Collective (Drugstore) Haul & Swatches - Things I've Hauled While I Was Away

So while I was away, I did buy makeup here and there. I was intrigued by the LA Splash liquid lipsticks so I picked up a few shades. There was many other shades that appealed to me but decided to just pick these colors to see how I liked them. I love and hate these, lol. Will tell you more on my review.

ELF Long-Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadows Swatch, Review, & Eye Makeup Looks - Party, Celebration, Festivity, and Soiree

I just caught myself snoozing! Boy, I really am more tired than I initially thought. I should probably take a nap. Here's another review for you before I go to Lalaland. Enjoy!


Packaging

• These eyeshadows comes in a clear acrylic jar with a black cap. 
• .11 oz / 3 g

Product

• The texture of these eyeshadows is soft, light, creamy, and cushiony. I find that the best way to apply them is with your finger. They are fairly easy to blend though I have a hard time picking them up with a brush. 
• They are a bit sheer but can be layered for better color pay off without looking cakey. 
• There is a lot of sparkles in them and they are more appropriate for evening looks or special event, although I think the lighter shades can be wearable for daytime. 
• With a primer, they wear up to 6 hours without creasing. After that, I notice some fading. 
• Party is a dark grey with sparkling silver, teal, and pink shimmers.
• Celebration is a bright silver with sparkling silver, teal, and pink shimmers.
• Festivity is dark plum purple with sparkling silver, teal, and pink shimmers.
• Soiree is a medium nude pink with sparkling silver, teal, and pink shimmers.

Final Thought

I wished they were more pigmented. They have an interesting light texture but I'm not completely in love with it. The sparkles can be a bit much for day time wear. They wear up to 6 hours without issues and start to fade afterward.

Rating: 8/10

Price: $3.00 each
Availability: E.L.F

Tried them? If yes, what did you think of them?

Party, Celebration, Festivity, Soiree

Party

Celebration

Festivity

Soiree

ELF Essential Smudge Pots Swatch, Review, Makeup Look - Crusin Chic, Aint That Sweet, Ocean Bound

What a day! Got a little shaken up this morning on our way to work with a minor car accident. A car pulled up from the Walgreen's driveway and ran into my car when he tried to make a left turn. I thought he totally effed up my car but miraculously only my tire and hubcap was scratched. He's got a dent on his bumper and broke his headlight. Could have been worst but thank God it wasn't. Still, it killed my mood for the day and I got to work late.

Other than this unfortunate event, I have a review to share about these beautiful cream eyeshdows...


Packaging

• Clear plastic jar with screw top.
• .19 oz or 5.5 g

Product

• Crusin Chic is a shimmery cool toned medium brown with a subtle gold sheen. It's a gorgeous neutral color. Definitely my favorite between the three. It applies easily and evenly and has good pigmentation.
• Ain't That Sweet is a shimmery pearlescent white with some pink shimmers in it. Very seashell like. This shade could have been a lot prettier but the pigmentation was lacking and applied slightly blotchy. 
• Ocean Bound is a medium shimmery blue with a grey undertone. I felt this color was a little drier than the other two and also applied a little unevenly. 
• The texture of these smudge pots is actually thin and buttery. I was a little surprised at how much slip I was getting at first but within a minute or so of applying them, they start to set, which give you plenty of time to blend and even out the application. You can apply 2 or 3 layers to even out application and build up the color without the shadow looking cakey and flaky. 
• Once they set, they last up to 6 hours before showing signs of fading and that's without a primer. I experienced a bit of creasing with Ain't That Sweet but the other two colors wore just fine. 
• They are easier to apply and blend with your fingers. Brushes just aren't effective with these. 

Final Thought

Formula, consistency, and pigmentation vary a bit between the shades but overall, I was surprised they lasted up to 6 hours without creasing and smudging. I would have liked the jar to be a little more wide so that I can dip my finger in it if I wanted to but since the opening is a little narrow, I avoid doing so that I don't end up with product under my nails. I normally use a spatula and scoop a little bit at a time.


Rating: 8/10

Price: $3.00
Availability: ELF 

Crusin Chic

Ain't That Sweet

Ocean Bound

Cruisin Chic, Ain't That Sweet, Ocean Bound

ELF Studio Maximum Coverage Concealer Sand - Swatch and Review

That's pretty bold of ELF to slap maximum coverage on the packaging, heck a claim like that sure makes me wanna find out if it's true because I would love it to be.

Packaging

• Flat plastic squeeze tube. I think this is a pretty generous amount for a concealer. 
• .7 oz or 20 ml

Product

• I got the shade Sand, which is a light neutral color and the perfect match for my skin tone, which is about NC25 in MAC shade if that helps. 
• Texture is creamy and easy to blend. Pigmentation is good but does not offer maximum coverage unfortunately. I say it gives light to medium coverage and honestly this feels more like a foundation than a concealer. I read some people use it as a foundation so I tried that myself and I too like it much better that way. 
• it doesn't wear very well as a concealer and offer little coverage to my acne scar. As a foundation, it evens out my skin tone and stay put through most of the day. 

