Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Makeup Brushes: Coastal Scents 22 Piece Set!

Look what came in the mail!!!


I've been itching for a set of really good makeup brushes so I could start doing video tutorials and just have some decent tools to work with. I finally placed an order to Coastal Scents after going back and forth several times on which brand I wanted to try out first. I ended up ordering the 22 Piece Brush Set since I thought it was the best value and had the widest range of brushes to meet all my needs and then some.

After placing my order on Monday my package arrived before the end of the day on Friday. LESS THAN A WEEK!!! I was very impressed with shipping and how well everything was packaged and cared for. My brush roll was wrapped in plastic and sandwhiched between two large clumps of packing paper so it wasn't going to go anywhere! I also ordered an extra brush and that one was carefully wrapped in plastic and pink tissue paper and stored securely in the box as well. 

Overall I have nothing but amazing things to say about the customer service, shipping, and packaging of all of my items but I know thats only a minute part of what you all really want to know about. You're here to really get an idea about...THE BRUSHES!

Well I'm going to give you an INSANELY indepth view of every brush that came in the kit including: multiple pictures of each brush, density level, softness level, and various uses for each one. I want to be able to give you the most indepth, honest, and THOROUGH review I can to help you best decide whether these brushes are the ones for you and your makeup needs. 
Without further adeau.... The Brushes...

First up an overall look at the brush roll and how its laid out. Each brush has it's own little sleeve it slides into with the large fan brush being off to the side by itself. The first four face brushes and the large fan brush all come with their own plastic brush guard that you can either keep or toss (I opted to keep mine to help keep my brushes in wonderful form).

 The first four in the actual row are all face brushes and then there is an "out of place" eyeshadow brush followed by another face brush (the concealer brush) and then its all eye brushes except about midway to the end there is a smaller detail concealer brush. The brush roll is leather or very nice faux leather (I'm not a leather expert) and then the inside main brush area is lined with a washable nylon to help keep it easy to clean. There is a protective flap that comes over the brushes that is also made of nylon and has "Coastal Scents 22 Piece Brush Set" printed on it.


Another nifty addition to this case is a small zippered compartment right next to the large fan brush. It's not very deep but I think it would be perfect for storing qtips, disposable applicators, flat face sponges, cotton balls, cotton pads, eyeliners, lipliners, or other small necessities! The closure is just a very easy metal magnetic clasp that opens and closes like a breeze but still stays securely shut during travel.

 As for a rating on the case I really do love it! I think it is a very nice and well made brush roll and I feel like its going to protect my brushes in a very sleek and stylish manner. My only qualm with it is that when you open it up it is going to have that "new leather" smell to it but after just having it out for a few hours to take pictures of the brushes the smell has all but gone. It wasn't particularly strong or over whelming to begin with so not a real NEGATIVE.

I'll go from left to right on the brushes starting with the Large Fan brush.

This brush is made of synthetic hair and has a duo fiber density going on meaning it is denser at the base of the brush and thinner at the tips. This has got to be the LARGEST fan brush I've ever seen! This brush would be perfect for applying highlight to the face, brushing away eyeshadow fallout, brushing away excess face powder, or even applying glitter or shimmer to the body. The brush is very dense and extremely soft and has had no fallout so far.

Next up is the Powder Buffer brush.

This brush is made of synthetic hair and is insanely dense! It's also incredibly soft as well. I've had no fallout from this brush so far and I must say I really do love it! I think this brush would be great for not only applying powder to the face but also all over bronzer, liquid foundation, cream foundation, or even a lighter blush that needs more concentrating.

Flat Stippling brush!

This gorgeous brush is made of all synthetic hair and is luxuriously dense as you can see! This brush is very well made and has had no shedding. Even though the name is "stippling" and "stippling" often makes us think of duo fiber this brush is definetely not duo fiber. It is equally dense throughout and incredibly soft. This brush is perfect for buffing in liquid or cream foundation, face powder, all over bronzer, or even a very unpigmented blush that needs more concentrated color.

The Angle Blush brush is next in the lineup.

 

The Angled Blush brush is made of natural goat hair and is very thick and dense but still extremely soft. I havent had any shedding with this brush either. This brush is obviously great for applying blush but its also amazing at apply face powder, contouring with bronzer, adding highlight, and much more.

Next on the menu the Round Powder brush.

 
Even though this brush is called the "Round Powder" brush it has more of a duo fiber stippling brush design. The bristles are made of synthetic hair and in true duo fiber fashion are denser at the bottom and thinner at the tips. I love the feel of this brush, its extremely soft! This can be used as a powder brush as the name implies or it can be used as a foundation stippling brush. It is on the smaller side as far as stippling brushes are concerned but that makes it perfect for getting in and round the nose area and right up under the eye. In addition to powder and foundation you can also use this brush to apply powder or cream blush, bronzer, highlight, and much more. This is a very versatile brush which makes it perfect for travel since its a multipurpose tool!

