• Review | Essence Get BIG! Lashes Triple Black Mascara

    October 5, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    I realized I haven’t done a review in a while. Oops! So, here’s my latest review on an Essence mascara.

    After trying out the Essence Volume Stylist 18hr Lash Extension, I thought I would try other Essence mascaras to see how they compare. Essence mascaras are so affordable, they’re about $4-$6! This one that I’m reviewing was $3.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart. Essence mascaras, I believe, only come in one colour: black.

    Although I love Essence mascaras, they don’t come in plastic packaging (like Maybelline and L’Oréal ones). So, that means they could easily be opened in store, exposed to bacteria and also dry out faster. I know some Shoppers have started to put tape on products that come without packaging to prevent people from swatching/using products which is good, but then you get that stupid tape residue and using oil doesn’t always get it all off. Anyway, I’ll stop ranting about the packaging, and get on to the review of the actual mascara!

    Essence Get BIG! Lashes Triple Black Mascara

    Black, blacker, triple black! This is the deep black mascara in the popular get BIG! Lashes family by Essence. The large, innovative fiber brush offers maximum volume and adds density to your lashes. Its carbon black texture ensures an expressive look with a triple black effect!

    The brush on this is really fat. It’s a bit difficult for me to use (I definitely can’t use it on my bottom lashes). The mascara does darken my lashes and they felt natural. Some mascaras make your lashes stiff and I don’t like that. I wore it for 6 hours and it didn’t smudge at all. After the mascara dried, I gently rubbed my lashes to see if it transferred and it didn’t. It removes easily with micellar water.

    RATING: 3.5/5

    I’d rather pay $1-2 more and get the 18hr Lash Extension Mascara. I’m still searching for a mascara that will keep a curl once I use my lash curler. By the end of the day, my lashes are usually weighed down and go back to being stick straight.

    Have you tried Essence mascaras? What’s your fave?

    Love,

    jen

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  • First Impressions with Coastal Scents Winterberry Palette & Shadow Pots

    November 23, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I’m reviewing the Coastal Scents Winterberry Palette and a few Shadow Pots that I purchased. I previously received the Coastal Scents Revealed 3 Eyeshadow Palette in a TopBox so I knew that the shadows were pretty good (for a beginner). In the Revealed 3 Palette, some shadows were better than others which is also the case for the Winterberry Palette and Shadow Pots that I purchased. The 5 shadow pots I purchased looked beautiful in the pan, but when I swatched them (without primer), they were a bit disappointing. When you swatch them with primer and/or wet your brush to apply, the pigment improves, but it takes some time until you get the shade you want. This wasn’t the case for the Winterberry shades, most of them were beautiful even without primer or having to wet the brush.

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    For the shadow pots, I purchased greens, teals and blues. I wanted to get some fun colours, but ones that I’d actually wear. Reds, oranges and yellows wouldn’t go well with my skin tone, I think I would just look ill.

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    Clockwise from top left: Fresh Chive | Electric Blue | Jewel Teal | Indigo Dream

    Teal Green is not pictured because it broke a bit during the shipping process, so I fixed it with some alcohol, but it didn’t look very presentable.

    Below are swatches without primer (using my fingers to swatch).

    Originally, I wanted to get the empty palette with a mirror that fits 12 shadows for $5.95, but I thought, “For $4 more, I could get 12 eyeshadows that are all really pretty purple/wintery shades.” So I chose the Winterberry palette instead of the Think Pink one because how often will I use pink eyeshadows. Once you finish the shadows, you can replace them with other 26mm pans. The palette itself contains built-in magnets and gives you easy access at the upper-right corner of each pan to take out the pans (I can easily use my finger to take out the pans).

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    Top Row: Light Pink | Silver Lilac | Light Plum | White Silver

    Middle Row: Mauve Frost | Amethyst | Steel Grey | Thulian Pink

    Bottom Row: Tyrian Purple | Lavender | Raisin Berry | Regalia Purple

    After trying the single shadow pots first, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the ones in this palette. But the Winterberry shades are much creamier and a lot more pigmented than the singles ones I purchased. For the greens/teals/blues, I had to dip my finger back into the pot a few times just to get the swatch that colour. For the Winterberry ones, I just had to do it once or twice (just to get it to cover the length of the swatch). Out of the 12 shades, 3 of them aren’t as pigmented and metallic looking as the rest. For $9.95, I think it’s a really good palette, the shades are gorgeous and the swatches are what the shades look like without primer. The 9 other shades feel super creamy and are very pigmented. The shades that I probably wouldn’t purchase individually are: Light Pink, Light Plum, Tyrian Purple and Regalia Purple (which is a shame because all of them, especially Regalia Purple are beautiful in the pan).

    RATING: 4/5 for the Winterberry Palette

    RATING: 3.5/5 for the Shadow Pots

    The Winterberry Palette gets 4/5 because the majority of the shades are beautiful and pigmented, the others just need a bit of help by wetting your brush. The Shadow Pots get 3.5/5 because they are pretty, but it takes some time to get the colour you see in the pan. Definitely use a shadow primer and wet your brush! For the price right now though (even when it’s regular priced), they’re amazing for beginners or if you just want to get some funky colours!

    For my fellow Canadians, shipping is not free for us, but luckily there’s NO extra fees (COD) after you’ve paid at checkout.

    What are your fave shades from Coastal Scents?

    Love,

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