E.L.F. Studio Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara Review

Okay, I know I just posted a review, but I'm too excited about this mascara! If you don't know much about me, you should know I spend an inordinate amount of money on mascara. I have pretty long eyelashes, but they're very blonde and not very thick, so I'm always searching for that magical mascara that will make them nice and curvy and dark and voluminous. It's a lot to ask in a mascara, I know, but I keep searching for that magical combination. I have tried out almost every mascara out there, including the expensive DiorShow mascara and some other higher-end products, and I'm almost always left disappointed. Either they don't even come close to doing what they claim, or they flake, or they're just too dang expensive! And since I go through mascara faster than most (what can I say, I love to layer!), I can't justify spending $22 every month just on mascara.

So imagine my delight when I found this stuff! Now, usually if things seem to good to be true, they are. But at just $3, e.l.f.'s Studio Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara delivers. Read on for my lashes before and after this fantastic stuff.

Okay, as always, love the packaging. Simple, chic, and it looks like a grown woman's makeup product--no glitter or little pink hearts here! It has good shape, and it seems as though the name of the mascara won't rub off very easily, which is a plus.

The brush head on this is a nice spiral bristle head, which helps coat all your lashes. (I really prefer this type of brush head over the futuristic-looking rubber spikes anyways.) I ended up getting black brown, and I'm very happy with the color. It's really more black than brown, so it's perfect for a soft everyday look. Also, this mascara doesn't have that weird smell that so many other mascaras have.

Okay, so here's the real test. This is an extreme close up of my eye. I don't have a fancy camera, so this is me holding my iPhone really close to my face with the flash on. Also, I was kinda dumb about this and didn't put on any eye makeup before I put on the mascara, so just ignore my pink and yellow funkiness (if only I had photoshop!) As you can see, my eyelashes are long, but very pale (except for some leftover mascara in the outer corner that didn't quite wash out).

With just one coat, my eyelashes look a lot darker and fuller, but still look natural. (That's more like it--less yellow funky undereye. Hooray for foundation!)

I can't just stop at one coat, though. I'm all about big, fat, dramatic lashes. And this mascara did just that. This is after coat number three (and some concealer and eyeshadow), and without any eyeliner. It gave me thick, curvy lashes without clumping or turning into spider legs.

BOTTOM LINE: I love love LOVE this mascara! The packaging is nice, the color is great, and this stuff really lives up to its name. It left my eyelashes curvy and thick all day long without flaking off during the day, and, best of all, it's only $3! So what are you waiting for? Go get you some of this amazing mascara and let me know what you think.

Do you have a favorite mascara? Comment below and let me know what inexpensive mascara you can't live without.

Love and lashes!
-Annie

E.L.F. Baked Eyeshadow Palette Review--UD Naked 2 Dupe

When I found this Baked Eyeshadow Palette at e.l.f.--which comes in "California" (which I bought) and "NYC"--I've got to admit, I was pretty excited. Why, do you ask, was I so excited? Well, both of these palettes seem to be pretty close to being knock-offs of Urban Decay's signature sets, the Naked Palette & the Naked 2 Palette. Now, there are a few colors in the Urban Decay palettes that aren't in the e.l.f. ones, but at $10 per palette versus $50 for each of the Naked palettes, I don't mind missing a couple of colors.

For the price I paid, this is really a big palette. It's actually much bigger than I expected (that's what she said! Sorry, couldn't help it).

 

 Like I've said before, I love e.l.f. Studio's packaging. Most of their products are in simple black and white, similar to NARS' packing. Lovely!

There is a nice, big mirror in the top of it, which makes this an ideal palette to take on vacation. And there is quite of bit of shadow in each of these little rounds.

 

The camera didn't quite catch how pigmented these colors were on my skin. Everything was a lot brighter than what it shows--it looked pretty much identical to the colors above when I swatched them. (The top left color doesn't look like it shows up, but that's only because it's the same color as my skin--super pale!)

 





BOTTOM LINE: I definitely recommend this palette. The packaging, the colors, and the quality make this completely worth the $10 it costs. My only criticism about this palette is that the lighter neutrals are more copper-toned than pinky. So if yellowy neutrals don't look good on you, you probably want to think twice about getting the California palette. But then again, for just $10 a pop, you could probably find a way for those neutrals to look good on you!

Do you have a cheap knock-off makeup product that you love? Comment below and let me know what expensive-makeup dupe you've found.

