I’ve officially been “natural” for almost 3 months, and my hair is growing like crazy. It’s still short though, but it’s healthier than ever. I have type 4a hair mostly, with bits and pieces of wild ancestry here and there lol. My hair is truly unique, just like yours! My goal is to not have this just be “Resha’s Hair Blog”, but to showcase the many textures, curl patterns and experiences from other hair types from all women doing this natural hair thing. However, I don’t want this to be a big huge myriad of hair types either — I’d like to keep it simple…but that’s where the guest-blogging comes in. Every once in a while, I’d love to feature a totally different voice.

For example, you could guest-blog about any of the following:

• -Product reviews (don’t worry if there are repeat product reviews, as everyone experiences a different outcome, but it’d be fun to see which product worked for one and not the other)
• -Hair recipes/concoctions
• -Video tutorials (or video versions of any of the topics here)
• -Picture tutorials
• -Tips/tricks/advice/expertise
• -Salon experiences (for those who might be looking for a salon that specializes in natural hair)
• -Other natural hair experiments (trying 2 new conditioners? let us know which one worked better)
• -Share your own natural hair stories (why you went natural, and what you’re loving/hating about it)
• -Natural hairstyles (including protective styling and cute wigs)
• -New accessories/tools (did you find a brush better than the Denman, let us know!)
• -Natural hair product hits & misses (from your own experience, what worked for you, what didn’t?)
• -Various topics of discussion
• -Transition stories/advice
  

You get the picture. I know this all sounds heavy and complicated but trust me, it will be very simple and not this biiiig message board’like blog. I’m just giving you guys options here, so you don’t have to wonder what to write about if you choose to contribute. These are all topics my regular writer and I will cover as well.

I ask that you have decent camera skills and are able to take a clear photo that isn’t blurry or shaky. You don’t have to have an expensive camera — but just take great, clear photos with the one you have. No camera phone pictures — please! I feel that clear photos are incredibly helpful for people to see things the way you intended. I also ask — especially for reviews — that if you absolutely can, use your own photos. I don’t mind stock-photos if it’s a super last resort or if you simply just do not own the product to take a picture of it in the first place, but I got feedback from the ladies on my Facebook page, and they ALL prefer photos you take yourself.

I’d love to have a guest post from YOU lovely ladies at least twice a month. So if you’re interested, you have PLENTY of time to get your stuff together and figure out how you’d like to contribute. I don’t mind if you already have a natural hair blog for the guest-blogger spots, all I ask is that whatever you decide to contribute be exclusive to Curl, please… and not be reproduced anywhere else, because that wouldn’t make it very special Your post will however, be linked to your own blog/youtube.

If you’re interested, please feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment below. If you have any questions, leave them below (I kinda rushed thru this post).

This should be a fun project and I look forward to working with you

*bookmark* www.curlplease.com and stay tuned! The blog will be up within the next month or so!

It’s giveaway time again! Oooo, fun!! NYX Cosmetics has a whole bunch of really fun new products, lot’s of new sets, sure to tickle your makeup fancy. If you’re a NYX lover like me, you’re excited for this

Up for grabs is a brand new Beauty on the Go set, “The Ultimate Beauty Box”. Retailing for $45, this baby has everything you need and looks awesome for travel. This is also a great product to introduce you to the NYX brand. It is loaded, you guys…

The ultimate beauty kid in one stylish box. This arsenal of cosmetic weaponry contains 47 eyeshadows that range from matte to glitter, a black mascara, a black liquid eye liner, a black eye liner pencil, 5 face colors, 2 eyeshadow bases, 2 face powders, 6 blushers, 4 concealers 2 lip pencils, 6 lip glosses and 6 lip lacquer pots. This set is perfect to carry and go for any occasion — especially when traveling

That’s a lotta stuff lol…more photos and details below!

HOW TO ENTER

• Leave one comment below in this post sharing one of your favorite NYX products. If you don’t have any NYX products, share with us which one you’re dying to try first!
• Follow me on twitter and tweet the following: Follow & RT @accidentalbty to win a new Beauty To Go box set from NYX Cosmetics! ($45 value) http://bit.ly/nyxbeautybox

*if you don’t have a Twitter account, you don’t have to do the last step.

