St Patrick's Day: NOTD 3

I wanted to do a leprechaun for St Patrick's Day. This one definitely didn't turn out as well as I had pictured it in my mind. I like how his hat looks, and the beard seems okay, but it kinda goes downhill from there. Anyway, here it is:

I did the hat with these dots from Dollar Nail Art. I used Elf Innocent for his skin, a mix of SH Xtreme Wear in Sun Kissed and So Sexy Red for the beard, clothes are Xtreme Wear Emerald City, shoes are Xtreme Wear Black Out, and China Glaze Midnight Kiss for his belt. The background is Elf Mint Cream.

March Greens: Mint Cream and Layering

Here's Elf Mint Cream, a pale mint green creme. (Don't you just love those painfully obvious names?) This is four (or five?) coats. It went on fairly smoothly, for a pastel, but was a little too sheer. I love this polish. Perfect mint green that doesn't give me insane lobster hands. (They're a lot redder in the pic than in real life but the polish colour is accurate.) Elf polishes are available on their website for a dollar, but they always have great discount codes.

I wanted to try some layering with this one so I pulled out Orly Love Each Other. It's one of my all-time favourite layering polishes. Over dark colours, the pink shimmer is really visible but over pale colours like this one it's a more subtle, hidden shimmer that just adds a bit of interest.

My First Water Marble

I've been meaning to try water marbling for ages but never got around to it until now. I think a lot of the reason I waited was just because it seems too intimidating. But it's actually pretty easy. Well, the basics are easy, but I know it's gonna be a lot harder to do some of the designs I've seen. 

I used SH Xtreme Wear in Twisted Pink and Plum Power for the marble, over a base of Elf Passion Pink. I just wanted to try out the technique this time, rather than an actual design, so I ended up with a very random marble effect.

I think next time I will choose colours that contrast more so the marble effect is not so subtle. You know, I'm not a big fan of subtlety.

Have any of you tried water marbling yet? I know I'm probably the last person not to, so I'd love to see what you guys have done. Any tips or tricks to share?

Elf Hot Pink

Yet another ELF nail polish that doesn't match the swatch on their website. But for some reason, even when the shade doesn't match the swatch or even the name, I've really never been dissappointed by a colour I've chosen. Sometimes I even prefer what I actually get to what I was expecting.

Anyway, this is Hot Pink. I was expecting a dark, muted pink from the swatch. In the bottle, it does look like a dark pink, but much brighter. I don't know what happened on my nails though because this is definitely a bright red creme with pink undertones. I still love it and it will be used but I'm still looking for something more like their swatch.

This is three coats with flash. There is slight VNL but that doesn't bother me too much. Adding more coats doesn't seem to fix it though, so you might want to avoid this colour if you can't stand VNL. It didn't photograph as red as it looks to me but this is pretty close. The colour is slightly darker than this though.

Review: Elf Eyeliner & Shadow Stick

Before I start, let me preface this review by saying I've only used this a couple times so it's more of a first impression than an in-depth review.

That said, I'm really not a fan of this product. I bought the Eyeliner & Shadow Stick ($3) mostly for days that I'm running late or to throw in my purse so I can do make-up quickly with as few products as possible. 

Well, the liner goes on fairly smoothly. The eyeshadow, on the other hand, is hard to blend and ends up looking splotchy. And it smudges and creases easily. Today, it lasted about five minutes before creasing so I fixed it then tried to set it with transparent powder. That helped only the slightest bit. 

For anyone that reads this blog often, you know I generally love elf products, but for now this one is definitely a miss for me. If anyone does have any tips to make the shadow work, let me know. I've tried with and without primer and neither way is working for me. I'll definitely give it another shot, but for now, I'd have to say pass on this.

Elf Matte Finisher

As you all know, I love matte nail polishes. So, when ELF released their Matte Finisher, I could barely wait for a good sale so I could try it out. Well, I tried swatching it over a couple colours today and I have to admit I'm a little nervous. As it started to dry, it turned the black creme an opaque white. Eek. Now, a few minutes later, it's looking a little less cloudy and it's definitely matte, but the colour is quite a bit duller. I had high hopes for this top coat so I bought three bottles. Fingers crossed that it looks better when it's completely dry. I'll update this in a bit to let you all know. And I'll have swatch photos as soon as I can charge my camera batteries. I lost the charger some time after my vacation. I know it's in the house, but no clue where.

Edit: The matte top coat is completely dry now. Most of the white finish cleared up, though there are a couple spots (which I've noticed with other mattes also). Overall, this top coat worked out fairly well. So, don't panic when you first try. Once I do a mani with this, I'll tell you all how it wears.

