Things I am throwing out Vol. 1

I will be starting to take pictures of things I am throwing out into the garbage.  This is sort of a reminder to myself not to keep buying cosmetics and products in general. I think this would be also a good thing for those of you out there as a warning not to get these products and make the same mistake as me ;).  Saving the world, one citizen at a time.

1)  ELF waterproof eyeliners

-ridiculously dry

-takes actual force to be able to show up on the back of my hand, let alone on my eyes! My eyes are delicate yo~

-tried the lighter technique, nothing works

DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT, it is absolutely terrible. 

$3 each, I am throwing away four so I'm throwing away $12 and shipping fee.

2) ELF essential brightening eye liner

-not too bad of a product but smudges

-no lasting power

-color pay off is so so

$1 each, throwing away two so I'm throwing away $2

3) ELF essential simmer eyeliner

-quite creamy

-color pay off is nice but smudges easily

-no lasting power

-could be a good eyeshadow base

$1 each, throwing out one so I'm throwing away $1

4) Prestige waterproof eyeliner in Star (white shade)

-too hard to work on the waterline

-has a nice staying power on the lids but wanted it for my waterline

$7 each X 1= $7

In total, I wasted $22.  

Sadly I actually threw a lot more products before I thought to myself "Hey, maybe I should take a picture of the products I am throwing away." But that was already way too late.   This is a reminder to all, do not get these products because they will most likely go straight into your garbage can too.

Hope this is helpful, enjoy~

Cyber Monday ELF 50% off haul

 Not only do I wait for the coastal scents 50% off everything sale, I also waited for ELF's 50% off which only happens one or twice a year (including their annual birthday one which usually is 60% off but it was only 50% off this year).  So when it happened on cyber monday, I jumped on it! I actually had to go to work really early that day and only had half an hour to pick the stuff out and pay for it!

 The first thing that was on my mind was the newest waterproof eyeliner crayon.  I could have just got the champagne color since I thought it would be beautiful on the waterline but even as a highlight would be good too. The four colors I got was pitch black, champagne, brown and purple.  What I like about these is that you don' t have to sharpen them, just twist them up :). They are crayons so they aren't skinny pencils so these would be great for all over the eyes, or if you are that awesome, use them as a liner but it would be a little bit messy to do. These are $3 each from the studio line but I got them for $1.50 each.

 I've been itching to get myself some lip liners so when I saw these again on the website, I had to get it! I got myself the colors natural and red.  Red would be perfect for the holiday or just for those that love to wear a red lip :). Can't want to try these and they have a brush on the other side of the pencil with a lid so this is convenient! $3 each ($1.50 from the sale)

 The long lasting lustrous eyeshadow was something I was debating on since I saw swatches of these but they were really shimmery and I usually don't wear shimmer on my eyes on a daily basis but I just broke down and got three out of the seven colors they offered.  I got toasted (warm golden brownish color), soiree (pinky purple shade), and confetti (white sliver shimmers).  My most favorite would be toasted since it is a shade that i could wear this everyday.  The consistency is really interesting, I don't think there is anything else like this on the market.  If any of you knows the consistency of the elf studio cream blush or the maybelline bouncy blush but a little bit more moist and much easier to apply! It does stay nicely on the skin but the shimmer does move a little so this isn't something that you would want to wear alone so make sure you use this with powder too!

 If you didn't know that the studio primer came out with three more shades to their line, then now you know.  They came out with three new shades to their already popular studio primer which would be radiant glow, tone adjusting (green) and lavender (purple shade for brightening).  I was really intrigued by this since I did like the original primer but because the bottle and the amount of product you get was very little, I didn't bother on continuing to repurchase.  I have to say that I like that changed the bottle.  The outside doesn't look any different but the inside, they used a different method to pump out the product.  Just like their HD blush, this bottle uses the suction so every time you pump it, the little lever thingy goes up and up so you wouldn't waste any product.  The problem with the old bottle is that it just pumps out with a straw and you don't even get to all of the product and you already run out.  $6 per bottle (got them for $3 each)

Also to their really popular contour blush and bronzing cream, they added two new shades and Turks & Caicos really caught my attention.  I saw a lot of other peoples haul videos and everyone said that this gives a nice flush of color but when I opened the compact, hell to the no can this be "natural!" There so much shimmer! Even in the bronze.  I really hope that this is an over spray because I can't do it.  I just can't.  I'm not a fan of shimmer on my face unless it is a fine fine shimmer that gives a nice glow.  We'll see about these. $3 from the studio line