RULES

• You may ReTweet this giveaway on Twitter as many times as you’d like, but please only leave ONE comment below.
• Comments will be held in moderation and approved in the order they were received. Please do not submit your comment more than once.

ELIGBILITY

• United States residents only.
• Must be 18 or older to enter.

Giveaway ends February 14, 2011 at 12pm EDT.

Giveaway is now closed!! Winner will be announced shortly

Winner will be selected by me and NYX will ship your gift out to your physical mailing address soon after. Good luck!!

Special thanks to NYX for providing this great prize

**This contest is sponsored by NYX Csometics for AccidentalBeauty.

Wanna win this? Click here to find out how

*I paid for this item

Just about everyone who helped me out on twitter and from the comments mentioned a brand called Oyin Handmade, so I decided to try their obviously beloved HoneyHemp conditioner. My hair is mostly 4a with random bits of 4b and little bits of 3c in the back (weird). My hair needs moisture year-round with a monthly shot of protein. Because of that, I decided to go with the 32oz. bottle and I’m seriously glad I did. The 32oz. bottle is also $32. Might be a bit steep for some of you, depends on your budget. I personally think it’s absolutely worth it. My thing is, if I can buy a $30 lipstick that will last me about 2 years max, I can spend that much on a conditioner that will make my hair awesome — and my hair will hopefully be with me for many, many years to come. If anything, I’d rather spend more on my hair than on some random lipgloss.

Anyhooburgers, here’s the low-down on this awesome conditioner directly from the Oyin website:

Oh, Honey. It’s a natural humectant… nature’s gift for glowing, supple hair. Ah, Hemp Oil. With an incredibly rich array of Fatty Acids to ensure well-nourished tresses. Oh! Ah! Oyin’s Honey-Hemp Conditioner! How could it possibly be improved? Perhaps by adding just the smallest touch of Silk Protein and an generous dollop of Aloe Vera Gel… just to take the succulence over the top. ;o)

A creamy rinse-out conditioner has been an often-requested product at Oyin. We are very proud of the Honey-Hemp Conditioner – a penetrating, silky blend enriched with aloe vera gel, hemp oil, honey, and hydrolyzed silk protein, it’s got nice detangling slip and serious moisturizing power. It rinses cleanly and also makes a nice pre-shampoo deep conditioning treatment. It can even be used as a creamy, nourishing leave-in!

HOW TO USE: Slather on. Hum a tune. (To use as a pre-shampoo deep treatment, insert an hour and/or a warm towel here.) Detangle. Rinse Out. Ah yeah.

This product is preserved with a paraben-free wide-spectrum cosmetic preservative. Honey Hemp Conditioner contains: purified water, organic aloe vera gel, behentremonium methosulfate (emulsifier derived from colza oil), honey, virgin hemp oil, , coconut oil, vegetable glycerine, hydrolized silk, citrus essences, fragrance, optiphen (preservative)

Please use within 3-6 months. Although we have tested this product to be safe to use when stored in a cool place up to one year, the fragrance begins to go funny before then, so please purchase in a quantity you can use in 6 months or less! ;o)

I’ve used this stuff in a number of ways, just to see how it would perform…

I’ve taken a salon spray-bottle, 1-2 tablespoons of Oyin’s HoneyHemp conditioner, water, few drizzles of my favorite oil and would spritz my hair once a day for a nice hydrating drink of water — loved it! I have also used as a deep-conditioning treatment with a hooded dryer — loved it! I’ve used as an overnight or 48hr leave-in — loved it! I’ve used as a traditional after shampoo conditioner, left it in for about 30min and rinsed out — loved it! Finally, I’ve used it as a co-wash — loved it!! My hair responds extremely well to this conditioner, it soaks it up like a sponge but also leaves it silky soft after rinsed out or used lightly as a leave in. The scent of the conditioner reminds me of the citrus’y Skittles (lemon, lime and orange flavors). It’s thick, creamy, has great slip and is awesome for detangling…it’s everything. I have a ton of different conditioners but nothing performs for my hair like this baby.

