Coastal Scents

Hello my lovelies. Hope y’all are having a fantastic weekend. It’s been chilly and windy here today. Did some shopping for Thanksgiving today too. Still have a few things to pick up but I’m sure I will forget something. I always do. But, let’s talk makeup!!!

I am a huge supporter of small businesses. My love of it started, I think, because my dad and uncle both had there own trucking companies. I was dad’s bookkeeper and I began to realize how much behind the scenes stuff there is to owning your own company. When you see what we call here in the south, a mom and pop store, most people think, “How nice. They bake cookies all day and sell them.” Or candles, or jewelry or whatever the case may be. They don’t realize the time, energy, dedication, blood, sweat and tears that goes into getting a business up and running. Not to mention the lack of sleep, family time and vacations. The budgeting. Skipped meals. The piles of red tape with the IRS. Knowing and keeping up to date on tax laws and proceedures. It takes a lot more than most people realize.

With an indie makeup company, you have the added stress of deciding whether or not to become cruelty free or vegan then researching where to source these types of ingredients. Then it’s the worry over formulation. Ingredients that will be safe for all skin types, etc. There are many aspects to owning your own brand. It’s hard work. And honestly, word of mouth is the best advertisement for an indie company. No matter what the product.

Today I’m going to review an indie company that I recently ordered from. Coastalscents. They are located in Delaware. They are cruelty free with over 800 products. The company was started in 2005. The have very fast shipping times and also do international shipping. And the prices???  Holy moley. Very affordable.

For my first order I took advantage of a sale going on at the time. I purchased the Style Eyes Collection which includes 3-8 shadow Palettes in a heavy duty cardboard case. The cost? $4.95. Then I ordered some brushes which were 50% off. I purchased my first pencil brush, my first small detail brush and a couple blending, a crease brush and two angled brushes. With shipping my order came to right around $22. Not bad at all.

Let’s talk Shadows. Each palette is designed for a specific look. Social Eyes is lots of shimmers and pretty Smokey colors. Formal Eyes is your neutrals and Glamour Eyes is bold and dark. You can use them separately or combine them to create your own unique look.  Each palette has a small mirror and a magnetic closure. As for the colors themselves, you can see how nicely they swatch. Most of them are very creamy and buttery. There are a couple of the more glittery shades that feel more coarse, but I think that’s par for the course. I wore these Shadows for two days and there was no creasing or flaking. There is a bit of fallout but that’s not a huge deal for me. I just take my fluffy brush and whisk it away. I had no sensitivity to these Shadows at all and with Auto Immune issues that’s saying a lot. 

The brushes are fabulous. I always wash my brushes before using them to remove any dust or particles that may be left over from production and these did well. The bristles are very soft on the crease and blending brushes. The pencil brush is a bit dense but I like that when applying shadow to the outer and inner corner of my lids. The detail brush is just perfect. Great shape and just the right density. The angled brushes worked great for lining my lower lash line  

So, final thoughts....I’m sold. I will definitely be ordering from Coastalscents again. Most likely after Christmas when my wallet isn’t crying as hard. You can’t beat the price point and fast shipping. And the most important for me?  They are an indie brand and in my mind I’m helping someone put food on their table and a roof over their head. 

Thanks for joining me today. I hope you enjoyed this review. If you know of any indie brands that you love and think they have awesome products, please let me know in the comments below. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. 

SuperShock Shadows

Welcome back to my blog. Today I’m super excited to give you some first impressions of my recent order from Colourpop. I ordered on Nov. 10th and received my complete order on Nov. 13th. That’s a great delivery time.

For those of you who don’t know about Colourpop, they are based in California and their products are made in the USA. They were founded in 2014, so they haven’t been around long. Colourpop is a cruelty free company. They have a nice range off products including lip products, eye products and face products. Now, let’s talk Makeup!!!

I ordered 9 of the Super Shock Shadows, one of the Super Nova Shadows, a Concealer and a liquid lip. Let’s talk about the concealer first.

I have heard great things about this concealer. I’ve heard it called a dupe for Tarte’s Shape Tape, which I adore but hate how expensive it is. Y’all know I’m all about saving some dollar bills. So, the No Filter Concealer comes in 15 Shades. Since I am transparent I ordered Fair 5. On Colourpop’s website it has 4.5 Stars. The site states, “Our lightweight, creamy concealer was formulated with soft blurring pigments to give you a creaseproof,matte finish. No filter needed. “.  There is 4 grams of product in the tube and costs $6. I used it today for the first time and I liked it. It worked well with my foundation, blending was very easy and it even stayed on my nose. I would say it’s a very close dupe for the Shape Tape.

Next is the Ultra Matte Lip. I purchased the color Avenue. It will cost you $6 for a 3.2 gram tube.  According to the site, “This thin, lightweight formula smoothly glides on the lips leaving SUPER intense pigment with a bold, ultra matte look. It is very long-wearing and 100% kiss proof.”  I must say that this claim is true. 😁. It stayed put. Almost all day. I was pleasantly surprised. I have a hard time with lipstick of any kind staying on but this one has lasting power.

