Review: Coastal Scents EZ Pressing Medium
Name: Coastal Scents EZ Pressing Medium
Product: 2.5/5
Available: Coastal Scents, Beauty From The Earth
I personally bought my bottle of this product from Beauty of the Earth, and NOT Coastal Scents. I was impressed with Beauty of the Earth’s CS and shipping, it was sent out on the same day I ordered and it arrived a couple of days later. Which was really fast given the fact that I’m in Florida and they are based somewhere on the other side of the country.
Anyway, this product works as it’s suposed to, it binds the mineral pigments together, and it doesn’t make the product hard or crumbly in the process. The description of this product from Coastal Scents says that this product will go a long, long way. I didn’t get nearly as much use out of this product that I thought I would. I used the entire bottle making up between 15-20 pressed eyeshadows. I was using small, MAC sized 26mm pan, not huge blush or pressed powder pans. I was very dissapointed with the product in that aspect.
However, like I said it does work, and it has only about four or five ingredients in it as well. Would I recommend it to someone to use? No, I would not recommend this product now, but had you asked me when I first got it I would have said yes. The reason now, is that I found out through another source that Biosilk Silk Therapy can press pigments in the exact same way as the E-Z Press, only the Biosilk is $13 for a much larger bottle than the E-Z Press. Plus the Biosilk leaves the mineral pigment with a pleasant light smell.
If you are like me, after I finished my bottle of E-Z, I went to Sally’s Beauty Supply and I purchased the Generic Value Products version of the Biosilk Silk Therapy. The ingredients are exactly the same as the Biosilk, except with the generic one, I got 6 oz of product for $6.99. Either way, you can find a much cheaper alternative to the E-Z Press if you head over to your local beauty supply. I can also recommend the Ion Silk Drops as well for pressing pigments. I have used all three and all three work just fine. The first three or four ingredients are the most important. So as long as a product has Dimethicone and Cyclomethicone in the first few ingredients, then there shouldn’t be any problem with using it to press minerals.
E-Z Press Ingredients:
- Dimethicone
- Cyclomethicone
- Polysorbate 20
- Isoproply Myristate
- Alcohol
Biosilk Silk Therapy / Generic Value Products Biosilk Silk Therapy:
Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, SD Alcohol 40-B, Panthenol, Ethyl Ester of Hydrolyzed Silk, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Fragrance (Parfum), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
Ion Silk Drops:
CYCLOPENTASILOXANE ,DIMETHICONE ,C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE ,FRAGRANCE ,ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE ,ALCOHOL DENAT. ,HYDROXYISOHEXYL 3-CYCLOHEXENE CARBOXALDE ,ETHYL ESTER OF HYDROLYZED SILK ,ALPHA-ISOMETHYL IONONE ,PANTHENOL ,BENZYL ALCOHOL ,LIMONENE ,LINALOOL ,CITRONELLOL ,BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL ,HEXYL CINNAMAL
Enkore TV: DIY Mixing Medium
A couple of people have emailed me asking about an alternative to the Burt’s Bees toner that I use as a mixing medium. This is a video by Enkore from YouTube. I’ve used this method before and it works wonderfully. 
Review: Burt’s Bees Rosewater and Glycerin Toner
Name: Burt’s Bees Rosewater and Glycerin Toner
Product: 5/5
Available: Select areas where Burt’s Bees are sold, on the Burt’s Bees Website, Drugstore.Com
I LOVE this product, for me, its a multitasking product that I use practically daily. This toner is created for Sensitive and Mature skin, but EVERYONE would benefit from owning this item. Unlike normal toners which can have a clinical smell to them, this one smells like roses, which is a nice change of pace. Another reason I love this product is that it has all natural ingredients and it does not cause my skin to break out.
I use this product as my sometimes toner when I want a break from my witch hazel, which I’ve been using for a long time. So when I take a break from the WH, I use my Rose Water toner. It makes my skin feel really refreshed after using it, and it doesn’t tighten my skin either.
My other use for this product is my main reason for purchasing it. I use this as my mixing medium for my loose eyeshadows. I fill a little spray bottle full of this stuff and I then squirt a couple of sprays onto my brush and dip it into my pigment / mineral eyeshadow then I apply it to my lid with the patting technique. This makes my eyeshadows very vibrant and it helps them last longer than using just water, because the glycerin in this toner helps adhere the pigment to the eye better. I still use a base before applying the pigments though. I’ve been using this far more as a mixing medium than I ever did as a toner, and it has yet to aggravate my eyes in anyway.
Final Thoughts: The only problem I have with this particular product is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to find in stores. The first and only store I’ve seen carry this toner was a college bookstore in Gainesville, where I went to college. I bought it there for $12 and I’m still using the same bottle. However I’ve amped up my usage of this product a lot since I purchased it, and I’ll probably run out of this stuff before long. So I am going to have a hard time of finding it again. I’m weary about ordering off the internet because it comes in a glass bottle – it’s a sturdy bottle, but I’m not all together comfortable ordering glass containers filled with liquid off the internet. I still strongly recommend this product as an alternative to MAC’s water based Mixing Medium, which is more expensive and it has been known to cause allergic reactions to some people. I think everyone who uses loose eyeshadows, or wants to start using them needs this product. It’s a great steal, knowing that there is more than just one use for it.
