Sunday, March 10, 2013

E.L.F. Haul!

So it's been awhile since I ordered from elf...maybe because I branched out a little bit and started ordering Coastal Scents.  But I realized that with all the mystery boxes I've been getting, I needed a place to put those individual Hot Pots into.  I immediately thought of elf's Custom Compacts that only cost $1 and hold 4 pans; so I started filling up my cart to get enough for free shipping haha.  I also needed to try some new concealers because the All-Over-Cover Sticks were creasing under my eyes.


As you can tell, I didn't actually get many new things, just things I was sort of interested in trying out.  
I got:

Cream Eyeliner in 'Black' ($3/ea) - the one I had before dried out beyond saving so I had to get a new one
Studio Blush in 'Blushing Rose' ($3/ea) - for my medium skin tone because lighter shades weren't showing up
Studio Lip Exfoliator ($3/ea) - backup
2 Custom Compacts ($1/ea) - for my Coastal Scents Hot Pots
Shine Eraser ($1/ea) - for my boyfriend who wanted to try it
Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzer in 'St. Lucia' ($3/ea) - I was interested in the hype and I really needed a bronzer that would show up because Elf's Healthy Glow Bronzer in 'Matte Bronze' was NOT doing the trick
Nail Polish in 'Skinny Jeans' ($2/ea) 
Tone Correcting Concealer in 'Light Beige' ($1/ea)
Brightening Eye Color in 'Nouveau Neutrals' ($1/ea) - free sample
Clarifying Pressed Powder in 'Apricot Beige' ($1/ea) - the other ones I had gotten were too dark, so I went a shade lighter and this is perfect for me :)
Cover Everything Concealer in 'Light' ($2/ea) - yet another concealer I wanted to try in case the Tone Correcting one didn't work
2 Triple-Tipped Waterproof Eyeliner Pens in 'Black' ($2/ea) - I ordered a second one by mistake :(

I have tried and swatched almost everything the minute I opened the box.  Just so you know, Coastal Scents Hot Pots do NOT magnetize with Elf's Compacts, but at least it's a nice, safe way to store them.

I enjoyed the blush immensely; it actually gave me color on my cheeks.  The duo blush & bronzer actually impressed me a little bit because I didn't expect the bronzer to actually show up.  Many reviews will advise you to use a light hand with the bronzer because it is so pigmented, but I had no problem with it, probably because I'm a little more tan.

The two concealers I got worked well; I put one under each eye to kill two birds with one stone.  I didn't use any setting powder over them and they didn't crease at all throughout the day.

Don't worry, if this is a little too much to take in, I definitely plan on posting reviews of most of these products, so stay tuned!  (And as always, feel free to comment below if you have any questions or comments.)

- Jolie ♥

Coastal Scents Mystery Box #2

Hello all!  As you can see from the title, this is the second mystery box I've gotten from Coastal Scents.  I've already done a post on my first box, which you can read here.  To save you the trouble, here's a little run-down of what the mystery box is.

Supposedly, Coastal Scents only runs these promos about twice a year; you pay $20 (not including shipping), for a box of completely random things that are supposed to be worth over $50.  Once you get it, there are no returns or exchanges, obviously because you buy it knowing that there is a risk of getting things you don't like.

The point is to try things that you normally wouldn't, whether it be colors or products, and what's not to love about getting more than twice your money's worth of products?  In my first mystery box, I calculated about $65 worth of things; what an amazing deal.

However, I was only okay with the things I got in the first box, so my boyfriend (the enabler), got me a second ♥  After a week of anticipation again, I finally received the box and was super happy with what I got!

Contents in their packages

Contents unboxed

I was SO excited this time because I got the thing I wanted the most --> a Divine Line cream eyeliner!  I had wanted to get that in my last box, but got the liquid eyeliner instead.  Also, I only got one repeated item, which was one of the Hot Pots, but it's okay because I really liked that color.

Values of my contents:

Black Soap ($4)
Sunless Body Art in 'Dark' ($8)
Duo Shadow Pencil in 'Copper Penny' ($3)
Lip Pencil in 'Pinky' ($3)
Duo Defining Wand in 'Chocolate/Pistachio' ($10/discontinued)
Divine Line in 'Lolite' ($10)
4 Hot Pots in 'Peachy Pink', 'Coral Rose', 'Berry Grey', 'Tarnished Nickel' ($2 ea/ = $8)
2 Mineral Shadows in 'Rose Sparks' and 'Key Lime' ($5 ea/ = $10)
Eyelash Curler ($5)
Lip Smacks in 'Bohemian Orange' ($3.75)
Small Angle Brush (Price not listed)

Total: $64.75

I really liked what I got in this box mainly because I didn't get any repeats.  There were a lot of new things I had not explored on the website and would not have known about if it weren't for this promotion.  I did some swatches of certain items but I plan on doing an in-depth post on them.

I mostly really liked the lip gloss color I got, because in the first box, I got a light baby pink color which I was not fond of, but Bohemian Orange is a gorgeous rusty orange color that looks great on me!

If the promotion is still on, I strongly urge you to try it out because it's definitely worth it!  Once again I had gotten more than three times what I paid for :) 

Stay tuned for in-depth reviews on these products, and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

- Jolie ♥

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Coastal Scents Mystery Box

Oh my, I didn't realize it's been a month since I've updating the blog.  I've bought a lot of makeup in the meantime and actually have quite a few posts scheduled, so don't fret!

I've recently been buying more Coastal Scents things because I know from experience that their eyeshadows are great (better than Elf's), but I've never actually tried anything else from them.  So imagine how happy I was when they came out with their mystery box promotion!

Apparently the promotion only comes about twice a year and it's a great deal.  You pay $20 for their mystery box in which they can throw anything in and its said to have over $50 worth of products.  So even if you have to pay for their shipping, which cost me about $8 something; I should still be expecting at least $20 of free stuff!  (Just to warn you, the mystery boxes are non-refundable and you shouldn't really complain to the company about getting something you didn't like since you are paying for the randomness and surprise.)

Any-who, I finally got the package after so much anticipation during the week, and here is what was inside!

Its a small box within a box!

The contents in their boxes

Contents unboxed

I was overall pretty happy with my things, especially since I calculated everything and the total came out to be over $65!