Big ELF Haul and Swatches

For this ELF Haul I got 25 items for 23$. I bought it during the 50% off everything sale and also got free shipping.

My haul looks small because after picking up my package from the post office. I took off all the cardboard packaging at the bus stop and threw them away in one of those sidewalk trash bins. 

Brushes:

e.l.f Eyeshadow brush - When I took it out of the packaging and ran my fingers through the brush, powder was coming off of it,so I'm not sure if it is like that when it's manufactured or if someone used it before I did. There was some shedding while I was washing it but just a few hairs here and there. It did pick up eye shadows nicely.

e.l.f Defining Eye Brush - The same thing powdery thing happened to this brush as the eye shadow brush. There was less shedding on this than the eyeshadow brush. This brush is great for the crease and blending colors out.

e.l.f Studio Kabuki Face Brush -  This brush is sooo soft. I was so surprised by the quality of this brush because I didn't expect it to be that good. Although I though it would be a bit denser but it is still great for all over face powders. This did shed a lot, even before I washed it so beware of that. I like using this all over my face to blend my foundation after using a stipple brush.

Nail Polish:

I ordered eight nail polishes but one came broken (Sea Escape) so I immediately emailed ELF when I found out. They emailed be back less than a day later saying they would be sending a replacement soon.

The packaging on these are impeccable which is why I didn't understand how one of the polishes could break. They individually bubble wrap each polish and then put those into another bubble wrap packaging. Names of the colors are listed below the picture. I will be doing a separate post showing you guys the swatches of these nail colors.

From left to Right: Dark Navy, Copper, Smoky Brown, High Tide, Misty Haze, Plum, Garnet 

Eyeshadow and Palettes:

e.l.f Essential Brightening Eye Palette in Day 2 Night -  I was so surprised by the quality of these shadows because the previous quads I got were either too chalky or not pigmented. I chose this palette because the entire quad are dupes for MAC eyeshadows. The shadows in this quad are pigmented and smooth. They are not chalky and applied beautifully.

e.l.f Custom Compact -  I got two compacts because I wanted to put my own shadow pans in it. The two eyeshadows I got from e.l.f are called Taupe and Aubergine. i thought taupe would be more brown but it comes off as a gold with green undertones. I thought Aubergine looked like Raspberry Truffle from the studio line so opted for the 1$ one instead.

Primer and Tinted Moisturizer:

e.l.f Eyelid Primer - When I first opened it, I thought it was empty because of the opaque packaging and its light feel.  I got this primer mainly because I didn't have any liquid eye primers and I've read reviews of people saying this was similar to Urban Decay's Primer potion. So far, it has held my shadows pretty well.

e.l.f Tinted Moisturizer in Apricot Beige -  I would say this is the thing I disliked the most out of everything I got. The moisturizer is sticky and orange-y as you can see in the pic below. It didn't even my complexion or cover any redness. I don't understand how so much people can like this because I read that people were stocking up at buying tens and tens of it because it was their favorite product. 

Concealers and Powder:

e.l.f All Over Cover Stick in Apricot Beige -  Apricot beige is actually fair for this concealer. I totally ignored the parentheses on the side when I was adding this into my cart. This is very creamy and smooth. I did not expect it to cover match but I think this would be a fantastic concealer if I actually got the right color.

e.l.f Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter in Light - The coverage for this concealer isn't so great but I like using it when Im going for a more natural look and want my dark circles to show. It brightens my undereye area which helps make me look more awake and my skin more vibrant. The highlighter could look a tad white if you use a heavy hand but overall I realky like this product.

e.l.f Clarifying Pressed Powder in Light Beige - This is an average powder. I have nothing much to say about this. It does its job but does look a bit cakey of you have a heavyhand.

Lipsticks and Lip Balms:

MaryKay AtPlay Jelly Lip Gloss in Crushed Plum Swatches

Maybelline BabySkin Instant Pore Eraser

I was so excited when I saw this at my Walgreens. Usually the Walgreens around my area are late on stocking new makeup products that gets release. I've heard that this Maybelline primer may be comparable to Benefit Porefessional or even Smashbox Photo Finish, so I'm guessing this product will be highly sought for for the next few months.

Like i said before, I got it from Walgreens but it was only listed for $7.50 I was kind of surprised because I thought it would be around 9-11$. Its currently 11.50$ on sasa.com so I'm not sure what the price range on this will be.

This claims to instantly blur pores without clogging them but it is also silicone-based so that may not fare well with those who have acne-prone skin.

The packaging is like any other tube but smaller. It also comes off clear.I only needed a pea-sized amount like pictured below to cover my whole face because it's very smooth and blends out very easily.

 This made my BB cream last for about 2-3 hours longer. Without a primer my BB cream usually lasts around 3-4 hours. Because I haven't tried any other face primers, I can't really say whether or not its comparable to high end brands. 

Rating: 4.5/5

What do you guys think? Comment below or email me :)

Ponds Luminous Finish BB Cream

Target was giving out samples of the Pond's BB Cream, so it was a good way for me to try it. 