Love and lashes!
-Annie

E.L.F. Haul!

The last couple of weeks have been so hectic. I had last-minute exams two weeks ago, and finals were this week, but I'm done with this semester! Yay! Now, I don't know about you, but I don't really have to have an excuse to buy new makeup, so I had a mini shopping spree to celebrate the end of this semester.

At the beginning of this month, e.l.f. had a fun deal on their website where if you spent $20 online you got a free $20+ mystery bag with your order. (Click on the link to go to their website and see what kind of deals they have going right now.) First off, let me start by saying that I LOVE e.l.f. brand cosmetics. Most of their items are under $3, which is fantastic. (One dollar eyeshadow? Yes, please!) Only a few items are over $3, with their most expensive item, their 144-Piece Ultimate Eyeshadow Palette, topping out at $30. And even that is usually on sale for close to half off. This brand is one of my favorites for trying out trends and colors. Who wants to spend twelve bucks on a crazy-colored eyeshadow or lip color when you can get almost the same thing for three dollars? And not only are they cheap, but they also have pretty good quality. While some of their eyeshadows aren't super pigmented, you get a pretty good bang for your buck with everything else. I think one of the best things about e.l.f. is the packaging. For me, packaging is a VERY important factor in my liking makeup. It's one of the main reasons I like L'Oreal so much--they have fantastic packaging. While e.l.f.'s "essential" ($1) beauty items' packaging are pretty cheap looking, but their other items have packaging similar to NARS' packaging. Very chic-looking cosmetics for a fraction of the cost--it's no wonder I'm a big fan!

So, I ordered $20-worth of products on May 1st and impatiently waited for my 5 to 7 business days to pass so I could get my goodies. Well, it came in today and boy was I surprised to see how much extra stuff I got!

Below are the things I actually ordered: Matte Lip Color in Nearly Nude ($3), Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara in Black Brown ($3), Baked Eyeshadow Palette in California ($10), Baked Blush in Peachy Cheeky ($3), and a Dramatic Lash Kit ($1).

And this is all the free stuff I got! (Sorry, this picture is a little blurrier than I thought, but I've already de-packaged some of these goodies) In my mystery bag was: Flawless Eyeshadow in Smoky ($2), Cream Eyeshadow in Natural Glow ($3), Gem Tweezer with Pouch ($4), Natural Lash Kit ($1), Shimmering Facial Whip in Spotlight ($1), All Over Cover Stick in Ivory ($1), Studio Blush in Fuchsia Fusion ($3), Shimmer Lip Gloss in Dream ($2), Liquid Eyeliner in Stardust ($1), Primer Eyeshadow in Sexy Silver ($2), and a Contour Brush ($3).

So I basically got $43-worth of makeup for $20 +shipping! This has definitely made me less stressed about having to take a minimester next week. I'm so excited about all the funky-cool things I got. Reviews of all this awesome stuff will be up throughout the next week or so, so be on the lookout.

What's your favorite cheap makeup product? Comment below and let me know what products you love that don't cost very much.

Love and lashes!
-Annie

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup Review

So, I bought this makeup by mistake a few weeks ago. I had heard so many good things about L'Oreal's True Match foundation and decided to swing by Walgreens on the way home from work and snag some. Well, I was in a hurry, and I grabbed the first thing with "True Match" on it and ran home. Let me just say, I am so glad I grabbed the wrong makeup, because this stuff is amazing!

 

 

First off, I love the packaging. L'Oreal has figured out how to make drugstore makeup look a little more luxe. The plastic cap on top comes off to reveal a pump-type dispenser which makes dispensing makeup much easier and far less messy--just two or three pumps and I'm good!

The makeup itself it nice and velvety. It has SPF 20, which is great for everyday use, but it doesn't have that horrible sunblock smell that a lot of SPF-containing foundations have. When it comes to color selection, L'Oreal delivers. This makeup comes in three tones--warm, neutral, and cool--each with a variety of shades. I ended up getting n1-2, which was their lightest neutral shade. I was a little wary of whether or not this would actually match my pale skin because I normally have to use the lightest shade when I haven't had much sun exposure (which, let's face it, is all but one month of the year!). But this stuff blends magically and gives a flawless finish.

This is me without any makeup on at all. I have a VERY pink face, as you can tell. Without foundation on, my skin is sort of blotchy and you can see a few scars on my cheek.

