Coastal Scents: Custom Palette

I bought this.

Welcome back to Samantha by the Sea! Today I would like to share with you the custom palette I made during the most recent Coastal Scents sale! 

Each single shadow was on sale for $0.99 USD (normally priced at $1.95 USD) and the empty palette, which has a huge mirror, was $5.95 USD! 

These are the shades I chose!

Swatches

White Silver: shimmery white with silver specks

Caramel Ice: shimmery pale caramel

Peach Silver: shimmery peach with silver specks

Cajun Craze: shimmery orange-red

Dreamsicle: shimmery light orange

Tangerine:shimmery orange

Peachy Copper: shimmery light copper

Coral Pink: shimmery coral

Antique Maroon: satin brownish red (leans more purple)

Mai Tai: shimmery mauve with silver specks

Camel Taupe: satin warm brown

Midnight Rodeo: matte dusty brown

Overall, I'm extremely happy with my palette. It is full of colors that I love in my favorite finish, shimmer! All of the shadows were creamy, easy to swatch, and pigmented! Camel Taupe and Midnight Rodeo, on the other hand, were not as pigmented and because of this I'll likely replace them with other colors in the future. The empty palette is nice quality as well. The mirror is as large as the palette itself and it has a nice weight to it. It does not feel cheap or flimsy.

I cannot wait to create a look with my new custom palette! Make sure you follow me on instagram, so you don't miss any of the looks I create with it! 

Have you tried any of the hot pots from Coastal Scents? I'd love to hear your recommendations below!

Skincare Staples: Formula 10.0.6

I bought this.

 

Welcome back to Samantha by the Sea! I'm so glad that you've stopped by! Today I am going to be sharing with you three Formula 10.0.6 products that are staples in my everyday skincare routine. 

Be Berry Ready Daily Foaming Cleanser ($7 USD)

 I use a dime-sized amount of this cleanser every night with my Foreo Luna Mini, which you can read about here. This cleanser is infused with blackberry and coconut milk, making it smell AMAZING. Since I've started using this product, I have seen a positive change in the way my skin looks and feels. It does not dry my face out either, which is extremely important to me in a cleanser.

Thirst No More! Moisturizer ($9 USD)

This moisturizer is infused with a fruit complex (watermelon, lentil, & apple extracts) and white tea. I use one pump before I put on my makeup for a smoother application and two pumps at night to really moisturize my skin.  Like all of the other Formula 10.0.6 products I've tried this product smells great. Another important fact to note is that this moisturizer does not make my face feel greasy.

Rescue Me! Acne Blemish Treatment ($8 USD)

 I use this spot treatment as soon as I see any sign of a breakout forming. This treatment can be used 1-3 times daily. These types of products can dry out your skin, so I am careful not to over use it. This product has helped me prevent many a blemish and for that I'm extremely thankful!

Overall, I really love these three products from Formula 10.0.6. I've been testing them for about a month and they have not let me down! They've all worked extremely well for me and I will definitely repurchase them in the future! I also love their face masks, so stay tuned for a post dedicated to them!

 I hope that you have enjoyed this snapshot into my skincare routine!

Have you tried anything from Formula 10.0.6? If so leave your recommendations for me below! 

As always, if you have any questions regarding anything I've mentioned, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them!

Foreo Luna Mini

 I bought this.

Hi everyone! 

Welcome back to Samantha by the Sea! If this is your first time stopping by, I'm so glad you're here! Today I wanted to share a product with you that rocked my world and completely changed my skincare routine: the Foreo Luna Mini in magenta!

The Foreo Luna Mini is a silicone facial cleansing device that uses a special t-sonic vibration technology to cleanse your skin. The Luna Mini can be used on all skin types and is extremely gentle. There are three separate zones on the device. The top is meant for precision cleansing, while the rest of the front is meant for general cleansing. The back of the device is meant for deep cleansing. There is also a waterproof charging port on the back. Speaking of charging, a one hour charge equals approximately FIVE MONTHS worth of uses, crazy right!?

Foreo recommends that one uses this product twice a day, one minute per use. It also blinks every fifteen seconds during the first minute of use, so you know when to move to a different portion of your face.

I use the Foreo Luna Mini at night alongside my new favorite cleanser, the Formula 10.0.6 Be Berry Ready Daily Foaming Cleanser. I dampen my face, apply my cleanser, and then I focus on cleansing the four zones of my face: my forehead, my nose and chin, along with each of my cheeks. Once completed, I wash the cleanser off of my face and rinse of my Luna Mini.

I've been using this device for about a month and it has honestly changed my life. Before using the Foreo my skin was dull and I was suffering from consistent breakouts. Currently, my skin looking brighter, more refreshed, and overall healthier. I haven't experienced a major breakout since using it and I think that it has even helped reduce some of my acne scars. 

The Foreo Luna Mini retails for $99 USD, but trust me, it's totally worth it! I was torn between this device and it's brush-like competitors, but the Foreo Luna Mini was the best option for me. There are no brush heads to replace or sanitize and it's as big as the palm of my hand. Since it is silicone, it is also extremely easy to keep clean. I just spray it with alcohol and wash it off with warm water every few uses.

Would you try the Foreo Luna Mini? If not, what's your favorite cleansing device? If you don't have one, let me know what device you would like to try in the comments below!

Ipsy Glam Bag Reveal: June 2017

 I bought this.

Welcome to my first blog post on Samantha by the Sea! For my first post, I've decided to share with you what I received in this month's Ipsy Glam Bag. The theme of the bag was Volume Up. This is the first bag I'd ever received from Ipsy, so I'm extremely excited to share with you what I got!

The Bag

As you can see this month's bag was adorable! It was tan with white polka dots and black accents, with a giant set of red lips on the center! I was very impressed with the quality of the bag; it was made well and I think it will last me a while.

The Contents

Beauty For Real I-LINE 24/7 Eyeliner in 24 Karat ($14): A shimmery gold gel eyeliner.

NYX Whipped Lip & Cheek Soufflé in Cocoa Bean ($6): A nude brown product that can be used as lipstick or blush.

Margaret Dabbs London Treatment Enriched Nail Polish in Green Daylily ($22): A jewel toned polish that only needs ONE (yes one!!) coat.

Trissola Chia 5-in-1 Defining Curl Cream ($8): A cream to tame unruly curls.

Luna by Luna Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Jace ($15): A vegan and cruelty free matte rose eyeshadow.

The Review

Overall, I thought that this was a pretty decent bag for my first time receiving Ipsy! It retailed for approximately $65 USD, which isn't bad for a $10 subscription! The nail polish was AMAZING, as was the eyeliner and eyeshadow. The lip and cheek soufflé matched my skin tone well, but I ended up giving it to someone who I know will get a lot of use out of it. The curl cream was probably the biggest disappointment in the entire bag, as not only was it extremely sticky feeling, but it left my hair frizzy and my curls undefined, which is the opposite of what it was meant to do.

Make sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to see how I end up using these products! And stay tuned, they may appear in future blog posts!

I'm curious, do you subscribe to Ipsy? If so, how was your bag this month? Let me know in the comments below!