So I got both of my Coastal Scents/ generic ebay palettes about a week and a half ago (ordered off ebay of course) I got both palettes for a total of about $35 USD. Both palettes retail for $21.95 on Coastal Scents before any applicable taxes and high shipping cost. Bought from what I believe is the source, both palettes only cost about $6 USD each..but since I can't read simplified Chinese, I opted for ebay. It took a week and a half for the palettes to be delivered, and to be honest, I wasn't super impressed with them. Both palettes were encased in super flimsy plastic (it BENDS when you hold it), which kind of turned me off to it.
The 28 piece neutral palette is basically 28 shades that are base shades/nudes and warm browns, with the last shadow being an almost black shade. There isn't a single taupe shade in this palette (shocker!), though there are a couple shades that come close. A lot of the shades are chalky to the touch, although they aplly and blend just fine on the lid. The few shimmer shades in the palettes are softer. The payoff is also quite nice, but if I'd gotten a chance to test it in person before buying it, it's likely that I would have passed on this palette and instead bought something that I would have loved instead of felt somewhat indifferent to. Since I have the palette, I'll probably keep and use it, but it isn't something that would have appealed to me in person. It's one of those things that I feel is worth buying per se (I'd skip it if you already have a large stash), but if you already have it, it's worh keeping..and if you have a small stash and want some neutrals to play with..it's worth considering. Swatches were done in warm indoor lighting, though the colors aren't off by much (my skin is a different story)
The 26 shadow blush combo has less chalky shades than the 28 neutral palette, but more of the shades have shimmer in them. It has a lot of shades that are considerably warmer than the 28 neutral palette, but it also contains a few taupes. Oddly enough, there isn't a whole lot of overlap in the shades between these two palettes, even though they both seemed fairly neutral from their product images (you can probably see the difference in that first pic where I have them lined up next to each other) I prefer the 28 neutral palette to this one since there are more shades in this palette that I would not wear. Swatches of this palette were done under more neutral lighting.
Out of the 5 blushes in this palette, I really would only wear 2. To my fingers, these also felt a bit chalky, though they apply on my skin just fine. The first blush is far too light and doesn't show up on my skin. It's matte, so it doesn't even pass as a highlighter. The second blush is a matte warm dark peach shade. The third blush is a matte rose shade that leans cool. The last two blushes are very similar to two of the eyeshadows in the 3rd row of eyeshadows. The 4th blush is a shimmery red orange, that makes me look orangey sunburned. The plummy blush shade is wearable, but not particularly flattering on me.
I guess overall I'd say these palettes were mediocre. The quality isn't the best, but it's not the worst either. They're both wearable palettes, but to me, the price to quality ratio is precariously balanced. If the palettes were any more expensive than they were, I would not buy them. I was initially interested in these palettes since there were a few people that said that the quality of these palettes was comparable to MAC. It's not. (that or they haven't stuck their fingers in these suckers...though MAC does have a fair amount of duds and chalky shades..so I guess it depends on how you look at it..I'd say that overall MAC is better quality)
Folks think of casey anthony as a sociopath..thus, a simple pink shirt makes a perfect halloween SCARY costume.
