Coastal Scents 36 Smokey Palette!

Hello there Beauty Broadcast family! It's review time! Today the subject is the 36 Smokey Palette from Coastal Scents. The cost is $22.95 on the Coastal Scents website. I mentioned it in my latest Shopping List Ideas video- but wasn't really able to elaborate on the different shades. Here goes!

I love the concept of this palette- the six different clusters of color really make it user-friendly. You can obviously mix and match outside of the different color combos, but this gives you a great starting point! It's like carrying around six different mini-palettes with you in one! So that's a fantastic thing for travel, when you want to have lots of color options but don't want to fumble around with zillions of containers. Size-wise, this is definitely smaller than the 88 palettes (more portable).

SWATCHES!

(same positioning as the color groupings in the palette- it all matches up)

Neutrals...

compared to the eye-popping brights in this palette, this grouping is a bit under-whelming. Not bad for neutrals, but not my favorite bunch in this palette.

Greens...

Not my personal favorite shades to wear on my eyes, but still- the matte shades in this section are wonderfully pigmented. I like that you get varying shades... from turquoise, to emerald, to yellow.

Purples...

One of my favorite parts of this palette. These colors really POP! While I love the dark purple & plum colors, even the mid-toned shades really stand out. It's hard to pick up on in the picture, but the lightest color actually has a unique opal sheen!

Smokey tones...

My other favorite part of the palette. I gravitate toward colors like this a lot, but because I have tried so many brands & shades, I'm pretty critical when it comes to my blacks & charcoals. I like that you get the classic matte black, as well as a rich shimmery charcoal. You also get an interesting taupe-rose, which I love. And that silver in the middle is to die for. Love it!

Blues...

Calling all bright blue shadow lovers! This part of the palette holds nothing back. From rich turquoise to light sky blue, you get a pretty good range. Although it would've been nice to have a navy shade. I do appreciate the center shade on the right with its gorgeous golden undertone.

Pinks...

This is a really fun bunch of colors. The black in this set actually has subtle pink sparkles. The varying matte pinks are very rich, and of the 2 lightest shades, the frosty pink is clearly the best. When applied with a light touch, you can take any of the bright pinks and warm up the border of a dark smokey look.

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While colors in the 88 palettes are about the size of dimes- these are larger... nickel-sized. From matte to satin to shimmer- there's a nice variety in finishes. Some shades are super bright, but you have enough deep tones to create contrast and "bring the look down a notch"- as I like to say. My swatches are shown with no primer... and just so you know, I never use primer for swatches. While I WOULD use a primer on my lids- I don't want to feel like you must have a certain primer to make them work. So I just show them without so you can truly see how the shadows perform with no other variables.

Quality-wise, this palette is very similar to the other Coastal Scents palettes- so I give it high marks. It makes a good "try me" item if you've never gotten anything from CS before... because you're getting a sampling of lots of different colors and finishes.

Have a great day!

♥

Emily

Daily Nuggets...

• Tyler is still sick... but since his visit to the doc today, I think he'll be on the upward swing. I joke that I will buy him Sparkling Apple Juice (has anyone seen the SNL skit?) for New Year's Eve.
• Today I started a Tumblr page... does anyone else out there do this? My friend Alba had one posted this morning & I was inspired.
• Black Cherry Propel water is quite good.
• Cupcake has gotten over the thrill of us coming home after traveling for a couple days. She's acting like a bit of a diva.
• My nails are painted GOLD and I love it!
• I'm anchoring the newscast solo tomorrow. Topics include- how to avoid a hangover.

Have a great day everyone and a Happy New Year!!!

My first Swap! Thanks Abby! :)

Hi everyone! Sorry for the recent lull in blog updates- It's been a busy holiday season with lots of problems in terms of uploading videos. Until just recently, I have struggled for hours with every video upload... now I've changed internet providers (last effort to help the situation!) and things appear to be working better. Anyway, all the stress and time that the situation required has kind of kept me away from my blog. Not anymore though! I'm excited to share with you- my first ever swap! For a closer look at a few of these products and other Christmas/Birthday gifts I received- check out my YouTube Christmas & Birthday Haul 2010 video!

For awhile now, I've been chatting back and forth on Twitter with Abby, who also has a blog, and a YouTube channel called Color Swept Beauty. She asked me about doing a Christmas swap, and I thought it sounded like lots of fun! We set our price limit at $50... (which she clearly didn't stick to- LOL) and in the days before Christmas I received this amazing package of items! Not only did she send me mountains of makeup, but she had them wrapped in little bundles- and with the package came a series of cards. They instructed me on which part of the gift to open, and why she chose those particular items. It was probably one of the most fun gift-opening experiences ever! :D Not to mention super creative and thoughtful.

