~ Coastal Scents Brushes, A Mini Review ~

I recently put in an order with COASTALSCENTS.COM and while I am always skeptical about super inexpensive brushes, I decided I could afford to take a leap of faith on a few items I was curious about…

As always, the brushes came packaged adorably in a drawstring organza bag (colors vary in my experience but this time it was black)  and delicately wrapped in pink tissue paper with a seal to keep everything nice and neat….)

I always enjoy attention to small details that really make getting a package feel more like getting a present;) I was given a small sample of loose shadow which was a nice and generous touch.  Shipping was also super fast and who doesn’t love that? 😉

Ok, so here are my thoughts on the few I received:

BIONIC FLAT TOP BUFFER BRUSH     $13.95     (see link for photo and more information)

The softness of this brush is pretty surprising, but yet it still has a density that makes it perfect for everything from buffing foundations in or applying bronzer or mineral foundations. This is a must-have for any makeup junkie on a budget who desires an excellent quality multi-tasking brush. I am adding a few of these onto my next order as they will now be a staple in my professional kit;) VERY happy with this purchase and even happier with the price! After all, it works as well as my SMASHBOX #19 and I paid over $50 USD for that brush. You do the math! As a side note, I do recommend the   BRUSH GUARDS to keep this brush in the best shape possible. They are a must for those who desire to get the most of their brush investment;)

BIONIC FLAT TOP BUFFER

DESTINY BLENDER BRUSH     $2.49     ( see link for photo and more info)

Another shocker, this little gem is under $3 USD but performs as well ( if not better) than my MAC 222 and MAC 224 brush. I liken the shape to that of the MAC 226 that sometimes appears in limited edition collections as it is very tapered and yet, dense and soft enough to give a beautiful and easy blend. Shorter than the MAC brushes but not so short that they are difficult to control. I think this is a perfect blender to keep on hand ( I will be ordering a few more…) and excellent for a travel brush set. Fast becoming one of my favorites!

DESTINY BLENDER

DIVINE LARGE/MEDIUM EYE SHADOW BRUSH     $2.49     (see link for photo and more info)

I love these brushes. The large is great for applying a base color all over the eye or even the highlight. The medium is perfect for lid color or highlight. Dense enough to pack on color if desired , yet soft enough to deliver a sheer wash when using a gentle hand. Again..smaller than the high end counterparts, but affordable, workable and definite basics for any makeup junkie to have in their stash. The price is nice too! Check out both sizes…at $2.49 each, you can’t afford NOT to;)

DIVINE LARGE DIVINE MEDIUM

BLACK POINTED CREASE BRUSH     $2.95     (see link for photo and more info)

Not my favorite pointed brush ever, but no major complaints. While the tip isn’t the most slender and perfect of pointed crease brushes, this can be worked with in my opinion. I find the tip to be soft enough to not irritate the delicate areas around eyes, but the base of the hair is dense enough to be able to smudge kohl liners into the lashline with ease.

CREASE BRUSH

So there you have it. A few good quality, basic makeup brushes without breaking the piggy bank. I plan to keep these handy on my personal makeup table and order a few for my professional kit as well. Great for traveling as well due to the convenient size and affordable price.  In fact, here is an adorable little bag that would be perfect to hold them all…

GOLD PENCIL AND BRUSH CASE

COASTALSCENTS.COM has so many hidden treasures from cosmetics to moisturizers. I have always been pleased with my purchases and the service at COASTALSCENTS.COM and highly recommend them to beginners and professionals.

As an addition, the already low prices are going even lower on certain items for the Holiday season so check them out!

More reviews coming soon on products from Estee Lauder, MAC, Too Faced, Sephora, Urban Decay, Coastal Scents, Face Atelier and MORE!  Stay updated and be sure to visit:

KRISTINE MARIE MAKEUP ARTISTRY FACEBOOK PAGE

and become a fan for more information and giveaway opportunities!

~ Makeup Tips for College Girls ( or a college budget) ~

College girls are a busy group. Between a new school, new social activities, plenty of adjustments and  family commitments… All this activity doesn’t leave a ton of time to fuss over how they look much less a lot of leftover cash to buy expensive makeup. Here are a few ideas to speed up that “off and running” beauty routine for college girls or anyone who just wants to save money or simplify on busy days…

Here is a routine to achieve a quick, affordable daytime look using only 5 products and it can be done in about 5 minutes. Add more if you have the time, but here are some key basics:

TINTED MOISTURIZER:  Seconds to apply and just enough coverage for daytime activities. Use your clean hands for maximum blending and time efficiency. Cover Girl, BOOTS NO 7 and Neutrogena all have a range of tinted moisturizers easily found in drugstores. Find your shade and get going!