And TUH-DUHN! True Match Lumi is true to its word. This gave my skin a great dewy, velvety finish that makes my skin look great without having to use concealer. It matches my skin wonderfully--it evened out my red blotchiness and made my face match my neck. I wear this stuff every day now, and I love it. It lasts throughout the day, and it makes my face look so soft and smooth. The coverage is great for such a smooth and light product.

BOTTOM LINE: Love this foundation! It cost me about $10, but it was worth every penny. I've been using it almost every day for the last 4 weeks and the bottle still looks completely full. Great product, great match, and great finish.

I hope you have as much luck with this product as I have had!

Love and lashes!
-Annie

Beauty Blogger Survey Tag

I read this survey at my friend's blog Chaos and Cliche and thought it would be a good way to start my new blog. Here goes!

 Beauty Blogger Survey

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?
   -It's got a little bit of waviness to it.
2. What’s your natural hair color?
   -Mousy ash brown.
3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?
   -I have gotten it professionally done a couple of times, but I prefer the DIY method.
4. Do you wear the same style every day or do you change it?
   -I try to mix it up, but I get lazy sometimes
5. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?
   -I normally do it myself
6. How often do you change your nail polish?
   -I own a lot of nail polish, but I normally don't have the patience to paint my fingernails. I'll change up my toenail polish whenever it gets scuffed up.
7. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?
   -Depends on how nice my toes are looking--I normally try to keep 'em looking nice.
8. How long does it take for you to put on your makeup?
   -For everyday makeup, between 10 and 20 minutes (depending on if I mess up my eyeliner). For experimental looks, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
9. What do you do first, face or eyes?
   -Foundation, then eye makeup, then the rest of my face makeup.
10. Do you “collect” makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?
    -I binge and purge! I collect a lot of makeup, then pair down to just the basics. Right now I'm on the "binge" phase.
11. How often do you wear false eye lashes?
    -I usually only wear them for special occasions. I have naturally long eyelashes, so I only wear falsies for dramatic looks.
12. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?
    -I wear a light foundation and a little bit of blush, then a nuetral eye with tons of mascara.
13. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone, or with family?
    -If I'm at home and I don't have anywhere to go, I'll normally try out a look sometime late in the afternoon. I always wear makeup when we have a family shindig.
14. Will you leave the house without makeup?
    -Only if I'm working out, but eve then sometimes I put on mascara and concealer.
15. How many high-end products do you have?
    -I used to have a lot, but as I've used them up, I've tried to find cheaper alternatives.
16. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?
    -If it's an important day, I plan my outfit. But on most day-to-day occasions I just throw something on.
17. How often do you change your handbag?
    -Between once a week to once a month, depending on my storage needs.
18. What time do you get up and go to sleep?
    -I normally go to be between 9:30pm and midnight, depending on how early I have to wake up. During the week, I wake up at 5:45am, and on the weekends I sleep until my cat wakes me up (which is usually about 8am)
19. How often or when do you work out?
    -Between 2 and 5 times a week, depending on how motivated I am.
20. Left handed or right-handed?
    -Right handed.
21. How tall are you?
    -5'4"
22. Do you speak a foreign language?
    -I can understand Mexican Spanish, although I can't speak it well, and I know some Italian phrases.
23. How many pets do you have?
    -I have a spoiled tailless manx cat named Emo, but I really want a boxer one of these days!
24. How often are you on WordPress?
    -Not often enough.
25. Do you read comments posted on blogs?
    -Yes, I love reading comments.
26. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?
    -I have a LONG list of products on my phone!
27. How did you come up with your blog name?
    -It's what the blog is about--I didn't have to think too hard about it.
28. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?
    -I have a Canon Power Shot SD1400 IS, but I really want a better HD camera.
29. How often do you clean your house?
    -I keep it tidy every day, but I try to actually clean--sweep, mop, etc--once a week.
30. What is your favorite color?
    -Lavendar/Plum purple.
31. Do you swear?
    -WAAAAY more than I should--but not in front of my family or children!
32. What are you doing with the rest of your day?
    -It's almost 10pm, so I'll probably go to bed and waste some time on pinterest.

Well, that's it! Hope you enjoyed learning some random makeup facts about me. If you read this, take the survey and give me a link to your blog, I'd love to read it!

Love and lashes!
-Annie