Ok. Now on to the Shadows. If you have never used one of these super shock Shadows be prepared. It’s completely different than a normal pressed powder Shadow. I was definitely not ready. When I went to swatch it, I pressed a bit hard and left my fingerprint in the top of the pot. Imagine my surprise. I thought I had ruined it. Lol. They are extremely creamy and soft. The pattern on the top is pretty too.

The description on the site and on the card that came with the Shadows state, “Our famous long wearing creme powder formula with a unique bouncy like texture delivers bold color with one swipe without creasing, fading or fallout.”  You can apply them with your finger for maximum coverage or with a synthetic brush for easy blending. Make sure it’s a synthetic brush so the product doesn’t soak into the bristles. You need to use a light hand when dipping your brush too. It’s very easy to leave marks if you press too hard. Once applied, the creme turns powdery and blends very nicely. I used an eyeshadow primer as well as a light transition color before applying them. I wanted to use all 9 but figured that might be a bit much. 😂😂.

Here are swatches of the colors I purchased along with the Super Nova Shadow in Firecracker.

Tassel is a true bright white with silver glitter

Firecracker is the liquid Super Nova Shadow that is a cool toned Burgundy with gold duochrome and silver, gold and green glitter

Dynasty is a matte blackened red

Paradox is a warm satin burgundy

Drift is a satin true cranberry

Summer Side is a matte, rich red brown

Elixir is a matte terra-cotta 

Shop is a matte deep coral

Coconut is a satin bright teal

Roulette is a matte true black

I am so in love with Colourpop now. I can see myself owning every color of these Super Shock Shadows. Lol. Oh my poor wallet. They are worth getting. Colourpop has sales all the time too. So be on the lookout for those.  

As far as wearability these Shadows did great. No flaking, creasing or fall out. 

I have also placed orders with 2 indie brands so reviews will be coming on those. 

Setting Sprays

Welcome back to my blog. Yesterday I talked about an unusual primer that really works. I am honestly thinking that it is going to become my holy grail, ride or die primer. I’ve still got a few that I am testing out and I’ll do reviews on those but I am leaning towards the Monistat. That still sounds so weird to me. Lol.

Today my review is a setting spray. Now I went years and years without using one of these sprays. When I was a teen, we didn’t have setting sprays. Nowadays there are hundreds of them. Matte finish. Dewey finish. Long lasting. 16 hour. Oil control. You name it you can find a setting spray for it.

I’ve tried a few so far and honestly, it seems they all work the same for the most part. I haven’t been able to try the high end ones so I can only attest to drugstore brands. I don’t really care for the E.L.F.  Mist and Set. The nozzle allows too much of a forceful spray to come out.  If that isn’t an issue for you then it may work for you. You can purchase it anywhere E.L.F. products are sold or online. It costs about $3 for 2 fl oz of spray.

The next one, Milani’s Make It Last, is pretty good. The nozzle delivers an even mist. On their website it states that this spray keeps that just applied look for up to 16 hours. It claims to prime, correct and set your makeup without creases or smudges, prevents fading and shine. Provides a matte finish. The first ingredient is water. The second is alcohol denate. It will cost you around $10 for 2.03 fl oz. You can purchase it at most drugstores and Target stores. I like this one. It works well and my makeup stays put. I haven’t tested the 16 hour claim yet though. The only draw back is the fragrance. Remember that big container of powder with the giant pouf on your grandmothers dresser? Well that’s the smell. It’s very strong when first applied but after drying the scent fades. I use a fan to dry it quickly. 😁

The next sprays I’ve tried are the NYX Matte Finish and the Dewey Finish. These are not my favorites. I honestly can’t see a difference between the two. The spray from the nozzle is even and soft and there isn’t a scent. They seem to work fairly well locking my makeup down. I find NYX at my local Target store.  There isn’t a huge description of either one on the website. The matte finish does have 4.5 stars and the Dewey finish has 4.6. Both have water and alcohol listed as the first two ingredients. These will run you $8 for 2 oz of product.


My favorite setting spray so far is by Hard Candy. I have only found one product from this company that I haven’t liked. They have two setting sprays....both are Fast and Fabulous Sheer Envy sprays, one just offers added oil control.  Some of the claims are that it is a 12 hour spray, reduces the need for touch up throughout the day, helps prevent your makeup from melting, fading and settling into fine lines.  The nozzle is fantastic. You get a fine, smooth mist that dries fairly quickly. I live in an area where our summers are very humid and I used this spray all summer. My makeup stayed on beautifully. I pay right around $8 for 2.2 oz of spray and one bottle lasts me about a month. Hard Candy is also cruelty free.

I have the L’oreal Infallible setting spray to try but I want to finish my open ones first. I am hoping to order the Gerard Slay all Day in a couple of weeks. I’ve heard great things about that one. The only high end one I really want to try is Urban Decay’s All Nighter.

I would love to know y’all’s favorite setting sprays. Leave me a comment or send me a message on Instagram @emilythubbron.

Thanks for stopping by. It means a lot. See ya next time.