Merry Christmas!

Here's a little giveaway to bring you some holiday cheer. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and that 2013 brings health, happiness, and success. 




Giveaway Rules (Open internationally):

1. Must be a channel subscriber (click subscribe it's easy and free!)
2. Like this video
3. Follow me on Twitter
4. Like my Facebook page 
5. Leave a comment on the video (1 entry per person) telling me 

• What is your favorite gift you've ever given to someone else.
• Include your Twitter handle and Facebook name in the comment 

6. Tweet about this giveaway: I entered @girlythingsby_e giveaway to win @UrbanDecay411 Naked Basics palette and more! Check it out here http://youtu.be/ddrpW9k-T-4
7. Contest closes 12/31/12 at noon EST. Winners will be notified through Youtube. Make sure you either add me as a contact or you don't block people from sending you messages. If I can not notify you, I will have to choose another winner. Winners will have 48 hours to respond with their shipping information or another winner will be chosen. There will be three winners chosen for this giveaway and there are three different prizes.

Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash. The makers and manufacturers of the items being given away are in no way affiliated with this contest. While I take every precaution to ensure packages are delivered to contest winners, I do not take any responsibility for items lost, stolen, or damaged during the shipping process once I have confirmed shipment from my end.

Winners: Kristin Johnson, Natasha Lopez, Myah Vickers

Mini Coastal Scents Haul featuring MAC 217 dupes

Coastal Scents had a quick sale on my favorite brush. If you read this blog, you know it well, its the Pro Blending Fluff, which is an excellent MAC 217 dupe. You can read my initial review here and check out my video about affordable eye brushes here. If you follow me on Twitter then you probably saw my tweet alerting people of the sale. The brush was 45 percent off! That made it $2.72. (The sale is still going on until 8/10/12 at 3 p.m. EST) Amazing. I picked up two more, and a couple of other items I've been wanting to pick up.

I paid less than $20 for these items, shipping and tax included. 

Coastal Scents Brush Purifier $4.95 (8 oz.)

One of the first items I wanted to try out was their brush cleanser, which is supposed to condition and sanitize your brushes. I followed the instructions on the back of the box which tell you to add solution to a cup and soak brush bristles for 15-20 minutes (depending on how dirty your brushes are) to loosen up product. I didn't wait that long. But what I did find is that I used a lot of product (it went from a full bottle to the top of the black label) to clean my brushes. Granted, I cleaned a lot of brushes, but still, I used what I felt was a lot. It could be user error, so I'll try a lighter hand next time. 

What I did notice, and this big in my opinion, was that it got my beauty sponges super clean. As in, they look new. The closest I'd gotten to squeaky clean was by using Dawn dish soap on my beauty blender dupes, which only left a few tiny spots of stubborn concealer behind. But after I used this cleanser it was all gone. My SOHO beauty sponge was bright pink again! That alone makes it worth it to me. So I'll be trying to see if I can manage to use less of it when I clean my brushes so I don't blow through this as quickly. 

One note, don't use too much on your sponges. I was squeezing out product for what seemed like forever!

I also picked up two eyeliner brushes in addition to my blending brushes. One is a small angled liner brush and the density super fine eyeliner brush. Each was only $1.95. I almost got the classic angled liner brush, which looks just like my angled Sonia Kashuk eyeliner brush, and I'm kind of kicking myself for not doing it. I'm forever cleaning my Sonia Kashuk brush. Oh well, I wanted to try out the small angled liner so that I could see if I could do better at drawing on a thinner line than I do with a regular angled liner brush. Same goes with the super fine liner brush. Below is a closer photo of the brushes. 

I was rather excited to see that this batch of the pro blending fluff is even more similar to the MAC 217 than the first ones I bought. As I mentioned in my video and my review, the first Coastal Scents brushes I got were a bit pointier and just a tad flatter. This made it easier to get into the crease and draw a more defined outer V, pack on color, all while still blending colors out just as well as my 217. 

The newer ones have a bit more of a rounded top and are just as fluffy (maybe just a bit more so) than my 217. Below is a photo of my MAC 217 in between the Coastal Scents version and another photo close up.

New Coastal Scents Pro Blending Fluff (left), MAC 217 (center), Old Coastal Scents Blending Fluff (right)

New Coastal Scents Blending brush (left), MAC 217 (center), Old Coastal Scents Blending brush (right)

I also wanted you all to see how the other two brushes compare to brushes in my collection. The photo below shows just how much smaller and thinner the angled liner brush is compared to a regular angled brush from Studio Tools. It's a bit flimsier, but I'm thinking its so small, it's going to be great for getting gel liner right up against the lash line. 

