Urban Decay Smoked Palette

Hello again readers!

I have been lusting after this palette for years, and never was able to commit to buying it. I'd see it, and I'd want it, but spending that chunk of cash just wasn't something I could afford to drop on one product until recently.

The packaging on the box is very smooth. Just to the touch, the packaging itself feels luxurious, like the Too Faced Packaging.

The palette itself is a little strange. It has a fabric covered cardboard casing, which collects SO much dirt/product onto the surface. The picture above is before I even got to use the shadows, and you can see how dirty it looks already. It's also pretty bulky, and zips shut, which I haven't seen in another palette that I can remember. It's strange, but it's memorable.

I wish it didn't have this kind of packaging, since it's time consuming to get into it, and it gets dirty so quickly. The only upside I can see to having a zipper, is that it won't burst open if you travel with it. Otherwise, if you just keep it in your collection or in your makeup area, it seems useless.

The palette inside, has a mirror, ten eyeshadows, and a full-sized eyeliner. 

In the box, it supplies you with a really adorable mini (top) Urban Decay Primer Potion. I have it next to my travel-sized  UDPP, and you can see that the primer that comes in the palette is still smaller. Though it's small, the primer will last a long time, especially if you change our your primers like I do.

There is also a booklet inside that gives detailed instructions for creating some looks, but I don't keep that on hand since I'd rather go with trial and error to see what works for me.

This was my first Urban Decay eyeliner pencil that I own, and I was happy that it was in black. I use black liners over any other shade, and if it turned out to be brown I wouldn't get any use out of it.

The eyeliner is incredibly creamy and smooth. This was one swipe over my arm, and I didn't have to press down to get pigmentation, similar to my Milani and Jordana gel eyeliner pencils. 

Since it's so creamy, it's easily blendable, and easy to smoke out, making it a great addition to the palette.

However, it just doesn't work out for me. I haven't found an eyeliner that i can wear comfortably in my waterline yet without major smudging, and even with setting this eyeliner with a powder, I still get smudging and mega wear through the day. It just doesn't hold up for me. 

The shadows however, being the reason that I wanted this palette in the first place, do not disappoint. In the palette, they give you four mattes, and six shimmers that can be used to make a multitude of eyeshadow looks, from casual everyday to club-worthy.

Each of the shadows are buttery smooth, with great pigmentation. Aside from the black and brown, they all go on on incredibly easy and build up to full opacity.

Kinky: 

Matte Cream

Freestyle: 

Matte peach/tan. I use this as my blending shade.

Mushroom: 

Taupe Shimmer. Favorite shade out of the palette, but that's not so surprising.

Backdoor: 

Matte Brown.

Blackout: 

Matte Black. Pretty pigmented for a black, and it can also go on pretty sheer if you tap it into the product. Not the best black I've ever used, but one that I will use up.

 Barlust: 

An almost coppery, brown shimmer. Beautiful color, and I didn't expect to like it as much as I do.

 Rockstar:  

Plum shimmer.

Evidence: 

Blackened cobalt shimmer.

Loaded:

 Blackened emerald shimmer. One of my other favorites. It goes on so effortlessly and smooth. I love it!

Asphault: 

A silver grey shimmer. Perfect for all over the lid with some smoked out eyeliner.

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All of these colors were perfect choices for a palette like this. An easy smokey eye, no matter if you want to go more natural, or really out there.

I was incredibly impressed with the wear, the pigmentation, and the feel of these shadows. They didn't disappoint, and this palette was well worth the 29 dollars.

I think that this *might* be discontinued, since I can no longer find it on the Urban Decay site. If you don't want to miss out like I might have if I didn't jump on it, go out and see if you can find it in store! I got mine from Ulta, so try there. Free shipping, and free samples if you order it that way!

Thanks for reading!

MAC Large Duo Pro Palette

Hello again readers!

This week I am going to upload all of my higher end makeup reviews and swatches that I've been holding onto. 

Today I have the Mac Large Duo Pro Palette!

This is my first MAC purchase, and I wanted to note how great the box itself felt. It's light cardstock, but it feels really sleek and luxurious. I know, look at me waxing poetic about a box, but it did feel nice.

The palette is made out of a hard black plastic, also smooth to the touch.  The issue that I have with this palette, is that it shows off fingerprints. If you have product, or oil, or anything at all on your finger tips, it will transfer onto the surface of this palette, making it look dirty. Just from taking it out of the box to photograph, it had oil transfer! Not a good look.

The inside of the palette has a clear plastic divider, keeping shadows in their respective places. The reason I chose this palette over the others, is that I can use both sides to store shadows.