Huge Elf Haul

My ELF order from their 60% off sale came today. I hadn't realized just how big an order it was but I definitely took advantage of the discount. For around $45 (including shipping) I got 46 items. I know that sounds like way too much but in my defense I split the order with my sister. (She bought 14 items.)

So, what did I get?

Vanilla Coconut Body Lotion, Hand Soap, and Hand Sanitizer-I've tried this scent out a couple times before and it smells absolutely delicious. I already have the hand cream and shower gel.

Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Ash-Just by swatching this on my hand, it looks promising. It went on smoothly but it might take some getting used to before I can do nice lines.

Therapeutic Conditioning Balm in Vanilla Creme-I've tried the strawberry before and liked it so hopefully this one is similar. It doesn't seem to have any vanilla scent though.

Liquid Eye Liner in Silver-I realized this morning that I already have silver. Oops. I guess that might mean I have too much make up. Anyway, I think I meant to get Ash. I'll put this one away until I need it, or maybe pass it on to someone that wants it.

Shine Eraser Sheets-I love these blotting papers. They work well and cost so much less than other brands.

Eye Widener-This pencil is really creamy and drew smoothly on my hand. I'll have to try it out on my eyes to see if it smudges though. I'm not really a fan of the sharpener on the cap.

Nourishing Cuticle Pen

Lip Primer & Plumper

Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Plum/Purple and Green/Moss-If these work, it'll be handy for quick makeup when I'm in a rush. I'll give them a shot and have a review up soon.

Lip Stain in Mysterious and First Date-Mysterious seems much darker in person and without trying it on, I don't think I can pull off this shade of brown. But First Date is a shimmery pink-coral that I already love.

Eyebrow Lifter & Filler-I had a hard time choosing the right shade for this. My eyebrows are natural almost black but my hair is much lighter (ginger right now but naturally auburn). So I chose dark but I think that might not even be dark enough.

Concealer Pencil & Brush-The formula on this concealer feels a little weird, almost waxy. I've never used a pencil concealer before so maybe that is normal. But, seriously, not a fan of the sharpeners on all the caps.

Mineral Lipstick in Natural Nymph and Nicely Nude

Kabuki Face Brush

Cream Eyeliner in Ivory

Lip Balm SPF 15

Dual Pencil Sharpener

Complexion Perfection-I actually bought two of these as backup for the one I'm using now. 

Matte Top Coat-Not gonna lie, I bought three bottles. I love matte nails and it's not very easy to find matte top coat (especially for 40 cents a bottle). So, hopefully, this isn't a bust.

And last but not least, I indulged my nail polish addiction with six new colours:

Cranberry: shimmery dark red

Hot Pink: dark, bright pink. I might be able to cross an item off my wish list with this colour.

Champagne: shimmery light peachy brown

Red Velvet: shimmery dark red, but lighter than Cranberry and more of a true red

Purple Pleaser: grape creme. Considering how many purples I have,it's surprising I don't have one like this.

I also ordered Passion Pink. But what came in my order says Mango Madness on the box and the bottle. I specifically didn't order Mango Madness because I am fully aware that even though I love corals, I have too many that I just don't wear. The colour in the bottle, however, looks much more like Passion Pink than Mango Madness does on their site so I can't be sure what colour it really is but it's a gorgeous bright pink with gold shimmer that I can't wait to wear.

Did anyone else order during this sale? I'd love to see your hauls.

Hurry! Elf 60% Off Sale

Elf has a coupon code today only until 6pm for 60% off everything. Yep! Sixty. Minimum purchase is $25 but after the discount, you only pay $10 plus if you use paypal shipping is only $6.95.

This is a great chance to try out their new nail polish colours, stock up on the basics, or pick up good quality brushes for a little over a buck.

I'll definitely make use of this sale and I'll post my purchases when they arrive. 

What are you planning on buying? 

Just a heads up: I've always used Paypal to order elf. Now, you have to have a credit card linked to your Paypal account.  It's a hassle for anyone who does not have a credit card, but you might be able to use a prepaid credit card.

Elf Nail Polish Swatches (Matte)

Photo is with flash. With one coat of Claire's Cosmetics Matte Top Coat

Left to right: Mint Cream, Lilac, Desert Haze, Smoky Brown, Innocent, Nude, Chocolate.

Innocent is beautiful matte. I think this might be my perfect mannequin hands colour. I'd suggest not using matte top coat with smoky brown. It just looks like dry mud. I'm a little disappointed because it's so gorgeous glossy.The non-matte swatches are here.

