Coastal Scents Blush Too Palette Review and Swatches

Who is excited for spring! I know i am! The best part of Spring, aside from warmer weather and longer days. are the bright and bold shades that cosmetics companies start to offer up. While this product is not new for the spring it is a good time to pull it out if you already have it!

Coastal Scents offers a lot of fun palettes from small one to large but i think one of their greatest offerings are their blush palettes. They seem to understand that women sometimes like to experiment with contouring, highlighting, blush, and just the overall look of the face along with shadows and lipsticks. This palette, though shocking at first, offers even the tamest girl some color options she may not have expected to like. There is a range of shades from pale and shimmery pinks and beige, to bright magenta and lavender. There is a bit of peach and orange thrown in as well. What i like best about this offering is the mix of textures and shades that compliment each other. So if a shade is too harsh or too light on your skin tone you can built it up or tone it down.

These shades are easy to blend and i really liked that they weren't too powdery. The hardest shades to wear for most i think will be the orange in the upper right corner and the violet in the lower left corner. I think these would make good eyeshadow if you feel they aren't appropriate for wear on your cheeks.I love the sleek and compact packaging of this product and its stay put closure makes traveling with this product a dream.

Swatches done in natural lighting.

Overall if you are looking to experiment with different textures and shades of blushes this is a great way to try a bit brighter or unconventional shade since they are mixed in with more common shades. This product is constantly going on sale so you are always able to get a good deal on it and the blendablity and long wear time give it a good quality feel. You can purchase the Blush Too Palette from Coastal Scents here. (Currently $15)

Coastal Scents Camo Quads in Light, Medium, and Dark Review, Tutorial, and Video How To

Not too long ago Coastal Scents had a cant miss sale that i just, well, could not miss! They were offering their normally about $8 Camo Quads for only $4 and change. With a promo code from my IPSY bag, the total was brought down to $3 and change. I was able to get all three Camo Quads for just about 12$ which is an all around steal. But even better than all this talk of money is the fact that these Camo Quads are worth every penny!

First let me tell you about how they are packaged. There are in compact form. Each one has a clear lid to allow you to see the shades. There are four cream shades per quad. Each quad contains one white shade and four shades for a specific tone. There are three tones Light, Medium, and Dark.

These creams apply opaquely but can be blended out using a brush, sponge or even your fingers. They are light enough to blend into a flawless look, covering pores, dark spots, under eye circles, blemishes, and even make a great eyeshadow primer but also thick enough so that they can remain completely bold if you need them to. You can use other shades in the quad or even other shades from other quads to perfectly match your skin tone. If you are unsure of what color would be best on you purchase the medium shade (So long as you are not the darkest brown). The medium quad allows you to have access to a medium brown (if you are light brown in complexion) but also a pale beige if you are lighter in complexion. You can use the white to make any of the three shades lighter or use the darkest shade to make any of the shades a bit darker.

I feel that only the Light Camo Quad takes into consideration the different undertones that skin can have. For example  it is pretty obvious that the shade on the right is very yellow, the shade on the bottom is a bit pink/peach, and the shade on the left has a bit of a tan under tone.

If you have light or medium skin i suggest buying all three, if you have dark skin i suggest buying only medium and dark. These Camo Quads are great for highlighting and contouring. I was able to use the darkest shade of the Dark Camo Quad and blend it out to contour my cheeks and nose. I was able to highlight with the white shade blended out over my natural skin. I set this cream using a translucent powder.

You can also check out my video on how to contour and highlight below!

Overall i found these Quads very useful. I think Coastal Scents did a great job on quality, price range, and packaging. These quads can fit in the palm of your hand, and are easy to travel with. If you are on the go you can use the lid to blend your custom skin tone. You can purchase these here!

Ipsy Bag February 2013 Review

Are you ready to get Red Carpet ready? Forget about Valentines day, just like Ipsy did, and focus on the glitz and glamor of Hollywood's award season! Just in case you are new to Ipsy or don't know what it is, it is a beauty subscription service that allows you to sample beauty products in your own home for only 10$ (yes that includes shipping!) a month. While it is a mystery as to what you will get, you always get items worth more than this and this subscription is cosmetics based! Rarely disappointing. If you would like to sign up, you can do so here!