Oyin Handmade HoneyHemp Conditioner

Oyin Handmade HoneyHemp Conditioner

Oyin Handmade HoneyHemp Conditioner

Oyin Handmade HoneyHemp Conditioner
-it’s really thick!

Oyin Handmade HoneyHemp Conditioner
-not a runny conditioner at all

Just in case you’re curious as to what my hair looks like now, here’s a sneak peek below…my bangs are touching the top of my eyebrows, and I have a giant forehead sooo yea LMAO! I’ll post pictures of my full head once it’s at a length I’m comfortable with. I love my hair, I think it’s beautiful, but I’m still wearing protective styles (wigs/weaves/etc.) and giving it a rest so it can grow nice and thick by the summer of 2011 (hopefully).

I have a super tiny amount of Oyin’s HoneyHemp conditioner in my hair as a leave-in, sealed with a small dab of Vatika enriched coconut oil. My hair is fully dry here, and I just unraveled a tiny braid so you can see the texture.

OVERALL

I am beyond pleased with this conditioner. I want to put the bottle in a set of pajamas and let it sleep with me, it’s that serious. I don’t fall in love with many hair products because I’m usually too impatient to wait a month to see if a certain product will give me results. But this stuff delivered the very first time I used it. It seriously helped repair my hair by giving it the moisture it so desperately needed. It smells amazing, like a fresh citrus piece of candy, feels wonderful and is so moisturizing and hydrating for my mostly 4a hair. It’s products like this that make the whole “natural hair journey” thing worth it to me. I love it as a co-wash, leave-in, deep treatment, random burst of hydration — pretty much every kind of way I’ve used it, I love it.

I’ve been really taking a huge break from actual makeup while studying up on how to properly take care of my hair. I’ve been stalking a ton of natural hair blogs and youtube gurus to see what everyone is loving/hating and it’s been incredibly fun and exciting trying so many different products. I have sooo many products now and have tried almost all of them at some point, and will be reviewing them in the future. I will say this though, so far I am loving absolutely everything I’ve tried from the Oyin HandMade line…it’s an awesome brand. This stuff melts into my hair, softens it, detangles it, gives it great shine — I just love it. Thank you to everyone who suggested it to me, I am forever in your debt

RATING

Availability: Oyin HandMade, CurlMart

**In celebration of MLK Day, CurlMart is offering 17% off site-wide so take advantage!! Use code MLK17 Happy shopping!

WHY I AM GOING NATURAL

I decided to go natural because I love my hair, and I just want it to have a healthy life. I have always had super thick hair. My mom used to go nuts trying to style it when I was younger because it was just so thick and not very easy to manage. I remember seeing pictures of myself as a kid with a huuuuge soft afro. Finally, to make life easier for myself and my mom, she put in one of those kiddie relaxers. Over the course of my relaxed years, into my teens and early 20′s, I noticed thinning. So to bring back my full thickness, I kept my hair braided on and off for several years. It worked. My hair was thick, long and gorgeous. Then I started feeling myself and wanted to try sew-in’s. Worst mistake of my life. My hair went thru a serious struggle because I was working out like a mad-woman at the time, so I’d sweat and my own hair would get poofy from the humidity and I had to constantly flat-iron it so it could mimic the pattern of the weave. I literally ended up frying it to death LOL!  I’ve been nursing my hair back to health ever since. I’ll never be so negligent towards my own scalp ever again lol. The sew-in’s that I rocked for about a 2 to 3 months on and off weren’t the main cause of my major breakage — it was my own ignorance. I could have taken much better care of it, but clearly I didn’t know what the hell I was doing — and I was pretty lazy about it, I must admit. I took my own hair for granted.

