Revisted: CoastalScents brushes

Back in 2008, I bought a couple of brushes from Coastal Scents. I got the Pink Kabuki brush, Pink Duo Fiber Powder Stippling, Angle Blush Brush and the Deluxe Buffer brush. Back then, there was a craze thanks to a few make up gurus on YouTube raving about them.

3 years later and owning more brushes now, I come to realize how much I hated those brushes.
I first got the Pink Kabuki brush, Pink Duo Fiber Powder Stippling in June of that year. They were very soft and I had good impression on them. I washed the brushes with some mild shampoo as usual and that's when the "fun" began.

The Pink Duo Fiber Powder Stippling brush bled like crazy, staining the entire white part permanently gray. Till now. I do not own another stippling brush thus I cannot compare how stippling brushes are suppose to work and the effects. Right now, I think this is junk.

I've always wanted a kabuki brush. The name itself sounds so cool. Nowadays, I use this to put on my mineral foundation. The colour never bled, thank God but just after a few washes, it started shedding like crazy.

Before people start pointing their finger at me thinking it's my funky washing skill or funky shampoo, please take note that I use either Daiso's brush cleaning detergent or Johnson and Johnson's baby shampoo. Also, I have no shedding problems with my other brushes, it's just these.

Every time I use this, I have to literally start spitting out hair from my mouth and then pick up the other scattered hair from my face.

Next batch

Left to Right: Angle Blush Brush, Flawless Face Chisel Blush Brush, The Deluxe Buffer Brush

In August 2008, I got the Angle Blush brush and the Deluxe Buffer brush. The hair on the brush is somewhat coarse and not as fine as the Kabuki brush. Out of all these brushes, the only one I still use is the Angle Blush brush which I use to contour my face on my non-lazy days. It's also my only angle Blush brush so I don't have much of a choice.

I really need to start getting more brushes and better ones. *sigh*

The deluxe buffer brush is a total FAIL! It's the first one I ditched. It sheds like no tomorrow and because the hair is fine, it gets into your eyes and when it sticks to your face, it really sticks and it's hard to pick it off. Hate hate hate!

Well, lesson learnt.

Damn, I forgot to put a title; Purple Blue EOTD + wig

Pringles potato chips : Once you pop you can't stop

My version: Once it pops out, it can't stop

If my pimples has a slogan, that would probably be it. That aside, while doing the last ROTD, I came to realize that I have not been doing much EOTD or anything. Partly because I have no motivation and partly because I just didn't think I was good or anything. In the end, I kind of forgot how fun it was to just sit down and do an EOTD. It really is relaxing, looking at the palette and the only worries is which colour today and which colour goes with which.

Wanted to try something different from what I usually did so all I could do was this. I used purple, a colour I tend to avoid since it makes me looked bruised and blue, my favourite eye shadow colour. A colour I just can't go wrong with. I was absolutely clueless about what colour lipstick to use so I ended up with Nyx's Circe. A nude colour lipstick topped with MJ's Honey pump lip gloss. MAC Petticoat on the cheeks lightly dusted with The Body Shop's Shimmer Wave in Peach.

All this is from the 88 colour palette that I got some time ago. If you're wondering about the sudden hair growth. Don't panic, it's a wig. The wig I ordered nearly a gazillion years ago arrived in good condition. It was shockingly in a very similiar colour to my current hair colour. Oh well...

I'm loving it. I'm not good at styling it yet but I'm trying. Gotta get the hang of it first.

Left to right: Blood? BLOOD?!?; Ta daaa, a bodyless head. Kidding, it's just a freaking wig

Something else in the mail. A costume for Halloween!! Not my original choice but my first order was cancelled and my money refunded, had to search for another costume asap so this was in. It's in no way revealing or sexy but it'll have to do for now.

Can't wait for Saturday...

Hectic week + MAC sweet Sage, Sugar Shock, Testimo and disappointing hauls

I think I'm going a little crazy. This week has been one of the craziest I've experienced since joining the banking line. Our team didn't do all that great and stricter rules were enforced. Not that I can blame Mr. Team Leader. My cases has either been rejected or slashed to the point no return, a slight exaggeration there but close enough. I'm drowning here and I need a life line.

Worst I was so worried about work that it gave me writer's block the past week, I didn't know what to write or say and I was losing sleep over everything. But I realize that if I do not update today, I'll never have the time to as I'll be spending my weekend in roadshows once again for IJM and Reapfield, so I'll compile everything together and to do a fast review on the items I bought recently starting from a few weeks ago.