The palette itself is magnetized, perfect for MAC shadows and other shadows like MORPHE, but not so great for shadows that you depotted from other palettes. I had to buy a strip of magnet from Walmart, but that itself didn't put me back much, and I still have most of it, since you don't need a lot for the eyeshadow pans.

I stored the shadows that I depotted from the ELF 36 pan pallete, my ELF beauty books, my Profusion palette, my eyeshadow set from Emma, and my ELF Eyeshadow single (already magnetized).

It holds a lot, but as you can see there is some big gaps between the small pans and the large pans from ELF. It's not a huge deal, but I can see myself having issues in the future because of this empty space.

I really do like this palette! I got it for 8 dollars and some change with free shipping since I don't live close to one of their stores or counters. It arrived within a week, and the quality is fantastic for an 8 dollar product. I definitely see myself buying another one when I fill this one up, since it's so easy for me to store eyeshadows in.

Thanks for reading!

OOTD

Hello again readers!

I thought I'd post an outfit I wore a while back. I've been really... underwhelming when it comes to my fashion choices. I make good makeup choices, but my fashion usually consists of jeans, a t-shirt, and some kind of canvas shoe... Not really something I'd call fashionable, and it is really boring and repetitive.

This was a while ago, but I do remember it was on a Friday. I wanted to wear something really comfortable since I only had the one class, and I wanted to be able to just kick my shoes off and laze around in bed after I got back.

I wore my favorite Hale hoodie (go Derek!) that I bought online, a pair of yoga capris I bought from Rue 21, and my Zoo York canvas shoes. I really liked how simple the look was, and I still felt really cute.

 My hair was also a complete wreck, so I wore my cyan wig as well. I finally got around to cutting the fringe so it's not in my eyes, but now it sort of looks a bit like Coconut Head... luckily I can change the look by brushing the hair around a bit to fall differently. My next step is to add in some extra layers.

That same day I had to go drop my car off at the shop, and dad made me take my wig off. I'm sure if my hair was longer, I wouldn't mind crazy colored eyebrows, but since my hair is so short, they're incredibly noticeable. I looked rather silly, but since I was going to put my wig right back on it wasn't worth it to remove them.

I need to start drawing them on like this again, they've gotten a little crazy.

Thanks for reading!

ELF Halloween Cosmetics

Hello again readers!

There are still so many after-Halloween goodies just waiting out there, and I have a few here to show you that I scooped up during the sales. All from ELF, of course.

Essential Nail Polish - Red

The packaging is the same as the other essential polishes, but the difference is that it's decorated for Halloween. The cap has a spiderweb design on it. Honestly, I did buy it for that feature alone (and on sale it was pennies) so I can't complain.

Red is a basic red creme, you can never have to many in your collection. The polish smells like how I know ELF polishes to be - heavy scented. Smells a bit like spray paint, but I'm very happy with the application. It took two coats to be fully opaque. I'll have better swatches up in the future.

Glitter Mascara - Black

I've never tried any of their Glitter Mascaras before, but since it was so cheap and looked great in the tube, I thought why not?

I really hate everything but how it looks, however. As a mascara, it's terrible. It just clumps my lashes together. you can't even see the iridescent glitter on the lashes, so it's not worth it. As a liner, it's better, but I still have to put it over an existing black (see bottom swatch) eyeliner to get it pigmented enough. With that extra step, I am better off just layering the next product to get a similar effect.

 Liquid Eyeliner - Stardust

I am a fan of their liquid eyeliners, even if they don't last the longest on me. They go on just so easily, that I can't help but love them. The tube is nothing special, a clear base with a shiny black plastic handle. Easy to hold in your hand while applying. The applicator for this is a brush applicator, which is my favourite applicator for liquid eyeliners. Plus, at a dollar (or cheaper if you find them on sale) a piece is super sweet, so you can get a variety.

Stardust is an iridescent glitter in a pale pink base. The color of the base of this product doesn't affect how it looks if you layer it. The issue I have with this one, is it is so much base, that the glitter is sparse. This possibly could be built up, but i can see it crumbling if it's applied too thick. It works best layered over another eyeliner.

Essential Lipstick - Red and Pink

The classic essential lipstick, packaged for Halloween. Generally, these are packaged in a silver base with a silver cap, but this time around they're in a clear cap with a black base.

I have to say, for Red, the cap just doesn't work. It falls off incredibly easily, and it is not safe to store anywhere but upright unless it's taped shut.

 Red is a cool-toned red. I found it to be a bit patchy to apply, but the product itself feels creamy.

Pink is a bright pink, and swatching it on my arm gave me no issues. The product also feels creamy.