Up next is the Foundation brush.

 

This brush is exactly as the name implies, a foundation brush! It's made from very soft fiber hair and is extremely dense. This brush is perfect for applying liquid or cream foundation. It also hasn't shed on me so far and gives a less streaky application than some other foundation brushes I've tried that cost far more.

Now for that "out of place" brush the Large Shadow brush!

This Large Shadow brush is a MASSIVE flat eyeshadow brush made of pony hair. It is very dense and oh so soft! I've yet to have shedding from this and its wonderful for packing on color all over the lid! It's a little too big to pack on color precisely so I would use this for a color that you genuinely want all over the lid or eye area. Its also great for highlighting under the brow bone or applying a contour color to your nose to make it look slimmer!

The amazing Concealer brush!

Made of wonderfully soft nylon hair this dense Concealer brush is great for applying...well CONCEALER! Since its nonshedding its also great for packing on color to the eyelid if you need another eyeshadow brush or just need a brush to do double duty!

The Dome Shadow brush is next in the line up.
     
This EXTREMELY dense brush made of pony hair is very soft and not the least bit scratchy for how thick and concentrated it is. So far I've had no shedding from this little beauty but it certainly is great for concentrating color in the crease. This brush is also great for adding concentrated color to the outer v, smudging out eyeliner, doing concentrated detail work, and much more!

Doe Foot Blender brush amazingness!


This amazing little brush is made of pony hair and is incredibly soft. This picture does not do it justice showing the denseness of this brush. Unlike a regular angled brush this one is very thick and can pack on tons more color. Its wonderful for blending out color in the crease, adding color to the crease, blending out color and much more.

The Blender brush.

 
Made from pony hair this brush is extremely dense and soft. Its perfect for sweeping on light color all over the lid or blending out colors for a smoky eye. This brush is even wonderful for doing some slight contouring on the nose, putting a light highlight on the brow bone, or doing a faint highlight on the cheeks. This brush is also nonshedding.

Dome Blender brush anyone?

Made from natural pony hair this brush is very dense, soft, and nonshedding. Its very similar to the Dome Shadow brush only a little longer. Its great for lightly blending out color in the crease or outer v, adding color to the crease or outer v, smudging out liner, smudging eyeshadow onto the lower lash line, cutting the crease, and much more. I dont think its super necessary to have both this brush and the Dome Shadow but it is nice to have around in case one is dirty or if you're using very different colors in one look.

Pointed Blender brush.

Made from super soft pony hair, this brush is very dense and perfect for doing a multitude of jobs. Its great for doing detail work on the eye, blending color more precisely, adding color to the crease or outer v, blending color into the lower lashline and much more. This brush is high quality and has not shed on me yet!

The more than a Brow brush.

More than just an eyebrow filler this brush made from pony hair is VERY short and dense. Incredibly soft, it can be used to add intense color to the crease, smudge eyeshadow along the upper and lower lashline as liner, applying thicker gel liner, cutting the crease, filling in brows, and more. Its a little thick to use for tight-lining but I suppose you could use it for push tight-lining in a pinch.

Another out of place face brush...the Detail Concealer brush.


Made of a super soft fiber hair this brush is very petite but very dense! It's quite a bit smaller than the regular Concealer brush and is perfect for getting right in the inner corner of the eye by the nose bridge where we can often have some darkness just like under our eyes. It's also wonderful for precisely concealing blemishes and packing on eyeshadow if you need another eyeshadow brush.

Medium Shadow brush!



So soft and dense this eyeshadow brush made of pony hair is perfect for packing on color or blending them out. This brush does not shed and has a multitude of uses. It can pack on color over the lid, pack color into the crease, blend out the outer v or crease color, add highlight to the browbone and much more.

Detail Shadow brush.

Yet another soft pony hair eyeshadow brush. This brush is slightly smaller than the Medium Shadow brush but still very dense and nonshedding. Its great for packing color into smaller areas, adding highlight to the inner corner of the eye, highlighting the brow bone, doing smaller detail work, lightly blending a cut crease, and more. I really love how small this brush is but how great the quality is!

Coastal Scents Lip brush!


Looking like a tiny eyeshadow brush this Lip brush made from pony hair is too cute and perfect for multitasking! Its great to use as a tiny eyeshadow brush to do detail work, pack color in a super small area, highlight the inner corner, highlight the brow bone, fill in eyebrows, and of course paint on some gorgeous lipstick! I'm sure you can find even more uses for this brush if you tried!

