February 20, 2009
Review: Bourjois Duochrome Eyeliners
Hey guys and welcome to another review. This will be on the new Bourjois duochrome eyeliners that I recently picked up at my local Priceline for $16 each.
*NOTE* I have NOT been approached by this company and asked to do a review. I am NOT being paid for this nor am I being compensated for the money that I spent to purchase these. Therefore this is a review of my own personal opinion and I am giving you my honest opinion of this product. Anyone who accuses me of being paid by the company and abuses me for this review can go shove it because this statement is loud and clear.
These eyeliners work amazingly well considering the price of them. They come in 6 colours but I was only able to purchase 4. Here is a photo for you:
The colours that I got include:
Noir Bleuté: This is a really pretty black with blue shimmer through it. It would be really good for a smokey blue eye or if you wanted a really dark blue eyeliner
Brun Mordoré: I really liked this colour. This is a bronze eyeliner with gold shimmer through it, really good for a gold eye look
Gris Perlé: The most unique colour. This is more of a grey with purple reflect than it is shown in the picture. This reminds me of Shale eye shadow but in an eyeliner form
Noir Emeraude: This is a black with a green shimmer through it. It is very similar to the MAC Khol Power in Jelous that came out a while ago
These eyeliner pencils are really similar to MAC’s Khol Power eyeliners, in fact Noir Emeraude is pretty much the same as Jealous Khol Power that came out a while ago. They apply very smoothly and are really creamy. Then applied on the upper or lower lash line they last really well and don’t smudge. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said when applied to the waterline (just like the MAC khol powers).
Although I am a true MAC addict at heart, I think I would go for these eyeliners before the MAC ones because they have different colour for one and are also permanent unlike the MAC Khol Powers. I’m not saying that they are identical so if you want MAC go for MAC.
These eyeliners in Australia cost $16 as opposed to the MAC Khol Powers which retail for $32, so they are half price which is my reason for choosing to side with the Bourjois brand.
Hopefully this review has helped you and you can decide whether or not to buy these for yourselve. See you all soon!
December 4, 2008
Review: Coastal Scents 10 Blush Palette
Hey everyone, I have another review for you. You’re probably getting sick of them but I’ve been meaning to do them and my face has broken out something awful so I’m embarrassed to brave the camera. Anyway, this one is going to be for the Coastal Scents 10 Blush Palette. As always before I begin a foreword: I HAVE NOT been approached by Coastal Scents to do this review. I HAVE NOT been given these products for free, they have been paid for out of my own pocket. This way you know that I am only giving my honest opinion and I am not trying to make money for the company because I will in no way benefit from it. This review is written only to assist you in making a decision whether or not to purchase the product for yourself. Anyway now that the bitchiness is over, on with the review!
This is a picture of the palette. It is contained in a matte black case.
The reason I bought this palette is because I have no blushes at all (none what so ever!), and every time I put my makeup on and do my looks I always feel like I look really pale and dead. Enter the Coastal Scents Blush Palette!!! This palette contains 10 different colour blushes which are matte and shimmer. The first, third, fourth and fifth from the left on the bottom row are your matte blushes and the rest have a little shimmer to them.
These colours are really pigmented and you get a good variety of shades to choose from. The photo below is swatches of the blushes in order as they are placed in the palette. They were applied with no base so you can see how pigmented they really are.
As you can see, the colours are really pigmented and fairly well varied, you have pinks, corals, peaches and plumy-browns to choose from. The texture of all of the blushes is very smooth and applies very easily. The colours are buildable so you can get a really intense colour.
Below is a photo of the blushes that I have labeled to MAC blushes that I think closely resemble these ones. Please take in mind I was working from the photos of the blushes and their descriptions on the website so the colours may not be accurate.
Honestly, I think this palette would suit just about anybody, I have really pale skin (as you may have noticed) and I would use most of these blushes, probably not the one labeled “Devil” or “Full Fuchsia” unless I did a look that needed something bright, but I would still tone them down A LOT!. I would probably use the one first from the right on the top row as a bronzer as it is a bit too dark for me and maybe as a contour powder.
I have worn each of these blushes (except the second from the right on the bottom and top rows) and they last a very long time. When I use blush, I spray a 187 brush with Fix+ and stipple and smooth is over my face to get rid of that powder look.
The size of each pan is about the same as a MAC blush (approx. 3.5cm in diameter).
Honestly, I love this product. I have resisted the urge to buy a MAC blush because the price of one blush in Australia is AUS$40. The price of this product from Coastal Scents is US$16.95 (approx. $26.30). If I had the choice, I’d pick this palette every time because it offers such a variety of colour for less than the price of one MAC blush. I would rather spend $26.30 than $400 to get the blushes that I wanted.
I would recommend this to anyone. If you are a makeup artist this would be a fantastic space saver in your kit as you can take all these colours and save space. For an at home user, you have all the colours needed to bring a bit of colour to your cheeks and create fantastic looks at home.
Hopefully this review has been helpful to you and you guys will leave any questions or comments. See you guys later!
December 3, 2008
Review: Costal Scents 28 Neutral Eye Shadow Palette
Hey guys I’ve got another review for you. This one will be for the Neutral Eye Shadow Palette from Coastal Scents. Just a foreword before I begin: I HAVE NOT been approached by Coastal Scents to do this review. I HAVE NOT been given these products for free, they have been paid for out of my own pocket. This way you know that I am only giving my honest opinion and I am not trying to make money for the company because I will in no way benefit from it. This review is written only to assist you in making a decision whether or not to purchase the product for yourself.
