Swatches: Coastal Scents Hot Pots Eyeshadows S03 and M25

Coastal Scents was having a sale like usual. I bought some eyeshadows and their Mac 217 dupe, which I will be reviewing soon (review). For now, this post will be about the Hot Pots. =)

Natural Lighting

Coastal Scents Hot Pot S03 is a shimmery light champagne with a gold undertone. I was hesitant on buying this color because I thought it was just going to be a boring champagne shade, but I was so wrong. The gold undertone makes this eyeshadow look so pretty and different from my other neutral eyeshadows. Moreover, the color is very safe and it is the perfect lid color for an everyday look. You can't go wrong with this eyeshadow.

I swatched Urban Decay Blunt next to S03 for comparison. Blunt is a more vibrant gold color with a slight yellow undertone. I would use Blunt more for a going out look.

I wouldn't say S03 and Blunt are exact dupes. Both are must haves if you love gold eyeshadows. If I had to choose one out of the two, then I would get S03 for an everyday school or office look, but if you want something that is bold, then I would recommend getting Blunt.

With Flash

Coastal Scents Hot Pot M25 is a matte burgundy shade with a reddish berry undertone. It is much lighter than Stars Makeup Haven (SMH) Taz, which is a true burgundy shade. I prefer Taz because it looks better on medium to darker skin tones. I can still make M25 work on my skin tone, but I think it'll work much better on lighter complexions. I've also swatched Mac Sorcery to compare.

Natural Lighting

Note: Urban Decay Eyeshadows cost $17.00 for 1.5 grams at Nordstrom, Beauty.com, and Sephora. Mac Eyeshadows in pan form cost $11.00 for 1.5 grams (some of the eyeshadows have 1.3 grams) and cost $16 in pots. Stars Makeup Haven (SMH) raised their price from $4.95 to $6.00 for 1.3 grams. Coastal Scents (CS) eyeshadows cost $1.95 for 1.5 grams.

The formula of Urban Decay eyeshadows is different than Mac, with the exception of some Mac eyeshadows. Urban Decay eyeshadows are much smoother and buttery, and the shimmery eyeshadows look much prettier than the Mac shimmery eyeshadows. However, I do get some fallouts when I apply certain Urban Decay eyeshadows (the ones with the microglitters), but I don't get as much fallouts as I do with my SMH & CS eyeshadows.

Have you tried any of these eyeshadows? 

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

Review: Sigma F80 Flat Top & F82 Round Top Synthetic Kabuki Brush

I have been hearing so many raves about the Sigma F80 Flat Top and the Sigma F82 Round Top Synthetic Kabuki brush. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

The F82 Round Top is a little bit denser and can get around small areas more easily than the F80 Flat Top, but they work essentially the same when applying liquid foundation. When compared to the Everyday Minerals Flat Top brush (review), it's much easier to buff in a circular motion with the Sigma brushes because the bristles are not too long. (The bristles are about an inch long. The total length of the F80 is 6 inches, while the F82 is 5.75 inches.) 

The Sigma brushes buff in liquid foundation really well, but my Mac 187 brush (review) gives me a more airbrushed finish and more coverage, while using less foundation. With the Sigma brushes, a little bit of foundation gets wasted because it's being absorbed by the bristles when I buff. Although I use a little bit more foundation with the Sigma brushes, the coverage that I get is not as good as the coverage that I get from my Mac 187 brush.  

Another thing worth mentioning is that the brushes stain easily when using cream or liquid products, and take forever to dry. To get the stain out, I have wash them a couple of times. Then, I use a paper towel to absorb as much water as I can, but they still take about 15 hours to completely dry.

The good thing about these brushes is that they are super soft and they make applying liquid foundation easy and quick. I would recommend these brushes if you are someone who is always in a rush.

I also recommend getting these brushes if you are an avid cream foundation user. These brushes blend cream foundation into your skin effortlessly and there is no streaking whatsoever. I cannot use my Mac 187 to stipple cream foundation onto my face because cream products are thicker in consistency. You need a really dense and synthetic brush to apply cream foundation and the Sigma F80 and F82 are perfect for that. They also work well for buffing in mineral foundation.

You can buy the Sigma F80 Flat Top and the Sigma F82 Round Top Synthetic Kabuki for $16.00 each. They are not cheap, but are much more affordable than Mac brushes and other higher end brands. 

How do you use these brushes? 

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

Mac 187 Duo Fibre Brush: Old vs New

 

 Old vs New

I bought my first Mac 187 Duo Fiber brush at a Mac counter at Macy's and I absolutely fell in love with it. You can read about my rave here. Recently, I decided to get a new Mac 187 brush as a back up and I ordered it from their main website. I was so disappointed when I received the package last week because the quality of the bristles was the same as the Marcel Wanders 187 brush (inferior quality). Click here to read my review.

Old vs New

I'm not sure if you can see the difference in the pictures, but in person, I definitely notice a huge quality difference. My old Mac 187 brush is much denser and firmer, and the white synthetic bristles are much thicker than the new Mac 187 brush that I recently got.

Old vs New

I'm not sure if Mac recently changed the quality of their 187 brush. (I bought the old one in May or June of last year.) Maybe the quality of the products from the counters are different than the quality of the products from their main website.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation as I did? 

 

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

Stars Makeup Haven Empty Eyeshadow Palette

I've been getting alot of questions, regarding my empty eyeshadow palettes. I get them from Stars Makeup Haven (SMH) for $15.00. You can also get it from Coastal Scents for $9.95. Mac's Single Pro Palette ($8) is thicker and the insert ($2) only fits 15 eyeshadows. SMH's palette is the better choice for eyeshadow junkies like me because it fits more eyeshadows with the insert. They also fit alot of different brands of eyeshadows, including Mac, Urban Decay, Coastal Scents, ELF, and SMH of course. I depot all my eyeshadows and store them all in there so it's more organized and easily accessible when I do my makeup.

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

Review: Mac & Marcel Wanders 187 Duo Fiber Brush (Limited Edition)

I have been using the Mac & Marcel Wanders 187 Duo Fiber brush for a week now and all I can say is that it does not meet my expectations. The white synthetic bristles are thinner, wider and not as dense or firm as the white synthetic bristles of the regular Mac 187 brush (review). Not only is the Marcel Wanders brush slightly flimsy, but it does not give me the airbrush finish that I get with the regular 187 brush.

If you are using liquid foundation or cream blushes with the 187 brushes, you must apply the product by stippling. If you stipple and swirl, the product will touch the natural fibers, and that will cause the bristles to shed.

I’ve had no problem with shedding with the regular 187 brush when I stipple; however, the Marcel Wanders brush shedded a few hairs when I stippled liquid foundation on my face.

The length of the limited edition brush is also an inconvenience, since it tends to hit the mirror when I get too close. It is about an inch longer than the regular version.

Another problem I have with the Marcel Wanders brush is the cheap plastic looking handle. I prefer the regular 187 brush because the handle looks more professional and sturdy. I absolutely love the design of the limited edition brush, which was one of the main reasons why I got the brush, but the quality is just bad. I was willing to pay almost double just for the beautiful design of the handle, but after seeing it in person, it's just not worth it since the quality of the regular 187 brush is much better and way less expensive.

If Mac makes another 187 brush with a similar design like the Marcel Wanders brush, but with better quality and not cheap plastic looking, then I will definitely buy it.

The Mac & Marcel Wanders 187 brush costs $75.00, while the regular 187 brush costs $42.00

How does the Mac & Marcel Wanders brush work for you?

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.