Review: Coastal Scents Camo Quad - Medium + Before/After Photos & Swatches!

Coastal Scents Camo Quad in Medium

Hey Guys! I have another Coastal Scents review for you guys. It's for their Camo Quad Concealer in the shade Medium. They have four different Camo Quads in the shades Light, Medium, Dark and Color Corrector. You can view all shades here.

Before ordering this quad, I made sure to look up swatches and read some reviews. I also watched a review video by one of my favorite youtubers, Lisaz09. You can click her username and it will take you directly to her review video. Anyway, the majority of the reviews seemed very positive so I thought I would give it a try.

The shade Medium contains four (4) shades. They don't have specific shade names or numbers. There is a White, Light Peach, Med. Beige and a Dark Pink Beige. Prior to receiving this quad in the mail I thought these colors were going to be more yellow toned because of all of the swatches I have seen. I would say they kind of look more like NW shades than NC shades. The Med. Beige shade looks a little bit like my NW25 concealer.. but less orangy. Which is absolutely fine because peachy & pinky shades seem to camouflage dark circles very well. Then, once my yellow toned foundation is applied over.. they should be completely covered. 

I would say that my camera captured the color very accurately in both the quad by itself and the swatches (it may depend on your computer, because not every computer will obviously capture color the same way).

Coastal Scents Camo Quad in Medium

Coastal Scents Camo Quad in Medium

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Review: Coastal Scents Undercover Liquid Color Corrector - Yellow + Photos & Swatches!

Coastal Scents Undercover Liquid Color Corrector

(in the shade yellow)

Product Description: "

These are used when making custom color changes to foundation, concealer and blush are needed. Pro Color Correctors mix easily together and with liquid cosmetic products. You can also create custom color correctors such as peach, salmon, lavender and pastel green.  The use of color correctors will assist you in hiding a persons flaws and highlighting their facial strengths.

There are six velvety correctors, used in cosmetic products to lighten, darken, contour, add new tint and tone to products, and cover hyper pigmentation. If a custom fit is what you need when applying your makeup in business or at home, this set is indispensable. The viscosity is thick, highly pigmented, has good coverage and is easy to control when dispensing. " - http://www.coastalscents.com/

Why I found this product necessary to purchase - If you have been a follower of my blog and you keep up with my posts, you probably already know what skin tone I have and how often I stress about finding foundations that have enough yellow in them. Although this isn't always an issue as I have found good color matches in all of my favorite foundations, there are some foundations that fall short of my exact color match. I do own some foundations that I don't wear as often as others because of the sole reason, my face will not match my neck. Yes.. darkness or lightness wise, but the undertone will not match. Foundations that are too beige/neutral will leave me gray, cool foundations will leave me pink, too olive of foundations will leave me green and sometimes warm foundations can have too much red in the and leave me looking sunburned. I mostly run into the problem of some foundations being too neutral and they will give me a gray cast. Seeing this product on Coastal Scents made me really think that this problem can possibly be eliminated for good and I can use this product on my foundations that are missing a little yellow.

 Red - used when needing to add more pink in foundation for caucasian skin or shade of red in some darker skin tones. (Do not add more than a tiny dot of this at a time to your product, it is very strong. )

Blue - Simply mix equal amounts of yellow, red and blue (primary colors) together to make brown, known as a neutral color. The amount of each primary color used will make a specific shade of brown: more yellow, less red, less blue and so on.

Green - Adds extra coverage and color correcting for skin with too much redness from inflammation, such as rosacea and broken capillaries.

Yellow - excellent for under eye circles; used to add yellow tones; Yellow also counteracts purple blemishes and bruising. 

Black - is not a color, it is actually absent of color, it is used in the art and cosmetic industry to darken colors-absorb the light in them. Use this to darken your foundation shade, a darker shade of foundation is also used to diminish flaws and highlight strengths.

White - This is not a color, it is a tint, tints are used to lighten all colors. When you are in between shades in your color range white can be used to lighten, black to darken. White can be used to create a foundation one or two shades lighter than your regular makeup and to be used for highlighting.

