coastal scents

Brands Going Out of Business Since 2020

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Since I’ve been more-or-less off the beauty reservation for a while, I missed a LOT of news about brands going out of business since 2020. As in, I had no idea that as many brands closed down in the past two years.

Here’s a summary of companies that have closed since the start of the pandemic. We’ll address the timing, too – because there’s a myth that the pandemic caused these closures.

Clarisonic

During the lockdowns of 2020, I wrote about Clarisonic’s sudden shutter because, well, I was a customer. Although my opinion of how it was handled remains the same, I’ve come to think that the end-result isn’t a bad thing. After all, even if I really liked the product, it’s now not as easy to spend money on disposable plastic and e-waste, right? Net positive for the planet.

But it isn’t just Clarisonic.

Coastal Scents

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Coastal Scents Elite Brush Set – Unboxing and Review

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This is a legacy post that has been given a facelift. Content has been edited for clarity and readability; additional thoughts are noted in-line. Enjoy!

In late 2013, facing a dearth of brushes and a wedding to pay for, I took advantage of a sale Coastal Scents was running and picked up their Elite Brush set. I’ve been meaning to share since then but lost the unboxing photos I took, so that delayed things.

Coastal Scents Elite Brush Set

The Details

This 24 piece synthetic brush kit normally retails for $69.95, but I picked it up during something like 50-60% off – all in all I think I spent around $38, shipped. The package, a bubble mailer, came quickly via USPS (shocker, right?). I did notice that the packaging had a peculiar smell, but the contents were unaffected. Inside was this tidy, cute white box that had been protected further by a generous layer of packing paper.

Coastal Scents Elite Brush Set Unboxing

The Brushroll

Popping open the box to slide out the contents reveals a black brush roll protected further by cellophane…

Coastal Scents Elite Brush Set - Brush roll front

There isn’t much to look at, but the front cover of the brush roll has, “Coastal Scents,” inset. Simple isn’t a bad thing, I don’t think. Tools don’t need to be loud.

Coastal Scents Elite Brush Set - Brush Roll Thickness

The thickness of the rolled up, occupied brush roll is about an inch, maybe a little more. Considering its contents, it isn’t too bad for travel if you genuinely need an assortment.

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Favorite Brushes – October 2016

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Apologies for the delayed post – when I wrote this, I evidently thought today’s date was 10/29. Thanks for bearing with me.

Even if you have a ridiculous brush collection, I’m willing to bet that you reach for the same few over and over. They get use for a reason! Below are my favorite brushes; the ones that put in overtime, the ones that see the most use. Current pricing is listed next to it, many of the nicer ones are available in sets for a better value.

Sonia Kashuk 116 $6 – I’ve had this for years, and found myself agreeing with Sam Ravndahl when I first heard her sing the praises of this brush. It’s amazing for crease work, outer V work … anything, basically, that isn’t densely packing color. I’ve gotten great results using it for concealer as well. Now that I think of it, I need to pick up another one of these! Here’s hoping my local Target isn’t out of stock.

MAC 217  $25- For the longest time I was using a bdellium tools brush that was similar, but the quality and performance difference is night and day. This is one of only two MAC brushes I own at the time of writing this. Don’t buy this one in a set – although MAC does it, it’s a common for them to compromise on quality for the brushes released in LE sets and kits.

Makeup Geek Face Buffer Brush $18 – I haven’t found a new liquid foundation I want to commit to, so I’ve been wearing my Urban Decay Naked Skin powder foundation quite a lot and this is the brush to apply it with. Forget the included sponge-puff; apply with this brush and work your way to an airbrush (yes! with powder!) finish. All that praise given, I actually do not like this brush for applying liquid or cream products. Even though the bristles are lush and full, I find they aren’t as densely packed as I prefer for liquid and cream application. It is not a substitute for the next brush (but maybe their Foundation Stippling Brush is, I haven’t tried it)…

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February 2016 Favorites

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February 2016 FavoritesFebruary 2016 Favorites
1.Pantene Pro-V Stylers Max Hold Mousse, $7 / 2. Coastal Scents BR-B-S03, $5
3. Etude House Drawing Eye Brow, $5

This is the shortest favorites I’ve ever done. February has been impossibly draining so I really haven’t spent that much time playing with beauty products. It’s been an unprecedentedly demanding month (at ye olde day job); I basically get up, go to work, come home, do more work, make and eat food, shower, dry hair, sleep. On weekends, I do…you guessed it, more work, and veg out. Here’s the few things that earned their places as my February 2016 Favorites, though!

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Sigma 3DHD Kabuki

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Currently, I only own one brush from cruelty-free brand Sigma, maybe you’ve heard of it? The highly-highly touted F80 Flat-Top Kabuki is raved about on blogs and on YouTube alike because it is a GREAT tool. The design is such that many other brands have launched similar brushes, and that there are a lot of counterfeits on the market.

I creep on Sigma’s site every so often to see if they’re running any sales or have anything intriguing – even when I’m not trying to expand my collection of makeup, I am always up to try new brushes and tools.

It was during one such visit that I came across this, the Sigma 3DHD Kabuki:

Sigma 3DHD KabukiThe Sigma 3DHD Kabuki Brush

This densely-packed, chisel-tipped kabuki brush is unlike any cosmetic (or paint, for that matter) brush I’ve ever seen. Though it comes to a defined point in the center, either side is flat and ought to be effective for buffing product in.

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Autumn Gold and Violet Eye Tutorial

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I’m not some YouTube vlogger goddess, but occasionally I like to throw up a tutorial for you. Because I more-or-less missed summer anyway, I’ve been ready to embrace Autumn for a while though we don’t actually hit Autumn for almost two weeks. Last Friday, I did a nice warm Autumn Gold and Violet Eye look (trust – it works) and liked it enough that I wanted to share.

What I used (feel free to adapt based on what you already have!):

  • Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (BONUS: Nyx Milk)
  • Virgin, Naked, Buck, and Half Baked eyeshadows from Urban Decay’s Naked palette:
    naked
  • Violetta, Fine Wine, and Violet Echo eyeshadows from the Coastal Scents 252 Palette:cs252
  • Desired black liner of choice – on Friday I used Stila Stay all Day, for this, I used a L’Oreal gel
  • Lash Curler
  • bareMinerals Flawless Definition mascara or whatever makes you happy
  • Flat Shader Brush (or two, if you like)
  • Crease blending brush – something with a fluffy dome to place and blend color in your crease (or two, if you like)
  • Precision blending brush – doesn’t have to be special, just something to help blur any harsh lines

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