I figured, it’s time for me to just say “To hell with chemicals and relaxers” and rock the hair I was born with. To be honest, as much as I love a good weave (they’re fun to me), I definitely get sick of buying them. I still like relaxed hair…just on other people. I don’t wanna put that stuff in my hair again, because it built a platform for destruction. I haven’t put a relaxer in my hair since March of 2010, and I haven’t put heat in it since May of 2010. I’ve been keeping my hair slicked back into ponytails while rocking a cute little wig, as I prepare myself for the ultimate chop. I’m nervous as hell, but I know that the initial horror of seeing my hair so frickin short will soon pass and I’ll get over it. It’s just hair, it’ll grow back.

My attitude towards hair has changed. I used to really not care all that much about it, I mean — I just didn’t do all of that research and product ingredient fact-checking that so many of us do now. I am way more aware of what I’m putting into my hair, and which product gives me the best results. I was never one of those “My hair defines who I am and I am my hair” type of people, and to be honest I’m still not — but I definitely appreciate it more and want it to be beautiful.

MY HAIR, BEFORE I CUT ANY OF IT OFF…

You can’t tell, but my hair is actually relaxed in these pictures. What you also cannot see is that it’s damaged at the ends. All of this thick hair had to go. I took my scissors, snipped a few inches off here and there, and I’m still cutting it off to this day. Much of what you see in those pictures, is now in the trash lol.

SO WHAT IS YOUR HAIR LOOKIN’ LIKE RIGHT NOW?

As of now, I am officially “transitioning”. I wear protective styles right now to keep my hair healthy and thick. I wear weaves, wigs, ponytails — I’m not opposed to any of that stuff because again, it’s just hair. When my hair is at a length/stage that I’m comfortable with I will debut it to you all on a more permanent basis. Just know that I’m gonna get it braided so it can rest and grow a bit before I start rocking it all on it’s own. It’s a long journey, but I’m so excited about it. I cannot wait to get a big sexy fro

As for my hair type — it’s a blend of 4a/4b with just a tiny big of 3c in the back around the nape area. There are parts of my hair that have s-pattern’s and z-pattern’s, loopty-loops and frizzballs. The coarser areas of my hair come from my father, while the finer areas come from my mom. I’ve got the best of both worlds.

PRODUCTS I’VE BEEN USING SO FAR

I’ve been using Shea Moisture’s Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Conditioning Milk, and the Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Hold Smoothie. Both of those products give me softness and moisture. I’ve also been using all of the products from the Hydratherma Naturals line (which I absolutely LOVE), as well as water and straight up olive oil. My hair loves essential oils, it stays soft and hydrated a lot longer. My most recent purchases (which should be arriving today!) were a few things from the Kinky Curly line, and a big box of Oyin Handmade products. I was gonna totally jump on that Miss Jessie’s BOGO sale, but I was reading the ingredients list and the two main products I wanted to try are loaded with mineral oil (which dries my hair out and makes it feel like straw) So that’s a NOGO on the BOGO lol. I still may try their Rapid Recovery stuff though, I’ve heard great things about it.

I NEED YOUR HELP!!

I’m still a total newbie to this “natural hair” thing, but I’ve been reading a ton of articles, blog posts and community forums to get as much information as I can. I know what my hair likes, and what it doesn’t — although I’m still trying products to see how my hair responds. My hair despises mineral oil and/or petroleum based products. My hair needs moisture 24/7, and lots of conditioning oils to keep it soft and manageable.

For those of you who either went natural, or are still transitioning — what are your favorite products and/or tips and tricks? Help a 4a/4b newbie out!

*adjusts wig*

-Stay beautiful

I primarily shop at Wegmans, and they have an awesome bread section full of tasty artisan loafs, infused with yummy flavors and accents. I always loved their Garlic Tuscan bread, and wondered how amazing it would be to build a juicy burger with it. The loaf itself is filled with the aromatic scent of sweet garlic and is brushed with a garlic oil on the outside. It’s so good. I made two thick slices and stacked a behemoth chunk of cow in-between.

fry your shallots in butter and olive oil over medium heat

1 lb. ground ny strip steak — look at all of that beautiful marbling!

seasoning added, with drizzle of olive oil for a bit more moisture

form into patties

white cheddar, beefsteak tomato, bacon

bacon!

you can tell it’s ready to flip by the browning on the bottom…

flip her over and let her finish

fried shallots are done!