So, I put it to the test. I used a foundation that is a little too neutral for me. (Rimmel Lasting Finish #200 Soft Beige) fyi, it's one of the lighter foundations I own for when I'm not very tan.

This was just a test run. I ended up putting a little more corrector than needed.. but as you can see from the final result, the foundation matches my skin much better than the original foundation. 

Review: I tested it again yesterday when I went out. I used a foundation that was again, a little too neutral for me and I used just a drop of the corrector and mixed it in with the dab of foundation I poured onto a clean palette and the foundation had transformed into a shade more suitable for me. Applied to my face, it looked like a completely different foundation. Matching your undertone perfectly is really something that can make or break a foundation. The corrector has a thin consistency.. It is not watery, nor is is creamy. It's somewhere in between. It did not change the texture or finish of my foundations. Just purely, the undertone. I highly recommend this product if you struggle with the same issues as me with foundations. I'm very happy I purchased this, and I will be using it with all of my foundations that don't have enough yellow. What's best about it is, it's only $3.95. View all shades here.

Have you used this product or a product like this?

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Coastal Scents. I was not paid or compensated in any way for this review. I paid for this product myself and as always, my reviews are honest and are based on my personal experience in using the product.

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation Review, Swatches & FOTD!

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation ($29.50) is one of MAC's newest foundations that is promised to provide up to 15 hours of wear in any environment and condition. It provides a lightweight, sheer to medium coverage and will keep the skin looking natural and flawless. *Contains SPF 10

I've only worn this foundation twice so far, but I couldn't wait to write my review!

*For reference, it's a couple dollars more expensive than Studio Fix Fluid, which retails for $26. I'm guessing because it includes a pump. (Satinfinish also has a pump and retails for $29.50.)

The texture is nice and creamy, but slightly lighter/thinner in comparison to MAC Studio Fix Fluid - yet it's not watery at all. 

The coverage is light to medium - one pump will give me sheer coverage, and an additional pump will give me light-medium coverage. It's buildable to a solid medium, but if you have any blemishes or hyperpigmentation, you may find that spot concealing is necessary. 

I will say this foundation is a bit difficult to work with. It's kind of hard to explain, because the foundation itself isn't thick at all, but once it hits the skin, it doesn't move around that easily - causing me to use excess foundation. I've found that using a primer beforehand really helps smooth the foundation all over my face without wasting product.

The finish is semi-matte, and it doesn't leave my face feeling moist, so I don't find it necessary for me to set the foundation with a powder. Just a little under my eyes to set my concealer.

(Wearing MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC35)

Review: Face Atelier Foundation + Swatches & FOTD!

Product Info: "The heart and soul of FACE atelier – an innovative approach to foundation that allows you to be in control.  Ultra Foundation is a silicone-based emulsion that floats on top of the skin, doesn’t crease or flake, and lasts all day long.  Hydrating yet oil-free, it obscures tiny lines and pores to ensure a smooth finish.  No primer needed!  It's built into Ultra Foundation, thanks to the super sophisticated, silicone-based formula.   Another bonus - it sets without powder, preserving the youthful, dewy finish.

TRADE SECRET!
The silicone molecule is bigger than the human pore, allowing Ultra Foundation to form a lightweight, breathable second skin that is both moisture and oil resistant.  It is truly non-comedogenic and is ideal for troubled or mature skin.

Ultra Foundation's top-secret formulation creates an optical blurring effect that diminishes fine lines and wrinkles and gives the illusion of a smoother, more uniform and naturally dewy finish.  No wonder it's the foundation of choice for stars like Fergie and Lady Gaga!

 Why no SPF?  It's no secret to pro makeup artists that products with SPF flash white.  Ultra Foundation is THE product of choice if you're anywhere near a camera.   More importantly, there's a long list of reasons why SPF doesn't work in cosmetics (see Trade Secrets).   We urge you to find a good sunscreen and use as directed." -faceatelier.com

Here is a swatch of the foundation next to MAC Studio Fix Fluid in the shade NC30 Unblended and blended into my skin (not fully, of course). As you can tell, it's a little too light for me. The undertone is correct though. It has a nice warm, peachy tone and it is described as a "light to mid yellow-based beige". One shade up and it should be fine.