Just in case you didn't get an Ipsy Bag for February, here are some promo codes!

This months bag was a black, shiny, simple makeup bag which has the Ipsy logo inside.

What i received:
Pixi Flawless and Poreless (deluxe sample size)-
This translucent primer left the pores on my face visibly reduce. While i wouldn't trade the primer i use already for this product it did work quite well. I did not find it heavy on my face and found a little bit went a long way. It can be found here for $29.

Mica Beauty Cosmetics Gel Liner-
This liner, in a deluxe size, has quickly become one of my everyday essentials. It is soft and smooth enough to glide on with a soft or thin brush. It is smooth enough to blend out slightly. I like that once it is on it is resistant to tears and rain. I find it to be great quality that lasts all day and has so much more precision and lasting power than pen liner. You can find this liner here.

Pop Beauty Smokey Lash Kapow Mascara-
This mascara was just, mascara. Nothing special or different. Didn't make my lashes super lush but didn't fall flat. Did not get clumpy or make my lashes stiff. This is your run of the mill mascara that falls right on average and is good for everyday wear.

Coastal Scents Quad-
This item is not new at all. Ipsy gave this item out in October (I believe) and this is also something you can receive for free by placing any order at Coastal Scents. While it still requires a purchase, I always get irritated when I find out that a sample I pay for is something I could have gotten for free. With that aside these colors were decent. I found some a little too powdery for my taste but they were highly pigmented. The upper right shade has some fall out because of the micro glitter but this wouldn't defer me from purchasing this shade or a larger palette. These shades go well together for a full eye look or used individually.

Lash Card- 

This is the second time I have received this sample recently. Now my opinion may come off as a little bias on a few levels and I will explain why. First off, if you are new to mascara or eye looks having something like this to protect your freshly done makeup is genius. If you're a makeup artist you may want to use this on a client. But for someone who does makeup everyday this is pointless. I know how to maneuver a mascara brush, such that, i know how to not mess up my eye look.

Overall this months Ipsy bag was decent. A little something for novice to seasoned makeup user. While some items felt a little pointless others were spot on. Ipsy is a monthly subscription that allows you to sample beauty products for only 10$ month which includes shipping. If you are interested in signing up for Ipsy you can do so here ! 

Coastal Scents 42 Double Stack Matte Palette Review and Swatches

As you may have noticed i have been making a lot of posts about palettes lately. I have always been a fan of palettes since they allow you so many options in one convenient package. When i first began to explore makeup i purchased an 88 color palette on eBay direct from a small company in China. Little did i know how "in the know" i was because just 3 years later companies started popping up selling this same palette with their name placed on it and the makeup community was going wild for it. One company, Coastal Scents became pretty popular and now sells everything from makeup, to brushes, even how to's and material to make your own products!

Anyway, a few weeks back Coastal Scents was having a sale that i just could not pass up. 42 Double Stack Palettes for only 9.99$? Yes please? Two different types were offered shimmer or matte. I already own the 88 color shimmer palette so i decided to go with the matte. I adore bright colors, bold looks, and trying new and creative ways to wear makeup. This palette was perfect for me. The color range is deep, bold colors. Highly pigmented, easy to apply, and minimal fall out. Some shades can apply a little chalky but still easy to work with. There are 10 blushes which allow anyone of any skin tone to take a pick at the blush that works best for them, or try a new color with minimal commitment. I love the hot pinks, reddish pink, and the peach. All the blushes can be built up so if you want minimal or maximum color it is up to you. These blushes can be used as shadow if you are looking for a baby pink, or pastel pink. My one major complaint about these shadows is many of the colors look different in the palette but when applied appear as the same color (mainly the purples and the reds). This may only be an issue with my skin tone but it is worth knowing.

The brushes included are soft shadow brushes. There is one double ended eyeshadow brush, one brush which looks like a lip liner brush, but i guess this is for lining. I personally do not prefer this shape for eye use, and a long brush with a small tip for blush, which makes absolutely no sense. This palette is great on color but confusing on brushes. The shadow palette sits on top of the blush palette and is removable.