The last product would be their essentials smudge brush.  I actually picked way more stuff then this haul but I ran out of money on paypal LOL so i had to delete a lot of stuff but I forgot about this so I was surprised that I got this.  I quite like it though and since it was only 50 cents so it wasn't a big mistake :).  These are surprisingly soft! And stiff enough so you use it as a smudger.  I do recommend these but one thing to keep in mind that the glue would wear off and the metal would sometimes come off of the wooden handle.

Overall I'm happy that I finally got my package and really wasn't expecting it to come anytime soon since the Hurricane sandy happened and their HQ is in New York and on their facebook they said that black friday orders would be shipped on December 7.  

What is your most favorite elf product? Which product are you dying to see me review?

ELF studio single eyeshadow

Raspberry truffle-Dark chocolately raspberry color with a rusty iridescent

Sea Blue- dark primary blue with blue iridescentTotally teal- teal color with sliver and teal iridescentSunset-burnt peachy gold color with gold and peachy sheen

Elf's description

"The beautiful soft texture melts into the skin for a vibrant color that lasts. Convenient and easy to apply, just layer the color to achieve the desired intensity. Apply wet or dry for a fabulous look that never creases or fades. "

Packaging

I personally don't own any NARS eye shadows because, well their frinkin expensive! And i'd have to really fall in love with one product to buy something that's $25+ for an eyeshadow. It has the same black sleek packaging, but one advantage to elf's take on their Nars knock off packaging is that it has a little peek whole to let you see what color it is in the pan. It also has a really tiny mirror inside which i find super pointless but good to have :). I love that it snaps really secure so if you put it in your make up bag, it would open up and make your bag all dirty :3.

Color pigmentation/ payoffWhen i first opened my three newest single eyeshadow (Totally teal, sea blue and sunset), i was stunned! I was drooling over the gorgeous colors, but when we go to swatch i was quite disappointed. I was hoping the colors would be silky, but it is quite chalky. As you can see in the pictures above, when applied dry its terrible. Applying it with a primer is the best and applying it wet is a little bit of a hassle if your trying to do a big area. Most of them have a slight sheen and iridescent which makes them super pretty :D.

ELF studio matte lip color

Elf's description of the product:

"This convenient jumbo sized lip pencil creates exact color application with twist up ease so you never have to sharpen. The pigment rich color glides on effortlessly and easily to provide long lasting matte color. The enriched Vitamin A, C & E formula moisturizes and hydrates lips for beautiful healthy looking lips. "

Packaging
This studio matte lip color comes in a twisty pen with a cap. When I first got it, tea rose was actually broken :(, but i dealt with it and melted it with a lighter and stuck it back together. On the bottom is a color coordination strip so you an tell which color is which :).

Color pigmentation/ pay off
My lips are really pigmented so anything that covers my lips and gives them a different color is good :D. These remind me of MAC amplified lipsticks, but a little bit more wearable.

Praline: cool neutral brown color; super wearable for everyday

Coral: Semi bright orangey peach color; doesn't suit my skin color (NW25), looks really gross to me so i'd have to top it with a lipgloss or something

Tea Rose: My favorite out of all three that i have. It reminds me of Mac Saint Germain lipstick (which i don't have but seen tons of swatches) but a more wearable color. Its a dusty purple color with a hint of pink. I loveee this color.

Texture & finish
These are super creamy and somewhat moisturizing but in the long run, it does dry my lips a little bit. Keep in mind that my lips are super dry and a little bit chappy sometimes.

Smell?
There isn't a smell to this product which is good for me :).

Price
All of these lip colors retail for $3 on the elf site and maybe at target if you live near one, but i don't because i live in Canada. The only place that retails elf cosmetics is winners, and they overprice it like three times.

Overall i do think this is a good product, but i would only be repurchasing tea rose because i do think its a really wearable pop of color for the fall :). If you like my reviews, don't forget to comment, rate and subscribe.