Large Liner/Brow brush


A wonderful multipurpose brush the Large Liner/Brow brush is made from nylon hairs and is wonderously soft and thick! It can be used for tight-lining, filling in brows, lining lips, using gel liner, using shadow as eyeliner, cutting the crease, creating sharp edges and wings, and more. Does not shed.

Medium Liner/Brow brush

Just like the Large Liner/Brow brush this one is soft, made from nylon hairs, and very dense! As with the other brush it can be used for tight-lining, filling in brows, lining lips, using gel liner, using shadow as eyeliner, cutting the crease, creating sharp edges and wings, and more. If you have smaller eyes I think this one is better to use for tight-lining or other detail work since it is smaller and gives you more control.

Small Liner/Brow brush

Again nylon hair makes up this super soft and thick Small Liner/Brow brush. This one like the others is nonshedding. Since it is so tiny it's perfect for doing delicate work like drawing on eyebrows or filling them in for a very natural look. Since this is the smallest of the bunch I feel like this one is the best for lip lining since it gives more control. It can also be used for lining with gel liner, lining with eyshadow, doing small detail work, creating a winged eyeliner look, and more!

Finally..the Smudger Sponge!


Made of rubber this little smudger is great for...well smudging! The material is very dense and well made! I'm always skeptical of "higher quality" sponge applicators because I feel all are the same and you shouldnt dole out the extra money for something like this. This one however, is very well made and I dont have any worries about it falling apart on me. It's great for smudging out eyeliner or eyeshadow on the lashline. I wouldnt recommend actually applying any product with this because it isnt really made for that and wont deposit color as well as a brush. I do think this is very nifty to have and I think its a lot better than the little sponges that come on the ends of cream liner pencils!

Shew! This was a long blog post lovelies! I tried to give the best and most views of each brush that I could to give the best depiction of them without you actually being able to see them and touch them in person! My overall experience with Coastal Scents was absolutely wonderful and I've already placed and recieved a second order from them and will probably place more in the future.

I think these brushes are AMAZING quality! In comparison with some highend brushes like Sephora's Pro Collection and a few MAC ones that I've tried out I definetely think these are right on par! I prefer these over my Sephora Pro brushes. I dont OWN any MAC or Sigma brushes to compare these to but for the price of this collection I dont really see how you could possibly get better quality for the price! I paid $34.95 for the set of 22 brushes and shipping was only $6.95. The best drugstore brushes I have to compare these to are the Ecotools brand. They have the softness of the Ecotools but longer handles and more denseness as well as more variety.

If you're just starting out getting into makeup or are looking to expand your brush options I highly recommend this set! I think its perfect for aspiring makeup artists, beauty bloggers, youtube gurus, or just lovers of makeup! I paid for this brush set with my own money and these opinions are completely my own and haven't been influenced in any way. I would recommend this set to any of my friends or family who wanted a great brush set that would help them achieve any look and would definetely gift this to my makeup loving friends!

I hope you makeup addicts have found this review helpful and its shed some light on this great collection of brushes and helped you decide whether this set is right for you!


Tidbits:
*Super fast shipping!
*High quality brushes!
*Reasonable pricing!
*Amazing variety!
*Not one "waste of space" spoolie or eyelash comb! :D

Love and makeup brush dreams!
Natalie



8 comments:

  1. I'm looking at all of them and the last (but certainly not least) is the one that sold me...I'm getting this set! lol

    Thanks for the great review!

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  2. YES ME TOO ME TOO...They look great. Thanks so much for putting all the time into this and helping me make a desicion. It's much appreciated!!

    Kerrie

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  3. Thanks ladies! I'm really glad this helped you all out! When I was shopping around for brushes I couldnt find a really indepth review on these brushes and that really bummed me out! They truly are wonderful brushes and I've already purchased a few single brushes from Coastal Scents since getting this set. I'm hoping to get the Sigma Essentials kit in the next month or so and do a review on those as well and then do a comparision post!

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  4. Great post Natalie! I've been eying this set & I think you may have convinced me to get it. :D I was worried that the brushes might be rough or scratchy but I guess I was wrong!

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    1. I had purchased a cheap brush set from Ebay that was 25 brushes for $7 and they were ridiculously rough and scratchy and I was a little worried that the Coastal Scents ones were either going to be like that or fall apart and not be very dense like some ELF brushes. I was very wrong on all accounts! These brushes are WONDERFUL! I've also been buying some of the individual brushes from there and they are just as nice and they have just recently added a bunch of new brush designs as well!

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  5. This review was very informative. That is definitely cheaper then Sigma. I will be making a purchase soon. Thank you for the time you put into this.

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    1. You're very welcome! Thank you for stopping by and reading it! :)

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  6. This was a great review and I appreciate the pictures to show each brush. Thanks!

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