Just for a closer look at some of the items- one of the stars of the show was this Smashbox Eye Wish palette! It's a gorgeous gold palette packed with shadows, cream liners, a mascara, and a primer. I love Smashbox, and after trying this palette, I can tell you that it's classic Smashbox quality! Abby has great taste!

Abby also picked out gift sets from Target from a couple of brands she enjoys- Pixi and Jemma Kidd. These are sort of the "high end" portion of Target cosmetics, and something I haven't yet tried. I'm excited to dig in to these sets and see how it works for me.

She also threw in a number of individual makeup products that are either favorites of hers, or something she thought I'd enjoy. There were mascaras, eyeshadows, lipsticks, lip glosses, lip balms, pencils... everything!! Amazing!

Also in the package- some fun spa items! Many of the products she sent were placed in the cutest little makeup bags. I just can't get over how thoughtful and generous Abby's gift was. I'm so thankful to have met wonderful friends like Abby through the online beauty community. She is a real gem, and I hope you can get to know her as well through her blog and videos! Thanks again Abby, you went above and beyond!! :)

I hope everyone continues to enjoy the holiday season, and have a great day!

♥

Emily

Daily Nuggets...

• I've had 2 days off following the Christmas weekend, and I have been enjoying myself tremendously.
• Tyler and I went out to eat last night at Applebee's for my birthday! I am a chronic chicken-strip orderer.
• My obsession over things that smell good (bath products, air fresheners, etc.) is growing.
• I took a bath yesterday and Cupcake fell in the tub (2nd time she's done that!)
• I don't plan to take down my holiday decor until after New Year's... I feel like we're still in the "holiday season".
• Pajamas and slippers have been my favorite things to wear lately.
• I was given several seasons of Mad Men on DVD for Christmas. Just got started on it last night- I think it's gonna be good!!

What's in my Z-Palette?

Hello Friends! You'll notice a couple of blog posts ago- a friend from the Beauty Broadcast online community sent me this lovely Z-Palette! It's basically an empty magnetic palette that you can fill with all your favorite products of any shape/size. Well, now I have it all filled up, and this review is posted on my YouTube channel! To really see how the palette works & why I love it- watch this video.

Just for fun, I thought I'd share the various shadows that I love, and have decided to add to my new zebra print Z-Palette! Keep in mind, there will probably be more Z-Palettes in the future (there's also a leopard print one, OMG), and this configuration may change... but this is what I'm enjoying right now! (By the way, it's already freeing up more space in my makeup storage!)

(FYI- I didn't have to add magnets to any of these shadows, but keep in mind, for some colors- you will. You can find little magnets that adhere to your pans at any craft store.)

CS= Coastal Scents...available here

Top row (across):

-Stila Kitten... light pinky-nude shimmer

-CS Hot Pot M-09... matte cream

-CS Hot Pot ME-19... shimmery salmon/peach

-Stila Mystic... shimmery soft turquoise

-CS Hot Pot S-26... light silver shimmer

-CS Hot Pot S-10... charcoal shimmer

Middle row (across):

-Stila Wheat... light neutral shimmer

-CS Hot Pot S-37... peach with subtle sparkle

-CS Hot Pot ME-23... metallic gold

-CS Hot Pot S-14... shimmery royal blue

-CS Hot Pot S-17... shimmering rosy red

-CS Hot Pot M-06... matte deep charcoal

Bottom row (across):

-CS Hot Pot M-22... matte brown

-Stila Golightly... shimmery taupey-bronze

-CS Hot Pot S-30... deep plummy-brown shimmer

-CS Hot Pot ME-15... burgundy shimmer

-CS Hot Pot S-06... shimmery pinky-violet

-Makeup For Ever Diamond Shadow... sparkly black (shade name wore off)

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So what's in your Z-Palette?

If you want more information on this product, head to http://www.zpalette.com/

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Daily Nuggets:

• It's absolutely freezing outside. Hard to even feel warm inside!
• Wondering why I'm wearing a tank top right now. Likely part of my problem.
• Today Cupcake tried to scare me when I came out of the bathroom... she jumped into the air and her body hit the wall! She stumbled around for a few seconds- I was worried! Then she went back to normal.
• Laura Geller cracks me up on QVC! I love watching makeup demonstrations.
• I bought a pink lego set for my niece for Christmas!
• I am so frustrated about how hard it is to upload to YouTube. I really don't have time for the repeated upload attempts! But I'm trying!
• A co-worker bought me the cutest zebra print hat. Love it!!