Red is so creamy that it doesn't want to stay anywhere. I found it difficult to apply, and within seconds it faded from the inside of my lips, but not the edges. It moves around too easily, and will feather through the day.

On the arm, I love pink, on the lips, less so. The color likes to settle in the lines of my lips, and though I can apply more to avoid that, it just settles in like a magnet. It also feathers easily as well.

I don't know, this just didn't hit the mark for me. I don't see myself wearing either.

Duo Eyeshadow - Glitter

I picked this one out of the two duos offered (there was also a violet and green duo) because I would get more wear out of it.

Glitter is a pink shimmer on top of a brass shadow. The shadows feel really smooth, but I also see a lot of fallout when I use it.

 The product goes on beautifully. Easy to swatch, easy to use. Since they're so soft, they blend easily, so any eyeshadow look I make goes on great. I like using the pink in my inner part of my eye, and then the brass on the outer v and blending them together. Great look.

 Vampire Beauty Book

I was only going to get one book this year, but since it ended up being 70 percent off when I found this, I thought why not and bought this one too.

In these Halloween kits, you get a pair of false eyelashes, 8 eyeshadows, a dual sided sponge applicator, a black eyeliner, and a lipgloss.

It's not listed, but I'm pretty sure that these are a pair of natural lashes. I have a love hate with these eyelashes, because the band is so thin that it doesn't feel like I'm wearing falsies, as well as I like the look of these lashes, but the band is so thin it's hard to keep them maintained for a while.

For the shadows, they're not really what I think when I hear 'vampire'. They're a mix of warm and cool shadows, that look more like an example of a fall color palette than representation for vampires.

Fortunately, they're all shimmers, which I find work better than mattes for ELF shadows.

In the top row, you get a white, a brass, a copper, and a violet shimmer in a brown-toned base. I can see myself getting use out of the violet and the brass, but not so much the others.

On the bottom row, you get a gorgeous dark olive green, an almost orange brass shade, a cool toned grey, and a blackened slate shade. 

The eyeliner... I wish they would stop including it into these beauty books. They're too hard and rough to use around the eye, and the color payoff is just awful. It'd be better to just put in a primer, or another lipgloss, or something other than this. It just doesn't work.

The lipgloss is such an odd shade to include with a Vampire look book. It's a bright warm toned pink, that's not quite red. When I think Vampire, I think blood, and deep red/wine shades, not something that's a look away from being a pink.

The lip gloss is almost a jelly look, and this is a lip gloss that would work better layered over another lipstick. I can find ways to make this work, bu tit's not my favorite.

 Wicked Beauty Book

This is the only beauty book I really wanted, and the day after Halloween I snatched it up so I wouldn't miss out, it was just too good!

In these Halloween kits, you get a pair of false eyelashes, 8 eyeshadows, a dual sided sponge applicator, a black eyeliner, and a lipgloss.

 You get the same pair of natural lashes in this kit, as you do in the Vampire kit.

Similar to the Vampire book, you get 8 shimmer shadows, a mix of warm and cool tones to suit everyone.

I like the color options in the palette best. It's not too out there, but it's not neutrals either. It's a good mix of safe and a little crazy.

In the top row, you get an eggshell yellow, an orange-toned brass, a violet, and a copper.

In the bottom row, you get a green, a silver, a blackened slate, and a black shimmer.

The eyeliner, see above.

But this lipgloss. Can you believe it? A black lipgloss! 

It's pretty pigmented, but worn alone is just sort of a disaster. It settles into the lines of your lips, and just doesn't want to stay put. I'm sure with multiple layers, or a really thick layer you can get this to be opaque, but I'd prefer to just layer it over a black lipstick instead.

Did you pick any of the beauty books out?

Thanks for reading!

Elf Haul *Pic Heavy*

Hello again readers!

A few weeks ago, ELF had a sale on their website where everything was 50% off. On top of that, if you spent 40 dollars (80 dollars worth of merchandise) you received free shipping as well! Obviously, I went ahead and spent the 40 dollars to get a bunch of new things to try out.

I was incredibly pleased with how quickly this package arrived. I placed my order and got the package within a week, and it arrived in a large plastic bag, sealed, and surrounded with air pockets to keep it safe. No products were broken, and only one package was dented at all. I was really impressed with how everything came to me, and I was really glad I didn't have to worry about anything banging around in the box.

Edit: With the issues I had with the Contouring Blush and Bronzer Cream and the Conditioning Lip Balm, I emailed their customer service, and they handled it really well. They were nice, they were concerned, they asked questions, listened to my inquiry, and I had the option to get them resent or get a refund. Remember this if you place an order, if something is damaged or isn't quite right, don't be afraid to email them. They want you as pleased with your order as possible, and they are very kind in their emails and professional as well.

