ectoplasma.

From top: Ectoplasma, Dr. West, Gangrene, Tommyknocker.

I'm not super thrilled with loose powder mattes in general. Mattes also hate Pixie Epoxy, so on the first go, Tommyknocker clumped up. So I swatched it over Too Faced Shadow Insurance. It's just not the color for me. Of course, then the entire bag spilled all over my bed, so I guess it's a good thing I probably won't wear it. That's not to say it isn't a good color for you, I'm just not a fan.

I really liked the shade of Gangrene. It's not exactly the color I would picture gangrene being, but I like it. The texture was really smooth and I like the shimmer.

Dr. West is really quite similar to the discontinued Ectoplasm. I think if you can't get Ectoplasm that Dr. West would be a good second. They are both fairly shimmery, but Ectoplasm has a bit of a golden sheen and it's a bit brighter. I probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart if I didn't know which was which.

From left: Swamp, Parasite, Putrid, Amazon, Ravine.

From left: Swamp, Parasite, Putrid, Amazon, Ravine.

From top: Ravine, Amazon, Putrid, Parasite, Swamp.

Obviously, my deal is that I need to own all the greens. I feel that Swamp and Parasite are similar enough that if you had one, you don't really need the other. Parasite is a little more shimmery than Swamp and is just a tad lighter. I do like both of them and I'm glad to own them.

Amazon and Putrid are also fairly similar. It looks like Amazon has a little bit of a matte base and it's a little darker than Putrid. Putrid appears to have more of the shimmer in this pair. I think both of these would make a great crease color in a green eye of the day, maybe with another dark green color to add smoke. 

I know I said I didn't care for mattes, but I really like Ravine! It's a great color green and the pigment itself is probably the smoothest I've even tried from an indie matte shadow. It even rivals some of the non-indie mattes I happen to own. I love it. This would be a great color to experiment with mixing textures.

Price: $1 for a sample baggie and $4 for a full size 5 gram jar. As far as indies go, this is probably one of the lowest prices for jars. Detrivore also runs 10 for $20 sales quite frequently, which is an incredible deal!

Rebuy? Now that I've actually done something with these colors, yes! Detrivore does some amazing sales, like 10 shadows for $20. Once I figure out a list, I'll definitely snatch up a few colors when the money allows. I eventually want to try some of the glosses too!

Vegan? No. Certain colors do contain carmine. Check individual listings for ingredient information.

Recommend? Yessir. I do remember that shipping was prompt and I love that the ingredients are listed on the back of the sample baggies!

Halloween Spirit EOTD

Did a quick look the other night when I was thinking of Halloween colors. Regardless, orange and purple is probably one of my favorite color combinations.

Products used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance all over the eye area.
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the lid area.
Shiro Cosmetics Spiritomb on the center of the lid.
Black Rose Minerals Leela on the outer lid and the lower lashline.
Inglot AMC 51 in the crease and blended up.
Inglot Pearl 407 to blend out the crease. Also on the inner part of the lower lashline.
Persephone Minerals Spirit Realm on the inner portion of the lid.
Persephone Minerals Buttermint on the inner corner and around the tear duct.
High Voltage Cosmetics Freyja to add dimension to the lid area.
Inglot Matte 351 to highlight the brow bone and further blend.
Inglot 77 gel liner on the upper lashline.

I really like the way the crease ended up! AMC 51 is a super bright orange (think Sugarpill Flamepoint bright) and Pearl 407 is a nice shimmery, lighter orange, so the contrast really worked with the purples. I think I'll eventually recreate this again. I did this look in bad lighting, so the creases were super uneven in color, which is why I picked the best looking eye!

Shimmery Neutral EOTD

Did a soft, slightly smokey neutral eye for work the other day. Thankfully, this was a nice quick one. I like the sparkle.

Products used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance all over the eye.
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the lid area.
Aromaleigh Nox in the crease and blended.
Evil Shades Death by Fruitcake patted on the lid.
Linnaeus Cosmetics Cliff Line on the outer corner and to blend out above the crease. Also used on the lower lashline.
Shiro Cosmetics Rapidash to highlight and blend.
Inglot 77 gel liner on the top lashline.
Sugarpill Love+ over Smashbox brown brow powder.