I was very surprised of the packaging the sample was in. It seems like Pond's put a lot of though and effort into it.

This bb cream only comes in two shades which limits the number of people who can actually use this product. It's also one of the smallest color rangest for an American bb cream.

The coverage this gave was very sheer. It took 2 coats for me to cover SOME of the redness on my face. I would say this a tad better than the Olay Fresh Effects bb cream which I really dislike. It's really not worth your money. 

Overall this would be good if you have perfect skin and only want to brighten and eve out your complexion.

Rating: 2/5

Favorite Vampy Purples

Clinique Chubby Stick: Grandest Grape

Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stain: Crush

WetnWild Silk Finish Lipstick: Dark Wine

MaryKay True Dimensions: Mystic Plum

These are the dark purples I like the most  when the weather gets colder. The Clinique Chubby Sticks feel very smooth on your lips. I don't feel like they really moisturize but I do like the texture and feeling of it more than the Revlon Balm Stains.

The Revlon Just Bitten Balm Staind are compared with the Clinque Chubby Sticks alot because of the affordable price and its long lasting time on your lips. However, I didnt like them as much because these did not moisturize my lips at all and the stain would turn into a bright pink fushsia color. Also the stain seems to come off in patches so its impossible for me to get off without throughly exfoliating my lips. 

The WetnWild silk finish lipsticks aren't very well-known. People seem to think that high prices mean better quality but that's not always true. These silk finish lipsticks are pigmented and true to color. They glide of the lips easily and does not bleed ( well not for me). I like this color the most out of the four of them.

I got the MaryKay True Dimensions lipstick from a sweepstakes and it's nice because you can wear it super sheer or opaque. Although I didn't really like the flat tip because it was hard to maneuver the lipstick around the curves of my lips.  

EOS Holiday Set Cherry Blossom Hand Lotion and Blueberry Lip Balm

Eos Holiday Set: I saw this when I was ordering from Target online. I only needed a few more dollars for free shipping, so I decided to add this. This was only for 4.99$ and I figured that the lip balm would be 4.29$ from Walgreens, so the lotion would essentially be free. 

This flavor for the EOS lip balm would be my second favorite following Sweet Mint. I've tried all the other flavors available in the US and those two are the best.

The lotion was slightly watery, but I didnt expect it to moisturize as well as it did. Very nice for throwing in your purse.

Rating: 4.5/5

What do you guys think?

Mary Kay True Dimensions LipStick in Mystic Plum and Age-Fighting Lip Primer

So today when I checked my mail again there was another package from MaryKay so I'm assuming that its also part of the sweepstakes. So today I'll be reviewing what was in the package.

True Dimensions Lipstick in Mystic Plum:

When I first saw the color of the lipstick I was sure that it would not be wearable at all. But after swatching it, you can build the color up by swiping a few more times or wear it sheer. I also noticed that it stained my lips almost immediately since I tried to get off like 5 mins later because I wanted to swatch it before I went to sleep.

As I have mentioned before, I really like MaryKay's packaging. When I slid the tube out of the box I was slightly wondering how to open the tube, but figured it out after pushing and pulling several times.

MaryKay Timewise Age-Fighting Lip Primer:

When I saw the box I thought that a lip primer would be in a squeezy tube-like lip balm, but when I saw the actual product. I was surprised of how small it was. The big box was not needed. Not to mention there's only 0.5g of product in the tube so i felt like they overpackaged.

Like most primers, its made the surface of my lips feel soft and smooth. It made it easier to apply the true dimensions lipstick.

As far as the age-fighting claim, I don't really see how that works since everyone has wrinkly lips, but I'll keep using it to see if it makes a difference.

Rating:

Lipstick - 4/5

Lip Primer - 2/5

Mary Kay Cream Eyeshadow Color Iced Cocoa

Today I will be doing a review on the Mary Kay cream eye color. I won this from the Project Runway Sweepstakes. When I saw the package in my mailbox this morning I was surprised because I did not remember entering this sweepstakes. Then I saw this card and remembered that I entered a Mary Kay sweepstakes a few weeks ago. It must have slipped my mind since I was so busy with school.

This is the first thing I've ever won so I was very excited. I didn't think I would actually get picked but entered anyways because it only took like 2 mins to fill out the form. They also didn't specify what the prize would be so I was like "Oh well, worth a try". The cream eyeshadow came with a brush as well.

I love the packaging on these because it looks so sleek and expensive. The eyeshadow color I got was Iced Cocoa.

This color looks gold in the container but swatches to a brown - bronze-y color that looks gold in the light.

As you can see, I swatched this on the back of my hand. When I went to rub it off since that is what I usually do to remove the product. I was surprised that it wouldn't budge at all. It didn't smudge or smear so I would assume that this would make a good long lasting eyeshadow base. When you rub it, some of the shimmer comes off but the color stays.

The texture of it is very creamy and smooth. You can build up the color if you want to but it does set pretty quick. 

Rating: 4.5/5

Price: Around 14$

Next is the brush. It looks like any other paddle eyeshadow brush but I haven't tried it yet to give a full review of it. 

Stay tuned!