The density super fine liner brush took me a bit by surprise. I was expecting it to be really slim, and as you can see form the photo below, the bristles are a bit thicker than my Sonia Kashuk bent liner brush. This makes me a bit nervous. I got it hoping to draw super slim lines, not sure how good it will be at that. But, here's hoping. I can't be sure until I try it. 

This should give you a few other inexpensive brush alternatives to choose from if you are in the market. I totally recommend the pro blending fluff and at 45 percent off, you simply can't beat it. Will you be giving it a try? If you have a beauty blender type sponge, are you curious about the Coastal Scents cleanser?

Affordable Eye Makeup Brushes

This video is a follow up to the video on Affordable Face Makeup Brushes that I posted last week. It's just my way of sharing other makeup brushes out in the market that aren't always the same Sigma, Sedona Lace, and MAC brushes everyone else talks about. Yes, those brushes are good quality, but they aren't the only good quality brushes available to you. In fact, they aren't even the most affordable, good quality brushes out there. I hope this is helpful.

If you like this series, leave a comment below and tell me if there are any other brush types you'd like me to talk about.

• Crown Italian Badger Deluxe Crease $2.99 
• Crown Italian Badger Deluxe Oval Shadow $3.78
• Crown Luna Deluxe Crease $3.19 
• Crown Luna Blending Fluff $2.79 
• Crown Luna Chisel Fluff $2.89
• Crown Pro Spoolie 79¢. There are spoolies for less than $2 in the Luna and Italian Badger line too
• elf Spoolie $1 
• Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner Brush $5.99
• Posh Wide Dome Shadow Brush $5.49 (When I checked online, it's listing the cost at $10, but I know for a fact I didn't pay that much for it because I wouldn't have bought it at that price. So instead, I've provided the link to the same brush by Essence of Beauty)
• Studio Tools Eyeliner $2 
• Studio Tools Crease $2 
• Coastal Scents Pro Blending Fluff (MAC 217 Dupe) $4.95
• SOHO Blender Brush (Dupe for MAC 224) $8.99 

NOTE: I've also tried the SOHO blender sponge (Beauty Blender Dupe) and I think its even better than the Sonia Kashuk one. It's softer, squishier, and pink! I think Walgreens is getting ahead of the curve with this line of brushes. They are all quite nice. I touched the sample brushes in the store and they all seem to be very good quality. 

Makeup:
L'Oreal True Match foundation - Creamy Beige (C3)
Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer - Nude
Sephora Microsmooth Foundation Powder - Nude
Maybelline blush - Pinch o' Pink
elf Studio Blush & Bronzer - used the bronzer
Rimmel ScandalEyes Flex mascara - Extreme Black
elf Studio Brown kit - Medium Brown
MAC Cinema Features shadow palette #5
Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick - Soft Beige (620)

Music by Dan-O at danosongs.com. Song: En la Brisa

Affordable Makeup Brushes: Face

A makeup newbie out there relying on Youtube and blogs to learn, might start to believe that the only makeup brush manufacturers out there are MAC, Sigma, and Sedona Lace. The beauty community only really seems to talk about those three brands. I might be guilty of it to an extent, since I'm a Sigma affiliate. But I like to think that when I find affordable brush alternatives, I don't keep that information to myself. A keen example, my MAC 217 dupe post is one of the most read on this blog.

So, in keeping with that philosophy, I decided to make a video about affordable makeup brushes that aren't Sigma, MAC, or Sedona Lace. Afterall, those are all good brushes, and the Sigma and Sedon Lace are less expensive than MAC, but they aren't the only inexpensive (and good) brushes out there.

Product discussed that have links:

• Coastal Scents Density Kabuki brush (on clearance and still available as of todays posting) $2.98

• Coastal Scents Classic Small Buffer Brush (Synthetic) $4.95

• Coastal Scents Stippling Brush $6.95

• elf Studio Brushes (Complexion, powder, blush, stippling, flawless concealer, kabuki (not mentioned in video but awesome brush) $3 each Kabuki $6 - some brushes available at Target

• Studio Tools Foundation & Concealer brush $6.99

• Sonia Kashuk Duo Fibre brush $12.99

Makeup I'm wearing:
L'Oreal True Match Foundation - Creamy Natural (C3)
Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer - Nude
Sephora Microsmooth foundaiton powder - Nude
Maybelline blush - Pinch o' Pink
elf Studio brow kit - medium brown
elf Studio blush & contouring (used bronzer)
MAC Cinema Features shadow palette #5
Rimmel Scandal Eyes Flex Mascara - Extreme Black
Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick - Soft Beige (620)