If you are a true NC30, #4 Sand may work pretty well for you.. I am not a true NC30 right now.. I'm more of a NC35-NC40 at the moment (at the moment because of my self tanner). Since I have no use for foundations that are too dark, I thought ordering #4 would be a safe move. #3 Wheat is said to match NC30 as well (some reviews say its even darker than #4). #5 Sepia is said to match NC35-NC37. All shades are yellow based (yay for me). What is very interesting with Face Atelier, is that they have shades to alter your foundation if it doesn't match your skin perfectly. Zero Minus is a white foundation that will lighten your foundation, Zero Plus is a chocolate brown that will darken your foundation and Zero Plus Plus is a deep dark chocolate brown that will darken your foundation further. There is also Heat, which is a red foundation that will add warmth to your foundation. All you need apparently is a drop. I think its very nice that they have these shades especially if your skin shade alters throughout the year. But, considering their foundation is $45 for a 1 oz/30ml tube, I think paying another $45 for an altering shade is a lot of money to dish out. Considering you only need a drop, they should be in either smaller bottles or should cost less. That's just my opinion.

You can purchase a sample/s of the foundation from Face Atelier for $1 (approximately 3 applications), Whiterabbitbeauty for $1.85 (claims "several" applications) and Camerareadycosmetics for $3.99 (two applications). I purchased my sample from camerareadycosmetics. I received my order two-three days later. (Not affiliated with any of these companies). The unused sample is shown above in the first photo. It's not a very generous sample.. but it will last me a few more applications. Whats great about the foundation is you don't need a lot.

Face Atelier has scored a 4.4/5 with a 78% buy back rate on makeupalley.com (based on 37 reviews).

Now, onto my review...
Here I am this morning.. all I have on is MAC select cover up in the shade NW25 under my eyes and I have my brows filled. I don't have any major blemishes, except I have a few blemishes around my face that were pimples that have dried up. Major thing is, my skintone is uneven and I have a little redness on my cheeks & nose area.

Here is the foundation applied to my face with my ELF Studio Angled Foundation Brush. I didn't moisturize or prime my face prior to application. My face didn't seem dry.. so I didn't feel I needed to.

My Review: I was very surprised to see that the foundation covered all of my flaws. It completely evened out my skin. It even covered the couple little dried up pimples I had that were dark red.. which surprised me. A lot of foundations just make them look brown under my foundation. Though the foundation appears to be thin and liquidy, when applied to the face.. I feel like the consistency almost changes. You'd think it would be sheer to medium with a dewy finish. But, one it hit my skin it was noticeable medium+ coverage with a satin finish (not dewy & not completely matte). The finish is beautiful. It left my skin radiant and it didn't look heavy, cakey, greasy in any way. I didn't feel I needed to set it with a powder.. but after maybe an hour I noticed my skin did look a little shiny. I took my foundation brush (with no product) and buffed it over my face and all of the shine went away. It went back to the satin finish. Then I powdered my face and went out. By the end of the night, my makeup had stayed in place very nicely except the color of one of my blemishes had started to come through. I would say it has a good 8-10 hr wear. I love that the foundation looks so natural and the fact that you don't need a lot. I only used the residue from the cap for my whole face. This is such a beautiful foundation and when I have a little extra money, I would like to purchase the full size. In the mean time, I may order a couple more samples.

Face of the day.. 

Face:
MAC Select Cover Up #NW25
Face Atelier Foundation #4 Sand
Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse #Caramel (used a little around my face to darken a little)
MAC Refined Golden Bronzer (Hollows of my cheeks & around my hair line)
MUFE HD Blush #10 (On my cheeks)

Brows:
Maybelline Define a Brow #Medium Brown

Eyes:
Sephora Sunbaked No 2 Trio (Brown shade in my crease, Bronze shade all over my lid and the gold shade as a highlight and blended over my crease & in the corners of my eyes by my tear ducts)
NYX Black Eyeshadow (Deepened the corner of my crease)
Covergirl Lash Blast Black Mascara
Ardell False Lashes #111

Lips:
Sephora Nano Lip Liner #2
OCC Cha Cha Lip Tar (very light coat)
LASplash Girl Crush Lip gloss (very tiny amount to add shine)

Follow up on the Sephora Trio: I really like the trio. The colors are very pigmented and the particular trio I have, the colors look soo pretty together. When I went out, I didn't look overdone or overly shimmery. I'll be keeping this in my cosmetic bag and wearing it very often. Recommended! :)

Make Up Forever #10 HD Creme Blush Review!