RECIPE

• 1 lb. ground New York Strip Steak — makes up to 4 patties
• 1 thick slice of quality white cheddar cheese
• 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
• 2 slices of cooked bacon (optional)
• 1 beefsteak tomato slice
• 1/2 cup of field greens (any variety of lettuce will do)
• 2 slices of toasted Garlic Tuscan bread (can use any kind of bread you want, including reg. hamburger buns)
• Seasoning: Kosher salt, granulated garlic, pepper, onion powder
• olive oil
• butter
• 1 tsp horseradish mustard
• 1 tsp mayo

DIRECTIONS

Season your ground NY strip with kosher salt, pepper, granulated garlic and onion powder. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil into the meat and lightly mix with your hands. Don’t overwork the meat or it’ll toughen up. Create as many patties as you’d like. Let the patties rest, and chop your shallot. In a small frying pan, melt 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add your chopped shallot. Allow the shallots to sweat and turn a golden brown color, slowly. Try not to fry these in high heat, start out low so that you don’t burn it. Once they’ve reached your desire color, remove from heat and set to the side. Either in the same pan or on a griddle (which is how I did it), fry 2 slices of bacon until done and set to the side. Finally, fry your hamburger patty over medium heat. It should be ready to flip over about 6-7 minutes later, depending on how thick you’ve made it. Once you flip it, don’t press it down with your spatula because you’ll squeeze all of the lovely juices out and end up with a dried piece of meat. As a matter of fact, don’t handle the patty too much — it should only be flipped once. After it’s browned on both sides, turn the heat off and add your cheese. To get it to melt beautifully, put a lid on the frying pan to create a sweaty situation which will slightly melt your cheese. Toast your bread. Mix 1 tsp of mayo and 1 tsp of horseradish mayo together and apply a super thin layer on each slice of your toasted bread.

Begin building your burger in any order you’d like. Eat immediately and try not to slap anyone because it’s gonna be good as hell LOL! Serve along chips or fries or just eat it alone.

Enjoy!

*if you don’t eat red meat, you can use ground chicken, ground turkey, or even a portobello mushroom.

I don’t have much to sell this time around, but I definitely want this stuff gone and outta my hair. This is a great start for beginners, or anyone looking to try things out for cheap. Most of you already have many of the things I’m selling so you may not find anything here of interest, but hopefully someone will.

This sale is open to US residents only. I promise I’ll have another sale open worldwide, but because this is my first I really wanna keep things simple and not overwhelm myself with confusing shipping details. I still love ya’ll out in the UK, Malaysia, Australia, etc.!

All items have been purchased by me and used by me. All items will be disinfected and sanitized prior to shipping.

Stila Smokey Eye Talking Palette (this one doesn’t speak English lol)
SOLD

Stila Smokey Eye Talking Palette – “Platinum Eyes”
swatched 1x
$15

Smashbox Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
SOLD

Milani Bronzer – #02 Medium
used 2x
$2

Stila Classic Beauty Icon Palette (3 eyeshadows, 1 blush)
SOLD

MAC Cream Bronzer – Weekend (from MAC to the Beach)
SOLD

Physicians Formula “Pearls of Perfection” – multicolored bronzer
SOLD

NYX Lip Glosses – all have been swatched on the back of my hand
SOLD

Wet-n-Wild Icon Eyeshadow Palettes
“Vanity” used 1x, “Lust” swatched 1x
SOLD

NARS Orgasm Illuminator
SOLD

Rimmel Natural Bronzer – “Sun Bronze”
SOLD

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
SOLD

Urban Decay Primer Potion – “Sin”
SOLD

NYX Eyeshadow Base – “Skin Tone”
SOLD

MAC Mineralize Eyeshadows
SOLD, SOLD, SOLD, SOLD

Jessie’s Girl Eye Dusts (no color description)
both used a few times (Pink SOLD)
$3 each

