e.l.f. HAUL

I hadn't bought any e.l.f. products in a while so one day I randomly decided to take a look at their website and found that they had a promotion for 50% off their studio line. I went crazy and started adding a ton of things to my cart but had to take some out or I would have left myself broke! Anyways here's the things I purchased with close ups as well as some swatches. Hopefully it gives you some insight to the products and helps you in case you were thinking of purchasing some of the same things.

LIPS

Studio Lip Stain

I really loved the colors I chose for the e.l.f. Studio Lip Stains because they seem like they would be very flattering on all kinds of skin tones. The two I chose are "Fashionista"and "Bombshell" which both come in a double sided tube and a does foot applicator. Pros for this have to be the $3 price tag, beautiful colors, and the fact that the product is very buildable to get a deeper or more natural color. Cons are that the product begins to fade not long after it is applied (something a lip stain should not be doing) and the stain can be drying to your lips so you may need to carry a lip balm with you. Also, the clear gloss that comes with the stain is horrible; it is so thick and sticky that I had to wipe my lips clean of it after having in on for only a few minutes. Overall I do like the product and would definitely consider purchasing the other colors that are available. 

Studio Matte Lip Color

These Studio Matte Lip Colors in "Tea Rose" and "Rich Red" are amazing for only $3. I absolutely love the Tea Rose with a soft pink lip gloss or a berry tinted lip balm on top. Of course they can be worn alone for those who want a matte finish since that is the purpose of this product, either way you get a gorgeous result. Just like the Studio Lip Stains, the product is buildable so you can have a soft look to it or continue adding the creamy lipstick to achieve a deeper color.

FACE

Studio High Definition Powder

The e.l.f. Studio High Definition Powder (in "Translucent") must literally be the most lightweight powder I have ever used. It feels as is you are putting no product on, yet it gives an amazing feel of silk to your face. I occasionally use this to set my makeup and it has helped control some of the shine I get around my T-zone. Although the powder appears really white it applies completely sheer. This is definitely a product I would recommend you should try out if you are looking for a translucent powder. Price: $3

Studio Blush

I've tried e.l.f. Studio Blushes before and I have always been satisfied with the pigmentation so I decided to buy one in the color "Twinkle Pink." The pink color itself is gorgeous but I am not so much a fan of sparkly blushes so I was a little disappointed with that but overall the blush is still very wearable.

Studio Complete Coverage Concealer

I was really skeptical to try this "Studio Complete Coverage Concealer" because the packaging reminded me of e.l.f.'s "Studio Corrective Concealer" that didn't work for me at all. When I first swatches this I was surprised how creamy and pigmented the product was and quickly realized it was something that was going to work for me. The only problem I had was that I purchased the color Light and I may have been better suited for the Medium color. Price: $3 and definitely worth it.

BRUSHES

Studio Powder Brush

The only other Kabuki brush I've owned was one that came with my Maybelline Mineral Power Foundation and that one was pretty lame.. it was much more compact than this e.l.f. one which made the application look heavier. I love using this brush with my new HD Translucent Powder from e.l.f. because it gives such a light application but still enough coverage. Price: $6 

Studio Powder Brush

I love, love, love this Powder Brush! I use it primarily to buff in my liquid foundation and it works amazing because it is the perfect size and does not leave any streaks at all. Price: $3

Studio Complexion Brush

The bristles on this brush were so soft that it makes it very easy to blend my blush and bronzer. I wouldn't say this brush is anything special but it is definitely an upgrade from my old and raggedy e.l.f. brushes from the Essential line I bought years ago. Price: $3

Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush

The small tip on this eyeliner brush  is amazing for making thin lines. Now I don't have to struggle to create the perfect winged liner. Price: $3

Maybelline Review: Lots of Lashes & Baby Lips

I came home one day to find a package with these babies in it and I was so excited! To start off i'll let everyone know that I am a part of BzzAgent.com which is a social marketing company. It is completely free to sign up for, but before I start butchering the facts i'll just let you guys check out their website on your own :)

The campaign I am a part of is:
MAYBELLINE BABY LIPS & LOTS OF LASHES

Photo from Maybelline website
L-R: Cherry Me, Grape Vine, Peppermint, Peach Kiss, Quenched, Pink Punch

I'm going to be starting off with the Lip product because it was my favorite product from the kit sent to me. "Baby Lips" product is Maybelline's newest lip balm which I have to say I absolutely love. I don't know if I have mentioned it before but I really dislike to wear product on my lips.. it just feels cakey and unnatural if that makes sense. What's great about the products is the ingredients such as Shea butter to moisturize, Vitamin Complex to restore, and Centella for a line-free look. There are six different choices of lip balms..2 clear and 4 tinted. I decided to try "Peach Kiss" and I love how moisturized it makes my lips feel while giving them the slightest bit of peach shimmer. My friends chose the rest and they have all concluded that this is a great product to try, especially if you're a bit shy with lipsticks. The tinted lip balm is an easy way of starting to add color to your lips.

Pros	Cons
·         Really does moisturize your lips!	·         The product is only a “slight” hint of color so  it may not show up as much as wanted, especially if you have darker lips
·         Great price: $3.99
·         Long-lasting
·         Super cute packaging!

