Dusk Cosmetics isn't a name that I come across very often. It's a small Etsy shop offering thirty-one eyeshadows across four collections. Definitely on the smaller side but I can respect a shop with a small set of excellent products.
Dusk launched in May 2014 with a four eyeshadow Princess Mononoke-themed collection. The collection grew to six a few weeks later and a Howl's Moving Castle collection followed soon after. Since then, only two other collections have been released and with large time gaps between them, the newest being the Legend of Zelda-themed collection from this January.
The overall impression that I get from this shop is that the work is a labor of love. The owner creates based on a solid inspiration. Very cool.
Packaging:
Inside the shipping envelope, my products came nicely packaged in paper with a Dusk Cosmetics branded sticker.
I purchased two full collections and they each came in shrink-wrapped sets. I'm not sure if individuals come in a similar format. Inside the shrink-wrap, each shadow was both plastic sealed and with a paper seal inside. It seemed a tad overkill to me but I'm not as concerned with safety sealing as some people.
There was also a really cute paper circle that said "carefully tap jar & please open gently! loose powder inside." I'm not sure what else one would expect after buying them from the website but I thought that the design was adorable and it's inclusion was cute.
I purchased two full collections and they each came in shrink-wrapped sets. I'm not sure if individuals come in a similar format. Inside the shrink-wrap, each shadow was both plastic sealed and with a paper seal inside. It seemed a tad overkill to me but I'm not as concerned with safety sealing as some people.
There was also a really cute paper circle that said "carefully tap jar & please open gently! loose powder inside." I'm not sure what else one would expect after buying them from the website but I thought that the design was adorable and it's inclusion was cute.
Selection:
I talked a lot about this in the opening section but I can rehash.
Dusk Cosmetics offers thirty-one eyeshadows in four collections. In addition to those mentioned above - Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Zelda - there's also a DOTA-themed collection.
Full sets can be purchased in a single listing and for 20% off the cost of the full set.
One thing in particular that Dusk does that most indies don't is they offer the option to choose if your eyeshadow jar comes with a standard shop logo sticker or the specific artwork for the collection. This seems like quite a bit of work to keep track of.
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| Aforementioned warning |
Samples:
Sample baggies are offered for $1.50 in the individual eyeshadow listings. Purchases also come with free samples.
Quality:
Eyeshadows are smooth and well-pigmented though - at least the ones that I've tried so far - on the very shimmery side. Swatches and individual comments to come! Dratted Seattle sun. /shakes fist.
Aside from the eyeshadows themselves, I think the artwork of this shop really stands out. I picked up both the Zelda and the Howl's Moving Castle sets and the artwork is pretty different for each collection, to the point where I wouldn't have been surprised if they had been done by different artists. But it's all done by the owner and subject to her personal inspiration.
The labels for both collections are really gorgeous.
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| Enchanted Castle collection - Howl's Moving Castle inspired |
Cost:
Sample baggies are $1.50 each.
Mini jars are $3.50 and filled rather generously with 1/2 tsp of product.
Full-sized jars are $6.00 with 1 tsp of product.
Both mini and full sizes are offered in the 20% off set listings.
Mini jars are $3.50 and filled rather generously with 1/2 tsp of product.
Full-sized jars are $6.00 with 1 tsp of product.
Both mini and full sizes are offered in the 20% off set listings.
Customer Service:
No personal experience here! I didn't need to contact the owner for any reason.
TAT:
I received a shipping email three days after I placed my order and the package was in my hand the day after that. I live in the same city as the company so the travel time doesn't say much but what it does say is that - at least in my case - the owner put it into the mail right after printing the shipping label instead of letting it sit around.
Shipping:
From the website:Shipping is $3 with tracking, anywhere in the US with no additional item costs.The shop does not offer shipping refunds but I found the shipping rate to be very reasonable.
Personal Thoughts:
I'm excited to be trying out such a promising "little" shop. A large majority of my indie purchases have been with the "bigger" players in the indie world and it's pretty awesome to be going back to the roots of what indie is meant to be. There are also so many misses when trying small shops that I'm really happy to be playing with a good one!I'm actually tempted to pick up the other two sets to try out their entire line up but the rest of my eyeshadow collection reminds me how much I need more eyeshadow...
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