*Warning, picture intensive

MAC fluidline in Sweet Sage, MAC lip gelee in Sugar Shock, brushes from Coastalscents.com

MAC fluidline was an unexpected buy, E was browsing through some blog when she came across someone selling MAC Sweet Sage and alerted me knowing how much I love blues and greens. One looks later, I was in love. It's olive green with gold shimmer. It was beautiful! Since it's too light to be an eyeliner, I mainly use it as an eyeshadow. I normally pair MAC Nylon (highlighter) with Sweet Sage since they are both have gold-ish base and blend it all together with black. I'll post some pictures of the look up later.

MAC Fluidline in Sweet Sage and Blue Peep

MAC lip gelee in Sugar Shock

I've been searching high and low for this colour for quite some time, it was launched back in the Mid - 2007 with the MAC C Shock collection. A colleague asking me why I bought such an "aunty" colour after taking one look at the colour in the tube. I do admit that the colour on the tube is deciving but it's describe as a sheer red berry colour and I instantly knew that it's going to fit me but I asked E just in case.

E took one look and said 'Get it!' and she's hardly wrong and so I got it, wheee!

It looks extremely natural on me. It's my healthy lip colour colour

I have forgotten all their name and I admit that I was being stupid when I used a black cloth as the background

Finally, me and E ordered more brushed from Coastalscents.com. We didn't get a huge load but just about 6 brushes altogether. Regreted it, should have ordered more! I never had proper brushes before Coastalscents and I'm now slowly collecting them after getting nagged from so many people saying that I should invest in good brushes. And after using them, I can tell that there is definately difference between good and bad brushes. These are so soft and has yet to shed a single hair. I'm really happy with this batch. Just do a wash before using. Can't risk irritating your eyes right?

12/11

Kanebo testimo lip gloss in BE161

Another natural looking colour, but this one has more hint of orange and some sparkle. Nice nice nice nicee

Was walking around Parkson when E and I stumbled upon these babies, they are very affordable since there was some discount. What attacted us most was the packaging. It reminds me of the limited edition lip stick that my sister got for me a year or so back! I'm somewhat an occasional sucker for nice packaging.

Disappointing hauls

Egypt Queen Glitter liquid eyeliner and Locia white eyeliner

Looks like black...mascara clumps/ dirt(?) whatever

This has got to be the MOST disguisting eyeliner I have ever seen in my life! It's so gross I can be sure that it's not coming anywhere near my eyes. It refuses to be applied evenly and it leaves me speechless. No wonder there was no swatches on the seller's page!

It all happend when the seller private messaged E to check out her page and we saw that she was selling cosmetics (no name brands) for a very super low price. Being greedy with itchy hands, we order a few stuffs each and shared shipping. Boy, were we disappointed. It really goes to show that nothing good is free. In our case, it wasn't free, despite being cheap, I wouldn't have even forked out RM1 for this item. To be truthful, I wouldn't even have taken it if it was displayed outside a shop for FREE! I'm so tempted to give it away for free to anyone that message me but it's so disguisting it's an insult to even give it to anyone! I'm not sure how so many girls actually order this stuffs. I'm guessing that they do not know how the real thing actually looks like.

A comparison between Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner and Relian's gel eyeliner size

Relian gel eye liner in brown

Since I've recently acquired Bobbi Brown's gel eyeliner in Black, I decided to try out the Relian's gel eyeliner in Brown. I was expecting dark, chocolatey brown but what I got was ... brown. The Milo kinda brown. To me, its too light to be an eyeliner. It's going to look really awkward on me and that tone of brown will make my eyes look puffy and swollen if used alone. I really have no choice but to try to use it as an eyeshadow or something and blend it with other colours. This was another item without a swatch, and the seller's picture looked like a much darker brown. The seller happily told people that some buyers used it for their eyebrow. I can understand why, it's a beautiful shade if you are a BLONDE! I'm so so disappointed with the items I got. But hey, if the brown appeals to you, go ahead and get it, it was really cheap too!

Left to right: Egypt queen black glitter eye liner, Relian gel eye liner in brown and Locia eyeliner in white


Coming up next
MAC Holiday 2008 Collection
Passion in Red, Warm eyes

Coastal Scents + Blue Eyes EOTD v2

Mamma mia, here I go again

My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much I've missed you

This was how the package arrived in, wet and disgusting looking with the sealed part a quarter open. What have Mr. Postman been doing with my package? o.O

The package was opened by KKDN for checking, I'm guessing that KKDN is our Malaysian custom. If this didn't have my name on it, I wouldn't have even gone near it.

As promised, here are the reviews for the Coastal Scents brushes.
It's my second time ordering from CS and I'm happy to say that I HEART their service. It's fast and efficient. It takes about 10 days in total, from the time you submit your order (2 days to get your credit card approved and another about 8 days) for it to reach my house.