Soothing Lip Balm - Blackberry Creme - $1

The balm comes in a very slim packaging, think Soft Lips packaging except with a clear cap. It's not that sturdy, but I don't see it breaking with just settling in my work bag.

The product is a light violet color, that claims to be a Blackberry Creme. I actually am not too familiar with Blackberry, but this balm smells and tastes like grape bubblegum. Not too much like a berry though... 

The balm itself is very soft. If there is any pressure applied, it sort of breaks off onto your lips. Also, with the heat from your mouth, it melts really easily, causing any application to instantly go on thick quickly.

It adds a 'corpse effect' when I put it on. Since it does have some pigment, and it does go on thick, it leaves a light violet cast. To some, that's not ideal, to me, I enjoy it. I like the look I get from this, though it doesn't last that long.

The product feels sort of greasy and thick, but it does give moisture to the lips.

I have had better lip balms, so I don't see myself buying this again, but it's rather enjoyable to wear.

Acne Fighting Foundation - Ivory - $6

I've heard good things bout this foundation, from the performance to the coverage. The bottle is smaller than it looks, fitting into the palm of your hand, but it does have the classing 1 fluid ounce of product.

The product doesn't come with a pump, but rather it's a squeeze tube. I'd be more fond of this sort of applicator, if it was upside down. It's easy enough just to print the label the opposite direction, especially since there is no back label to this product. I can see within a month's use that I will have to turn it upside down myself to keep a steady distribution of the product onto the back of my hand or a palette.

Even though it's in ivory (which is supposed to be lighter than the porcelain), it is still far too dark for me. I do have to lighten it up with my Stargazer foundation in order to wear it, so it takes extra time to create the perfect shade. I can't simply wear it straight from the tube, so that makes this foundation unsuitable for everyday wear for me.

I have used it often, and I can say that I did notice an effect on my acne. I did have a rather violent breakout on my chin recently, and I started noticing bumps on my forehead. This product (paired with the ELF Zit Zapper and the Acne Powder Treatment mentioned later) reduced my acne greatly. I am a happy camper, now if only this came in a larger variety of shades.

The coverage is a light-medium coverage. It does cover up some of the flaws, but it could be a thicker coverage. I didn't have an issue adding more on top, and I didn't notice it getting cakey.

It sets rather fast, and putting a powder on top also doesn't affect the product.

There is a market for these products for the very lightest, to the very darkest of complexions, and it would be snatched up! If this came in my shade, I could see it being something I'd buy often, not just once in a while.

Blush - Gotta Glow - $3

Even though it's listed as a blush, this is no doubt a highligher. This highligher is in a traditional ELF Blush packaging, which I'm always a fan of anyways.

The texture of this is like some of their other blushes - powdery. It is smooth, but it also picks up a lot of powder when you dip your brush into the product because of how soft it is, and then powder goes everywhere. I've only used it a few times, and the ELF logo is almost completely gone from how easy it is to pick up this product. I have an issue with super soft products like this, because I don't see it lasting too terribly long.

Fortunately, the color is to die for. I was a little worried, because in the pan it doesn't look like much, but on the skin it's absolutely beautiful. It's a white tint with gold shimmer through it, and sometimes picks up other colors too, sort of like multi-shimmer in certain lighting. It doesn't look glittery on my cheeks, and just a tap gives me noticeable sheen.

The other downside, is that this product is attracted to my pores, so if I'm not wearing a good foundation or my Baby Skin primer, it makes my pores look very noticeable.

Baked Bronzer - Los Cabos - $3

The packaging isn't the most amazing packaging ever. Matte black base with a clear plastic lid. I can see this breaking if I'm not careful, so I have to make sure that I don't accidentally drop this.

Los Cabos is a warm toned bronzer with a sheen to it, almost like a shimmer but not as intense. The surface of this product is smooth, and it it looks to have a sheen. 

And on the skin, it's just not for me. You can definitely see the sheen turned into more of a shimmer on the skin, and it isn't suitable for carving out the face. I can't contour with it, and I'm not really that big on 'bronzing' my face (like most bronzers are actually meant for!). I have embraced being really pale and this just isn't a product I can get a lot of use out of..

Fortunately, I have found out that if I top it over one of my other blushes, it adds a sheen, so I get a highlight and a slightly darker/warmer blush.

I wouldn't buy this again, because like I said, I'm not huge on warming my face or body up, but if you like traditional uses for bronzers, you'll love how this applies, because it just goes on so smooth and wonderful. I'm glad I found a way to get use out of this, because I'd hate to cast it away.