TINTED LIP BALM:  Just enough color to give you some life but not enough to keep anyone from taking you seriously. All lips need moisture and it’s easy to keep handy in your bag for touch ups when you need it. NIVEA, NEUTROGENA and BURTS BEES all come to mind. Find them any/everywhere!

KOHL EYE LINER PENCIL:  Choose brown or navy – Neutral enough to be *neutral” but not overpowering like black. (Save black for nights on the town.) Even the green would work great for daytime eye definition. Simply line upper lash line and smudge with a damp Q-tip to give eyes some shape ( and a subtle , daytime smokey look) and your face some overall balance. RIMMEL Soft Kohl liners are available almost anywhere, affordable and easily smudge-able.

MASCARA:  A simple, inexpensive mascara like Maybelline FULL n SOFT will give you just enough definition without the flakey, crispy lashes of some mascaras. One coat will do the trick. It does exactly as promised – makes lashes full and yet, still soft. Guess where you can get it…

BRONZER:  A little bronzer goes a long way so don’t abuse it. You want a sun-kissed look, not a sun-abused one. Use a fluffy powder brush ( tap of excess) and place in areas the sun would naturally hit – your cheeks, chin and forehead. If you are concerned that it may seem ” too much”, try just applying it sparingly to the outer edges of your face and blend well.  NYX makes an affordable bronzer you can find in most drugstores.

It’s so affordable, you may even have some money left over for a cute new bag to keep it all in! If not, stay tuned for a giveaway coming soon where you can win an adorable, colorful bag for your makeup and accessories. Subscribe to this blog for updates or find me on FACEBOOK and become a fan for the latest on the giveaway!

Above and beyond anything, skin care is the most important part of any makeup routine so be sure to wash well at night and stay consistent with removing all traces of makeup before going to bed. Plenty of sleep, water and nutritious food don’t hurt, but we all know how hard that is on a busy college schedule so do the best you can.

~ Blue Eye Shadow ~

For many, it is a scary thought. The idea of blue conjures up thoughts of MIMI from the Drew Carey Show or even BARBIE …but blue can be done well. It’s all about balance really. And yes, ANYONE can wear blue eye shadow, but it is especially flattering to those brown eyed girls;)

When wearing something extremely colorful or high drama on the eyes, it is best to temper it with nude or toned down colors on the rest of the face. For example, If I do a deep brown smokey eye I would wear a pale pink blush and gloss. If I do a bold red lip, I wouldn’t put on purple eyeshadow. Make sense?

So, here is a BLUE look I did today. It is a bit more dramatic than most would wear for daytime, but I find my occupation affords me the ability to feel a bit more liberated in what I walk around with on my face;) For those who are a bit intimidated at the look, try it yourself with lighter versions of the blues I used, or blend them down with a cream colored shadow to take the edge off.

Here is the look:

Products Used :

FACE:

MAC Mineralize Skin finish Natural in MEDIUM  (applied w/ kabuki style brush)

MAC Blush in TENDERLING  (applied w/MAC 168 blush/contour brush)

LIPS:

MAC lip liner pencil in SUBCULTURE

SOFTLIPS Lip Protectant with SPF 20 in VANILLA

SALLY HANSEN Natural Butter Lip Shine in BLOOM

EYES:

MAC paint pot in BARE STUDY as a base ( applied with fingers)

MAC  eyeshadow in VANILLA all over the entire lid up to brow (applied with a MAC 239 brush)

Pale blue shadow from the COASTAL SCENTS 28 pallete on the inner 1/2 of eyelid ( using a MAC 239 brush)

Shimmery Dark blue shadow from CS PALLET on the outer 1/2 of eye (using MAC 239)

( Blend the shimmery blue up and into crease slightly)

Darkest blue from CS PALLET (navy colored) into the outer “v” of eye ( using a MAC 219 pencil brush)

(Blend carefully inward and upward  enhancing the outer “V” shape)

* I also applied the eyeshadow colors  to my lower lid starting at the inner corner with the lightest color and working outward to the darkest.

