Coastal Scents Blush Too Palette | Swatches

Hey all! another installment of my Coastal Scents  haul, yayyy! I bought a couple palettes, a brush set and some eye shadows. I’ve showed you the lip palette and the eye shadows in their pots, and today I’m going to be showing you another palette, the Blush Too.

I have the original blush palette by this brand, but I’m telling you now the colours in this one are more up the alley for darker-skintones. Despite the Original 10 Piece blush palette being pigmented, many of the colours were too light and ended up looking like a chalky mess on me. I love this newer one because the colours are richer, darker and more daring. Have you seen this orange and that purple blush? Not for the faint at heart. If you’re just starting out in makeup, trust me and leave this out.  I’m glad I bought the original then, because had it been this palette, I’d look like a clown quite often.

Onto the swatches…

Absolutely beautiful colours! I’ve been wearing the 4th blush on the first row and the 3rd one on the second row every chance I get. I am in love with those two. I think these would look FABULOUS on darker skin tones, so go get you one of these palettes!

Disclaimer: This product was bought with my money. Opinions are my own.

Smashbox Cream blush Dupe! | Beauty

It’s not often that I have high-end make up, but when I do, I think it’s interesting to compare the dupe-ability to the drugstore/ affordable options I might also have. Funny enough, I got this Smashbox Cream Cheek Color in the same gift set as the eyeshadow reviewed here, then when I received my e.l.f order, I realised this colour looks awfully familiar.  So I put them side by side. Looking like a dupe.. yip! It’s close! (Sadly I think the Smashbox is unavailable now.)

In the packaging they look almost the same, but when swatched they appear a bit different. Captivate (Smashbox) is a lighter peachy pink colour, but with similar undertones to Superstar (e.l.f.).

Both are a warm rose, although superstar is a bit brighter but blended out, each give a nice flushed look. They also contain some reflects, to give a bit of a glow to the skin without looking like a glittery mess.they’re also a semi-matte finish. I love that both of them are so long wearing too (4+ hours).

You would probably end up wasting more of Superstar because of the packaging, and just how pigmented even a half pump of this blush is. Like the tiniest of amounts still seems like too much. While Captivate is a bit more forgiving as it is a bit sheerer.

I like the packaging on both of these products, and couldn’t say I’d change either of them as it wouldn’t make much of a difference to the product. I use both of interchangeably, but to be brutal, I’d pick the Captivate because it’s so much easier to apply without overdosing on colour.

Disclaimer: These products were bought with my money. Opinions are my own.

Smashbox Cream Cheek Color in Captivate | Swatches

Hey all! Today I’m showing you swatches of this gorgeous cream blush from Smashbox in the colour Captivate. It definitely has to my heart…I’m in love with is. Such as easy wearing blush, especially on my skin tone I think, it gives they prettiest glow and flush of colour.

I was going to do a more in depth review of this, but since this product is no longer available I’ll just be just showing swatches and also posting a dupe I found of this blush in the following post.

I did happen to find this blush available here though.

Disclaimer: This was bought with my money. Opinions are my own. 

e.l.f. All Over Color Stick | Swatches & Review

Hey all! I bought these colour sticks from the e.l.f. website a while ago because I always wanted to try them and I think there was some deal on. Trust me, they’re always a deal on the e.l.f. site, it’s hard to keep track. these are small twist up colour sticks available on the e.l.f. site for about $1USD. They’re very convenient as you don’t need a brush to apply them, and there are plenty of colours. I especially like how they look on my skin tone and give it a nice sheen.

I fell in love with Pink Lemonade and for a good part of June It was the only cheek colour I’d wear, aside from bronzer. It’s a nice bright pink for my skin tone, you can apply it with your fingers and not end up looking like a clown and it has some shimmer so it’s like a highlight too. Becareful not to blend too much. Especially when using your fingers, the product starts sticking more to your fingers and less to your face, so it looks like you aren’t wearing anything but shimmer.

The other colours I have are also lovely. I picked them after viewing a bunch of swatches so I didn’t get something that was way too pale for my brown skin. I like that they can be worn all over. I wore Toasted as a warm bronzy blush/ highlighter at some point and Golden Peaach as an eyebrow highlight as well as all over my lids another time. Of course using a primer, as the creamy consistency will crease on your lids.

these sticks are a good firm consistency that warm up to apply to the skin easily, especially with your fingers as I mentioned before. If your choose to use a brush, use a synthetic one, as these colour stick do feel a bit waxy and it would take a bit of effect to get it out of a natural hair brush.