Baked Highlighter - Moonlight Pearls and Blush Gems - $3 Each

Moonlight Pearls is a champagne highligher, while Blush Gems is a rose gold highlighter. The packaging is identical to the Baked Bronzer compact.

They look really intense, but I put a heavy swatch on the skin. They go on very smooth, not sheer, but not super pigmented either which is ideal for highlighters. I get the glow to my skin that I look for on some days, and I don't have to worry about looking like I dropped a bottle of glitter onto my cheeks.

I was really impressed with both, but especially Moonlight Pearls, I have been using it almost every day!

Great choices, and you really can't go wrong with picking one up, I put the last one in my wishlist!

Bronzer with Brush - Truly Bronzed - $2

This is from the Essential line, which is their 1-2 dollar range items (sometimes more). The packaging is stark white, and just feels like typical cheap plastic. I'm not a fan of the Essential packaging, since I just don't find it appealing, but I wasn't expecting much.

The brush is scratchy and to me, useless. I just pitched it so I wouldn't have to worry about it falling out when I'd go to use the product.

Truly Bronzed is a matte, warm brown. Don't let any glitter you may see in the pan fool you! 

I was really impressed with the quality of the powder, for the product being so cheap. I don't have any issues applying this to the hollows of my cheeks, and it blends out so easily, like butter. It's a little warm, but it's similar to my NYC Sunny Bronzer. Warm, but it still hollows out my cheeks enough to give me definition to the face.

Conditioning Lip Balm - Mellow Melon - $3

The packaging for this product is sturdy. Plastic all the way through, but it gives the look of a more polished material, with the matte plastic lid, and the clear plastic bottom giving it the look of plastic on glass (though we know better!). It looks pretty good, but one of the biggest problems I have with this product is...

It's just so large! It takes up majority of my palm! It seems really unnecessary to have so much excess plastic for this packaging. It's bulky, and it just doesn't store easily. Unless I have it sitting out, it takes up a chunk of my lip drawer. Though, I suppose if you're keeping this in your purse, you can rest easy with the knowledge that this should be easy to find.

The product was covered with this seal, that at first was pretty hard to pull out. I was happy with that fact, because it would keep this from drying out on me before I got uses out of it.

The color is a warm pink. This is the type of color I gravitate toward when I go towards nudes/pinks. I just can't seem to get enough!

The other issue I had, was when I took off the seal, it looked like this. I'm not sure if it was sweating, but it looks like it's indented. For all I know, it could be mold, and that's incredibly alarming.

The color itself is a pale, warm pink. I do like the color, and for a balm it goes on rather pigmented which surprised me. I've seen higher end brands not quite bring a balm with a tint to life, but ELF really nailed bringing color and moisture in one product.

On the lips it does give pigmentation, and I did notice it moisturizing my lips. I can't fault it for that, because it does exactly what it claims to do. I can put this on when my lips feel like a desert, and staring to crack, and it rights them back into softness again. 

The product doesn't feel heavy on the lips, and it feels slick, which is a very good thing, especially since I am not a fan of tacky lips!

Though, I really am suspecting maybe something was up with my product, because from other reviews I looked up (even more recently) they all claim that the product smells really good, a bit like vanilla and really sweet. I didn't get that AT ALL.

My product smelled off -- more like it's trying to be vanilla, maybe melon, but it didn't get anywhere near it. It smells a bit like my friends e-cig, and that's not sweet at all. 

Moisturizing Lipstick - Party in the Buff - $3

I am more and more attracted to these lipsticks. After trying Pink Mink, I just fell in love! The packaging looks great - sleek, matte black, and it has a clear bottom so you can see what color you're getting in the tube. The bottom shade is accurate to the lipstick itself, so that's great for when you're picking them out!

Party in the Buff is a peach toned nude. Similar to my Rimmel London Nude Delight. I loved this shade just as much as I loved that one, and I have been picking this up constantly. It's easy to wear, and I don't have to worry about messing up.

The lipstick is REALLy creamy, which is a blessing and a curse. Being so creamy, it feels slick, but without a liner or a lip lock, this product can move around and smear. I don't find it too off putting to just line my lips with a clear lip lock pencil, so I don't see that as a downside really.

The lipstick smells sweet, like vanilla, and it applies like a dream. I have more in my wishlist I'm eyeing, so the next sale I'm going to have to swipe them up.

Nail Polish - Fairy Dust - $2

I'm always torn with their polishes, because applying them is a nightmare in the way that the polish just smells pretty bad, like spray paint. Fortunately, it doesn't apply like spray paint, and that's what keeps them in my eye. The scent goes away after the polish dries, and then I don't have any other issues with scent.