This is the photo of the eye shadow palette:
So the reason I bought this palette was because I didn’t have any matte brown eye shadows (my neutral palette consists of shimmery colours such as Woodwinked, Sable, etc) and I wanted to get some matte browns so that I could do some more neutral looks when I go for a job interview or something like that. I had considered buying about four MAC eye shadows but I don’t have the funds to do that (MAC eye shadows are $32 EACH here in Australia). So this was my alternative.
There is a mix of shimmer and matte eye shadows in this palette and I have to tell you, the colour pay off is amazing! I mean, look at these swatches below:
(The first and second rows)
(The third and fourth rows)
Now just for confirmation, I applied these eye shadows WITHOUT a base (that’s right people, no eye shadow base on this hairy arm!) and they eye shadows were so pigmented! I was amazed! I thought that something that I bought that was so inexpensive (the palette is US$21.95) would not have as great pigmentation as a MAC product. I was so wrong! These eye shadows are so smooth and blend easily and no two colours are the same!
When I first opened the palette I instantly thought the eye shadow first from the left on the fourth row would be exactly like MAC’s Nylon or Rose Blanc. That was also incorrect. Here is a comparison of the three:
As you can see from the above image, Rose Blanc is more gold and Nylon is more yellow based than the Costal Scents eye shadow. All three eye shadows were again applied with no base, so you can see the pigmentation is similar to MAC.
I have used the colours in the palette a number of times and the colours have lasted a long day with the correct base. I always use MAC paint pots in either Bare Study or Painterly, but I have also heard great things about this product being used with Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP). Unfortunately, Urban Decay is not available in Australia or I would probably be using that as well (if anyone knows when they are going to start selling Urban Decay in Aus let me know!!!).
This palette would be great for creating a dramatic smoky eye look or even a neutral daytime work look. This could also be put into your kit for wedding looks as the colours are soft enough for daytime or nighttime.
I will say this for sure, I would rather spend US$21.95 and get 28 eye shadows, than spend AUS$32 and get one from MAC. I am a MAC addict, so that statement is definitely saying something!
I know that I am comparing the two companies a lot in this review, but just so you know, I am not 100% that they use the same ingredients in their products but I know that these eye shadows didn’t cause any allergic reactions for me and I have sensitive eyes.
Honestly in my opinion, this palette is a good investment. The only thing I see wrong with it is if you run out of one colour you will have to buy a whole new palette again which is a bit of a bummer. Other than that, I have no complaints about the product and I recommend it to anyone. With so many different shades of brown to choose from you can create a number of different looks.
I hope that this has been helpful to you and I’ll talk to you guys later!
December 1, 2008
Coastal Scents Gel Liner Review
Coastal Scents recently brought out a collection of 12 gel liners that are similar to the MAC fluidline and the Loreal HIP liners. I was fortunate enough to be able to buy a few for myself and try them out. I didn’t buy all of the liners because I don’t have that kind of money. Please note that these products were not just handed to me to try and review, I have purchased these myself to test and then give you my honest opinion so that you may be able to decide whether or not you want them.
This is a photo of the prodicts on the Coatal Scents website (www.coastalscents.com)
The these are the gel liners that I purchased off the website:
From left to right the colours are “True Black”, “Indigo Blue”, “Truffle Brown”, “Skyline” and “24K”.
Overall I was very pleased with the application of these gel liners. I found that when I tested them out they were very similar to MAC’s fluidlines although they were a little creamier. When tested on the waterline the were very resistant to smudging unlike the fluidline so there is a big plus in that regard. When applied you can manipulate them (smudge, etc) for about 30 seconds after aplication and then the colour is stuck there until you want to remove it. They are as water resistant as the fluidline (they took a lot of scrubbing in the sink to get off) but where easier to remove than fluidline when using a makeup remover.
Next time I need a gel liner I think that I would rather use one of the Coastal Scents ones other than a MAC one because they are very similar in what they do and what you can do with them (as a base or eyeliner). The price is also a lot more affordable as fluidlines in Australia cost AU$32 each where as the Coastal Scents ones are US$6.95 (approximately AU$10.80) plus delivery. This is a good quality product at a reasonable price and I highly recommend them to anyone!
Here are some swatches for you, from left to right as in the above picture:
Here are some close ups and individual notes/comparisons for you:
True Black
This liner worked exactly the same as MAC’s Blacktrack fluidline except I find it is an even truer black. It is more matte that Blacktrack whick for me has a bit of a sheen to it sometimes.
Indigo Blue
This colour is similar to MAC’s Wave fluidline. It is a very dark blue which is very hard to distinguish from a black when its being worn.
Truffle Brown
This is the main gel liner that I wanted to try. I would say it is similar to MAC’s Rich Ground but maybe a bit darker and more matte than shiny.
Skyline
Very similar to MAC’s Royal Wink which I have wanted for a while now. Unfortunately, Royal Wink was discontinued, but this gel liner is pretty much the same colour and at a cheaper price I would rather purchase the Coastal Scents version.
24K
Very similar to Uppity fluidline that came out with the Antiquitese collection in Christmas 2007. The colour is a little more bronze than Uppity but it is a very good dupe and works just as well if not better than its MAC equivalent
I highly recommend these gel liners to anyone who is in the market for a new one. These will be featured in my looks in the future so keep an eye out for those. I hope you’ve enjoyed this and it was helpful for you!
