e.l.f. Brow Kit | Review

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Blair

Hey all! For some reason I’ve misplaced all the product photos I’ve had for the e.l.f. Studio Brow kit in Medium, which I had for some time to review but, I’m still going to review it anyway. You’ve probably seen me mention this product in a couple of beauty favourites and also in my eyebrow tutorial and my everyday makeup routine recently.

Source

I first heard Shaanxo on YouTube (from NZ) rave about this brow kit and when I decided to order from e.l.f earlier this year, that was one of the first things I put in my cart. It definitely lives up to the hype she gave it. It lasts all day, the colour (Medium) works well with my hair colour, especially since I wear dark-rimmed glasses, so it balances out the rest of my face. I love to alternate between the powder and the brow mousse.

Taken from my eyebrow routine

The brush which comes with this is so useless though, I wish I had bought one of their brow brushes to try along with this. The one which comes with it is a dual ended mini with a thick side for the powder and a very flimsy angled end for the cream. But for the price, I really shouldn’t complain too much. this was $3USD and e.l.f. always has a promotion going on.

Taken from my Everyday makeup routine (OMG the numbers match up, not intentional!)

I use the cream some days and the powder on others, and I may even use both for longer staying power, but it doesn’t move around too much on your brows. The brow cream is waxy enough to keep my brows in place under normal circumstances. I suggest putting your shirt on first, then applying this haha. There’s also tiny mirror in this kit which is just big enough for you to see you brows and eyes. Good for on the go grooming.

Brow done with e.l.f. Brow kit and then e.l.f. brow gel brushed through to make them look more natural.

The Verdict:

Pros:

Affordable
Pigmented powder and brow cream
Lasts all day
Cream is a good texture (waxy enough to hold brows in place)
Cream or Powder can be used alone or together
Simple yet sturdy packaging

Cons:

Brush provided was absolute rubbish
Availability in Barbados

The Raw Sugar:

Overall I’m very pleased with this little kit. It was affordable, convenient and the packaging i simple yet effective. My only annoyance was the brush provided, as it was such a dud. That should never be used with this product.

Where you can get it: e.l.f. website, Target (USA)

Disclaimer: I purchased this product with my money. Opinions are my own.

Smashbox Cream blush Dupe! | Beauty

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Blair

It’s not often that I have high-end make up, but when I do, I think it’s interesting to compare the dupe-ability to the drugstore/ affordable options I might also have. Funny enough, I got this Smashbox Cream Cheek Color in the same gift set as the eyeshadow reviewed here, then when I received my e.l.f order, I realised this colour looks awfully familiar. So I put them side by side. Looking like a dupe.. yip! It’s close! (Sadly I think the Smashbox is unavailable now.)

In the packaging they look almost the same, but when swatched they appear a bit different. Captivate (Smashbox) is a lighter peachy pink colour, but with similar undertones to Superstar (e.l.f.).

Both are a warm rose, although superstar is a bit brighter but blended out, each give a nice flushed look. They also contain some reflects, to give a bit of a glow to the skin without looking like a glittery mess.they’re also a semi-matte finish. I love that both of them are so long wearing too (4+ hours).

You would probably end up wasting more of Superstar because of the packaging, and just how pigmented even a half pump of this blush is. Like the tiniest of amounts still seems like too much. While Captivate is a bit more forgiving as it is a bit sheerer.

I like the packaging on both of these products, and couldn’t say I’d change either of them as it wouldn’t make much of a difference to the product. I use both of interchangeably, but to be brutal, I’d pick the Captivate because it’s so much easier to apply without overdosing on colour.

Disclaimer: These products were bought with my money. Opinions are my own.

My Eyebrow Routine | Beauty

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Blair

Hey all, today I’m going to show you have I groom and fill-in my brows. As I said in my Beauty Weakness post, I’m no expert on brows, I struggle to keep mine looking tidy for that matter. But I do like to keep them looking as natural as possible. I have fairly thick eyebrows which taper off to almost no hair at the ends, so that is my biggest problem. Also as I wear glasses, it’s best that I fill in my brows to balance the rest of my face. (BTW check out the WWBH, I missed out last week, but I’m all over it this week, posting early even!)

Brows AFTER

I’m really tempted to put more of an arch into my brows, but I’d rather a professional do it, because I’m certain I’m mess it up

Weirdo brows BEFORE

Some people use razors, others uses tweezers, or scissors, But I’ll show you haw I achieve my “best” brow. Let’s get to it! (Don’t forget to pin the tutorial if you like it too.)