We were so worried with the shipping that we didn't dare buy more. We were tempted by the 40% sale they were having but after taking a look, we ended up buying the stuffs that wasn't on sale.

Our little loot with a free purple bag!

Elisa got the Retractable Deluxe Black Kabuki and Synthetic Foundation Brush while Kern got the Pink Deluxe 7 Piece Travel Set and me with The Deluxe Buffer Brush, Angle Blush Brush and the Flawless Face Chisel Blush Brush.

The only problem was that I originally ordered the Synthetic Concealer Brush for Elisa, but for some strange reason, she got the Synthetic Foundation Brush instead. We were puzzled and thinking that I must have somehow made a mistake in my order (Elisa was convinced that CS made a mistake and not me) we checked and found some inconsistency with the website. Because Elisa was initially have problem viewing the CS website, I saved the pictures of the concealer brushes she wanted into my Photobucket. So that was the only proof we had that CS website were somewhat inconsistence. The picture was a Synthetic Foundation Brush but was labels as Synthetic Concealer Brush and since Elisa badly wanted a concealer brush, we got that. When it came, the brush was huge and so was Elisa's eyes. ARGH! I'm frustrated at myself for that, whether it's my fault or not, I still feel guilty about it. Sorry!

But I'm glad that Kern is happy with her Pink Deluxe 7 Piece Travel Set. When it came, me and Elisa eyed her brushes with much envy. The brushes minus the big face powder brush were soft and nice. We drooled and turned green with envy. The big Face Powder Brush was a little rough but nothing too bad. Her Blusher Brush were so soft~
Do check out Kern's blog if you're interested!
EDIT: Bloody hell, she's fast! her blog has already been updated with the reviews and pictures!

Left to Right: Angle Blush Brush, Flawless Face Chisel Blush Brush, The Deluxe Buffer Brush

I gave the Flawless Face Chisel Blush Brush to my sister since I forgot to ask her if she wanted anything before I ordered. It was soft and nice and she's happy with it considering that she bought some cheapskate brush from God knows where and was rough and poke-y.

As for the brushes that I got, the Angle Blush Brush was bigger than expected but oh so soft. Nothing beats the Pink Kabuki Brush we got in the #1 batch but still, the bristles feels soft and best of all, even when I washed the brush with baby shampoo and all, it did not shed a single hair. Unbelievable!! As for the The Deluxe Buffer Brush it only shed a total of ONE hair. I'm stunned. I'm expecting more hairs than that to come off so I'm impressed!

EDIT 22 Aug 2008: Since it was a Friday, it's casual day so I decided to use my mineral make up, happily I used my brand new Buffer Brush and lo and behold, I was spitting out hair by the end of my make up. It shed like no tomorrow and I have super fine hair all OVER my face. I find this weird since it shed only one hair during the first wash and is now shedding all over my face. PTUI!

I can't wait to start using my mineral make up again. Previously I stopped using the mineral powder since I didn't have the proper brushes to use it with and somehow the then brushes I used didn't do a good job with picking and buffing the powder into my skin.

Overall, me very happy with my purchase. But I do lots of homework before I buy anyway so remember to do yours before you buy online!

Oh yea, remember the failed experiment that I had on a week or so ago? Decided to try it again, this time with a little more intense colours. I can't say that blue is the IN colour, I really don't think it is but since blue looks good on me, that's one of the reasons why I was to try to re-do a better version of the first time.

I missed 2 steps, only decided to take shots of the EOTD halfway through. Fickle-minded me. So anyway the steps that I missed out is;

1. Prep your eyes, I applied M.A.C cream colour base in Luna.
2. Apply M.A.C Nylon as highlighter and all over eyes.

Apply M.A.C Fluidline in Blue Peep over Nylon as above. Make sure you apply the colour in a shape that flatters your eyes. Truth is that my left eye is actually more sharp/slitted with my right eyes is slightly round-ish in shape. So when I apply eyeshadows, I really have to make sure that when I open my eyes, it looks even.

*For those mono-liders like me out there. Apply the colour high enough that when you open your eyes (like picture below) you can still see the colours.

Ta- daa, open eyes and make sure that you can still the colours. Pity us mono-liders.

Apply M.A.C Eyeshadow in Parrot, make sure both sides are even and lets move on.

Line your eyes with eyeliner/ eye pencil and don't forget your waterline and lower lids. Add mascara and you're done!!
*Photos are unedited so it may be a little messy or whatever but you pretty much get the gist of it.