In the blurrier picture, you can see all the shimmers. The light really caught all the glitter on one side of my eye in all of them!

National Novel Writing Month

For the last couple of years I have participated in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. It happens every November and the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

Has anyone else participated or plan on challenging yourself this year? I wasn't able to finish last year, but I'm pretty determined this time around. Leave your NaNo profile link in the comments so we can be buddies!

I'll very likely post something about my progress for the duration of the month. Right now, it's all about the plot!

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/r-m-jackson

Black Rose Minerals New New York

Today I have just a couple of quick swatches of the New New York collection from Black Rose Minerals. I only purchased the three colors I was most interested in: Leela, Bender, and Dr. Farnsworth. I was really excited about this collection from the get-go because I love Futurama, which is what the collection is based on.

From left: Leela, Bender, and Dr. Farnsworth.

I really love all three colors. They're shimmery and sparkly and pretty awesome. I swatched all of them over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Eventually I want to do a look incorporating all three of them, but I think Leela and Dr. Farnsworth would look great together.

From left: Dr. Farnsworth, Bender, and Leela.

Color Descriptions from the Black Rose Minerals site:

Dr. Farnsworth: Good news, everyone! This shade is a tribute to our favorite Professor/mad scientist, Hubert Farnsworth. This shimmery mint green compliments your fancy pajamas, perfectly. Wear it sheer for a sparkly finish and wet for a deeper shade.

Bender: Insert girder here… This silver shines with a touch of blue. It sheer when dry, but it can be built up. Worn wet the color deepens and has a slight metallic finish. Don’t like it? Well, you can bit our shiny metal… y’know.

Leela: For our favorite mutant, this electric violet shimmers with female charm and prowess. Not for the faint of heart, this one is sheer and sparkly dry and a deep glowing violet when wet. A sticky base is recommended for this one.

From left: Dr. Farnsworth, Bender, and Leela.

From left: Dr. Farnsworth, Bender, and Leela.

In the blurred pictures, you can see all the sparkle and shimmer. I especially love the glitter in Leela. Pixie Epoxy or a glitter glue is definitely recommended to that shade. The shine in Bender is fantastic. It's a unique silvery-blue that you could pair with a variety of other shades. Dr. Farnsworth is probably my favorite because I'm a big fan of greens. I have to say that I don't have a color quite like this yet. I can't wait to wear it with other similar colors, or even dissimilar colors like Leela!

Price: A fullsize jar is $6, which gives you 3/4 to 1 teaspoon without the sifter and 1/2 to 3/4 with the sifter. A sample jar costs $2.50 and contains 1/4 teaspoon of product. A sample baggie is $1 and comes with 1/8 teaspoon of product.

Quality: I've always loved Black Rose Minerals for the quality colors and smooth eyeshadows. If there's a color I have that I don't like, it's because it isn't the color for me. I also love the themes of collections, such as this Futurama collection, the Edgar Allen Poe centered collection, and the upcoming Lord of the Rings based collection!

Would I purchase again? I'm actually waiting on an order right now! There's a new coupon code up now (use code pumpkin for 20% off your order) and a couple more colors I want, but I think I need to restrain myself until the Lord of the Rings collection comes out.

Recommend? Yes! There's definitely something for everyone, especially if you like colors, shimmery neutrals, and dark shades. So that pretty much covers everyone who wears eyeshadow.

Links! Go here to purchase colors from the New New York collection.

Target Buys

Shaun and I went shopping for his nephew today after I left work. Eventually we ended up in Target, which I love for Sonia Kashuk products. I wanted to pick up a few new brushes, but there weren't any interesting sets and I didn't want to pay too much for individual brushes. The ones that I did want were sold out, so I guess I have to go back eventually.

Another thing I wanted to try was the Sonia Kashuk eyeshadow primer. For the price, it seemed tiny and I hated the packaging. I think I'll just stick to my Too Faced Shadow Insurance. What I finally got was the Sonia Kashuk eye makeup remover! I was surprised that it was over $10, so I really hope I love it. I hate when makeup removers are too oily or greasy.

I've been exploring the Yes To brand lately, and my Yes To Cucumbers facial wipes are a rebuy. I like the scent of them for a quick wipe in the morning before makeup.

