e.l.f. Eyelid Primer: Essentials Line

e.l.f. Essentials Eyelid Primer

Pros vs. Cons

Pros
1.  Available at most target stores.
2.  Possibly the cheapest primer on the market at $1 a tube.
3.  Evens out skin tone

Cons
1.  Doesn't always prevent creasing.

I bought this purely to use as a cheap primer for swatching shadows and blushes in my review photos so I could stop using my expensive LORAC and Urban Decay.  I decided to give it a try on a whim to see how it held up and I was surprised that it actually isn't that bad.  I'm still not going to give up my favorites but if you need a cheap primer or want to have a backup in your kit for when you run out, this is good stuff.

The application can be a little tricky.  It uses a doe foot applicator and I recommend using your finger or a taklon bristle brush to spread it evenly on the eye.  It has a very shiny and liquid texture when you apply it and it takes a few seconds to dry to a slightly tacky matte finish.  I didn't have any problems with it holding on eyeshadow or giving me problems from blending the colors together.  It kept my eyeshadow looking good for almost all of the work day, with a tiny bit of creasing beginning to show by the time I left the office at 7.  I went to dinner afterwards and when I got home, there was definite creasing, though not bad enough to notice unless I was really looking for it.

This would be a fine primer to use when you only need to have your eye makeup on for a few hours and want to conserve your more expensive brands like Urban Decay, Too Faced, etc.

*photos are mine, do not use them without my permission*

Ed Hardy for Women "Love Kills Softly" Perfume

When I was in high school, I always loved picking up those little tiny sample bottles of perfume in the cosmetics section at Wal Mart.  They were always around $5 for most, with the really posh ones topping out around $7 (undoubtedly, this dates me).  I became quite the little fragrance junkie that way and at my max, I had around 17 different kinds.  As I've gotten older, my tastes in fragrance have toned down significantly, to the point where I hardly wear it any longer.  That changed a couple months ago when I walked through Dillard's on the way to the MAC counter and saw this super cute bottle of perfume called, "Angel."  I took a sample of it and was blown away by the sexy scent of sandalwood and fruit together.  While I didn't buy it, I've been thinking about wearing perfume more often, but I just haven't had the time to devote to a full afternoon of fragrance shopping (yes, it takes me an afternoon).

Tonight I went into Wal Mart to pick up a pack of cotton rounds and walked by the little display rack of sample fragrances.  I couldn't help but feel a touch of nostalgia as I noticed that the selection is a lot smaller than it used to be, and those $5 to $7 price tags have now been jacked up into a range of $6-$12, though, over a decade later, I suppose $1 isn't that great of a price increase.  My eye was caught by an flashy pink bottle with edgy tattoo designs, Ed Hardy for Women.  Having lots of friends who are addicted to ink, I'm well aware of who he is, and I've seen his clothing brand but I've never had much of an interest before, but I'll be honest, the bottle alone sold me on trying it out.  It was just too cute and it was one of the few marked $6.  I figured even if I hated it, I would only be out $6 and one of the girls at the office would take it off my hands.  I got it home and spritzed it on, and fell in love. 

While I enjoy sexier scents from time to time, I absolutely love fragrances that are fruity and this one is definitely that!  Typically, I like a blend of both fruit and floral, and while I'm sure that there are floral notes in this, once it hits my skin and mixes with my body chemistry, all I smell is the fruit.  I will definitely have to pick up a full sized bottle of this sometime soon!

e.l.f. Order Came In

So I ordered an Essentials Line order a couple weeks ago from e.l.f. and then last week I ordered some of their Studio Line when they were having a one day sale.  I find it hilarious that the Studio line was delivered by Fedex this morning to my apartment buildings leasing office and yet the Essentials package is still in the bowels of the U.S.P.S. delivery truck and won't be here till later.  I wonder if the studio Line stuff is primarily handled in a different warehouse with different shipping procedures?  Anyway, I'm also awaiting a table top studio lighting kit to arrive as well so that I can start taking better product pics and swatches in more natural lighting, so I'll post pics once I receive that.