Make Up For Ever #10 HD Blush

Make Up Forever HD Creme Blush ($25) is a lightweight, cream blush that is uniquely dispensed in a small, plastic pump tube.

Make Up For Ever HD Blush is available in (14) shades: #1 Innuendo, #2 Caught in the Act, #3 Truth or Dare, #4 Walk of Shame, #5 Nip Slip, #6 Quickie, #7 One too Many, #8 PDA, #9 In the Spotlight, #10 Skinny Dipping, #11 Mistaken Identity, #12 First Kiss, #13 Smooth Talker and #14 Star Struck.

#10 Skinny Dipping is described on the website as a light, orange brown. It also has a hint of rosy-red in there. I'd describe it as a warm, spicy terracotta. A very flattering color for medium/tan skin tones.

Covergirl Lash Blast Length Mascara Review!

Covergirl Lash Blast Length Mascara

Ever since I tried the Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara, I have been HOOKED. I wear it ever single day and it's probably my favorite drugstore mascara. When I heard that they came out with a Lash Blast LENGTH, I had to get my hands on it. Covergirl Lash Blast is a very good volumizing mascara, but it doesn't do much for length. Very Minimal. 

So, my thoughts were: This mascara is going to be exactly the same as Last Blast but PLUS length! 

Well, I was wrong. It does only length. And really, it didn't do anything for me. It barely made my lashes any longer. Maybe a microscopic half a millimeter? It is also very dry.. in comparison to the original Lash Blast. You don't get as much product on your wand. I seriously had to sit and apply this to my lashes for over 10 minutes and I had barely any length or volume. Sad. *sigh* BUT, on the plus side, it looks nice when I apply a coat of the CG Length and apply a coat of the CG Original over it. I do notice a tiny difference (which is similar to when I apply a lash base). The formula also didn't flake, smudge or go under my eyes.. which is a plus. I suppose if you like a really natural mascara, you might like this. But if you're looking for something dramatic like me, this is not it. Also, what may work for you may not work for me. 

The wands in comparison to each other. As you may notice, the CG Length had a thinner brush and wand, and there is a lot less product on the wand.


Have you tried this mascara? What are your thoughts?

Some Updates!

I haven't posted in days.. I've been pretty busy and it's been SO hot outside so I haven't really done my make up.

Friday I went to my best friends performance at the local mall.. she dances for a local singer/dancer named Andre B. It was an awesome show.. it didn't go exactly as planned and there were a couple minor mistakes, but it was a blast. I recorded it.. not the best quality.. but I uploaded it on YouTube.. my friends would definitely appreciate the feedback, so please leave a comment if you liked it!

Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Wh0zUL3W4

Here's a pic of me I snapped on my way home in my car.. lol I wore long sleeves thinking it was going to be cool outside.. I was so wrong.. I was sweating my butt off. I have my bike in my trunk from my 16 mile long bike ride from last week.. I need to take it out. I've been too lazy.


Lately, I am obsessed with listening to Lady Gaga - Paparazzi.. I keep listening to it over and over.. lol and watching the video. If you haven't seen it.. its really crazy and different.. like her style. I think it's really cool though.. and I absolutely love her. Here's a link to the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOrKLUlh-To

Anyway, I purchased a couple of things at CVS yesterday. I never shop there, I always go to Walgreen's.. but my friend needed to stop there.. so I started looking at makeup. O M G. They are soo expensive. I wanted to buy a ton of Milani stuff, but I'll buy that stuff at ULTA or Kmart.. I wasn't going to pay over $10 for a blush. I got Milani Eye Tech Liquid Liner for $6.99! I thought that was expensive, but I bought it anyway.. and I bought Maybelline Dream Matte Liquid Mousse in #2.5. I thought it was a good match, but I have a feeling its too light.