Easy Breezy~

EDIT: 2008 Fall colours are;
Rich, elegant hues that offer a vibrant selection. New York's fashion designers emphasize cooler blues, greens and purples in the top five tones used in their collections, followed by variations of warm red, orange and yellow. Fall is traditionally a time for subdued, quiet colors, but this season we are seeing a shift toward cool hues with bright, exciting undertones. Conventional tones such as warm autumn hues, chocolate browns and steel grays are also among the fall color choices. Blue and purple tones have become staples.

je t'aime, ma chérie~! CoastalScents reviews

Top to bottom: Pink Kabuki, Pink Duo Fiber Powder Stippling

I love you, my darlings

I said I would do a CoastalScents' brush review and so I will. I ordered my brushes online on the 10th of May 2008 after seeing the reviews from Pursebuzz and EnKore. Since it would be my first ever buying online with a credit card thingie, I was a little nervous. I got myself the Pink Duo Fiber Powder Stippling brush and the Pink Kabuki brushes for Elisa, myself and also as my sister's birthday present . I wanted to get more but I kept having this fear that it was going to get lost or something so I ordered a little just to see if it actually arrives. Paranoid I know.

10 days later the package arrived much to my relief and happiness. Was worried that the Malaysian Customs going to hold it for some funky reasons and delay everything but thankfully, it was sent to me without unwanted incidents.

I must admit that the entire process of ordering - shipping was extremely fast and took less than two days to approve everything and for it to be sent out. The best part about it was the shipping price. I'm seriously not kidding. It didn't turn out to be a killer that I expected and it wasn't even as expensive as CherryCulture's shipping. Nicee~

If you're nervous about the shipping price + the cost of the brush = a killer. Rest assured. It's actually cheaper to get them from CoastalScents than to buy it over here. Shocked? I did my calculations and homework before buying unless you're planning to get those Kabuki brushes from little known retailers as I've seen on online forums.

Don't get me wrong but I seriously have no problems getting cheaper brushes online if I actually get to test them out first. I had the 'chance' to experience getting ripped off by a girl whom was selling brushes online. Truthfully, I bought it because I liked the girl, she was sweet, nice and helpful and promised me that they were soft.

Close to one week and close to RM80 later, the brushes arrived. I nearly cried. The blush and powder brush is as good as my toilet bowl cleaner brush whateveryoucallit. It was 'pokey' and hard and shedded like no tomorrow. I was speechless, she told me they were soft! Soft compared to what?!? A metal bar?

I tried washing it with baby shampoo and conditioned it with a hair conditioner to no avail. It seriously shed over 100 hairs every wash. The girl was nice enough to offer to take the two 'pokey' blush and powder brush back and refund me a fraction of the money, but considering the money I later had to fork out to ship them, I gritted my teeth and kept the two brushes. I was in desperate need of a blush brush anyway since my old one spoilt and I've already in a way used them. And if you're wondering, yes I'm still using it and cringing every time I put my blusher on.

So ladies, if you're planning to get your brushes online, do it after you read the reviews. Either that, get it from the stores where you can feel them.

On with the review;

Pink Kabuki

CoastalScents has about three different Kabuki brushes not counting the synthetic ones. They are the Basic Essential Kabuki made with natural sable hairs, the Italian Badger Kabuki brush made from seamless black nickle ferrule and the Pink Kabuki which is made from goat and sable hair blend.

Being a girly-girl, the metallic pink handle was tempting for me but the price tempted me even more. I have absolutely no regrets getting this brush, the bristles are so soft, it hardly sheds and no nasty smells and it was cheap to boot! If you ever decide to order anything from CS, don't forget to get the Kabuki brush too!

Pink Duo Fiber Powder Stippling

I've been eying a stippling brush ever since I found out the wonders of what a Stippling brush can do. Been online and searching through forums for them but to no avail so when I saw some videos from EnKore and saw the pink brushes before my eyes, the whole choir of 'Hallelujah' sang in my head.

The initial Stippling brush that I wanted which was the Silver Duo Fiber Stippling brush has tons of great reviews BUT it's discontinued. So I chose the Pink one to match my Pink Kabuki that I ordered. Stippling brushes are usually used for liquid foundations to give an even and airbrushed look but for this particular brush, it's really not that soft, in fact, I find it a little 'pokey'. Not as bad as the blush brush I mentioned above, thank God. Also the brush has to be washed throughly, it bleeds. Not as how human bleeds but the dye used turns the entire lather of shampoo into grey! So it's extremely important that we wash it first before using. I noticed that it also it still bleeds and turns the entire lather grey after the third wash weeks later and it sheds more compared to the Kabuki. But other than that, it was good.

Another good Stippling brush is the one from M.A.C but be prepared for the price tag!

But other than that, I do NOT regret any of my purchases and will be more than happy to buy brushes from them again! Love the speed of the service and more than happy with the price!