I don't know about you but I get butterflies in my tummy from excitement when I see a new package at my door. I'm a sucker for great deals on makeup especially dupes for higher end brands like MAC. I've been on a hunt for an affordable custom eyeshadow palette that not only has a great color payoff but is also easy to travel with. I got a great deal on this Labor Day weekend, getting half off each Hot Pot (eyeshadow singles) from
Coastal Scents. They always seem to have sales going on. The website has a range of shadows from light to dark, smokey to neutral, shimmers to matte finsishes. Each Hot Pot was packed individually in a clear plastic case and put into a blue net baggie with coupons. The total was about $19 including the palette case. As much as I was looking forward to a vibrant purple shadow, Deep Grape, it was sold out so Coastal Scents ended up giving me a refund for it. The customer service was fabulous.
As far as the pigmentation goes, the formula is different for each finish. The matte shades are a bit more sheer than the shimmer shadows but that's not a problem with a dab of eyeshadow primer (I'll do a review on it later). I'm just impressed that the matte shadows actually show up. Most cheap matte shadows come out chalky like talc powder mixed with color.
I wanted to get a range of shadows that I could wear on a daily basis as well as some I'd love to play around with. Notice I bought two
Octoberfest eyeshadows. Why? I've been obsessed with warm toned browns ever since I picked up Brown Script by Mac. It really enhances green/hazel eyes and works great as an all over lid shade as well as a great transition shade to warm up any look. I tend to gravitate towards matte brown shadows on a daily basis so I figured I'd get more of something I'd actually use and to no surprise I have been loving it and using that shade the most.
Oatmeal Tan is a soft warm brown shade that I got mainly to use as a transition shade. This shade gives a natural depth to your lids, it's clean, simple, matte, and beautiful.
Tuscany is great for a clean natural look. I personally love to use this all over the lid with a bit of mascara. Some people use their blush color as they eye shadow to tie up their look and make the shadows of their face look uniform. Tuscany does just that. Use it as a blush and an eyeshadow and you'll be glowing.
Light Apricot could have been a great highlight shade for under the brow bone if it didn't have a peachy sheen to it. The peachy tone to it darkens the shadow making it better lid shade than a all over highlight shade. This shadow is perfect for the inner tear duct area and great to pop in the middle of the lid to finish off a look. This trick will wake up tired eyes. Adding a highlight in the middle of your lid gives it dimension giving it an illusion of having rounder, bigger eyes mimicking where the light would naturally hit your lids.
Note the red shadow,
Venetian Red, is actually a blush. I've been looking for a true red blush ever since I saw Nars's Exhibit-A blush in Sephora. I fell in love with the color because it was so bold. Apparently red blush, if applied sparingly, mimics the natural flush of your skin versus a pink blush. So even though a red blush looks a bit dark are heavy for the skin, it actually looks more natural than other shades. Tip: try to use a fluffy soft bristle brush that isn't too dense for the red blush to avoid splotchy application.
New Penny is a gorgeous orange, warm, copper shade. I'd compare it to Maybelline's Copper Craze and Mac's Amber Lights.
While
Light Bronze may look similar it's a bit darker. It's a neautral toned bronze which gives your eyes a hint of radiance.
Rich Walnut is shimmery brown shade with a hint of red which works well to darken the crease and as a great all over lid shade to for a smokey look.
Golden Avocado has to be my second favorite after Octoberfest. It's a great everyday shade with a pop of color without being overdone. It gives your look a bit of edge without too much color and it works great with hazel eyes picking up the hues in colored eyes.
Electric Blue was a disappointment. Although it wasn't chalky, it came out splotchy and sheer and certainly didn't give me the vibrance that I expected. I'd compare it to the blue shade in the $5 elf palette with less fallout.
Teal Green is a pretty vibrant aqua shade that works well with a warm transition color.
Overall, all the shadows are great, finely mild, pigmented, and comparable to higher end shadows however, the vibrant colored matte shadows didn't impress me as much as the other shadows. The matte shadows actually stained my skin a bit. With the range of shades and finishes, there's seriously something for everyone on
Costal Scents and the looks you can create from these shadows are endless! I'd give this palette an A-
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| Hot Pot - Oatmeal Tan | HP-057 | 1 |
| Hot Pot - Venetian Red | HP-099 | 1 |
| Hot Pot - Golden Avocado | HP-195 | 1 |
| Hot Pot - Rich Walnut | HP-288 | 1 |
| Hot Pot - Oktoberfest | HP-317 | 2 |
| Hot Pot - Tuscany | HP-320 | 1 |
| Hot Pot - Deep Grape | HP-CM07 | 1 |
| Hot Pot - Electric Blue | HP-CM10 | 1 |
| Hot Pot - Teal Green | HP-CM11 | 1 |
| Hot Pot - Light Apricot | HP-ME17 | 1 |
| Hot Pot - Light Bronze | HP-ME22 | 1 |
| Hot Pot - New Penny | HP-ME23 | 1 |
| Interchangeable Palette: 12 Piece | PL-052 |
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Here's a snapshot of the order which includes the names along with its item number. Check out the deal I got below! #iliveforsales
| Item | Sku | Qty | Subtotal |
|---|
| Hot Pot - Oatmeal Tan | HP-057 | 1 | $0.98 |
| Hot Pot - Venetian Red | HP-099 | 1 | $0.98 |
| Hot Pot - Golden Avocado | HP-195 | 1 | $0.98 |
| Hot Pot - Rich Walnut | HP-288 | 1 | $0.98 |
| Hot Pot - Oktoberfest | HP-317 | 2 | $1.96 |
| Hot Pot - Tuscany | HP-320 | 1 | $0.98 |
| Hot Pot - Deep Grape | HP-CM07 | 1 | $0.98 |
| Hot Pot - Electric Blue | HP-CM10 | 1 | $0.98 |
| Hot Pot - Teal Green | HP-CM11 | 1 | $0.98 |
| Hot Pot - Light Apricot | HP-ME17 | 1 | $0.98 |
| Hot Pot - Light Bronze | HP-ME22 | 1 | $0.98 |
| Hot Pot - New Penny | HP-ME23 | 1 | $0.98 |
| Interchangeable Palette: 12 Piece | PL-052 | 1 | $2.98 |
| Subtotal | $15.72 |
| Shipping & Handling | $7.15 |
| Adjustment Fee | $18.89 |
| Grand Total (Excl.Tax) | $0.98 |
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