Coastal Scents...my new discovery!!

I lurk and (rarely) post on a few beauty forums. On more than one site, I've seen rave reviews for products by a company call Coastal Scents.


First of all, the name threw me off. I ignorantly assumed right away that it was some teenie-bopperish berry scented, glittery crapola. Then the price threw me off. Yes, this is where I totally admit that I am a huge snob and usually assume high quality must mean high price. Logically, I know this is not true as there are amazing beauty products available at any drug store for pennies. Lastly, the website for this company had a logo that just looked unprofessional to me. I'm picky, picky,picky...



However, for months I have been reading posts like, "My Coastal Scents stuff came and it's so amazing!" and "As an on-set make up artist, I really recommend this company to everyone." When I finally saw skeptics admitting they became true converts, I decided maybe it was worth a try. After all, almost every review I could find was positive. If everyone else is in love with this stuff, maybe I should give it a whirl.



So, I took the plunge and ordered an eye palette, a blush palette and 2 gel liner pots. It only took two days for this stuff to get to me and it arrived in perfect condition. (I was afraid a big sheet of pressed eye shadows would be cracked and chipped but no, they were all intact.)



Here's my review in one word. Wow.





The 88 Ultra Shimmer Palette $24.95












The colors all go on as smooth as silk. They are very easily blendable. The assortment of colors is truly exceptional, ranging from pearly white to smooth ink black with everything in between (even neon yellow). The shimmer is perfect on every color- no big Urban Decay style only-18-yr-olds-get-pull-this off glitter, just sheen. They are all highly pigmented, too, a quality I find lacking in most products. The color you see on the palette is exactly what's going on your eye. The shadow colors lasted all day and into the evening for me but as usual, I use UD Primer Potion under all eye colors so I have to credit that product with the shelf-life of my shadows.








The Cheek Palette $16.95





The cheek palette is equally amazing. Like the eye colors, the blushes are silky smooth, go on very well and are highly pigmented so just a little bit goes a very long way. I am impressed, thoroughly.




The gel liner pots ($6.95 each) are a new thing for me. The gel is rather thin and glides on very, very quickly. It is not a consistency I am used to and I'm going to need some extra practice with using a gel liner. The end result as far as how it dries and the color staying power was all very good. I just couldn't quite get the line I wanted. I used several angled liner brushes (Smashbox, MAC, Ulta Prof and Sephora) and none of them were quite thin enough. It might just be me and my application, in fact it probably is...like I said, I need to work with these gels.






Check out the site. They offer a lot of items for professional make up artists and much of it is way too intircate for me. I wouldn't know the first thing about pressing my own colors or mixing this and that and creating custum shades. I do know that I feel like I got way, way, way more than my money's worth, though. That $25 eye shadow kit is the ONLY shadow kit anyone would need for years.



I give all the things I got from Coastal Scents two thumbs up twice over!



http://www.coastalscents.com/cfwebstore/index.cfm



I plan to try some of the mineral products and definately some of their brushes.



Yay for Coastal Scents!

So much for the Chanel mania..

My head is throbbing. I'm uber-bloated to the point that I can't get comfortable even in yoga pants. The make up sitting in shiny boxes waiting to be played with is just going to have to do what everything in my house is doing today, collecting dust. I managed to shower and get clean. That's enough for me today.

This wicked headache and blue-whale like swelling had to occur on the day I solemnly promised myself I'd start spinning and weight training again at the gym. I was totally sincere, too. It's hard to lie to yourself, really. I meant to go. I had every intention of sitting through 40 minutes of an annoying faux redhead in a headset yelling, "Come on, guys! Do it for the bikinis!" (easily said when you're a childless 19 yr old co-ed with B-cup boobs that still point north)

Lipgloss just isn't going to cut it today. I'm too cranky and tired to care.

I do feel very accomplished about the business sites, business blog and other such jewelry things. If only I could put half the effort into myself today that I put into it last night....


My kingdom for a massage...including the Chanel lot.

Now THAT is bad...

Chanel MANIA!

So, what does one do on a blustery, freezing wet day? I'll tell you what. She treks through the snow and make her way to the Nordstroms' cosmetics department, that's what.

Here's my loot:

Chanel Irreelle Duo- shadow duo in #73, River Light. I thik they are a bit greener than they show in pics. Love it. Love the colors, they come off semi-sheer and light. I haven't tried them wet but I still suspect a light wash of color. I am really looking forward to experimenting with these colors. Tomorrow sounds soon enough! As always, Chanel delivers with premium pacakaging and a soft, siky blendabilty that just reminds me of why I pay what I pay at the Chanel counter.

Next up, Collection Essentielle in Lumiere Tendress.