 Shadow swatches are all over primer using brushes included.
Horizontal rows left to right-

42 Double Stack Matte Palette over primer without flash

42 Double Stack Matte Palette over primer with flash

 Horizontal rows 3 and 4 left to right

42 Double Stack Matte Palette over primer without flash

42 Double Stack Matte Palette over primer with flash

Blush Swatches using brush included-
Horizontal row 1, left to right-

 Horizontal row 2, left to right

This palette will allow you to be creative with highly pigmented, bright matte colors. Great for those who can't afford a MAC collection or want to try on new colors. Great for those who like different types of blush. Not for those who don't like loud colors, those who don't like to work with brighter and bolder colors. Without a primer these shades are a little less bold but none the less still bold. Let your creative side loose and pick this palette up, even at its full price of $24.95 it is still worth it for all the product you receive. You can get it here!

Ipsy/Glam Bag October 2012 Review and Swatches

Ipsy/Glam Bag has come such a long way in just under a year of sending out bags. This month's bag is exceptional proof of this. Subscribers got over and beyond what they paid for this month and items that were both great in quality and value. The theme of this month was Bombshell and they embraced this it very well with black eye liner, voluminous mascara, and even a lip stain that will rival any other you have tried before!

For the past few months similar brands have been featured over and over and this month subscribers got to try some well known brands both domestic and internationally! This month's bag with jam packed with offers and coupons to allow you to buy the products from your bag at a discount!

I would like to start with the product i loved the most!

Mirenesse Lip Bomb #2-
This was one of the best lip lacquer stains i have ever tried. It rivals my Lancome products. Glides on creamy and glossy, feels like a liquid lipstick, opaque and full coverage, and tingles just a little bit since it is also a lip plumper. This product is so all in one that if it was a band it would be that guy who has every instrument strapped to a giant drum on his back! I got quite a few hours of coverage with this. Even when my sons hand brushed against my lips the shine still remained! This company is based in Australia, so i you haven't yet heard of them, that's why. I fell so deeply in love with this product (and with information from my friend Krys) decided to check out their other products and their VIP club. This company offers so much and i promise in the up coming months you will be hearing so much more about this company from me. I have about 4 packages coming in! This product is worth $35 dollars (the bag was only $10!!)

The Balm -Whats Your Type -Body Builder- Black Mascara-
This mascara really did add "body" to my eye lashes. It was a noticeable difference but did not look over done, overly dramatic, or like false lashes. It simply added some opmh to my normal lashes which is great for normal application. I usually like a lot of drama for my lashes, but am not that great at the false lashes, this is a good medium between natural and false. It wasn't clumpy or heavy.

Coastal Scents-
At any other time i probably would have thought this sample was awesome, however, right before i received my Ipsy bag i received an order from Coastal Scents which had one of these for free. This let me know that these were a free item from Coastal Scents, and while they have worth made me feel like it was just a cheap add in. None the less, i loved these colors because they aren't what i normally wear. I am daring when it comes to cosmetics but red is one of those colors i use sparingly. This quad goes well together a creamy shimmer white, a matte red, a shimmer brown gold, and a red copper shimmer. These colors make red work on a dramatic and just everyday way. These had great pigmentation and minimal fall out. If you like these shades i suggest you check out their 88 color palettes or their matte and shimmer palettes.

Be a Bombshell liner in Onyx-
This liner was so easy to use. The applicator is a thick and looks like a felt tip pen. Glides on easy, and is a little bit thicker when applied than shown in the picture. This is great for a dramatic wing tip, thin line, or thick line. You can also get creative with this liner. If you are new to liners this might be a good choice because of precision you can achieve using it verses a liquid liner with a brush.

Couture Color - Pequi Oil Treatment-
I have been using different hair oils for a while now such as Argan Oil, Macadamia Oil, and even Moroccan Oil, and i have loved what each product has done. This product is no different. It made my hair shiny and soft. My hair is prone to being greasy at the roots so i only put a little bit on my hands and rubbed through my hair as to not deposit too much in one area. It is great to sleek down frizz at the top of your head. and i like to apply it to my ends before bed to help my dry ends to feel soft by morning but not look greasy. I think this would be a great product for those with curly hair.

Do you want a makeup bag filled with makeup sent to your door every month? Well sign up for Ipsy and receive fantastic new makeup products and a makeup bag every month for only 10 dollars!