The only thing I didn’t like and that’s about all of them was their staying power. They’re all beautiful colours, but as I was saying with blending it out too much, it just disappears. I’m a person who tends to touch their face a lot, and I think this blush possibly lasts 2-3 hours on me. I do not think that these colour sticks are waterproof either, definitely not marketed that way. So although they’re easy to apply during summer, I don’t think they last in the heat. Especially not Barbados heat. Also if you have oilier skin than mine, this may not be the product for you as it is emollient.

Pros: 

• Affordable.. more like CHEAP!
• Easy to apply
• Convenient to carry around
• Multi-purpose as it can be used on any part of face
• Combines shimmer and colour
• Gives healthy glow and colour
• Faint fruity smell ( I thought it was just Pink Lemonade, but all have it)

Cons:

• Not for oily skin or hot climates
• Not waterproof or long lasting
• Prone to creasing without eye primer
• Can look overly shiny (may need setting with powder)

The Raw Sugar:

I love the colours of these colour sticks and how nicely they can be worn all over the face. Although they’re a breeze to apply (especially on darker skin), they just do not stand up long enough in my climate. I don’t know if I also need to use a face primer or set them with a powder too, but I’d rather it be hassle-free. I do like the flush of colour they give for the first couple hours, but after that  you will need to touch up. To defend e.l.f though, they don’t toot about being long lasting anyway, and it is convenient enough to carry around. I think it’s a good product, I like it!

Where you can find it: e.l.f. website (online), Target is also known to sell e.l.f products (USA)

Disclaimer: This product was bought with my own money. Opinions are my own.

e.l.f. HD Blush in Superstar | Swatches

Hey everyone! I heard Judy from ItsJudyTime raving about the new (not so much now) e.l.f. HD blushes. These are like a dupe for the Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish cream blushes. No joke, these babies are highly pigmented! Shocking, especially since they’re just $3USD.

This will not be a review of these though, I’ll do one of those later when I test them out some more, but for now, here are some swatches of the awesomeness that is this blush.

This is the colour Superstar, a warm pink colour which boarders coral. It looks like it could be a dupe for the MUFE HD blush in #6 Quickie or #5 Nip Slip. But I don’t have these to show you sadly. (I’m not sure if the names of the colours have changed, but here’s swatches of  Quickie from KarlaSugar).

Anyway, enjoy my swatches and get your hands on these if you can!

Disclaimer: This product was purchased with my own money.

June Beauty Favourites | Beauty

Hey all, Happy 250 Posts!  It’s almost the end of June and I have been trying out a few new products this month, so why not post about my favourites. For May, I was travelling and my favourites were almost all the same as for April, so I didn’t post about them. Tons of reviews coming on these products, I must say e.l.f. is always able to impress me with something.

Anyway first up is my Maybelline BB cream, a repeat favourite, though from the new picture tutorial coming up, I feel as if it’s not matching my skin as well as before. Still it’s great for moisture and does brighten up your skin so you somewhat put together when you head out. I recently bought some e.l.f. face products and I must say I’m impressed by the All Over Colour Stick and the new shade of the Contouring Blush and Bronzer. Pictured is the All Over colour Stick in Pink Lemonade, and the Contouring kit in Turks & Caicos.

I’ve also been trying to focus more on my brows as they are a problem area for me. I am going to try to groom and shape them more often. To fill them in, I’ve been trying out the e.l.f Studio brow kit and the Maybelline MasterDrama Brow pencil. I like them both as I don’t need a lot of product for my eyebrows to look groomed, but not too bold. The only issue I have is the almost useless brush e.l.f. provides in their kit.  You should be seeing reviews of these coming soon.

Typically I’m not a fan of eyeliner, it burns my eye, makes them water or does not last at all on my waterline.. until I got the Milani Liqui’feye, but that’s so hard to find in Black sometimes. I bought some mascara a while back from Cave Shepherd and it came with the L’Oreal Kohl liner (which is pretty old mind you), but it is so creamy and works well, even my aunt liked it. It glides on easily, is very black and does not irritate me eyes. I can use it on my waterline and to line the top of my lids with ease. Being it’s a kohl liner, it never fully sets, but it definitely does a good enough job setting to not make me look like a raccoon.

I recently got the Maybelline ColorTattoo and  like it also, I’m thinking I should have gotten another colour besides Bold Gold though, because applying it with my fingers can be a hassle, leaving gold glitters everywhere on my lid. Another Maybelline product I’m loving is their new the Falsies Big eyes Mascara. I had been a bit disappointed by the Falsies when I tried the waterproof formula, and the brush was so big for my eyes, but I love the Big Eyes. Formula and everything, so look out for a review on that soon.