Review: Elf Therapeutic Conditioning Lip Balm

I've had pretty bad chapped lips lately because I ran out of my favourite lip balm then had to use another (which actually makes my lips more chapped). So, I decided to try out Elf's Therapeutic Conditioning Lip Balm. I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting much after reading the reviews on the Elf website. 

PROS:

*softens lips

*price

*subtle strawberry scent

*no weird taste

CONS:

*heavy on lips

*wears off quickly if you are eating or drinking (or if you have a habit of licking your lips)

*if you go a day without it, your lips are back to the same awful condition (that might just be mine because they were so bad to start with)

Overall, I do like this lip balm. I've been using it a little under a week (other than a day or two I skipped it) and I've found that the days I do use it, my lips are noticeably softer. But since it does feel so heavy and kinda oily, I wear it at night mostly. Then in the morning, before I do my makeup, I put it on for just a while, then take it off and apply my lip color for the day. I tried the strawberry one. It's not strongly scented and it doesn't taste like strawberry, so that will be a pro for some but not others. It's also available in vanilla, orange, and blackberry.

Would I buy it again? Probably. I don't think this will be my go-to lip balm, but the price is perfect to keep a few handy (purse, car, beside the bed).

Elf Nail Polish Swatches

Left to right: Mint Cream, Lilac, Desert Haze, Smoky Brown, Innocent.

Smoky Brown is lighter and more grayish brown than it looks here. Innocent looks like it will be a good mannequin hands shade so I'll be trying that this week. Desert Haze is a touch grayer as well.

Left to right: Nude, Chocolate.

Photos are with flash. Matte swatches are here.

Yet Another Elf Haul

My ELF order came today. I ordered it on Monday and it actually arrived yesterday morning but I couldn't be bothered to answer the order at 9:30am so I picked it up at the post office today. I've always had good ship times with ELF but I was amazed by four days for an international delivery. I'll have swatches and reviews up for everything over the next while but here's a quick list of what I bought:

Shimmering Facial Whip in Camilla

Nail Polish in Nude, Mint Cream, Lilac, Desert Haze, Smoky Brown, and Innocent

Nail Polish Removal Pads

Broghtening Eye Color in Matte Mauve and Blue Moon

All Over Cover Stick in Ivory

Tone Correcting Concealer in Ivory

Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in Ivory

Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Cherry Tart

Studio Powder Brush (I love the studio brushes and I think this one just about completes the set for me)

Individual Lash Kit in Brown (I have a slight false lash obsession)

Studio Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara in Dark Brown

Therapeutic Conditioning Balm in Strawberry Creme (I have this on my very chapped lips now. It feels good but we'll see how it works.)

Vanilla Coconut Bath Gel 

I did a quick swatch of the nail polishes so I'll have photos for those up tonight most likely. Lilac and Mint Cream are great spring/summer colours. But I've been in love with grayed out neutrals and mannequin hands lately so just based on the swatches, Desert Haze and Innocent are real stand-outs for me.

Review: Elf Studio Corrective Concealer

I normally like Elf products, but the Corrective Concealer is a miss for me. It's not creamy enough and hard to blend. The coverage seems almost non-existent and the green shade doesn't cancel redness--it just leaves my skin green. I haven't found any use for the pink shade. And the nude and beige shades are way too dark for my skin tone (although I admit I am super pale). Well, that's enough for this rant. Overall, I would not buy this again, but for the $1.50 (with 50% off studio code) it cost me, I'm not too upset that I didn't like it.

NOTD: Mod Mauve

Photo is with flash. Elf's Mod Mauve is a deep, plum/berry shade. At first glance, it just looks brown, but there are purple undertones. Not quite as purple as the photo, and a little darker. I was a bit disappointed by this colour at first because it looks nothing like the Elf website, but it's grown on me. The polish went on smoothly, but it needed 3 coats for opacity. I'll update this later once I know how it wears.

This is the swatch from the Elf site. Much lighter and more purple than the actual colour. I'd love if they actually made a polish that looked like this swatch.

UPDATE: I only wore the polish for one day, but it lasted fairly well through that. There was some tip wear, but that's pretty standard for me since I tend to be rough on my hands. 

Elf Swatch: Punk Funk

While I was posting my latest EOTD, I realized I had completely forgotten to swatch Elf's Brightening Eye Color Punk Funk quad. So, here it is. This is with flash. (Left to right:) bright, slightly shimmery pink; bright violet; bright, dark blue (slightly darker than it looks here, this is the only colour to somewhat disappoint me); and, white with a subtle pink shimmer.

