It has arrived!!

After much contemplation, wishing, adding it to my shopping cart then deleting it; my Coastal Scents 88 Color palette has arrived!! I am so inexplicably excited I cannot even put it into words. :P I've already done about 10 teensy swatches on my hand for fun and WOW. I am looking forward to tapping into my creativity!

So here are some pictures of the palette itself. The Coastal Scents website says in the description that the pans are 'dime size' but it's nice to have a size comparison. Even though I was expecting it they still seemed so teeny! (But there is still more than enough eyeshadow for the price, don't get me wrong!)







Here are a few random swatches. I won't be swatching the entire palette because I have trouble getting good pictures of the lighter colors. Plus my camera really doesn't do swatching much justice. If you're interested in swatches of the entire palette, I recommend Brooke's post on Leesha's website.



I am quite looking forward to abusing the pinks and reds for Valentine's Day! I have a cute shirt that is light and dark pink stripey (with matching stripey SOCKS!) that I can't wait to use as inspiration. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE St. Patty's Day and will definitely be doing some green looks for March using this palette. (Especially looking forward to using that kelly green [points to swatch pic]!)

Everyday Minerals [Sampler] Haul

I'm going to have to give this stuff a fair trial before I switch from Bare Escentuals to Everyday Minerals. They offer a sampler package for the cost of shipping and it's a really great deal to try their products out. The cost of Priority Shipping was $4.50 and I got three 5g jars of my choice of foundations, one 5g jar of my choice of concealers, and one 5g jar of my choice of blush. I also opted to purchase a sample (5g jar) of their Start-to-Finish Sunlight finishing powder (kind of like Bare Escentual's Mineral Veil only better as far as I can tell from wearing it today), two sample jars of blush, and a sample of a different color concealer. Each sample was $2.50.



This is my second sampler package. Last time I did the sampler package I wasn't crazy about the stuff and immediately went back to my good ol' Bare Minerals. The Everyday Minerals just seemed to 'lay' on top of my skin and felt a bit too chalky for my taste. The texture simply didn't compare to Bare Minerals (most likely due to the fact that EDM does not put Bismuth Oxychloride in their products).

However, when I decided to get another sampler package (mainly for the Mint Green Concealer) I read up on the different foundation formulas. Last time I ordered the matte formula exclusively. This time I ordered one of the foundations in the matte formula (ideal for oily skin) and the other two in the 'Intensive' formula (ideal for all skin types). They also had more information regarding which colors to choose (because there are a TON of foundation color choices!) and I got the right colors for my skin tone this time instead of just guessing which would work the best. (After trying it out today I can see how this makes a world of difference!)



I used the foundations today (Cool Multi-tasking Neutral - Intensive formula; Beige Light Medium - Matte Formula) along with my Mint Green (on red splotches) and Sunlight (for under-eye circles) concealers. I also used the Sunlight Start-to-Finish powder with Kaolin Clay (supposedly superb at oil absorbtion). I haven't tried the blush yet, though I am eager to give Corner Office a go. I think the Sunlight Start-to-Finish worked wonderfully today but I'll have to continue using it before I give my final 'verdict' as to whether its the one for oil control. I thought I found the one in Urban Decay's De-Slick Mattifying Powder but after continued use it proved to be no better at controlling oil than my Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil. (Not to mention it was pricey for the quantity! I'm already down through the middle of the compact and I've only had it two months!)

Stay tuned for updates! Who knows, I may just be an Everday Minerals convert! (Which would be nice since Everyday Minerals is a LOT cheaper than Bare Escentuals!)