ELF Studio Single Eyeshadow Swatches and Review

Hello Lovelies,

This is a long overdue post. I've had these eyeshadows for a while but I was putting off posting about it because I'm not very fond of the brand but since I've taken these pictures about a month ago I figure I might as well post them. You may or may not know but not long ago there were a few bloggers out there who have had their pictures taken and posted on ELF's website without prior authorization or even a link back to their blog. I find that very unethical and disrespectful. Most, if not all bloggers, who blog about ELF, do not get paid or free products so for ELF to just take pictures and use them as they please without giving credit is absolutely unacceptable.
Some people may not understand what is the big deal about taking someone's picture and repost it or do whatever else they want with it. Well, it is wrong whether you know it or not. It takes time, effort, special equipment or supplies, and expertise, in order to produce a good picture. Anyone who takes pride in delivering quality knows what I mean. You wouldn't walk into someone's yard and take or borrow their barbeque grill without asking permission, would you? Same concept goes to pictures. Just because they are easier to snatch from the Internet, that doesn't make it ok. Have respect. Even if you think taking someone's picture is harmless. It really is not cool, especially when you are using their picture for profit purposes, such as earning prizes or money, and failed to credit the original owner.

I know there are a lot of you who love ELF regardless but after what I've seen. That's enough to leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. I doubt that will talk about them anymore after this post, unless they come out with something that would knock my socks off.

Here are the single eyeshadows that I have in my collection from their studio line. Half of these I found them on clearance and the other half I think I found at the dollar store.

As far as the packaging goes, I think it's sturdy and nice. There is also a little mirror included in each case and a pretty good amount of product.

• Saddle - medium shimmery brown. Texture and pigmentation is average.
• Amethyst - dark plum with subtle shimmers. Texture feels dry and pigmentation is below average.
• Sea Blue - cool toned blue with subtle shimmers. Texture is powdery and dry. Pigmentation is bad.
• Purple Passion - light purple with subtle shimmers. Texture and pigmentation is average.

• Pebble - light greyish taupe with subtle shimmers. Texture is average and pigmentation is below average.
• Coffee Bean - medium, slightly warm brown with subtle shimmers. Texture is dry and pigmentation is below average.
• Raspberry - warm dark brown with burgundy shimmers. texture is dry and pigmentation is below average.

The swatches on my eyes were done with Urban Decay Primer Potion, whereas the swatches on my arm were done without primer. Overall, they didn't turn out as great as I would like them to be. The lack of pigmentation and quality leaves something to be desired. However, aside from that, I still think these work decently on the crease to help blend out harsh edges from other eyeshadows or add a subtle color. Don't plan on using these as a main color because I do not think they deliver enough color payoff and some of them look blotchy when applied. These retail for $3.00 each but you could get them for cheaper if you buy them during a sale. You can't expect much for a couple bucks but you do get what you pay for. If you care about quality and pigmentation then these are not for you.

My rating: 5/10.


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Nail Polish Haul

Whenever I'm out and about, I can't help but look out for nail polishes. These were all BOGO 50% off, except for Pampered & Primped, which was on clearance.

• Icing Pampered & Primped - jelly pinkish/purple-ish base with blue and gold flakies. 
• Icing Vampire's Kiss. Black jelly base with large and small red glitters.
• Icing Twisted Fantasy - jelly blue teal base with multi-colored glitters.

• Anise Total Temptress - smoky / ashy purple with purple, blue, and gold shimmers.
• Anise Wee Hours - dark purple with blue and pink shimmers.

That's it for now. I should be able to swatch them for you this weekend.


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New Forever 21 Earrings

It has been so long since I visited Forever 21 so this past weekend, I decided to check out if they have anything new that I might like. There was a lot of new accessories but since my collection is pretty big already, I decided to be a little more selective about what I wanted to take home so I narrowed down to just these two pairs of earrings.

The left is a long pointy spike pair of earrings with silver and black contrast and little rhinestones on the side to add a little more texture and edge to it. They are a lot sparkier than pictured and made me think of fancy icicles, lol. They would be more suited for evenings. $4.80

The right pair are dainty little bows with gold tone and tiny bead details. These are absolutely adorable and versatile. They will look great with a casual or dressy outfit. $3.80



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Sephora and Walgreens Haul

It's been a while since I purchased something from Sephora. I've noticed that this year, I didn't buy as much high-end product as I did last year. I usually wait for a good sale to stock up on things I need and grab things that I want.

I just wanted to see in person what are the newbies at Sephora and add them to my wishlist so that I can grab them during the VIB sale, that is if they are still having one this year.

• I got sucked into this new nail polish from Sephora + Pantone Universe. This shade is called Parachute Purple and is supposedly a dupe for Rescue Beauty Lounge Scrangie. Let's hope it looks at least half as gorgeous on the nails as it does in the bottle. $9.00.
• My daughter picked up this Murad acne treatment concealer, $21.00. I've noticed that around the summer time, her skin started going out of control with pimples so I hope this helps. 
• I redeemed a 100 point perks for this sample of Dior BB cream. Let's see how this works out.

From Walgreens

• Freeman Facial Clay Mask Avocado & Oatmeal. Avocado is great for cleansing and moisturizing the skin. Oatmeal helps absorb and remove surface dirt as well as provide gentle exfoliation.
• Simple Smoothing Facial Scrub. I was curious about this new cleanser for a while. The sale was a great incentive to try.
• Bioinfusion Hydrating conditioner. A while ago, I tried a conditioner from this brand that I picked up because it was on clearance for dirt cheap. I didn't expect much but was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it but I think that conditioner is discontinued and this one may have taken its place so I am hoping that it works as good as the one I tried before.

