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