Final Thought

Maximum coverage is misleading. It's medium coverage at its best. Honestly, I think they should've just called this a foundation because I think it suits it better that way. If you're looking for a heavy duty coverage concealer here, you will be disappointed. If you're ok with medium coverage, I think you'll like it.

Rating: 8/10

Price: $3.00
Availability: ELF

Have a nice weekend! :)

ELF Lipstick Swatch and Review - Charming and Voodoo

Been testing out a few of the recent ELF products I purchased lately and I'm ready to tell you what I think of these lipsticks.

Packaging

• Silver plastic casing with a clear view of the lipstick in the middle. The both of the tubes I got were defective. It was tough twisting the product out of the tube. Also I noticed that the lipstick inside tends to lean on one side rather than staying in the middle. 
• .012 oz or 3.5 g

Product

• Charming is a light slightly warm tone pink. The texture of this lipstick was somewhat creamy. I didn't find it moisturizing or drying but it was fairly comfortable and lightweight. The pigmentation was medium. Not fully opaque or sheer but has enough pigment to give lips some color. 
• Voodoo is a medium warm red. I found it a little less creamy than Charming. You definitely need to layer the lipstick in order to build up the color payoff. Formula was neither moisturizing or drying but comfortable and lightweight.
• The color last about 3-4 hours. 
• The lipstick has a fruity synthetic scent. 

Final Thought

Overall, the formula is pretty decent for the price. It is light-weight, somewhat creamy, and has medium to almost opaque coverage depending on the shade and how many layers of colors you put on. It has an average lasting power and an ok scent. The only thing that I would really like to see improve is better packaging. I read many others also have trouble with the packaging as well.

Rating: 8/10

Price: $1.00
Availability: ELF Cosmetics

ELF Eyebrow Lifter & Filler Ivory/Light - Swatch and Review

Hello beautifuls,

Sorry for slacking off but I will make an effort to post more regularly. Ever since boss lady has banned the breaks, the work days have been feeling a little more draining. On the plus side, I've been getting more sleep and not having trouble sleeping anymore. As a matter of fact, I now feel that no matter how much I sleep I still want to sleep, lol. 

Anyways, let's get this review moving so I can also work on other posts too...

Packaging

• Dual ended pencil. On one side, we have the brow filler, which also includes a pencil sharpener cap and on the other side we have the lifter. 

Product

• I got this brow pencil in the lightest shade, which is a medium cool-toned brown filler and a peachy pink nude lifter. 
• Both color feel creamy and a bit waxy. I was quite happy that the light brown filler actually works out for me even if I have dark brown hair. The color is lighter than what I'm normally used too but it still gives me enough color to define my brows and keep them looking natural. I'm not really a fan of really dark brows. It doesn't look right on my face. I find the waxy texture also help tame the brows a bit.
• Now you need extra tools, not included with the package, in order to create natural looking brows. You'll need either a spoolie or a dense small eyebrow brush to blend in the brow color. The lifter works well for creating a defined edge underneath your brows and highlight your brow bone. You'd also need a dense brush to blend it out. I wouldn't use it on the top part of the brows though. The pink undertone just doesn't look right up there. It's best to use a concealer that matches your skin tone if you want to outline the outer part of the brows. 

Final Thought

I'm not crazy about the cap sharpener but it is convenient for traveling if you don't want to bring along another pencil sharpener. The filler and lifter has the right about of pigmentation and creaminess to work as intended but if I had it my way, I would prefer the brow filler on one end and an eyebrow brush on the other end since I don't care much for the lifter.  The color stay put through most of the day as long as you're careful not to rub your brows.

Rating: 8.5/10

Price: $3.00

Availability: ELF

Bare brows

after using ELF Eyebrow Lifter and Filler

ELF Haul...It's Been A While

Yes, it's been a while since I purchased anything from ELF really. A couple weeks ago, they had a BOGO 50% off promo and I decided to snag a few of the newer products that peaked my  interest. I normally search for a few reviews before purchasing as ELF products tend to be hit or miss for me.

I got two of the ELF lipsticks in Charming and Voodoo. The colors are lovely, decently pigmented, and seem creamy, but I found out first hand that the packaging is crap. Both of the tubes are really hard to twist up and down, which I find annoying.

Wanted to give this pencil brow a try. I don't really care much for the filler. I would've preferred a spoolie or brush instead.

The Long-lasting Lustrous eyeshadows seem promising so I was compelled to try a few because of their creamy and mousse-like consistency. I picked up the shade Festivity, Party, and Celebration.

I hear a lot of rave about the smudge pot so wanted to test out a few of them as well. I picked up the shades Aint That Sweet, Crusin Chic, and Ocean Bound.

The Maximum Coverage concealer seemed like an appealing product so I just had to give it a try as well. The shade sand is a perfect match for my skin tone.

I was curious to find out how the Glitter Primer would compare to my Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Definitely will do a comparison.

That's it for my haul. Tried any of these? What is your favorite ELF product?