L: bare chapped lips
R: Wearing "Peach Kiss"

Eyes

Maybelline's newest mascara is really just an upgrade from the "Great Lash" product. The packaging is still the classic pink tube with green cap, the only difference is the "Lots of Lashes" heart added on the tube. (Cute btw!) Pretty much everyone I know has at least tried Great Lash, so it was interesting to see how they liked the new wand that was added to the mascara. The old wand left a lot of clumps in my lashes but the new heart-shaped elastomer brush doesn't if you apply the right amount. The formula for the original Great Lash was always mediocre, and that hasn't changed with Lots of Lashes.

Pros	Cons
·         Angled brush makes it easy to reach  all lashes	·         Mediocre formula ·         Begins to flake after a while
·         Great price: $6.40
·         Clump free (up to 2 coats)
·         Easy to wash off

Once I applied 3 coats I got spider lashes.. yikes!

If you want to check out Maybelline New York's Facebook page you can do so here.

Dia de Los Muertos

Hola people! I know this post is late but for those of you who don't know this past week was Dia de los Muertos (Nov.1-2). This is a Mexican holiday which translates to "Day of the Dead" in English. I know many people may view this as weird because it is essentially a celebration that honors those who have passed away, but trust me it's not weird! :) What a lot of people tend to do is set up altars with the deceased's picture and anything they loved place around it. My family doesn't typically do this but they did go to the cemetery to visit our loved ones... and from what I hear it was PACKED to the point that people couldn't even drive out.  Anyways here's a picture of a sugar skull makeup look I did on myself.

ignore the weird expression! i was making sure i didn't smile :)

For inspiration I checked out a bunch of pictures I found on google and a few youtube videos which can be seen here and here. 

Mini Beauty Haul

I recently bought a few drugstore items that i haven't had time to share with you guys. I bought 5 items from ELF's studio collection, lipsticks, a lip gloss, and a nail polish. The best part is that ALL items were under $6.


LIPS
I bought Elf lipstick in the colors Classy and Seductive and a Loreal lipstick in the color Fairest Nude. I love these colors because they aren't too dramatic. The last lip product I bought was one that i had been searching FOREVER for- it is Hard Candy's Glossaholic lip gloss in the color Fairy. I finally found it at Walmart (they were ALWAYS out of stock in this color) and its such a pretty sheer gloss. 

Classy, Seductive, Fairest Nude, Fairy

Blush/Bronzer
I bought a super bright pink blush from ELF as well as a blush and bronzer duo. The Duo is said to be a dupe for Nars "Orgasm/Laguna" Duo which retails for $40. I only paid $3 for my elf duo..what a steal!

Elf blush in the color "Pink Passion"- SUPER pigmented!

 "Blushed and Bronzed"- the blush is very natural looking but i need to go extremely light when applying bronzer because it is very pigmented and a bit dark for me

EYELINER

This cream eyeliner has pretty much replaced my ELF liquid liner. As you can see in the picture I swatched it on my hand. The right swatch is to show that is lasts long and is waterproof (after trying to rub it off all it did was smudge a bit)

Elf Studio Cream EyeLiner- color:Black

CONCEALER

This is the one item purchased that I was really disappointed with. I wanted to cover up the veins under my eyes and heard that a salmon colored concealer would do the trick. Rather than spending a ton of money on one item i thought I would save and get four concealers in one palette. The only problem was that the colors didn't conceal much (for me at least).

Color: "Neutralize and Conceal"

Brush

Once again I was on a budget so i wasn't able to buy an expensive stippling brush and decided to try out this on by Elf. It isn't the best quality for Liquid products because it isn't very dense but it works really well on powder products. I use it for powder foundation and when i want to lightly apply blush or bronzer.

Nails

Last is a random nail polish i picked up while at Walmart. Don't know what I'm going to do with this one yet but I'll figure something out.

NYC In A New York Color Minute: "Sidewalkers"

Demi Lovato-Skyscraper Music Video Makeup

Not too long ago Demi Lovato made her comeback with the song "Skyscraper." I immediately loved it, and praise Demi for singing such an inspirational song. When the video came out I loved the simplicity of it as well as her makeup so I decided to recreate the look myself. This is what I came up with:

1. EYES: 

The first step was getting some gold and coppery tones on the eyes. I first applied ELF's creme eyeshadow in the color "Butter Pecan" - the Lighter color I wore on the inner half of my lid, and the darker on the outer half. I then did the same with the powdered eyeshadow of "Butter Pecan". Last i added a highlight on my brow bone and NYX's Loose Pearl Eye Shadow in the color "Nude" on the inner corner of my eyes to make them pop.

As you can see ELF's creme eye shadow (shown on the left for the first 2 pictures) are much more pigmented than the powder eye shadow. The NYX shadow is VERY pigmented.

I used a brown eyeliner on my top lid so the look would be more natural looking, as well as Loreal's  Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara - (My favorite right now!)

This mascara isn't waterproof (what I usually buy) but i think it is what has been giving me more natural looking lashes.

Finished eyes

2. Cheeks:

Used Elf's All over Color Stick in the color "Golden Peach" and swiped on my cheeks then topped it with Forever 21's Love and Beauty Blush in the coral color

3. Lips:

For the lips all I used was the same products as above... Really! I didn't have any coral-red lipstick so i just used my All Over Cover Stick and dabbed some coral powder over that.

4. Hair:

Quickly, Messily, and Loosely curl your hair to get that "unkempt/disheveled" look.

voila!