Because my skin freaks out sometimes, I like to keep it in check with products geared toward acne. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Yes to Tomatoes is for acne prone skin. I wasn't quite sure what to get, so I grabbed the cleansing wipes and lotion. I'll try these out and hope I like them.

 Just a small killing. I'll probably try out the Sonia Kashuk makeup remover and Yes to Tomatoes lotion and post a quick review.

Haus of Gloi Autumn Pumpkin Butters

I recently made a purchase from Haus of Gloi for some autumn themed Pumpkin Butters.

When winter starts getting closer, my skin needs a little more moisture, especially my feet. It's been a while since I've ordered from Haus of Gloi, but it was just as easy as before and the shipping was just as fast. Worried that I would miss some of the seasonal offering, I picked up three 2oz pumpkin butters in Olde Cider Haus, Ghost Puffs, and Pumpkin Eater. I've only used perfumes from Haus of Gloi, so this was my first experience with pumpkin butters. I was originally going to purchase body emulsifiers, but they weren't available in seasonal scents. I will probably pick those up in permanent scents eventually. Pumpkin butters have a thick texture that doesn't absorb as quickly as most lotions. These aren't really apply and go products. I prefer to use these predominantly on my feet, elbows, and knees rather than my hands. As they absorb into the skin, they tend to get a little greasy. I'm usually not a fan of greasy lotions, but these seem to work.

The small jars that I picked up are $4.50, which are a good deal if you want to try out a bunch of scents or have a little jar to take along with you. The larger jars, which hold 6oz of product, are $10 each. I wasn't able to spend $30 before shipping to try three scents, so I chose to purchase the smaller jars. I got the equivalent of a full size jar for $13.50, but I was able to get three different scents instead of just one. If you plan to repurchase a scent, I would say spring for a larger jar, as it is a better deal. Because I have to many lotions already, it is just more economical to get a few little jars than a few bigger jars that I won't get through.

Description for Ghost Puffs.

Ghost Puffs is the ultimate foodie scent. If you like foodie scents, I would highly recommend this one. At first whiff, it smells strongly of marshmallow with hints of buttery popcorn. Although this scent is also available as a perfume oil, I can't see myself wearing it. Certain scents, like foodie ones, I prefer as lotions.

Description for Pumpkin Eater.

Pumpkin Eater is also a foodie scent. Of all the Pumpkin Butters I've purchased, Pumpkin Eater has been used the most. Although I think Pumpkin Eater ties with Ghost Puffs as my favorite, it isn't as strong. It has an immediate smell of pumpkin spice and cream, which reminds me of my favorite pumpkin spice lattes. I don't know how I would feel about a scent like this in the summer, but for now, it is perfect for the season.

Description for Olde Cider Haus.

While I do like Olde Cider Haus, it is the only one I probably wouldn't repurchase. The oak element is just a little too strong for me and it smells too much of spice for my liking. This is also the only scent my boyfriend complains about, probably because it doesn't smell like dessert.


Packaging All in all, I like the packaging. Jars are easier to get the most out of a product because you can get every last bit. There's always a little left in a squeeze bottle of lotion, so I feel that you're getting the most for your money in this packaging.

Price While I understand that seasonal products are limited edition, I still wish the price was the same as the permanent line at $3.50 a jar. That said, I do still think this is a reasonable price for a handmade product.

Shipping My orders from Haus of Gloi always ship quickly and I don't feel that I am ever overcharged for shipping. My Pumpkin Butters arrived in a small box and were individually wrapped in colorful tissue. I also received a free sample of Spider Silk, another autumn scent.

Would I purchase from Haus of Gloi again? I definitely would! This is not my first order and I would order again. I did want to try another autumn Pumpkin Butter, Saft Ernte, but it is no longer available in a mini jar. The description, taken from the website, does sound like something I would like: A merry drink of harvest and glowing with warmth: Peach juice simmering with sweet spices, pumpkin, silken hazelnut cream and made completely curious with a drop of orange blossom water. But I'm still not sure I want to spend $10 on a lotion that I might hate.

Repurchase? I'm also thinking about repurchasing both Ghost Puffs and Pumpkin Eater in full size 6oz jars, depending on how much of the minis I use. Have you purchased from Haus of Gloi yet?