I didn't have any intention of buying a foundation, but I was swatching (i know, you're not suppose to in drugstores) different ones for my friend, and when I swatched the dream matte liquid, it looked very nice.. and I liked the texture of it.. it appeared to be a medium looking coverage. I think it was like$9.49?? Ridiculous for a drugstore foundation that most likely sucks.. in my opinion. lol But I really thought it would be good. I tried it out this morning.. I didn't have a brush on me.. or a moisturizer.. so I applied it to my face with my fingers.. and I'm not liking it too much.. I ended up taking it off. But I know the MAC 187 brush makes everything look good.. so i'll be testing this stuff out for the next few days and letting you know how it goes.

I really like the Milani eye liner pen. I like the fact that its small, so you can get close to your eye with it, and you have a lot more control. One thing I don't like about liner pens are, when I apply liner, its after my foundation.. so applying a marker like eye liner.. it tends to get makeup buildup on the felt tip, and it will stop working. But I had foundation all over my hand from swatching and drew on my hand with the pen and the foundation didn't come off on the tip. The color of this stuff is extremely black (you can go over it and will get darker), and it dries like liquid liner.. not like a marker (like Loreal Voluminous Marker Eyeliner) This is great if you like to do designs with liner.. such as leopard print, winged ends, "twiggy inspired" eyes.. etc. You can hold it straight for a thin line or sideways for a thicker line.

Here's a couple of swatches:

It makes drawing leopard print a breeze..

Previous Drugstore Haul Update:
Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation: I've been testing this out a bit.. And I'm going to give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. I was not wow'ed by this.. but it is definitely a good drugstore foundation, that has pretty good staying power. The finish is on the dewy side.. so for better staying power, I dusted a powder over it. The coverage is buildable, it has a good medium coverage.. it evened out my skin tone and covered most of my imperfections (I've been breaking out lately). The only reason I'm not giving this a 4 or 5 star is because the COLOR. For reference, I am a NC35-40 in MAC. The color I purchased was #200. It is too light for me. Then, there is two more colors that are darker, and they are both pink toned.. this color has more of a golden tone.. so i figured I can work with it.. and put on bronzer. But, putting on a lighter foundation tends to give a grey hue to my face? And I didn't like that at all.. So this foundation didn't work for me. If you are a NC30, or a lighter NC35.. this will work good for you. But I'm a dark NC35.. more towards 40. I don't think the color choices are good. I wish they had a color that matched me because this stuff is so reasonably priced.. and I would probably be using it all of the time. *sigh* :( I'll be using this when I don't have a tan.

Revlon Colorstay Lipstick in Smooth Nude: This is my now my HG drugstore lipstick. I didn't have an HG drugstore lipstick before this.. lol but this is on my list of "will repurchase when finished". I use it every day. Especially when I go out to dinner with friends or family.. So I won't have to reapply my lipstick at the table. I'll still have color on my lips after my meal with this. I LOVE this lipstick. When I think of Colorstay lip colors, I think about applying a creamy lipgloss that will dry like paint on your lips and then you put clear gloss over it.. and it will last for a few hours and then peel and crumble. And forget about reapplying.. you'll just have a gunky mess on your lips. That is not at all the case with this. When you apply it, its very smooth and goes on creamy. It will dry on your lips to a semi-matte.. but it is still a bit shiny. You'll be able to still rub your lips together without it feeling dry. It goes on as a light peach with a pink shine to it. The coverage is buildable. You can make your lips more translucent with the more coats you put. Apply a clear gloss over and you've got the perfect neutral lip. I like to apply a little foundation on my lips before applying this to tone down the color of my lips, so the lipstick will apply lighter. The lasting power is good.. It lasts me a few hours.. better than a MAC lipstick.. and when I reapply, it doesnt get cakey.. it will blend with the lipstick left on my lips. It does not make my lips dry out or peel. 4.5 out of 5 stars for this.

In these pictures I was trying to capture the color of the pink pearl, if you look closely, you can see it. In the pic of my lips, I started out with a bare lip and applied a little foundation to tone down my lip color.. and then the lipstick and clear gloss.