TOO FACED lash injection Mascara in BLACK ( curl lashes and apply two coats)

Questions or requests? Simply comment below and be sure to check out KRISTINE MARIE MAKEUP ARTISTRY  on  YOUTUBE and  FACEBOOK

~ The BOLD and the Beautiful, Playing with Blues! ~

Stephanie isn’t a big fan of makeup and well, who can blame her? With a full time job and a heavy college schedule, this lady is lucky she has time to sleep! Well, as luck would have it, she had ONE night to relax and take a break from all the demands and I was invited to come join in on the break….and decided to bring my kit along just for kicks;)

Well, Stephanie was a good sport and a great model. She and I did a casual style makeup session/mini-lesson. Old school – relaxing on the floor, telling stories and talking makeup. For a girl who doesn’t wear makeup often, she was very bold when picking colors and chose some killer colors from my BEN NYE Collection…

Between, makeup, stories, snacks, more makeup, more stories, and then a yummy pasta dinner…we came up with something bold, BLUE and  beautiful! The whole experience was just pressure-free and relaxing fun. So relaxed  that I was completely not focused on technique and even forgot to put mascara on my model of the night;(  While I know I owe Stephanie a better effort next time, I was still so happy to see the results in a few photos ERIC FADDEN took of the final result. 

The majority of this look was completed with BEN NYE products. Please see the REVIEWS section in the menu on the right of this page for more info on some BEN NYE products In my kit;)

And thanks Stephanie for being such a fearless and beautiful model and great company to boot. Sometimes, just a night of  doing makeup for the sheer fun and experimentation of it is the break we all need;) 

KristineMarie

* The Lipgloss and Lashes Giveaway ends this week, so be sure to check out the post and enter to win. Next month’s prize will be some goodies from MAC cosmetics, so subscribe for updates and check us out on FACEBOOK too!

~ Free Lipgloss and Fun Lashes ~

Here it is! The prized for January’s Giveaway – 2 lovely lipglosses from LANCOME (peach and pink) , 1 mini LANCOME mascara in black and some fun Ardell Lashes with faux diamonds.

There are 3 things needed to enter. Please read all requirements and announcement information. 

1. You must be a subscriber to the blog or the NEW KristineMarie Makeup Artistry Fan Page on Facebook.

2. You must post an entry to your BLOG or FACEBOOK  with a link back to me. No limit on how many times you can enter;)

3. You must post the link to your BLOG or FACEBOOK post and “ENTER ME” in the comments section. 

4. Contest closes at 10pm EST on January 18th, 2010. Winner will be announced on this site only and has 24 hours to respond and claim prize. If not, a re-draw will be done to determine another winner, so stay updated or subscribe in the lower right of this page to get updates.

5. This contest is open to all regardless of location, age or any other criteria. If under 18, please have parents permission as I will need the shipping address of the winner and this is not something you want to randomly give out without your parents’ knowledge. I am a parent too, so this is important!

Good Luck to All;)

*For recent work, check the LOOKS section on the right of this page.

As always, subscribe by clicking the link on the lower right of the page for updates, tips, giveaways and photo updates and more.

~ FREE Product Giveaway Ends 12/27/09 at 10pm EST ~

Please note that the Giveaway for FREE Fantasy Lashes and Fresh Gloss from Sephora ENDS tomorrow at 10pm EST. Entries must be in by that time to qualify.

Winner will be announced HERE on this blog only at 1030pm EST tomorrow night.

Winner will have 24 hours to claim the prize or a second draw will be done to establish a winner.

Prizes will be shipped within 24 hours of the winning claim being made.

Please see the initial announcement (Click Below) for more information, or to ENTER.

Click HERE

Future contests will be held monthly for various FREE products. Please subscribe for updates on the lower right of the page and best of luck!

KristineMarie

~ Lashes and Lipgloss Giveaway ~

CONTEST CLOSED

 

I am offering a FREE pair of fun SEPHORA lashes ( Fantasy) and a mini SEPHORA lipgloss (Fresh Gloss)!

There are a few requirements to enter the drawing, so please take note:

1. You must post a link to this site on any of your sites. Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Website or Blog will qualify. Post on as many of your sites as you like to be entered again. Sites cannot be private since verification of post and link will be necessary.

2. You must comment below with the words ENTER ME, along with a link to your site and post. If you posted to multiple sites, enter for EACH site and leave a link to the post. Again, protected posts or sites I cannot see will not qualify as they cannot be verified.

3. If you are under 18, you must have a parents permission please. ( I am a Mommy myself and this IS important)

And that’s it!

*You can subscribe to this blog on the lower right of this page for updates, including notification of the winner (which will only be announced here).

*Drawing will be held on Sunday, December 27th at 10pm. Announcement will be made by 1030pm EST.

*Contest is US based only.

*I will ship prize within 24 hours of the winner contacting me with shipping information. 

 

GOOD LUCK!