Fairy Dust is a iridescent glitter in a clear base. This is one base over ELF's red polish. It's a bit like Essie Shine of the Times, but with glitter and not flakes. I'm an instant fan, and it adds such a subtle flair to your manicure.

I'll have better photos of this polish in the future, but this will do for now.

Studio Angled Blush Brush and Angled Foundation Brush - $3 Each

I really do enjoy the studio line of brushes as a whole. I'm really a fan of the sleek black look of the brushes, and it makes them look a bit more posh than they are. I mean, they're three dollars! You can afford to go crazy and pick up multiples of your favorites with how cheap they are, and though they're cheap they generally perform really well.

The Angled Foundation Brush is not one of those brushes. It's a synthetic, stiff, foundation brush, that is only different than the regular foundation brushes that you 'paint' the foundation on, because of the angled cut of the bristles. This brush bled a lot when I went to wash it the first time, and then 

applying foundation with this brush was like being back in high school. 

This is good for beginners, but now that i know the joys of other brushes that work better and faster, I just don't have the time for this brush, even if it's good for getting around the nose.. I'll be using it for face masks instead.

The Angled Blush Brush is a different story. I upgraded to this one after using the Professional Angled Blush Brush by ELF for years, and I love the upgrade! It was really easy to apply blush to my cheeks, and I can even use this brush for contouring my face with ease. 

This brush did bleed during the first wash, but after soaping it up and rinsing it twice, the water ran clear. 

Contouring Blush and Bronzer Cream - $3

I have the powder version of this (St. Lucia) combo, and I really wanted to try out the creams. I do prefer powders for my face since I'm oily, but I waned to give creams a try, especially since it'll be winter and my skin will be drying out a bit during the harsh temperatures.

Opening the lid I saw sweating immediately. It's not the worst case of product sweating I've seen, but sweating is like a magnet for bacteria as well. Also, in the bronzing cream there is a fiber (hair??) stuck right into the product. I'm not really sure what that's all about, but I'm confident since it's in the product itself, it was a manufacturing error.

I did go ahead and swatched this for you (I threw caution to the wind and tried it on too), and these are REALLY cream, and REALLY pigmented. They are really pigmented, but blend out really nicely. I was really impressed with how much color you get on without too much effort.

I apply my makeup with a heavy hand, so I have to watch myself so that I don't pack on too much at once, and it's always easier to go back in and add more than it is to take pigment away.  

Eyebrow Treat and Tame - Light and Medium - $3 Each

I've heard good things about this product, so I wanted to give it a try myself. The Eyebrow Treat and Tame I bought in both light, and Medium, since I wasn't sure which shade would look better on me.

The packaging for both is almost identical, but 

I was a little frightened, because they both have shimmer in the bottles (light is more noticeable, because the packaging isn't as frosty/matte as the medium one is) and I was worried that my brows would have noticeable shimmer - fortunately, on the brows, it isn't noticeable at all.

The first step is to add the 'treat' side to your brows. It comes with a brush-on applicator. I was really hesitant the first time I tried it, but the bristles spread to catch the hairs at the front, and then go back into a tip for the tail of your brows. It doesn't get all over the place, and it doesn't drip down into my eyes either, it stays in place. 

It's meant to encourage hair growth, but I don't notice any of that, but my brow hairs feel really soft, so there is that.

The other side is a spooly brush applicator for the 'tame'. It has little fibers in the product that catch onto your existing eyebrow hairs and makes it appear fuller.

Light is a cool toned brown, while Medium is a warm toned brown. I really hate warm toned browns for eyebrow products, because unless you have warm toned hair, it just looks ridiculous. I can't wear medium at all, but Light seems to be okay, even if it's lighter than I prefer for daily use.

I am really impressed with this product. The treat I didn't find to do much, but the tame is great. It takes a little getting used to, and you have to build it up to have the look you like, but the end results make me very happy.  It takes me about two minutes to do my brows compared to the five it takes me to do my brows with a gel and an angled brush.

Quick, easy, to the point, and cheap!

Hydrating Under Eye Primer - $3

I have been having issues with my undereye concealer creasing, so I thought I'd give this product a try. I really in love with the packaging. It's sleek, black, and it's surprisingly small.

The product is distributed through a pump! I am so in love with products with pumps, and this is no exception. It gives just the right amount of product for both eyes. I have to stress this, because I went overboard and thought it was one pump for each eye (don't look at me like that, we all make mistakes) and I had a mess because there was too much product on my face at once.