Finally, I’ve been in LOVE with this blue Nicole by O.P.I. polish (as seen in my NYC Beauty haul). I’ve already worn it 2 weeks in a row, that’s a record for me. I never remove polish to apply the same one. Hardly ever. I also painted my toes in this colour. I took it off of my digits for now as my hands have been quite dry as of late, so my nails or peeling :(. But I would put back on this colour “Listen to Your Momager” in a heartbeat!

April Favourites | Beauty

Hey all! It’s the end of another month and although I don’t do these very often, I thought, why not? I have some great products to show you all!

First off, my new favourite cleanser from Clearasil which I mentioned some weeks ago that I got on a deal from a local supermarket. I removes mascara and my face products with very little work and I love the scent! It’s perfect for daily cleansing as it’s not overly drying and it cleans well. I do have to use a moisturiser after using this product however as my skin feels a bit tight.

Next up are my face products. I have been loving the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB cream (in Medium/Deep). It’s a very nice light weight product which moisturises, protects from sun exposure (since there’s some SPF in it) and it provides sheer coverage. For me, the latter is a great thing because I have some scarring from acne and blackheads and it just gives some coverage so my skin does not look as raw, while being subtle enough that people don’t ask me if I’m wearing foundation. This has happened before, and trust me, it feels weird even though I’m in college. I’ll be doing a review on this late with much deeper thoughts one it.

On the days where I don’t use BB cream, I have been trying to protect my skin by using the Neutrogena Dry Touch Suncreen (SPF45). I had promised myself to get more into wearing a sunblock on my face and body. I find that the formula is not greasy and absorbs fast. It smells like your typical sunscreen though, hence my boyfriend calls me beach face lol.

Next up is NYC Sunny Bronzer, which goes perfectly with the BB cream, because it can really take the colour out of your face. So I just do some light sculting, add a bit a blush and I’m ready to be out of the door. On my skin alone, this bronzer does not show up as prominently, but you can definitely see the difference when I apply BB cream first. (Not the darkest of bronzers for caramel or darker skintones, but it works for me to look natural).  

I have also been loving my CoverGirl LashBlast Volume mascara (regular formula), it’s light-weight and doesn’t make my lashes feel stiff or brittle. The only peeve I have about it is how wet it is and hence it get all over my lid when I apply it, no matter how far I tilt my head back. I may need to try the business card tip to fix this. But this mascara gives great volume and length without clumping your lashes together.

The e.l.f. Essentials blush in Glow has been another thing that I grab for almost daily. But not to be used as actually blush. This is a peach blush with a gorgeous gold sheen. It’s better as a highlighter for my skin tone, but I actually use it as a eye shadow. I do a quick wash on my lid and it brightens up my eye area.

For my hair, I have been liking the African Pride Olive Oil Miracle Leave-in Conditioner. I had a sample of this from the Girlfriends Expo and loved the smell and texture so much that I bought it full-sized! I’m still loving it. It’s great at moisturising and it feels like it refreshes my hair even on a really bad morning. It’s feels rather greasy though so I have to use a small amount of this product or my hair would be weighed down.

Finally, or should I say, as usual coconut oil is on my list of favourites haha. I can’t help myself but this product is just so multipurpose. Some nights I used it as a hair/scalp treatment, I also use it when I’m just at home as a face moisturiser and I have yet to use it again in my Shea butter mixture. I will make a post or video with me making it, since it’s really easy and saves you a lot of money on moisturisers.

I hope you all enjoyed my favourites, and hopefully you have a few favourites of your own to share with me. I’ll hear you all next post!

Coastal Scents HAUL!

Recently I got a few items from Coastal Scents. I finally got a blush palette, I always have trouble finding a blush here and the ones I had just did not go with every look. I’m very impressed by the quality of these blushes. Although everyone is not for my skintone, they are very saturated with pigment and they look like dupes for more expensive department store shades. I already found one that could be a dupe for M.A.C. Ambering Rose blush. I may compare them later as my sister owns that shade.

I also was able to get 2 new brushes. A nice blending one that Coastal Scents brought back (thank God), the pro-blender brush. It is a dupe for the M.A.C. 217 brush and I’ve actually seen more than one brand with a brush very similar to this for blending. Sigma also has one called the E25. I love this brush so far. The bristles are goat hair and it does blend very nicely.

Finally, I got the Small Detailer brush, which is a purpose detail brush for any cream or liquid product. Currently I’m using it for eyeliner and I was very impressed by how well it applied the product. Definitely would get more of these.

What products would are you loving or want to get from Coastal Scents? Any recommendations for new brushes?

Disclaimer: All products mentioned where given to me as gifts by one of my best friends, Blackman and I am in no way affiliated with the company mentioned. Opinions are my own, as are the images.