21 February, 2012

ELF review-pic heavy

So today I'm finally getting around to reviewing what came in my ELF package. I really liked most of it, but, there was one product that didn't quite deliver. Before buying anything  I always read the reviews online, and from several sites even. The reviews for most of the products were nothing but good, and, some of them were so-so depending on the person.

The first product is the one that kind of disappointed me. It was also the one that I was most excited about.  It's the Wrinkle Refiner.

It's got a kind of silicone doe-foot applicator with a hole in the center for the product to come up through. 
It's translucent and has a kind of nice, soothing herbal-y scent. The website says it has " blend of Wheat Protein, Horse Chestnut, Caffeine, Edelweiss, Chamomile, Shea, Mango and Vitamins A & E."

I was really sad that this product didn't work for me. It sounded promising, "virtually fill in laugh lines, crow’s feet and wrinkles for a flawless finish;" now, I don't have too many wrinkles, yet, just one laugh line on the left side of my mouth and these deep awful wrinkles under my eyes (that are slowly fading, but I'll get into that later.) It dries quite fast which makes it hard to blend, so I just patted it on under my eyes with the applicator. It dries matte which I'm not sure if I agree with or not. Once it had set I then tried to apply my concealer on top of it. Bad idea. The Refiner just kind of pilled on my face and fell off. It was strange and I wasn't really sure what happened. The reviews that I read about this product that weren't good just said that it "flaked," which would have bothered me as much, but, it was only $3 so it wasn't much of a loss.

The next product is the Corrective Concealer in "Erase & Conceal."

 The website says of this product "conceals under-eye darkness, blemishes and other skin imperfections with customized coverage. Brightens under-eye circles and neutralizes redness. Convenient size for on-the-go travel." The latter part is most definitely true at being only about a centimeter thick, it also comes with a little brush inside and a small mirror. The area under my eyes is fairly dark and the concealer I normally use is from Hard Candy, and out of all the ones I've ever tried "(I used to be a Beauty Artist) it is by far my favorite, and is only $6! Back to the palette; they have two different colors on the site, and, I chose the one that had the yellow, blue, green, and pink on the inside. As far as the colors go, the yellow is to neutralize redness, the blue is to neutralize orange, the green also neutralizes red-but I suggest it for more cool toned skin, and the pink neutralizes gray and brightens. The formula is a little waxy and on me does not seem to cover as well on me. I do, however like it for covering little tiny breakouts and blemish scars that I have. Use it everyday? I probably will not. Overall, I think this is going to last me a long time, so, for $3, I think this is a good deal. 

The favorite product that I purchased is the blush. I got the color "Twinkle Pink," and, guess what? 
Love, love, love, love this!

I think this shows the color a liiiiiiiittle better.
It's a dupe! I'm sad that the picture does not justice because I think this color is absolutely gorgeous. It's a perfect (in my opinion) dupe for Nars Super O blush. Even the packaging is similar. Which, is my favorite when I'm splurging.  From the website, "the soft sheer texture blends into the skin for a silky finish. Designed to be worn alone or layered for more depth. Highlight your complexion with a subtle healthy glow!" Which it most certainly does. It's a coral-y pink shad with beautiful gold shimmer and some larger gold flecks. I'm so in love with this. It wears very nice and goes on smooth. I think that I'm going to stock up on this color and horde it because I love it that much! For $3 this is a steal!

The next product is the Cream Eyeliner.
Derp, derp, derp.

 From the site "the cream formula creates smooth lines that are defined and precise. Smudge-proof, budge-proof and water-resistant coverage for all day wear to combat against sweat, tears or rain! Achieve thin or bold lines with ease." Definitely true. I really like this one, as well. It goes on nice and smooth and last quite a long time. It does come with a small (kind of cheap-y) angled brush, but to apply it I use one of my own (also from ELF.) Now, I don't like lining my bottom water line with dark colors, and, actually use one of those nude colored liners because that park of my eye tends to be a little red. So, it's important for me to have an eyeliner that once is lined on my top water line with not rub off onto the bottom, which this product does not. The color payoff is also a nice thick, opaque black. At $3, I will be repurchasing this one once I'm out. 

I'm almost all out of my favorite eye shadow primer, and trying to stay on budget, I figured that  I would forgo it and try one of the ELF ones, so I got the Eyelid Primer.
Derp, derp, derp.

 I got the color champagne, which is slightly sparkly. From the site "preps your eyelid for smoother, longer-lasting and crease-proof eyeshadow. The ultra sheer nude color works to increase eye color longevity. The lightweight liquid formula quickly absorbs into the skin for comfortable wear." Well, it says it's for "crease-proof eyeshadow," which, does hold fairly true, but, the primer itself does crease, which can affect the wear of the shadow. I do, however, really like this product, but, I am not sure if I'll be purchasing it again. For $1, though, it is a great deal.

The next product I have is the Shimmering Facial Whip.