It catches you off guard, because it says it's clear, but it comes out this pale pink. Don't worry, because it blends it seamlessly into the skin and you don't even notice, but it's great because you can see if you've blended it all in or if you've missed a spot.

This product leaves that area feeling slightly tacky, so it grips any concealer I put on top and holds onto the pigment. Especially for someone like me who has really dark circles sometimes from my sleeping disorder, this is a life saver. I can see this lasting me for a long while because of how little you really need to apply, and I can definitely see myself repurchasing this product in the future. I am completely in love with it.

Lip Stain - $3

The packaging is exactly like the Eyebrow Treat and Tame. One side has the Lip Stain, and the other an accompanying gloss. Both apply with a brush tip applicator.

Heartbreaker is a coral pink lip stain. I didn't actually notice any significant staining, even having it on my lips for a while. I did enjoy the color. The accompanying gloss is just a clear gloss, but it gets dirty quickly after applying over the stain.

The stain is the oddest feeling. It's incredibly dry feeling on the lips, and at the same time it feels greasy. It feels like I slapped on some fuzzy french fry grease onto my lips. The product also balls up, settles into lines, and looks generally unappealing. It looked so gross, even after exfoliating and reapplying again.

With the gloss, it's better. It still has color bunched up in odd places, but it doesn't look like the product settles into the lines of my lips anymore.

Overall, this product is pretty terrible. I can't even get much use out of it, because it just does nothing for me.

Eyebrow Kit - Light - $3

I really wanted to give this one a try, since I was so in love with my Medium kit, I wanted one that went a little lighter.

The light kit is a warm toned, but paler brown. Surprisingly, even though it's warm, it doesn't look too bad on my brows. Not ideal, but it's something I will continue to use because I love these kits so much.

Compared to the Medium Kit, you can see that this is significantly lighter. I'm still really enjoying it. I really am a huge Eyebrow Kit fan, because I like the entire package. I like the gel, I like the powder, and I love the little mini dual sided brush that comes included. I just adore these kits, and will always suggest picking one up for yourself.

Long-Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow - Gala - $3

I do like the packaging on this. How I wish some of the other products were packaged. Not too bulky. Still plastic lid on plastic, so I do worry about the product drying out.

And it's already got a crack in it. Anyway, Gala is a chocolate brown with multicolor shimmer in the product.

This product is super soft and fluffy to the touch. Like a whipped mousse product. It's really fun to press your finger into the product to make little craters.

And I am just as in love with this shade as I was Soiree. It goes on so smoothly, and it blends out nicely as well. You can also use these to add some extra glitz to a makeup look, by lightly tapping this on top of it to add a little extra shine. A downside to these shadows, is that you have to set them with a primer and a powder, or they'll crease like crazy. I prime my eyes anyway, but the powder isn't a big deal, I just use a translucent powder and that takes care of that issue.

I do notice that they really aren't long lasting however. Even with the preemptive measures, they still fade through the day, and you can tell the difference from when you first apply the product, to when you go to take it off later in the day.

They're such a wonderful product to give a try to, and you won't be sorry.

Cream Eyeliner - Midnight - $3

The packaging for this product is once again, plastic on plastic. ELF doesn't use glass for their packaging, which is not so great since it can let more air in, but really great because if you drop it you don't have to worry about it shattering.

Midnight is a true, matte navy blue cream. It looks almost black in some lighting, and noticeably blue in others. Though if you're using it to line your eyes, it can definitely appear to be black unless you're really looking at it.

The product applies really well. I did have to go over it with another layer, because in a couple of areas, it went on patchy, but overall the product is creamy and glides on well.

The biggest downfall, is the staying power. If you're rubbing at your eyes, it will smudge. I know you're not supposed to rub, but sometimes you just can't help it, and if you put too much pressure it'll come off. Also, they aren't waterproof, so if you have watery eyes (like I do!) then you'll see the edges wear down. 

I can get a good chunk of wear time out of this product, but I do have to touch up the edges if I'm wearing these for 6+ hours.

Smudge Pot - Crusin' Chic - $2

I was really in a way refreshed to see this packaging. This isn't like the studio products with the black lids and the square packaging, but this is the essential line. A lot of white, really. 

Crusin' Chic is a warm taupe metallic shimmer! I go crazy for taupe shades, and this is no exception.

I am in love. If I didn't already have Color Tattoos that are similar to the others I would buy those up too. This product goes on so freaking smooth. It doesn't take that much to get great pigmentation, it glides on, smudges out, and sets! This sucker is a lot like the Maybelline Color Tattoos where it can be worn on it's own, and it lasts like crazy. This is a shade that goes with the all-over-the-lid color trend that I adore, because I can be lazy, and be assured that this product will last me all day long.