E.L.F. Mineral Blush in "Pink" Review

I made a rather large order from the E.L.F. Mineral line a few weeks ago and have been trying out the different items that finally arrived in the post. Of all of them, I have to say that this blush is the one that has pleased me the most out of the entire order. In fact, it's pretty much the only thing that has pleased me out of that order.

While I'm not a fan in general of loose powder cosmetics, I can tolerate eye shadows and I like this color enough to have forced myself to learn how to use it. It's a lovely pink color, that, while cool, gives a very girlish glow to the cheeks. I have especially loved pairing this cheek color when I wear a romantic eye for a very feminine look.

Pros vs. Cons

Pros
1. Easily applied and can be buffed in for a deeper glow or even swiped off if overdone.
2. Nice pigmentation that lasts all day.

Cons
1. If you don't like working with loose powder cosmetics, you're going to have to learn how
2. $5.00 a pot if you buy it at regular price. I got these blushes for 50% off plus $6.95 shipping. While I like the color and would buy it again, I wouldn't pay full price for it, simply because I'm not a fan of loose blush.
Overall, I do like it and will continue to use it unless I can find a dupe for it in a press pan.

E.L.F. Mineral Makeup Haul

I got my order from the ELF Mineral Line sale a couple of weeks ago today. I will be doing reviews in the days to come.

ELF Mineral Lipsticks
1. Royal Red (not pictured b/c my camera died)
2. Cheerful Cherry
3. Prime Plum
4. Rosy Tan
5. Pouty Petal

ELF Mineral Lip Gloss
1. Trendsetter
2. Sorority Girl
3. Pageant Princess

ELF Mineral Blush
1. Plum
2. Joy
3. Pink

ELF Mineral Booster
1. Shimmer

AVOID E.L.F. Studio Tinted Moisturizer - Review

I have been eying some products from the Studio line for review ever since I fell in love with their Studio H.D. Invisible powder. One of these is the Studio tinted moisturizer. I was pleased to find a large selection of the Studio Line at K-Mart tonight and I immediately picked up the moisturizer in "Porcelain" and the "Lip Lock Pencil."


Let me preface this by saying that I truly enjoy the ELF line, and I rarely rip on a product that I haven't even tried yet, but there are times when I am more than happy to make an exception. When I pay for a product and get about HALF of what I thought I was paying for? THAT is one of those times.  Don't get me wrong, E.L.F. has some absolute gems in all of the different lines but I have always said that NO company produces gems all the time and ELF is certainly not an exception to that rule

I was at first put off about how the tube of moisturizer was on the small side from what I'm used to but it was pretty fat and I figured it would last me for at lest a couple of weeks and at $3, what have I to lose?

Well... Some of my respect for ELF cosmetics for starters.

I laid the package on my worktable to photograph after I shot product pics of my large Mineral ELF haul and after about 15 minutes of taking photos it was the moisturizer's turn. As I reached for it, something caught my eye, clear space on the viewing window of the tube. That can only mean one thing. There's a heck of a lot of air in there.

So I took it out of the package and set it up on it's side. Look at how nice and plump that bad boy is! Looks like a lot of product right?

WRONG.

So I took it by the top and shook it so that all the product was in the very end of the tube, then popped the top and squeezed all the air in the tube out till product came to the nozzle.

Holy crap. That thing is almost half empty!!! I couldn't believe it so I even squeezed all the product up to the top of the tube to get an idea of how much product really WAS in there.

Now, the label on he packaging says that this is 25 milliliters, 5 milliliters LESS than a standard issue foundation. When you take into consideration that at almost HALF the tube is empty, and you're getting maybe 13 or 15 ml at MOST at $3 a tube, that makes this every bit as expensive as many mid-range drugstore foundations.

I'm not even going to swatch or try this product, I am taking it back to the store and getting my money back. I HIGHLY reccomend avoiding the purchase of this product from ELF, unless you really enjoy your intelligence and wallet being insulted.