This palette is so soft, so shimmery and so right ....for me! The eye color quads are so very natural and complimentary. The cheeck color is ideal- I want a full size pot now. I love, love the glosses. The whiter gloss is a fabulous pout highlighter. This palette is already a go-to favorite of mine right off the bat.

Chanel Le Vernis #18 Vamp. Does this even need any explanation? I didn't think so.

Aqualumiere Gloss in #67 Diamond Rose. LOVE IT! It's not as pink as it sounds, it's more a nuetral gloss with some sheen to it. It looks great on my white lips. Excellent color, I am glad I found it.

Next up= Glossimer in #96 Iris. Classic Chanel Glossimer forumla, wears all day, never goopy. Ideal gloss! Iris is a gorgeous pinky-peach but be warned- it's highly shimmery. It packs a lot of 'sparkle' and some women just prefer a more matte look. I think this color compliments any look in which lips take a back role (think dramatic eyes, smokey lids, intense cheeks...or plain nude all-over face). It's perfect in that it's almost not there....until the light catches your lip and you see sparkling undertones. Personally, I love it. LOVE IT.

No pics yet, though. I figured modeled on lips is best.

I am a big fan Chanel's Fluid Iiridescent liquid shadows. Tonight I picked up #20, Fountain. This is a deeper, brighter pink than I amused to but it look really good alone so I can't wait to see how it blends with some colors. They blend well, dry well to a shimmery finish. They blend well under darker colors, too, and act like an ideal base color. I'm really into this product!

Tomorrow...I promised myself that 1 hour at the range and 1 hour at the gym and I will reward myself with 1 hour at Laura Mercier.

Until tomorrow....ladies!

Links, favorites and random thoughts

It's 2:10am and I am nowhere near sleep. Again. Naturally, the best thing to do is babble endlessly.

I just saw a commercial for Jumbo Krispies. These are Rice Krispies on steriods, apparently. I don't get it. The key word is supposed to be RICE, right? It's a rice based cereal, no? Well, rice is small. A grain of rice is just a few milimeters in length. Nature doesn't make giant rice for a reason. Jumbo Krispies? Chernobyl Krispies...sometimes the classics are really the only way to go.

Anyway, I said earlier that I would share some of my favorite beauty sites and forums and so I shall. First up, a nod to my e-home and favorite place to lurk: http://forum.purseblog.com/ While I love the jewelry boards (for obvious reasons) and I read half a dozen other forums there, my favorite by far is The Beauty Bar, found here: http://forum.purseblog.com/the-beauty-bar/

The topics vary and the ladies and rare gents that contribute really know thier stuff. The collective knowledge is more than impressive. It's definately worth checking out if you're into the frilly and glossy. Sure, some things won't appeal to you, not everything does. But most will. Or should!

Next up is www.bylaurenluke.com and http://www.youtube.com/user/panacea81 Both links will take you to the world of England's favorite "unofficial" and self-proclaimed not-artist. Her tutorials are like having private lessons in your own home, free of charge and dumbed down enough for us that aren't pros. I love her, I really do. I would never copy a lot of her looks because they are over the top, good for clubbing and not so good for middle aged mothers in questionable career fields, like me. But the techniques, ideas, short cuts and tips Lauren passes on make her my favorite online make up source (non sales, of course). Besides all that, I am just amazed at her talent. I could never do what she does. Check her out and thank me later.


http://www.makeupgeek.com/ I pop into this site once in a while. I should watch her youtube tutorial more often. I love that she uses high end products, low end products, even off-the-wall items not even intended to be used cosmetically. She's very impressive. I like her end results a lot and often try to imitate her look. Thumbs up, surely.

A great source for reviews: http://www.makeupalley.com/



I suppose I should haul my butt to bed. It's nearly 3am and my kids will have me up in no time, especially the little one. He's terribly excited about snow and even though all we have on the ground right now is solid ice, it's looking like he will wake up to some powder. I hope, so. I'd love to watch all of them playing in the snow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

A quick post

I have literally had no time to sit down for more than 20 minutes all week. When I did have time, I had more pressing things to get done. But I do have products that I've tried and will review (like the lip peel Crystal was interested in) and new stuff I'm testing out this week. I also Have links I want to share with any of us products whores. Tutoritals, discussion forums and so on. Some amazing things to watch. I've learned a lot from a few really talented people....but I'll share that when I can dig up the links and post a bit more about it.

Quickly, before I once again run out the door....

The Sephora Lip Peel is not a disappointment. It's relatively cheap, at $12, easy to use and I do see results. It dries on in about 2-3 minutes and it does peel off, like it says, but you still have to wipe small remnants off. It did remove dead skin, as promised. It didn't burn or tingle, it didn't have any ill effects. In fact, it felt like a plain clear gloss until it dried and became sticky. My lips did look and feel better right after use. I would use and buy this product again.

Stick around, there's much more to come.

=D