I really like the color.
 I really wanted the color "Pink Lemonade," but they were sold out so I settled for "Persimmon." From the site "our Shimmering Facial Whip is a multipurpose, on-the-go whipped highlighter packed with Vitamin E to instantly brighten and soothe skin with no greasy after-feel. Ideal for using on your cheeks, lips, eyelids or anywhere you would like a radiant pop of shimmering color." I really liked the formula, and, since I got the one that was the one that looked like it would be the most opaqueI was really hoping for good color payoff. It was quite nice, but, it was almost metallic, uhm, well, I don't really know how else to describe it, it was so shimmery. Also, it has titanium dioxide in it, so, try to avoid flash when taking pictures or you'll look like you've got white sploches on your lips and cheeks. I do like this product, and, once Pink Lemonade is back in stock I think I'll get that one, too. For only $1 it's great to add to your collection.

I also picked up an All Over Color Stick in the color "Spotlight."
It's a light champagne-y color, very pretty.
 The site says "this 3-in-1 Color Stick adds a beautiful glow to your eyes, lips, or face! Get gorgeous color that illuminates and instantly conditions skin for fresh and natural color all day long. Blend anywhere you would like to highlight and brighten like your cheeks and brow bones." I'm really glad that I picked this out, but, It doesn't always blend very well for me because the formulation is just a little on the waxy side. To remedy this I apply some on a clean foundation brush and apply it to the tops of the apples of my cheeks. To get a nice dewy glow you only need a little of the product, so the stick I think will last me a while. For $1 this is definitely a good buy.

Every now and again I get a little break out, but, not terribly often since I've been tending more to my skin. So, I don't need a lot of acne products. I picked up the Zit Zapper

It was only $1, but, it works really well. The site says "zap zits away with the unique blend of Salicylic Acid, Tea Tree Oil, Witch Hazel and Camphor." I love this stuff. Definitely going to get more. 

Another product that  I was excited to use is the High Definition Powder.


It's a translucent powder that's very smooth. It's very finely milled, so, be careful when opening it, and, try not to breathe heavily near it. The site says "the e.l.f. High Definition Powder is a translucent, versatile loose powder that creates a flawless, "soft focus" effect to the skin. Masks fine lines and imperfections for a glowing, radiant complexion. This incredibly soft and invisible powder is ideal for everyday wear, either alone or over your favorite e.l.f. foundation." Now, I don't use, and haven't tried, the ELF foundation, so, I don't know how this product would work with it, but, using this on top of my daily Aveeno tinted moisturizer it was kind of anti-climactic. Some of the other reviews that I read or watched on YouTube said that after a few minutes you'd see the difference. Using it with my tinted moisturized that held true, but, layered over my powder foundation it did not. The weather here isn't very warm or humid yet, but, I think that it may work better then, I'll keep you posted. Depending on how it works later on, I may or may not repurchase, I'm on the fence as of now. It was $6. 

Now, last on the list is the Makeup Mist & Set.
Great travel sized bottle.

Put simply, it's like hairspray for your makeup. The site says "the invigorating mist moisturizes and soothes the skin with key ingredients Aloe, Green Tea, Cucumber and Vitamins A, C & E. The lightweight, comfortable and alcohol free formula improves makeup wearability and prevents color from running or fading." I'm not really sure if does all that, but, it does feel really refreshing on the face. My skin is weird, I have an oily t-zone, but, dryness on my forehead and cheeks. So, sometimes my face gets a little flaky. This spray remedies that! I actually really like this and I know that I'll be getting it again. Also, if you fly a lot this is great, it's only 2.02 fl oz, and you can mist this on your face to prevent it from drying out. Cost me $3. 

I got all this when they had the free shipping promo, which it seems they have very often, so, it's good if there is somethings that you'd like to try but are scare of wasting your money. I really like a lot of the ELF products, and, for the most part am not usually disappointed by anything I get from them.

That's all I've got for now. But, if you have any products from ELF, or in general that you really like please leave them in the comments! Thankie thankie!

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3 comments:

  1. I actually use the 3-in-1 color stick as my eyelid primer. If you just dab it on a bit and blend it in, it helps colors pop and keeps them there for a very long time. I adore ELF products and have tons of them, (which I know you have never seen my make-up collection but it's larger than you think for how little I wear ;)). Their eye-shadow's aren't anything to write home about, which is the original reason I tried using the 3-in-1 as a primer and WOW! It made the colors pop like crazy <3

    <3 Miss you beautiful!!

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  2. I think I'll try that, I've been using it under my brow bone and the inner corners of my eyes, as well as the cheeks. But, yeah, I agree, the shadows are, eh, ok. I mean, for $1 they're worth checking out.

    I miss you, too, belissima. (:

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  3. I think I actually laughed out loud a couple of times, because I could hear your voice in my head saying these things. :-)

    I am going to look into the Zit Zapper, too, because I has bad breakouts.

    Love you! And keep it up, I like to read.

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