Build a Drugstore Makeup Gift Bag!

Hey everyone! If you follow me on Twitter you've probably heard enough of my complaining... but this week has just been a big pain when it comes to uploading on YouTube! I'll spare you my sob story, and just say that I've been trying since Monday to get this video posted, and at 3:15 this morning (gave it a try while I was getting ready)-- the thing finally uploaded! I almost had to slap myself to believe that there wasn't another error message.

Anyway, I hope you get 10 minutes or so to watch this video, because I was SO excited to make it! It's all about creating a fun, thoughtful, personal gift for someone in your life! Many of you shared some great ideas in the comments section of this video- like using something like this for a gift swap! Or keeping it as a gift to yourself! You know what would also be so fun? If you create a DMGB (Drugstore Makeup Gift Bag, of course), shoot a quick video & post a video response! Or snap a picture & post it for the Beauty Broadcast Facebook Family to see! They're the nicest bunch!

As captain obvious, I'll point out that a key part of any DMGB is the BAG. I mean, you could definitely wrap everything and do it that way, but I think it's extra enjoyable when your products are nicely housed in a makeup bag! So I thought I'd take this opportunity to show you some cute ones that I LOVE.

I'm kind of in love with this makeup bag. It's the Sigma MAXBag in this gorgeous Violet shade. (it also comes in black). It's 14 1/4 inches x 11 inches. So it's a rather large makeup bag, and at $29 bucks you're obviously adding some extra cost to your gift. But perhaps that's what you want to do! This bag is like nothing else I own. It's sort of flat, but has a large zippered pocket inside, and some open pockets as well. This will totally accommodate a brush roll. AND- if you're thinking about giving a larger-sized makeup palette- this is a great fit! You can also toss your hair styling tools in here if you want! The side pockets are great for smaller makeup products. The metallic-quilted pattern is lovely. Terrific for travel! Here's a look inside:

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My flash went a little wild with this one, but this hot pink bag is another great looking, functional makeup bag! This won't fit your larger palettes, but it's a great size for traveling with makeup. It goes with me whenever I travel- sometimes I use it for jewelry & other accessories too! Comes in other colors as well, so check the Sigma website for details on these.

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These other bags (the top one was featured in the video), are more here as examples than something that's available for purchase right now. They're both from past seasons gift-with-purchase promotions- the top one is from Clinique, and the bottom is from Lancome. Just wanted to remind you that if you haven't used those cute bags, why not use them for a DMGB for someone else? Sometimes they have sort of a seasonal look to them- so I could see the top one as a spring birthday gift, or the bottom one as fun gift for the bride during her bachelorette party!

Thanks for stopping by the blog today everyone! We're almost to Friday, so I hope you have a wonderful weekend! :) Talk to you soon!

Em

♥

Daily Nuggets

• I have been watching a lot of QVC lately. I find it relaxing & entertaining.
• Some of the items on my makeup wish list for Christmas are from brands seen on QVC! Like Mally Beauty, Laura Geller, and Philosophy. QVC.com has some nice gift sets!
• Big Christmas party for Tyler's law firm this weekend.
• I'm enjoying fruit-flavored herbal tea in the evening.
• I bought Wheaties this week for the first time in a long time.
• Cupcake has the loudest purr. It's sooo cute.
• I'm doing the morning show by myself tomorrow. My co-anchor Kevin has a much deserved day off.
• Just realized I need to be taking my shower right now.
• I have Softsoap shower gel that smells like Christmas Cookies!

My Happy Monday Morning Story

There's no use candy-coating it. Arriving at work at 3:30 a.m. on a Monday is not my idea of fun. I roll out of my warm, cozy bed at around 1:30 a.m., leaving a sleeping Tyler and a sleeping Cupcake. I get my makeup on, find an outfit, do my hair, give Cupcake a treat, get my lunch & coffee together, and I'm out the door. I love my job and I love my co-workers (very grateful for that!), but it seems that on Mondays, there are more chances for bad things to randomly happen than good things. Today, however, was different.