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish – “Gold Deposit”
SOLD

Pop Beauty Eye Cake – “Violet Eyes”
SOLD

MAC Mineralize Sheersheen Powder – “Sheerbronze”
SOLD

MAC “Deeper Bronze” Bronzing Powder
SOLD

L’Oreal HIP Duo’s – all have been swatched, except Gilded
SOLD

Stila Convertible Color Cream Bronzing Duo – “Marigold”
swatched 1x
$6

LORAC Cheek Stamp – Coral
SOLD

Urban Decay Ultraglide Glosses – both used 1x
top: Heat, bottom: Deep
$4 each

NYX Ultimate Pearl Eyeshadows – all have been swatched for this blog
top row: Silver Pearl, White Pearl, SOLD, Purple Pearl, Blond Pearl, Lime Pearl
bottom row: SOLD, Gold Pearl, Green Eyes Pearl, Bronze Pearl SOLD, SOLD
$2 each

MAC Golden Olive pigment vial
empty, but has tons of product stuck along the sides
$2

NYX lipsticks – all have been used 1x
Love Angel, Iced Lavender, Rhea, Twig, Sierra, Oh!, Kona Coffee, Glamour
SOLD

NYX Eyeshadow Trios – all have been swatched
SOLD

NYX Eyeshadow Trios – all have been swatched
SOLD

NYX Eyeshadow Trios – all have been swatched
SOLD

NYX Eyeshadow Trios – all have been swatched
SOLD

NYX Eyeshadow Trios – all have been swatched
SOLD

NYX Eyeshadow Trios – all have been swatched
SOLD

120 Palette, randomly swatched
SOLD

Coastal Scents Highlight & Contour Palette
SOLD

Coastal Scents Neutral Palette – lightly used 1-3x
SOLD

Kevyn Aucoin lip brush – New
SOLD

Here’s how to shop this sale:

Put the following in the comments of THIS post…

• 1. List the item(s) you want
• 2. Your Paypal email address so I can send you an invoice
• 3. Your City and State

I will invoice people on a first come, first serve basis. If you leave out any of those three VITAL pieces of info, I’ll skip right over your comment.

*Shipping is $3.50

Once your invoice is sent, you have 24 hours to pay. If you don’t pay in 24 hours, I’ll give it to the next person who asks for it. I only accept Paypal. If you don’t have a Paypal account, sign up — it’s free.

Due to a ridiculous amount of spam I get on this blog, each comment will be moderated and approved in the order it came in. I can’t shift or change the order of comments, WordPress doesn’t work like that. So don’t worry about your comment “possibly” getting approved last, I can’t do that (or wouldn’t!). All comments will be approved on a first come, first served basis. Please do not email or send me your list on twitter or facebook. I will only honor shopping lists posted here in the comments. I’ll close comments when everything is sold out.

Enjoy!

-Stay beautiful (and frugal)

There are two available versions of this palette, one with matte shades (which is what I have now) and one with shimmery shades — same colors in each palette, just different finishes. Here’s a description of the palette directly from Coastal Scents, along with ingredients!

32 gorgeous matte shadow colors accompanied by 10 Blushes

Blush Info: (both 42 palettes have the same blush colors)

• The center top Pink blush is matte
• The 4th and 5th on the bottom row are matte
• The blush pans measure 1 1/4 ” in diameter

Eye Shadow Info:

• The pans measure 7/8″ square, or just a bit smaller than an inch
• Matte Case Palette with silver Logo and contents on front
• Measures 9″ long by 4″ wide when closed
• Upon opening the shadow palette lifts up and fits inside the open lid, this offers easy access to the blush while applying.
• This palette weighs over a pound, with packaging and wraps to arrive safely it will be nearly 2 pounds.
• Palette Content Ingredients Weight 80.6g/2.83oz

Ingredients:

Eye Shadow: Talc, Mica, ,Isopropl Palmitat, Kaolin, Waterable Oil, Methylparaben, Proplyparaben, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarine blue, Ferric Ammonium Ferrecyanide, Manganese Violet, Chromium Oxide Greens, D&C Black #2, FD&C Red #40 A1 Lake, FD&C Yellow #5 A1 Lake FD&C blue #1 A1 Lake.