ELF studio pigments

As you might have known, ELF came out with mass new products on their website and one of them was their studio pigments. I thought, ehh its just another eyeshadow in loose form no point in buying the. But you know me, when i buy something I'd like to have the whole set (or almost the whole set) which is bad because that just makes me spend more money. So they come in the same package as their Studio cream eyeliner and the same jars too. They do come with a small brush but it is completely useless for eyeshadow since it is so small. The colors I got from top left and clockwise was Mystic Moss, Naughty Noire, Magical Maroon and Passionate purple.
Mystic moss- dark mossy green with gold shimmers Naughty Noire- Black with sliver shimmer
Passionate Purple- Dark royal purple; kinda reminds me of my fav. color from ELF quad in sliver lining. This color is seriously gorgeousMagical Marron- Dark plumly purple with sliver shimmer. The color kind of reminds me of ELF studio pressed eyeshadow in raspberry truffle, but this one has more of a cooler undertone to it.
Swatches used dry.

Swatches used on Elf Mineral primer

As you can see, these pigments are lame without a primer. There would be almost no color if you don't use a primer. So I recommend you either use them wet or with a primer.

Conclusion-price: C ($3 each)
-packaging: B
-product quality: C+
-Overall quality: C+
-Buy again? No, I could do without them

Upcoming ELF studio liquid foundation

Elf is finally releasing their very first liquid foundation. I'm so excited!! This means I should just wait till all of the new stuff come out before I order any studio things then.

The packaging reminds me a lot of Smashbox primers and other stuff right?

ELF mineral lipstick

Lipsticks...where do i begin? Their soo pwettyyy =3....yeah I think my new addiction is lip products. Its not even funny how much lip products I buy but never use. SAYYY WAHHT?? I mean its like starting off with eyeshadow for the first time. I was all shy with my make up so I sticked with browns and neutrals, but now I'm all like bright orange and pinks and all that jazz. Same goes for lipsticks which I only tend to use the nude lip look.

Basically these I heard a lot about on Youtube (ex: Lollipop's HG natural nymph as a dupe for Gosh Darling I believe?) and was very curious about these, but don't really wanted to shell out $5 each. I know thats not really a lot for a lipstick, but if you get as much as I do then it does really add up.

ELF company claims: "Now you can hydrate your lips and get a lasting soft color naturally! This nourishing blend of exotic oils, natural waxes, vitamins and plant extracts create the perfect moisturizing formula. The sleek lipstick has superior color payoff, glides easily onto lips, and is long wearing. Lips stay perfectly hydrated and soft throughout the day for no fuss, lip loving happiness. All our mineral makeup is 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes."

-yes it is quite nourshing
-can't really agree complety with the superior color payoff
-yes they do glide on your lips
-average length of wearing time
-kinda drying

These all come in a nice sleek packaging with its logo on the top of the lid and on the side. For "Made in China" this is pretty high quality. The lid snaps on very nicely, and the lipstick glides on of the tube flawlessly. Thumbs up for packaging. The finish of each tube is quite like the handle of a MAC brush, plastic but with a slight roughness to it.

The lipsticks itself glides on your lips like butter and has a nice color payoff. Only one of them is a sheer finish but other then that, its all good.

Oops, BTW i think I labeled pouty petal and cool coral wrong...its vice versa.

Conclusion:

-price: C+ ($5 each)

-packaging: A

-product quality: B

-Overall quality: B

-Buy again? Only a few--> Natural Nymph and Runway Pink

ELF haul #15

haha yeah yet another elf haul. I bought the whole master set too just yesterday, so it will arrive around Oct.1. Kinda excited =D The main reason I went ahead with this haul was because I wanted to try their mineral line and their new mineral brushes. I did want to buy all of the brushes, but then i had the whole collection of the studio brushes and a lot of other ones so i didn't buy all of them in the end.I bought: Mineral powder brush, waterproof eyeliner pens (plum, midnight, coffee), 2 nail polish pad, mineral booster in sheer, mineral foundation in light, mineral lipsticks (nicely nude, runway pink), mineral eyeliner in midnight, ELF refer three friends and get a shimmering facial whip in citrus.

I ordered 2 mineral eyeliners, but only one of them came. Also the waterproof eyeliner pen in midnight came all dried up which I wasn't too happy about. These pens have a 50/50 chance of either being super good or super messed up. I don't know if anyone knows this, but on the bottom of the ELF site there's a PETA button that you can click to buy a tweezers for only $2 and it goes towards PETA.