With a clean spoolie, I brush my brows upwards and outwards.
After I’ve done that, I take a small scissors (one specifically for brows would make it easier) and trim the hair which is too long and messes with the shape I’m going for. Previously I’d outline my brows in a white pencil to be certain of the shape, but now I can guesstimate, hahah!
Pluck those stray hairs above and below your brow. I pluck some and not all because over-tweezing can cause the hair not to grow back, and I wouldn’t want that if I decided to ever change my brow shape.
Start to fill in the brow. I am using a small angled brush and the e.l.f. brow kit in Medium to make short strokes (though I hardly looks like that in this photo). Anyway, you want it to look natural and not too dark compared to you hair colour. I would also use the Maybelline MasterShape eyebrow pencil, but I’m all out of it sadly.
Use a brow gel like this one from e.l.f. that’s clear to set the brows. I find this allows my artistry to last ALL day! You can also use the powder that comes in the brow kit, which I do sometimes. Depending on my mood that day. That also lasts long.
Finally, highlight underneath your brow using your favourite highlighter. I’m using LORAC On Screen Duo in Champagne and Caviar as usual. But I also like Smashbox’s Crisp eyeshadow to highlight as well. I like shimmery highlights it I’m not wearing any other eye products.

Violà!

Besides the trimming and tweezing, I typically do my brows like this, unless it’s a special occasion and I’m wearing more face and eye make up. Do any of you ladies do the full-on concealer/ highlighted brows? What’s your take on that? I think done right it looks very good, but I just couldn’t imagine spending so much time on those when I have to be leaving home early (or in a rush).

Disclaimer: Products mentioned were bought with my money. Opinions are my own.

e.l.f. Glamour Girl polish | Swatches

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Blair

Well hi there, this is a bit awkward. Would you believe me if I told you that I forgot yesterday was Wednesday? Sometimes the brain forgets, technology doesn’t want to cooperate and there are just not enough hours in the day. But since I missed yesterday’s post, which I so gingerly painted my nails for, here it is. Swatches of this lovely nude polish from e.l.f. called Glamour Girl.

Nice name, great formula, love the colour in the bottle, but I hate it on my hands. This is a “dead hand” nail polish if you’re my complexion. Although these pictures are taken with flash this is pretty true to colour.

It’s a taupe with the prettiest gold sparkles and surprisingly looks good in just one coat. But I did 2 coats for security. The glitter is very fine and gave me little stress, except a bit of drag as the polish dragged and I was still trying to smooth it over on the nail. But overall a very good formula for just $2USD.

I think this would probably look better on lighter skin tones, but this is just one of a few nude polishes I bought to try.

Disclaimer: I bought this product with my money. Opinions are my own.

e.l.f. All Over Color Stick | Swatches & Review

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Blair

Hey all! I bought these colour sticks from the e.l.f. website a while ago because I always wanted to try them and I think there was some deal on. Trust me, they’re always a deal on the e.l.f. site, it’s hard to keep track. these are small twist up colour sticks available on the e.l.f. site for about $1USD. They’re very convenient as you don’t need a brush to apply them, and there are plenty of colours. I especially like how they look on my skin tone and give it a nice sheen.

I fell in love with Pink Lemonade and for a good part of June It was the only cheek colour I’d wear, aside from bronzer. It’s a nice bright pink for my skin tone, you can apply it with your fingers and not end up looking like a clown and it has some shimmer so it’s like a highlight too. Becareful not to blend too much. Especially when using your fingers, the product starts sticking more to your fingers and less to your face, so it looks like you aren’t wearing anything but shimmer.

The other colours I have are also lovely. I picked them after viewing a bunch of swatches so I didn’t get something that was way too pale for my brown skin. I like that they can be worn all over. I wore Toasted as a warm bronzy blush/ highlighter at some point and Golden Peaach as an eyebrow highlight as well as all over my lids another time. Of course using a primer, as the creamy consistency will crease on your lids.

these sticks are a good firm consistency that warm up to apply to the skin easily, especially with your fingers as I mentioned before. If your choose to use a brush, use a synthetic one, as these colour stick do feel a bit waxy and it would take a bit of effect to get it out of a natural hair brush.

The only thing I didn’t like and that’s about all of them was their staying power. They’re all beautiful colours, but as I was saying with blending it out too much, it just disappears. I’m a person who tends to touch their face a lot, and I think this blush possibly lasts 2-3 hours on me. I do not think that these colour sticks are waterproof either, definitely not marketed that way. So although they’re easy to apply during summer, I don’t think they last in the heat. Especially not Barbados heat. Also if you have oilier skin than mine, this may not be the product for you as it is emollient.