Blush

Talc, Mica, Mica & Titanium Dioxide, Mineral Oil, Kaolin Magnesium Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, Isoproply Palmitate, Lanolin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Iron Oxides, Ultramarine blue, Manganese Violet. D&C Red #7 Ca Lake, D&C #27, FD&C Yellow #5 A1 Lake.

So now that we know all the technical details, let’s check out some pics and swatches

you can see tiny light reflecting particles in this shadow, but it’s still mostly matte

you lift this purple ribbon to help easily lift the eyeshadows so you can access the blushes underneath

voila!

Coastal Scents 42-color Double Stack palette swatches: first row – (flash)

Coastal Scents 42-color Double Stack palette swatches: first row – (no flash)

Coastal Scents 42-color Double Stack palette swatches: second row – (flash)

Coastal Scents 42-color Double Stack palette swatches: second row – (no flash)

Coastal Scents 42-color Double Stack palette swatches: third row – (flash)

Coastal Scents 42-color Double Stack palette swatches: third row – (no flash)

Coastal Scents 42-color Double Stack palette swatches: fourth row – (flash)

Coastal Scents 42-color Double Stack palette swatches: fourth row – (no flash)

Coastal Scents 42-color Double Stack palette blush swatches: all ten – (no flash)

I know that last swatch of the blushes is pathetic. I’ll try to retake that one soon.

FYI: I used my fingers to take these swatches, and I primed my arm using Too Faced Shadow Insurance. They’re not that pigmented on their own!!

PROS

• Affordable
• Great value for the average consumer
• Convenient
• The colors are pigmented very nicely when used with an eyeshadow base

CONS

• The following shadows aren’t as pigmented as the others: Row 1, color 1; Row 2, color 1, Row 4, color 3
• They’re as powdery and chalky as you’d expect from these kinds of palettes
• Fall-out city! You NEED a base with these so the color will even stick and show up as strongly as my swatches
• The applicators are useless (but I understand not everyone has just one makeup brush)

OVERALL

Again, we have another palette that would be great for beginners, however I’m on the fence with it. As a beauty blogger, it can be difficult to grade a product you already know isn’t high-quality without comparing it to higher-end stuff — and possibly discouraging beginners from it all together. I really do feel it’s a great product for budget’istas, students, beginners, etc., — but if you’re already using NARS, MUFE, MAC or Urban Decay eyeshadows you probably won’t reach for this one very often, let alone buy it. It’s an ideal palette for someone who’s either just learning how to apply makeup, or someone who just cannot drop $24.95 on ONE eyeshadow. I don’t hate the palette, I don’t love the palette — it’s just okay. I do like the colors, though — they’re very pretty.

You definitely need an eyeshadow primer and/or base with these, all of the swatches I took are showing up nicely because I used a base. The eyeshadows aren’t so powdery/chalky that you can’t use’em, and they’re definitely not as chalky as the 120 palette. At the end of the day, they’re still in the same boat as the 120 palette. To help with the chalkiness, try applying the colors using a “patting” motion instead of a “sweeping” motion.

As for the blushes? I’m not feelin’ those at all to be honest. They give off that ashy powdery cast, especially if you have darker skin. Many inexpensive blushes do that, so if you’re already using cheaper blushes this might not even matter to you. I personally, do not like it one bit.

So, do I recommend? For beginners, yes. For people on a tight budget, sure — though it’s not a must have by any means. For those of you used to higher-quality? Skip.

RATING

Availability: Coastal Scents

Win a MAC Wicked Ways lipglass!

Win a MAC Wicked Ways lipglass!