Brushes Part Deux

I posted about my eye brushes the other day. I'm going to do this one a bit differently and organize it by function (ie. foundation, powder, concealer, etc).

FOUNDATION(Top: Spa Resource, $3.50; Bottom: Elf Studio, $3)

I use these two brushes interchangeably and don't really have a preference between the two. Basically, if one is dirty, or still wet from washing, I'll use the other. Elf is taklon; Spa Resource is (non-specific) synthetic fibres. Both are very soft and I haven't had a problem with shedding with either.
The angle on the Elf brush does help with getting into smaller areas. The Spa Resource brush is a bit smaller and I like that for precision but I also find that makes it a bit harder to blend out the foundation on larger areas (cheeks, forehead).
Overall, I'd buy either one again. It would probably just come down to whether I was making an elf order at the time, or just running to WalMart.

CONCEALER

(Top: EcoTools; Bottom: Spa Resource, $2)

The EcoTools brush is made from taklon and the bristles are tapered to apply concealer to smalls spots. It's not bad for concealer but more often than not, I find myself using this brush to apply eyeshadow as a hightlight since it's so soft. I bought this in a set ($20 for 5-piece at Zellers); otherwise, I'd skip it as a concealer brush.
The Spa resource brush is synthetic, not quite as soft but firmer. I like this brush if I have to do larger strokes of concealer, but the hairs aren't very tapered so it's tough to use for smaller blemishes. Overall, it's worth the couple bucks I paid, but I'm not really a fan of this brush.
I guess I'm still looking for a good concealer brush. If anyone has any (affordable, synthetic) suggestions, leave a comment. Maybe I'll try the Elf Studio brush with my next order. Has anyone tried this? Opinions?

POWDER/BLUSH/BRONZER
(Top: EcoTools; Bottom: Elf Studio Complexion Brush, $3)

Both these brushes are taklon, super soft, don't shed. The Elf brush is a bit bigger and the bristles a little more spread out. I use this brush mostly for powder (especially Elf Complexion Perfection-review coming up) but also for a very light dusting of blush or bronzer.
The EcoTools blush brush is a bit more versatile. I use it for everything from powder to blush and bronzer to contouring. It's smaller and the hairs are somewhat tapered, allowing for more precise placement of colour.
My last face brush is the Elf Studio blush brush. It's quite a bit smaller than these two and somewhat denser, so I only use it for blush. And it is easy to overdo it with more pigmented blushes, but the smaller size and relative density of the bristles are perfect for a sheer wash over colour just on the apples of the cheeks.
If you were only going to buy one, I would go for the EcoTools, just because it does more. But the three together are so inexpensive, I'd buy them all again.

Brushes!!!

Until fairly recently, I didn't use make up brushes too much. I pretty much used cotton swabs, sponges, or my fingers. I still do use each of those sometimes, but the right tool makes everything easier (and look better). So I figured I'd do a review/collection post about the brushes I've amassed over the past few months. There's quite a few so I'll divide it into two parts: eyes and face.

First up: Eye Brushes

EcoTools Angled Eyeliner Brush

The bristles are made of taklon, a synthetic fiber. They're soft but firm and densely packed. I love this brush--it's pretty much the only way I can do liquid liner without making a mess. I actually have two of these: one for eye liner and one exclusively for filling in my brows. (There's nothing worse than thinking you're using a clean brush only to realize later that you have purple sparkles in your eye brows. I would definitely buy this again (and clearly I already have). I think it was about $3 but it's also available in a 5 piece set for $20.

Elf Studio Small Angled Brush

To be honest, I'm not sure exactly why I bought this brush, since I have two angled brushes already. That said, I'm glad I did. Also taklon, but not quite as soft as the Ecotools brush. The bristles are a bit firmer though. I pretty much use them interchangeably. This is $3 on the elf website, but they have 50% off studio sales fairly often.

Ecotools Eye Shading Brush

This is my go-to brush for eye shadow. This is taklon too (notice a pattern?) and, again, super soft and I haven't had any trouble with it shedding. I use this for everything: my lid, highlight, to place colour in my crease, and sometimes to blend. I have two already and I'm tempted to get another. I'm not sure of the individual price but it is available in the set for $20.

Elf Studio Small Smudge Brush

Also taklon, and soft but firm and very densely packed. The bristles are only about 5mm long. I use this mostly for placing colour in my crease, but also for smudging shadow under my eyes. A must-have, I think because it helps with smaller areas or detailed application. $3 from elf website.