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**Please note: I am not telling the following story to make anyone think they need to send me something. I simply want to say thank you, and I hope that this person will inspire you to exhibit generosity in your everyday lives.**

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When I got to the station today, there was a box sitting on my desk. I always think getting mail is fun (unless it's bills), but getting mail at work is especially thrilling! I opened it up, and inside was a lovely zebra print Z-Palette! It's a magnetic palette I can use to house all kinds of eyeshadows (any size or shape). I've never had one of these before. Definitely my kind of gift! What accompanied this palette was an incredibly heart-felt letter, stating that I had touched her life during a rough time. This whole thing brought tears to my eyes.

Lucci wanted to thank me for the ways I've helped her through my makeup channel. This went far above and beyond. But it made me realize just how much those random notes and thank-you's can mean. How far a simple compliment to someone can go. Often times, you don't know exactly what kind of circumstance someone is in, or what kind of day they've been having. Just making a nice, out of the blue gesture can make more of a difference than you realize.

So thank you, Lucci. Not just for sending me nice gift- but for being such a great example to me and others about what it means to be selfless. We are living in a fast-paced world, where, from time to time we all get caught up in our own problems and needs. I would challenge everyone to learn from Lucci's example, and try to do a good deed for someone. When you catch someone else in a bad mood and find yourself starting to make a judgement- stop and realize that you may not know exactly what they're going through. Always be kind, and if you have the opportunity to go above and beyond for someone, take it.

I realize this is a non-makeup related post, however it does apply to becoming a more beautiful person on the inside. So thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!


♥


Emily

Cupcake's Colorful Claws

Hi everyone! You all know I'm all about the girly things in life... but no, I didn't paint my cats claws. She's wearing a product called Soft Paws, an alternative to declawing, recommended by my veterinarian.

Soon after we got Cupcake, she got purple ones, and now she has them in pink. Yes, they're cute, but that wasn't why I got them. You see, months before we adopted Cupcake from the shelter, we bought a new house... and quite a bit of new furniture to go inside. An expensive leather sectional is something I don't want to get damaged, as it would cost too much to replace! My vet said Soft Paws would be a good thing to try. They aren't permanent, but might lessen a cat's tendency to claw.

I've received lots of questions on Twitter about the Soft Paws- so I thought I'd answer those that involve my personal experience with them, and let the Soft Paws website do the rest. The site also has a pretty extensive "Frequently Asked Questions" section that may help you, if this is something you're considering for your pet. They are something anyone can purchase online & apply themselves, however my vet happens to offer the service too.

Cupcake's Experience:

One day when I was taking Cupcake in for some shots, I also got Soft Paws done. First the vet clipped her nails. Then they applied Soft Paws with a glue that's pretty much like glue used for artificial nails. It took about 10 minutes... one person held Cupcake while the other applied the hollow tips (glue on the tip, and then put it on cupcake, and held it there so it would stay- much like fake nails except it surrounds the claw). Soft Paws come in a variety of colors & sizes to fit your pet (dogs can wear them too). My vet charged $10 for the Soft Paws, and $10 for the application. They're $18.95 on the website.

Cupcake walked around for a bit, probably thinking... what's on my claws!? She did a lot of licking on her claws (probably getting rid of any glue residue). Soon after you get these done, I recommend giving your cat something to eat... So the Soft Paws can continue to dry. Soft Paws are supposed to last for about 4 to 6 weeks. I believe this will vary, depending on how much you cat messes with them (and depending on your cat's nail growth). It's very likely a few may come off sooner. Cupcake did lose a couple before her 4 weeks were up. But as I said, these aren't permanent, so it's to be expected. I can re-apply them myself if I want, or wait for the vet to do it at a future visit. Whoever applies them really needs to use the same principles for applying glue-on nails-- make sure they have the right fit (kitten, small, medium, large) and press & hold them on.


My Thoughts:

When Cupcake's Soft Paws are on all of her front & back claws, she can't scratch my leather couch. She can have full access to the couch, running and bouncing around- and she won't leave a mark. Does she love having these put on? No. Does she mess with her claws, trying to get the Soft Paws off? Sometimes. Has it caused her to act differently overall? No. She's still VERY playful and still has all her usual habits. So, as with almost everything, there are pros and cons. I'm not sure how long I'll continue to do Soft Paws, but someone at the Vet's office told me that after her cats used these for several months, it lessened their tendency to claw. I'll keep you posted on that!

Overall, I think these are a pretty good alternative to declawing. They're not perfect, but there are also advantages to the fact that they're not permanent- perhaps Cupcake eventually won't want to scratch, and won't need anything on her claws to keep her from it. I like that the claws & glue are non toxic, and are a much less traumatic experience than de-clawing. As I said, if this is something you might be interested in, there is much more information on the Soft Paws website.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

♥

Em