REVIEW: Hard Candy baked blush in Living Doll

If you're even slightly into makeup, then you've heard of Hard Candy. If not, where have you been?! Hard Candy is a formerly high end brand, that now sells at Walmart. They have completely revamped their line. They've changed the products, changed the packaging, reduced the price, and now aim at a different clientele. I never tried Hard Candy before this, so I can't compare their line now, to what it used to be. But here is my review, none-the-less. (As a side note, I'll be reviewing a couple more Hard Candy products, and plan on using this same "intro" on them, as well. Sorry if it gets repetitive!)

PRICE: As with any drug store, or low end product, prices will vary by location. I picked this up at my local Walmart for $8.00. I believe it's a little cheaper on the Walmart website.

PACKAGING: This packaging is totally adorable. As I said in my intro, it's completely different from what Hard Candy looked like prior to being sold at Walmart. I'm gonna have to say, I like the new packaging more than the old! It is, in my opinion, very girly. Swirls, hearts, flowers .. I love it. The top of the case is see through, which I love. Their logo is printed twice on the top, in between the designs. The product, name, directions, and ingredients, etc, are printed on the white back.

PRODUCT: I LOVE this blush. It is very similar to the MAC mineralized skin finishes -- not totally the same, but defiantly up the same ally. The one I picked up had a good amount of yellow/gold veining within the pink, so along side of giving me pink & gorgeous cheeks, it also gave me the same dewy look that a face highlighter would. The good thing about this blush is, it can be made to look like you want it to. If you want a lighter application, use a fluffy brush, or a light hand. If you're like me, and like the flushed pink look, use a more dense brush, with a little more product. You can work it up, or work it down .. make it what you want. My ONLY complaint is the fact that this is a bit powdery. When you use your brush to pick up product, a lot of dust/powder is left on the dome of the blush. When you blow it off to clean up, you're wasting a lot of product, which is sad. *Keep in mind when looking at my swatches that the swatch was applied with my finger, and I picked up product 4 times. I made it darker, so ya'll could see the color. You can make the blush darker, or lighter, as I explained above*

OVERALL: Nine out of ten stars. I plan on picking up more of these!

REVIEW: Coastal Scents 10 color blush palette

Admittedly, I'm addicted to all things beauty. With a little shove, I can admit I have an even bigger addiction to blush. Another love of mine is palettes (hello, value!). So, when two of my loves (blush, and palettes) are combined, I'm sold!

PRICE: For $15.95 (on the companies website) you get a palette (measuring 9inches long by 4inches deep) filled with ten blushes (measuring 1 3/8inches). I'm usually sold on anything palette-form that is under $20.00! I've heard that you can get this same palette (and other Coastal Scents palettes) on Ebay for much cheaper. BUT, by the time you pay shipping from China, and wait 14+ days, you might as well just order from the Coastal Scents website!

PACKAGING: I'm just gonna put it out there -- this packaging is GORGEOUS. The palette itself comes inside of a matte black, heavy duty box. When you pull the palette out, it looks very similar to the box; matte black, bearing (in silver font) the Coastal Scents name. Below the company logo, you'll find the name of the palette, also in silver font. Overall, I think the packaging is very sleek, and nice looking. The case being matte, rather than shiny, gets two thumbs up from me - I HATE the fingerprints that get all over shiny packages.

PRODUCT: This palette has a blush for EVERYONE. Light colors, dark colors, sheer colors, and color-packed colors. I honestly think you will benefit from this palette if you wear blush. I'm not gonna lie, some of the blushes are a bit chalky, but that can defiantly be overlooked if you work with them right. The pans are a bit on the smaller side, but I use this palette almost daily, and have yet to hit pan on any of them. If you have a light enough skin tone (I'm holyshityourepale) this palette can even double as bronzer/countour. I also have to brag on the blendability of the blushes! I have tried MANY brands of blush (hello, addiction) and some (yes, even high end) just SIT on your face, not budging from where you put your brush. These, though, blend wonderfully with little effort. Iloveit!

CUSTOMER SERVICE & SHIPPING: While my package DID take a while (14 days from the time I placed my order) to make it to my door step, and one of my palettes (88 palette) was destroyed, the customer service is still satisfactory. They refunded my money (minus shipping, but eh) for the broken palette, and shipped it expedited when I re-ordered. The employee I spoke to was happy to assist me, very friendly, and very apologetic about my broken product.

OVERALL: Nine out of ten stars!