*Photos mine, do not use without my permission*

L'Oreal H.I.P. Color Truth Cream Liner Review

Let me state up front, that I have never cared for cream eye liners. The first one I ever tried was a Smashbox sample that didn't work well for me. It faded out about hours into the day and rubbed off. I also tried one from the Sephora brand which was nice but didn't have much staying power through the day as my eyes tend to water occasionally and my inner corner lid area would always get rid of any liner whether it was liquid, pencil, even MAC fluid line didn't last a full 8 hours from start to finish on those pesky inner corners, and I LOVE fluid line!

So then one day I was roaming Youtube and a guru was reviewing these liners which had just come out. Having had underwhelming experiences with the H.I.P. line already, I laughed when she compared it to fluid line and promptly dismissed her opinion!

I shouldn't have.

I picked this liner up with a gift card, thinking that I'd give it a try and if I hated it, I'd return it for something else. I got it home, opened the package and promptly tossed the angle brush that it come with into the "Drawer of Things I Never Use," and swirled my Sonia Kashuk angled liner brush into the pot. I was pleased with the smooth consistency that didn't cling to the brush like the Smashbox had even after I tapped off the excess on the jar rim. And I was shocked at how smooth and evenly it applied on my lid, every bit as well as my fluid line does, not even giving me any difficulty with the small "wing" I do for my office look.
So in the morning, I did my usual makeup routine and applied the liner on both lids, to see how it would hold up to a busy Monday at work. I was surprised to see that the inner corners were still holding strong at lunch time and that they had only begun to blur by the time I took my final break, 6 1/2 hours after I originally applied it. At the end of my shift when I was in my car and checked my eyes in the rear-view, I could not believe that it was still there. 9 hours later and, while certainly not the most fresh, it was certainly better than anything I've tried before.

I did the same routine today and the photo of my eyes is one I just took, TEN HOURS AFTER INITIAL APPLICATION.

While not as deeply pigmented as MAC fluid line, and it certainly doesn't come in as many colors as MAC does, if you're on a budget and looking for a good eyeliner that goes on like a liquid and wears like a tailored suit, L'Oreal H.I.P Color Truth Cream Liner could very well be the choice for you!
*all photos are mine*

NYX Blushes and Swatches

I picked up three new blushes from Cherry Culture and today I did the swatch testing.
*All photos are my own*

Photo 1 is the blushes in their pans, from left to right: Pecan, Pinched, and Stone.

Photo 2: they are freshly applied, and I used a primer to make them stick to my wrist better.

Photo 3: Swatches after a vigorous rubbing test from both my fingers and a stippling brush. I was surprised at how well they held up to that.

Review of the individual colors...

Pecan is warm chocolate brown with golden shimmer tones. I bought it specifically for contouring a friend with mocha skin when they want to do a glamorous look.

Pinched is a coral pink, also with golden shimmer tones. I wore it for my blush today and it applies and blended very well and I was shocked that what appeared to be a brighter pink in the pan melted into my skin and buffed out so well. It lasted all day, with no fading that I could see.

Stone is a flat matte sienna reddish brown. This was another blush that I bought for every day contouring. This blush is the softest of the three. You may not be able to tell from the photo since the matte of the blush makes it less defined that the light catching shimmer blushes, but even after swatching twice, running my finger tip over it twice, and dipping a contouring brush to test it out on a models face, the diamond design is already disappearing fast. It worked well as a contouring powder but if it was something you would use daily, you would need to replace it more often.

Sigma Brushes Ordered

Ordered the standard 12 brush set from Sigma today.  While I'm happy that they're on their way, I was a little disappointed at the fact that the $99 set that includes the brush roll was available, every single individual brush was available, but the standard set of 12 for $79 without the brush roll that I wanted was somehow "out of stock."  I had to pay $20 more for something that, while it's a very nice brush roll, it's still a brush roll that I don't need.