REVIEW - Dark Heart Designs

/ 10 comments
A little while ago Dark Heart Designs contacted me via Twitter to see if I would like to review their products. I'm alsways curious about indie brands and know a lot of you good folk are, too - so of course I said yes. A while later I received an envelope containing twelve eyeshadow samples and a leaflet...

[[ Dark Heart Designs eyeshadow samples ]]

Sample baggies hold enough for approximately 2 - 3 applications. Enough to test an eyeshadow to see whether or not you would like to buy a full size eyeshadow (1g of product in a jar). At present, you can buy samples of all 40 eyeshadow colours (although only 34 are listed on Etsy/ in the leaflet) for $10 through Etsy, though I can't see samples mentioned on their stand alone site.

[[ Dark Heart Designs eyeshadow swatch/ information leaflet ]]

The leaflet is a really unique touch and contains shade descriptions and eyelid swatches of every eyeshadow. There is also information on how much each jar of eyeshadow contains, ingredients and whether eyeshadows are vegan or otherwise.

[[ Dark Heart Design Swatches - Starstruck, Beautiful Nightmare, Surrender, Catalyst, Shudder, Purple Haze ]]

[[ Dark Heart Designs Swatches - Crash Love, Absinthe, Halestorm,  Siren's Song, Killing Moon, Twisted Metal ]]

Each colour is simple, but pretty, fine for filling any colour gaps in your eyeshadow wardrobe but I'd look elsewhere if you were after depth and complexity. The eyeshadows have a fine, light, soft texture which makes them easy to blend, though the patting method and a decent primer base is essential to achieve a true colour payoff. 

I find it quite bizarre that Dark Heart Designs also list their graphics/ photography/ website design portfolios alongside the make-up items for sale on their site. Especially since some of the links are broken or have expired...Generally when buying make-up, I look for a site where I get a sense of identity and purpose, not a  mish mash of a few totally different businesses. True, the site is described as a 'personal playground', but if you want your business to take off it's better that it doesn't come across as a weekend hobby. My advice would be to completely separate the graphics and web design from the make-up, they are not in any way related are in all honesty it looks unprofessional and half hearted.

Over all, a company I could recommend for basic shades, but personally I wont be buying until the 'weekend hobby' feeling is shaken off.

10 comments:

  1. I picked up the all-samples pack a couple of months ago. Like The All Natural Face these guys have good basic colours although they're not as cheap as TANF*.

    Halestrom is probably my favourite of the colours I've actually worn so far. Makes a lovely outer V colour paired with something lighter on the lid.

    * which I have to thank you for recommending to me. I've tried all their eyeshadows in sample form and picked up a few full sizes of my favourite light colours, including Creme Brulee, Fawn and Honeyed Peach.

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  2. I love the leaflet.. A definite prop, but I do agree, the shadows don't look all that special.
    Great review :)

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  3. Pretty! Never heard of them before. :)

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  4. the colors look nice.
    which keyword nice.
    maybe i will try out a sample.
    and see if i like it, but for now it's just nice :)
    great review!
    i agree with you about the website.
    but the pamphlet is a nice touch!

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  5. i am really loving the blue colors >u<

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  6. Thanks for the review, it was very informative!

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  7. @ Galen, agreed. I think they're good for flinging into looks when you already have some interesting colours going on and need something to tie it all together. Glad you like TANF! I LOVE Creme Brulee, but only had a sample which I gave away!

    @ Melly, I think the leaflet is a real bonus :) olour are indeed very basic, though.

    @ VampiressDoll, pretty indeed! Recommend if you want some simple, nice shades.

    @ Emily Anne, yes, 'Nice' but nothing spectacular. The leaflet is indeed a nice touch.

    @ Kawaiiberri92, blue are always pretty!

    @ Vulcan_Butterfly, you are most welcome!

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  8. I just found your review and wanted to sincerely thank you for your honesty! I'll definitely change up the site as soon as I can. You're the first person that's come out and said something about it, so I didn't know it looked unprofessional.

    I'm sorry the shades aren't very unique, but I'm working on spicing them up as well. I'm going to work on better adhesion, too. Again, I appreciate your honesty. I've been changing the brand around every time I get some good criticism to learn from. Thanks for the feedback!

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  9. Oooh, sorry, I thought I'd linked you to it, obviously I'm already going senile haha. As for the products in general, they are nice but do need a bit more 'oomph' to make them stand out. I'm glad you appreciated the feedback :)

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  10. I most certainly do! And I try to take as much feedback to heart as I can. While it hurts my feelings sometimes (not yours particularly), I would much rather people be honest with me. Can't fix something when you don't know it's broken, right? After all, what good would it do me to get mad at you when you were kind enough to do me a favor :)

    Oh, just so you know, it could be me that's going senile. I do tend to forget/misplace things occasionally because I have so much going on.

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