Nail polish: Julep Kate
Julep maven subscription blog post: http://bit.ly/Lp2jIO
Julep maven subscription link: http://bit.ly/MEPENI

Music by Dan-O at danosongs.com
Song: En la Brisa

Dupe Alert: MAC 217 Blending Brush

Photo credit: MAC website

If you are a beauty junkie, you have probably heard all the fuss over MAC's 217 blending brush. I'm in the camp of people who adore it. I think it's the perfect brush. It's stiff enough to pack on color, yet fluffy enough to blend to perfection. I can use it with powder shadow and creams. It's the one brush I reach for that I can use for a complete eye makeup look. For me, it's a staple. For the longest time, I couldn't find a cheaper alternative. For all my other brushes, I could easily find an alternative that wouldn't cost as much. Fluffy blending brushes, shader brushes of all sizes and densities, angle brushes, liner brushes, pencil brushes, you name it, I could find one that I didn't have to spend a fortune on. As much as I love MAC, I just couldn't bring myself to shell out the money for a brush I could find somewhere else (that was also a good quality and friendlier on my wallet). In fact, the only MAC brush I own is the 217, and that was after an intense (and failed) search for a suitable alternative.


But now, I'm happy to report, you don't have to pay $22 for one brush. If you are like me, and just love your 217, or if you've been wanting to try it but just couldn't justify the price (what if you didn't like it after spending that much?), you are in luck. There are now some great dupes out there that will save you lots of cash.

The first one I ever got was the Sigma E25 ($9) is less than half the price of the original MAC brush. I have the travel sized E25 and I think I may actually like it better than my original 217. Here's why, it's softer and a bit fluffier. Yep. As much as I adore my 217, I feel it can sometimes be a bit scratchy (not crazy scratchy, but just a tiny bit). Now, I have discovered that if I wash my brush often, it doesn't get scratchy, but I have to do the deep cleaning (as in using baby shampoo not brush cleaning spray). I don't have a problem with this, but sometimes I'm in a hurry and forget to clean it. I use the brush so often, I can't have it on the counter drying and not be able to use it (Gasp! Unthinkable!). Enter the new brush. With two of them (and one at a fraction of the price) I can alternate between the two while the other one is being cleansed. But I digress; the E25 is definitely softer, even when it's not as ideally clean as it should be.

Photo credit: Sigmabeauty.com

So I thought I was in heaven when I found a dupe for $9. It was a price I was much happier paying (especially compared to $22) if anything were to happen to the brush that I would need to replace it. But, call me cheap, I'd still prefer to pay less (if I can).

Imagine my joy when I received my weekly email from Coastal Scents announcing its sales and saw that brushes were on sale and in the photo I saw a brush that looked just like the 217. I had no idea that Coastal Scents had this brush! I'd been on their site many times before and had never seen it. Turns out, it's relatively new (about 6 months). I immediately clicked on the link and went to find out if this brush was in fact a comparable dupe. There were tons of reviews on it. Apparently it had been out long enough for the legions of 217 fans to try to get their hands on it, so it was always out of stock (how had I NOT heard of this until now?). Most reviewers were saying it was a comparable dupe. And here is the kicker. Are you ready for the price? Wait for it… $4.95. Yes! And it was on sale for 20% off. Even without the sale I could get 4 of these brushes for about the price of one 217 (I'm counting shipping). I jumped on it.

Photo credit: coastalscents.com

I got them in the mail two days ago. I have to report, it really is a close copy. The 217 is definitely denser (fluffier, more hairs) and a little rounder, while the CS Pro Blending Fluff Brush is a bit flatter and stiffer. But don't let this fool you. It still does an amazingly good job at blending your shadow and packing it on if needed. It's excellent quality at a fabulous price. I washed mine, and it didn't lose shape. However, when I did wash it, it looked like it might lose shape (the bristles started drying all wide). I fixed this by folding my towel in half and drying the brush wedged inside the fold (to help hold the shape since I don't own brush guards). I then put a small container (I used an eye shadow) over the bristle side to keep some pressure over it, and that worked just fine. When I unfolded the towel and got my brush the next morning, it looked just as it did before I washed it.

UPDATE: I recently urchased more of these brushes and have more to say about them on this post. 

Here are photos of my brushes so that you can compare them side-by-side. Apologies for the one dirty brush. I'd used it (obviously). As you can see, the Sigma brush is fluffier and fuller, while the Coastal Scents brush is a bit flatter. However, they are all so similar, the distinctions are truly minor.

