Thursday, December 30, 2010

Impressed with e.l.f.

So for the heck of it and because I hear that e.l.f. actually has some pretty good products for the price, I decided to do my first e.l.f. haul. I checked for reviews before I purchased an item off the site to make sure I wouldn't get anything that was flat out disappointing. Every item I bought was priced from $1-$3 and I was so happy about the pricing of their items that I got doubles of a lot of the products. So cheap!!!

I purchased the Eyeshadow "C" Brush ($3)  from their studio line as well as their Complexion Brush($3), which is also from their studio line. I was pretty impressed with the softness of the brushes, I am in love with the "C" Brush. I think I'll order more backups of this brush for sure since it's become the one I reach for the most. I like it better than the Sigma SS239.

Second item I purchased was their Mineral Eyeshadow Primer($3), which I heard was pretty good. I've been using it for a couple weeks and it really does do the job of keeping my eyeshadow there and keeping them from creasing. I will definitely repurchase this just because it is so cheap and it works just as well as my other primers.

Third item I purchased was the Mechanical Eyelash Curler($1). For a buck, its not bad, but my Shu Uemura eyelash curler still performs the best in my opinion. I got two of them so I might keep one curler in my car, at work, etc. just so I have an emergency eyelash curler laying around when I need it, lol.

My next purchases were all blushes/bronzers
Here are the e.l.f. Studio Elushes($3 each):
Left to right, top to bottom:
Blushing Rose, Pink Passion, Candid Coral, Peachy Keen
I realize the camera washed out the colors a bit, because they are darker in person. My favorites are Blushing Rose and Candid Coral and the only ones I would consider repurchasing

-Blushing Rose is a dark rose color with gold shimmer(Looks like a plum color in the pic, but it is not)
-Pink Passion is a matte hot pink, much brighter than in the picture
-Candid Coral is a dark peachy color with golden shimmers
Peachy Keen is a true peach color with golden shimmers, the least pigmented of them all in my opinion.


The last item I purchased was the e.l.f. Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder($3). This is the item I'm probably the most happiest with aside from the e.l.f. Eyeshadow "C" brush. The bronzer is a beautiful color that does not make you look orange, it's a lovely glowing tan color. It's the only other bronzer I like besides my Too Faced Snow Bunny. The blush is very similar to Candid Coral, but with a stronger gold shimmer. It's just a beautiful healthy peach color. I love love love this product. I can't believe it was only 3 bucks. I will definitely be repurchasing this one as well.


Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Gift from a Friend

I received a suprise gift in the post from my friend! She wrapped it in lovely paper as well. It completely made my day :)
 In the package is Dr. Jart's Premium BB Gold Label
I'm excited to try this out!!! I always heard great things about BB Cream, but I had no clue how to choose a good one out so I'm pretty excited about this because my friend said this is the one she highly recommends and uses herself. A big thanks to my friend!!!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Christmas Want #2

River Island Helix Fleece Lined Boot

french cutie

gaspard ulliel. gorgeous.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Christmas Want #1

Dr. Marten
50TH ANNIVERSARY 1460
Cherry Red - Pebble
UK 4

I want a pair of these boots so bad. They are out of stock on the website and I can't find them anywhere else. If anyone knows where I can still get a pair let me know!!!!!!


Sunday, December 12, 2010

Coastal Scents: Shadow Worx Matte Eye Primer

I have just finished up my bottle of urban decay primer potion and the truth is I really don't feel like paying that much for another bottle, so I've been on the hunt for a cheaper alternative that works great too. I've heard a lot about the e.l.f. eye primer and so I ordered one of those online, but it isn't here yet. I also ordered Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Eye Primer. I know they have a shimmer one, but I prefer something with a matte finish. I've been testing it out for a week now and I've grown to love it. Here are some observations I made about this product compared to the UDPP.

- More oily texture than urban decay primer potion

- I immediately noticed that they made my eyeshadows pop more than the UDPP (I don't know if that's just because it somehow just works with my type of skin, I have normal to dry skin)

- It is packaged in a squeeze tube rather than that stupid genie bottle that UDPP comes in, which makes it much easier to use the product. (I heard UDPP has come out with a squeeze tube now)

- Price for one tube of 0.676 fl oz is $14.95 (+$1.73 USPS First Class Mail shipping cost for me) while the cost for the Urban Decay Primer Potion of 0.34 fl oz is $18.00. The Coastal Scents primer is pretty much twice the amount of product you would get from UDPP, but at a cheaper price.


With that in mind, I'm set with sticking with the coastal scents primer rather than purchase another urban decay one. I'm really liking the results I get from the primer because they are comparable to the results I got from UDPP, even better than UDPP for me, but again that just might be for my skin type. Anyhow, I definitely think this is worth a try because I don't feel it would be a product that will disappoint.


Swatches by request:
Left: Urban Decay Primer Potion (what I managed to scrape out)
Right: Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Eyeshadow Primer

And here's a picture of them both blended out 

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Victoria's Secret single eyeshadows

I've been using all my Victoria's Secret secret reward cards on their single eyeshadows, which I have been using every day. The colors could be a bit more pigmented, but they are all gorgeous colors and I love them nonetheless. All the colors are very sexy and I stuck with the neutrals. I may pick up a few more if I find some other colors I like.

Left to right:
Top: Private Beach, Lose Control,
Middle: Provocateur, Between the Sheets
Bottom: Champagne, Pose 


Here are the swatches, Left to Right:
Top: Champagne, Provocateur, Private Beach
Bottom: Pose, Between the Sheets, Lose Control

Champagne: A shimmery champagne color, pretty straight forward
Provocateur: Shimmery copper bronze shade.
Private Beach: Mauve-y light brown shade
Pose: Matte taupe
Between the Sheets: Shimmery brown with gold flecks
Lose Control: A chocolate brown, darker than Between the Sheets, with silver flecks


I've been using my Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer with these eyeshadows (Definitely use a primer with these eyeshadows) and I also find that my Eco Tools 5-piece travel eyeshadow brushes work better with these eyeshadows than my sigma brushes.

My first drugstore lipstick!!

I've always strayed away from drugstore lipsticks mainly because my lips have always had bad allergic reactions to everything! I usually only do MAC for lipsticks, however, I'm not sure why but it seems my lips have toughened up a bit and are a lot more tolerant of different products now. With that said, while I was in my local walgreens to pick up cotton pads I decided to try a new lipstick. I specifically had the Maybelline Pink Please in mind because I hear so many good reviews on it and I must say I absolutely love the color. I'm kind of impressed with the quality of it since it is was only 6-7 bucks. I also like the fact that it doesn't dry out my lips like some of the MAC ones do. I'm so glad I decided to try it!

Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Pink Please


Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Sitting at my computer sipping a warm cup of earl grey with honey, no milk this time because I wasn't feeling it. I did a bit of online Christmas shopping which saves me lots of time because I don't want to waste hours looking through stores. I actually rarely do "organic" shopping anymore lol. Everything is online and I'm lazy.

For the longest time I've been trying to find a replacement for my MAC plushglass in angel cream(bottom) because it was limited edition and I can't get it anymore. I picked up the MAC cremesheen glass in partial to pink(top) because it came close.

However, looking at the swatches, you can see partial to pink(left) is a bit rosier or peachier than angel cream(right). So I am still on the lookout, but I like the cremesheen glass. I ordered a limited edition dazzleglass creme in perfectly unordinary(will post pics of when it arrives) and I'm hoping it will be more of a pale pink than the cremesheen glass.

I want to find the exact color, willing to take suggestions!!