At last, I was not able to find this LE Color Tattoo in store but I was fortunate enough that my sister found and picked up one for me. This is Mossy Green. It appears to be a dark shimmery olive green color.

So that's pretty much it for now. I guess I better start saving until the Sephora VIB sale because there are quite a few items under my radar.



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Shoe Hauling

Hello beautifuls,

I felt like it's been long time since I bought more shoes. Not that I need to but being the shoe addict that I am, it feels a bit unnatural to not to haul any for a while.

I made a quick trip to DSW today after I got done shopping at the mall. When I spotted the Levity Julissa Wedges, I instantly knew that if they fit well, I was going to bring them home. The sole have a nice cushion and the heel doesn't feel too high so they are very comfortable. I got them from the clearance rack for $34.97. The original retail price was $99.00. These wedges are well-made and has a quality and sophisticated look and feel to it. I'm so happy that they are not open-toe, which means that I will be able to wear these to work.

Levity Julissa Wedge Pump - Burnt Orange/Brown (Google Affiliate Ad)

The second pair, I got for myself are these wine red patented leather loafers from Kelly&Katie (Wine KK Mabel). They are also very comfortable because they have a nice cushioned sole and the material of the shoe is flexible. They are a little wide in the middle. The true color is more like the first picture. On the second picture, the flash made them look lighter than they really are. I typically do not wear loafers but I was digging this pair. The color and style is right up my alley and since I mostly own heels, I try get some flat shoes for days I want to give my feet some rest. The price is pretty reasonable. I paid $34.95.


Kelly & Katie Mabel Moc - Burgundy (Google Affiliate Ad)

The third pair was for my daughter. Her style is more conservative and minimalist so she picked these Rocket Dog greyish taupe ankle boots with a strap that goes around the ankle. These boots have a bit of a western style to it. I'm actually really surprised she wanted them but they do look nice. They were on clearance for $34.96, originally $60.00.


Rocket Dog Sayla Western Bootie - Taupe (Google Affiliate Ad)

That's it for my haul and thanks for stopping by.

Note: the links provided are Google affiliated links, which will take you straight to DSW and where you can purchase them. Prices may vary from online store to physical store.

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Swatch - Urban Decay Lip Junkie Naked

This is the mini lipgloss that comes with the Naked 2 palette. It is also available on its own and the full size product retails for $19.00. 

The packaging is cute and comes as a squeezable tube. I like the cut out detail on the cap, which makes the packaging a little bit fancier.

Naked is a very sheer nude pink gloss with fine pink and silver shimmers. It's hard for me to notice any color change. It just gives a nice shine and slightly enhances the natural color of my lips.

The formula feels a bit thick and cushiony, similar to MAC's lipglasses. It smells minty and I also get a tingly cool sensation once I put it on.

Personally, I would prefer a gloss that delivers a little more color so this shade was a little too boring for me. I also prefer a doe-foot applicator because it gives a more precise application. Otherwise, this isn't a bad gloss at all. The thicker texture helps make this gloss last a little longer.

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Swatch - Urban Decay Lipstick Confession

Hello there,

Not long ago, I snagged this lipstick from UD's Friends and Family sale for $3.00, which was unbelievable because they originally retail for $22.00.

The packaging is bulky but gorgeous with swirl designs and a little dagger at the base of the lipstick tube. Looks snazzy, doesn't it? Aside from the beautiful packaging, I could not for the life of me open up the lipstick. It got to the point I was breaking a sweat trying to open it. I was afraid that I might end up breaking the dagger so I googled up if there was a magical way of getting this lipstick tube to open.
Well there isn't! Boooo!! lol. You just practically have to force this thing out and I would highly suggest a plier because that's what I had to use.

Lucky for me, I didn't break or bend the dagger but, dammit, I've never had to use this much force just to open a lipstick. Once you get it to open a few times, it gets easier. But yeah, that was quite the shock and inconvenience for me to have to go through that.

Aside from the not so practical packaging, Confession is a dark plumy shade. The formula is semi-sheer, pigmented, and quite slippery. The slippery feel was kind of a turn off for me. The color was settling into my lip lines. The application was a little blotchy but the color is gorgeous, in my opinion. It looks almost black in the tube but more wearable on the lips.

It has a strong but pleasant sweet perfumy scent. Hard to describe.

Overall, I'd recommend that you exfoliate your lips before applying this lipstick because it will emphasize any dryness and imperfection. Secondly, if you don't want to go all out with it, you can blot the lipstick and you'll end up with a nice and wearable plummy stain.
Now, I believe these lipsticks are being discontinued because all there is left available is the shade Oil Slick.
I hope UD come out with better lipsticks. This one was kind of a love and hate, lol.

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Color Club Snakeskin

Hi lovelies,

This is one of those polishes that I've had for sometime and failed to swatch it for you. I think Snakeskin is a really nice shade for fall. It's got that dark gunmetal metallic finish. What also makes this polish special, is that it has some gold shimmers in it, which actually really complement the base color and give it that extra oomph.
The formula feel a bit thick. You could potentially get away with one coat but I like it much better with two coats cause it looks more smooth and even. It also dries faster than the average polish. I find that metallic finishes tend to dry faster anyways.

What are your favorite nail polishes for fall?

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