Well that was a total waste of money

I've heard lots of good things about Catrice, as I have a few beauty blogger friends who swear by their stuff. I always put off getting anything but last week I went to Watsons to find some drugstore items to write about - I'm trying to feature more affordable things as you guys requested! Remembering Catrice I went ahead and bought the Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base (around P300), and the Matt Bronzing Powder (in the neighborhood of P300 too).

I finally opened both products today, and I was so disappointed by what I found in the jar of the Eyeshadow Base.

As you can see, it has completely dried up into a hard cake. There's no way for me to revive the product, much less pick up anything at this point. It was sealed when I got it so I didn't really have an opportunity to check. :/ 

Perhaps I can still return it? It's been almost two weeks since I got it though, definitely past the standard 7-day return policy. Even if I can return it I'm not sure if I have time to recoup a three-hundred peso loss, argue with the sales lady, wait for their decision, things like that. Some people might enjoy the back and forth but I am allergic to aggravation.

I don't like writing bad reviews or ranting about things here on Project Vanity. I truly believe that brands try their best and different products suit different people. I suppose I'm posting this as a warning to everyone who buys makeup - find a way to check sealed products or at the very least get some assurance from the sales staff that it's new stock. Check the expiration date too! I'm pretty cool about this primer because it's inexpensive, but I'm sure I would feel differently if this was from, say, MAC.

I would definitely still review the Matt Bronzing Powder though. ^_^ It looks promising! I'd love to know how you deal with faulty products - do you just chalk it up to experience and let it go or do you go on war mode?