 Waterproof Eyeliner Pen - Midnight - $2

Another gem from the essential line. This product used to be in black packaging, but they changed it a while ago to go with the different lines - studio and mineral is in black, essential is in white. I'm really happy with the change, because for me, I really like the look of these liners in white compared to them being in black.

The packaging is fantasic itself. It has a spring-loaded cap, that bounces up once you take it off, but it snaps closed. If the cap pops back up, and you don't hear the snap, then you haven't pushed it down far enough or hard enough. It ensures that the product stays juicy longer.

The tip is a felt tip, like a marker. I'm admittedly not the biggest fan of felt tip applicators, because they end up fraying towards the end of their life and you can't be as precise with the application as time goes on.

Midnight is similar to the gel, where it looks almost black unless you're really looking at it, or if you're looking at it in certain lighting. It's different in a way, because with this marker, it doesn't dry matte, instead it has a sheen to it.

This product is a lot like I remember back in the day when the packaging was still black. It goes on great, and lasts a really long time. Unless I'm tearing up and rubbing at my eyes, I don't really notice a lot of transfer. Of course, I do notice a little bit of smudging here or there, but it holds up really well for a long period of time.

Waterproof Eyeliner Crayon - Champagne - $3

This crayon is packaged in a foggy white plastic cap, with a black plastic tube. The best part? This product twists up! I really love twistable products, because I don't have to worry about finding a proper sized sharpener.

The odd thing about this, is that towards the bottom, it looked like it dropped in a bunch of oil... Like I dropped it into a packet of french fries. Not sure what was up with that, really.

Also, it was so dry, that dragging it on my skin made it pop right out. I don't think that is supposed to happen, but I had myself a good laugh over it.

It is a warm toned champagne shade. Really this is more like a rose champagne. Because the product is so dry, it draws on a very thin line.

The most amazing part of this, is that in the time it took me to draw this line, and take the photos, I had to get out my heavy-duty eye makeup remover to get it off. Once it sets, it's on there. I don't fancy this as much as an eyeliner, but for a pop of shimmer in the inner corners it works beautifully, even to line the bottom lash line.

Waterproof Shadow Crayon - Taupe - $3

Same packaging as the Waterproof Eyeliner Crayon. It is so easy to confuse these products, really. They look almost completely identical, down to the colors.

Taupe is a light taupe shade. Really light. Really, I had to triple check that I didn't mix these two up, because I thought for sure this one was going to be the champagne color, even if it's not.

This product goes on very smooth, and it sets really quickly. Similar to the other product, once it's on - it's on, and won't budge.

Both...

They both have the foggy caps, that snap on. I wish more pencil/crayon items had snappable caps, because they snap on and then I don't have to worry about them falling off randomly. They are secure, and they fit on the tubes perfectly.

Even though they look similar in the tubes, they look different on the skin. Also, the feel of them is completely different too. Champagne is dry and rough, while Taupe is smooth.

Really, I don't think you need both, not at all. I pick Taupe over Champagne almost every time, because I just love the application over Champagne. 

I'm not sure if that goes for all shades, or just these too.

Mineral Blemish Powder - $8

The Mineral Powder has unique packaging compared most of the other products that I have ever bought from ELF. It's a plastic container, with a silver plastic lid.

The product is a pale color, and comes out with a sifter. Thank goodness for sifters, since it's a loose powder.

You apply the powder with a brush, but it comes with this small synthetic brush for you to use. This brush bled when I first washed it, and I don't know what it is about their flat synthetic brushes getting washed, but it holds a lot of the black dye in them. This brush however, is perfect for putting this product right on your spots.

This is NOT a concealer!

I needed to bold that, because there have been some people out there that claim that this is a shitty concealer. They are right. It is a terrible concealer, because it's not meant to conceal anything. It's meant to treat your acne.

It smells odd, because it has sulfur in it, and when applying it you can get a wiff of it. Don't let it alarm you. I like putting this under, and over my concealer, and it's what I set the areas where I have spots after applying foundation too. I use this with makeup, I use this without makeup. I use it all the time.

And I have noticed a difference in my acne. I had a bit of a bother with some spots on my forehead. They weren't discolored, but they were raised, and there were quite a few of them. With this, and the Zit Zapper, those spots were gone in two days. I was absolutely surprised with how well, and how quidkly I get results with this.

I still get a behemoth spot, even with this, but the smaller spots don't pop up like they generally would. I am just so impressed with this product, and I'm kicking myself that I haven't gotten it sooner.

I am definitely going to covet this product, and I urge you to give it a try yourself.

Thanks for reading!