Elf Studio Small Precision Brush

The bristles on this one (yes, taklon) are about 2-3 mm longer than the smudge brush and much looser packed. I probably use this the least of my eye brushes, simply because it doesn't do anything I can't do with my other brushes. It's only $3 but I'd probably pass on it (especially if you have the smudge brush and any blending brush).

Ecotools Lash & Brow Groomer

I actually am not a fan of this one. I got it in a set or I would not have bought it seperately. The bristles on the brow brush aren't firm enough to do anything and the teeth on the lash comb are pretty flimsy so I'm a little afraid to comb through mascara clumps with it. I guess in terms of positives I could say I like the handle. It's made from bamboo (I love bamboo; I don't know exactly why but that's a sure way to get me to by something) and recycled aluminum. I much prefer this...

Random Lash & Brow Brush

The bristles are firmer, the comb is a lot sturdier. And, it has a spoolie on the other end. I wish I knew what brand it was but I picked it up at Zellers a while back for two bucks. I'm not crazy about double-ended brushes (or brushes with interchangeable pieces) but I've made an exception for this one because it works.

*Just a quick tip about spoolies: don't waste your money to buy one. Every time I finish a mascara, I clean the wand and use that. They're great for grooming brows, combing lashes, and Petrilude has a great video for using them to clean up mascara smudges. And for anyone who isn't familiar with Petrilude, WATCH his videos. He does the most amazing make up.

OK, so back to brushes...

Elf Studio Eyeshadow C Brush

I don't really use this brush much. It's a bit too wide for my eyes so I usually use the Ecotools brush instead. But I do like it for blending, or for neutral or sheer colours. And the bristles are soft and don't shed. (I guess I've been lucky with soft bristles.) For $3, it's nice to have but if you only want one shadow brush, I wouldn't choose this one.

Elf Studio Contour Brush

The picture doesn't show it but the bristles on this one are in a nearly perfect circle and spread out as you move away from the handle. It is amazing for blending out the crease. Buy this brush.

I also just bought the Fyrinnae crease brush and a pack of mini art brushes. So I'll have pics and reviews up for those soon.

Face brushes are here.

Elf Haul

My elf haul came this week! I'll try to get detailed reviews up for each item but here's some swatches and first impressions for the eye stuff for now.

Duo Eye Shadow Cream in Black Licorice
Brightening Eye Color in Rocker(Left to right:) Silvery-white; peachy-gold; nearly matte purple (a bit darker than it looks here); sparkly black. Over primer, no flash.

Brightening Eye Color in Teal Dream(Left to right:) Cream; shimmery taupe; medium bright blue (a bit brighter than here); teal. Over primer, no flash.

Studio Cream Eye Liner in Black
This is amazing. I put it on my waterline and it lasted through two forty minute bike rides and a five hour shift in a hot, busy kitchen. No running or smudging even with my eyes watering all day from allergies. At the end of the day, just the outer corner was wearing a bit. I can't wait to get every colour.

EOTD: Drama

Here's the latest in my series using elf's brightening eye colors.
Products Used:
Elf Studio Eye Primer & Liner Sealer
Elf Brightening Eye Color in Drama
Elf Liquid Liner in Black
Elf Studio Mineral Infused Mascara in Black



Prime entire eye lid. Then blend the dark grey from the drama quad from the lash line to the crease. Using the silver, blend out the gray above the crease and up to the brow bone. White is used as a brow highlight and to blend the edges of the silver/gray.
Line the upper lash line with black liquid liner and set with the black shadow. Smudge black shadow along lower lash line. Curl your lashes and finish with two coats of black mascara.

That's it! Really quick but it's good for day or night. To make it more of an evening look, just darken the crease with black shadow and blend the gray higher up.

elf swatches

Pretty n' Pink Brightening Eye Color Quad ($1)The colour on the right is a really gorgeous pink-ish plum. The second from the left is my favourite of this quad. It's a medium warm, almost coral pink. I'm looking for a dupe so I don't have to buy the whole quad when this colour runs out (soon). Adorned with Grace Minerals has a blush that seems close (review and swatches coming).

Luxe Brightening Eye Color Quad ($1)

The red on the left is amazing. It's deep and rusty and a bit metallic. I really only bought this quad for the one colour but the others are good for a more neutral eye. Check out my Luxe EOTD.

Silver Lining Brightening Eye Color Quad ($1)

The lightest colour is a silvery purple, which looks amazing on the inner corner of the eye. The darkest is pretty much black, nothing special. I especially like the pale lilac and the deep grape shades.