Win a MAC Wicked Ways lipglass! – swatch

Win a MAC Wicked Ways lipglass! – swatch

Don’t worry, the one I’m giving away is boxed up and unopened. I used my own to swatch so that you know what it looks like

TWO WAYS TO ENTER

• Leave a comment below in this post and tell me your favorite movie (any movie) villain of all time
• Like Accidental Beauty on Facebook and leave a comment telling me your favorite movie (any movie) villain of all time on the giveaway announcement status udpate!

*On this blog, each comment will be held for moderation so please don’t submit your comment more than once!

Giveaway ends October 20, 2010 at 12pm EDT and is open to everyone worldwide. If you are under 18, please have parental/guardian consent to receive items in the mail. I’ll announce the winner on this post and on Facebook once the winner accepts his/her prize.

Good luck!

Each palette features six eyeshadows and they’re named after the 7-deadly sins. I mean, I think it’s kinda corny but whatever works for them lol. Here’s how Wet-n-Wild describes this product:

Glamour-eyes from day to night! Each complementary shade can be mixed-and-matched for a variety of day-to-night looks. These palettes of 3 matte and 3 highly-pigmented effect shades are sure to please the shade sassy minimalist and enthusiast alike!

So yea, six shadows — with two dinky little applicators, that I found to be absolutely useless…

Wet-n-Wild Icon Color “Lust” palette packaging

Wet-n-Wild Icon Color “Vanity” palette packaging

Wet-n-Wild Icon Color palette packaging

Wet-n-Wild Icon Color “Lust” palette

Wet-n-Wild Icon Color “Vanity” palette

Wet-n-Wild Icon Color “Lust” palette swatches

Wet-n-Wild Icon Color “Lust” palette swatches

Wet-n-Wild Icon Color “Vanity” palette swatches

Wet-n-Wild Icon Color “Vanity” palette swatches

pathetic applicators lol

wearing colors from the Wet-n-Wild Icon Color palette in “Vanity”

wearing colors from the Wet-n-Wild Icon Color palette in “Vanity”

PROS

• Super inexpensive
• Convenient
• Pigmentation is really decent
• Easy to create different looks as all of the shades work together and take out guess work
• Great for beginners and budgetista’s

CONS

• The matte shades are very chalky and powdery
• The matte shades aren’t very easy to blend, they seem to dissipate turn to dust
• The applicators in the palette are completely useless and a waste of space
• The packaging is “eh” but for $2.50 can you really complain?
• In order to keep these shadows on securely you ABSOLUTELY need an eyeshadow base, otherwise forget it

OVERALL

The only great thing about them from my own personal point of view is that they have really decent pigmentation. But what good is pigmentation if it can be so easily blown or wiped away? You need an eyeshadow base, period. I used LORAC’s Behind The Scene’s Primer, and they stuck on pretty nicely but they were still kind of hard to blend. When I put the darker shade in the corner, the lighter lid color almost immediately disappeared and I had to do this back and forth thing of packing on each shade…which is why I say they’re chalky/dusty/powdery.

On the flipside, I feel that these are some of the better drugstore eyeshadows I’ve used in a long time. If you have the patience to work with them, you may really enjoy them. I actually like the colors in both palettes, and don’t see myself totally abandoning them, but as of now they’re just okay for me — not the best quality, but definitely not the worst. They’d get higher marks from me if they weren’t so friggin chalky and were easier to blend. The shimmery shades aren’t as chalky, but they’re still a tad on the powdery side.

If you want to try these, they’re very affordable and probably worth it if you’re on an extremely tight budget. Just be aware that you need a good shadow base to help avoid them from flying away into dusty nothingness while blending, especially with the lighter matte shades. If you are used to great quality shadows, I’d skip these.

They’re not terrible, but they aren’t amazing either. But because they’re drugstore eyeshadows, it wouldn’t be fair to compare them to a MUFE or NARS or even MAC eyeshadow. So I give them a rating of…

RATING

Availability: Walgreen’s

*just in case you’re wondering…on my face, all drugstore products — lipstick by Rimmel in “Berry Rose”, blush by Black Radience in “Plum Sorbet”, upper lash-line eyeliner by Physician’s Formula in Black, mascara by L’Oreal Voluminous