Left to right: Sigma E25, MAC 217, Coastal Scents Pro Blending Fluff Brush

Close up shot of brush heads (same order as above)

I'm so thrilled. I now have four of the same style brush. Excessive? Maybe, but I'm telling you, I use this brush a lot and I'm tickled that I can now find it at a better price (and share those savings with you) and can always have a clean one ready and on hand.

So, what do you think? Are you a 217 fan? If so, will you be getting either of these brushes? If you have them already, was your experience similar to mine? Tell me what you think!

Super Simple Makeup

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Review: Coastal Scents 28-piece eye shadow neutral palette

For all you neutral makeup ladies out there who just don't think they'd get that much use out of the 88 palette from Coastal Scents, there is the 28-piece eye shadow neutral palette (and the 88 warm palette, but I don't have that one so I can't review it at this time). At less than $20, this little gem is a steal.

Since I purchased this palette, it has become a staple in my daily routine. I just keep coming back to it. It's so easy to create pretty neutral, office-friendly, daily looks, and even some smokey looks with the black shadow that's included in the palette. 

The colors in this palette are quite nice, with a nice array of browns, beiges and pinks. Some of the matte colors are a little chalky, but in my experience they haven't been too bad, nothing a little blending hasn't fixed (and really the chalkiness happens more for me with the lighter colors than the matte darks), and the pigmentation benefits remarkably when you pair these colors with an eyeshadow primer like Urban Decay's Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, e.l.f.'s mineral eyeshadow primer, or Palladio Herbal eyeshadow primer (review on this to come). That being said, I always use eyeshadow primer with my eye makeup, as I want it to look as fresh in the afternoon (after a long day at work) as it did when I first applied it in the morning (Don't we all? ), so highly pigmented or not, I always wear primer to avoid any creasing.  I have light skin, so I find the pigmentation in this palette is quite nice, in any case you can easily pack on color to build on the pigmentation. 

I like this palette so much, I purchased one for my sister and gave it to her for her birthday. She likes it a lot too, and she wasn't one to wear a lot of neutral looks (she was pretty attached to her black and grey color combo). I did notice that the black in her palette has more color pay off than the one in my palette (although I just build it up with mine), so it's possible that color pay off varies from palette to palette. I do need to say that the black was the only color where I noticed this difference (and since I have a few black shadows to choose from in my collection, it doesn't bother me at all). 

Perhaps what I like most about this palette is the fact that it's great if you are traveling. You can create many different neutral looks, and all the colors are in one great location. Plus, you don't have to decide ahead of time what makeup looks you want to create, you can do a lot with the neutral color variety (except for bright colorful looks, obviously), which makes it nice and versatile. One downside is the palette has no mirror. So, if you are traveling bring a small mirror with you, just in case your travel companion happens to be hogging the bathroom when you are in the middle of getting ready. 

I say, if the 88 palette's bright colors intimidate you, and you need a palette that puts a lot of convenient colors in one place for you, then definitely purchase this palette. I haven't tried the 88 warm, but I feel like this palette provides me with more than enough neutral colors to suit my whims. 

Tutorial: Coral-Beach-Sunset-Inspired Makeup

Let's hop on the spring, coral makeup trend with this little makeup tutorial, shall we? Enjoy!

88 Palette Neutral Eye Series: Greys

Part two of the neutral eyes look, using the handy 88 palette is up on YouTube. But for your viewing convenience, I'm also making it available here. As mentioned before, my friend bought the 88 palette and then said she never uses it because she's more of a neutral girl. So, I decided to go ahead and put together some looks that she can use all the time so she gets use out of her makeup purchase. Recently, my sister went out and bought an 88 palette as well. I'm hoping these looks will help them, as well as anyone else out there who is color shy get a lot of use out of this palette. (Incidentally, my sister is NOT color shy, but she does work in a conservative office, so this will help her get some ideas for office-friendly looks)

If you have any requests you'd like done, please leave comments!

88 Palette Neutral Eye Series: Browns

So, I have a friend who's a bit color shy. She went out and got the 88 palette after watching several YouTube videos about it, and after I raved about it to her for about a week. The other day, she told me she never uses it because she really doesn't use color much when she does her everyday makeup.

In her honor, I've decided to do a series of neutral, easy-to-wear, everyday looks using my 88 palette so that my friend can brush the dust off her palette and use it. After all, she spent the money on it! Gradually, I'll see if I can get her to experiment with the colors. But, I wanted to introduce her to the neutral colors in that set, less she forget that the palette isn't all bright colors. If you have an 88 palette and want some everyday, work-appropriate/school-friendly makeup looks, then I hope this little series is helpful for you as well.