Shakeup Your Makeup: November 2010

e.l.f.

e.l.f. Cyber Monday Sale Extended - 55% off Site Wide!

10:08 AM

Just a friendly reminder that e.l.f. Cosmetics Cyber Monday sale has been extended through today - you can save 55% sitewide!

May I make a few suggestions for you to scope out....

e.l.f. Studio Blush in Gotta Glow A Nars Albatross dupe at $3 regular price or $1.35 on sale!

e.l.f. Shimmer Eyeliner Pencils - Gorgeous and long lasting colors for $1 or $0.45 on sale!

e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliners - An absolute must for the eyeliner love - these last all day long and come in gorgeous colors! Regular price $3 and on sale at $1.35 - a nother MUST HAVE in your collection!

e.l.f. All Over Sticks - A fantastic alternative to tarte's cheek stains, these are $1 regularly and $0.45 on sale! I would definitely grab Persimmon!

Hard Candy

Hard Candy Meteor Eyes Baked Glitter Eyeshadows - Intergalactic, Lunar Eclipse and Space Cadet

9:26 AM

I recently snatched up three of the Hard Candy Meteor Eyes Baked Eyeshadows while shopping: Lunar Eclipse, Intergalatic, and Space Cadet. These remind me of the MAC Mineralize eyeshadows - specifically those from the Venomous Villains collection. These are baked shadows that have swirls of similar colored glitter through the pan. The colors are all very deep and bold, too, especially when used over a primer (I chose Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy).

Lunar Eclipse: A deep cool gold with hints of copper and swirls of golden glitter. This is not a yellow gold, but truly a deep gilded gold shade. This would make a gorgeous liner...something on my "to do" list to try out.

Intergalactic: A deep chocolate copper shade with swirls of bright copper glitter.

Space Cadet: A frosty evergreen with swirls of bright forest green shimmer. This screams Christmas/Holidays - I immediately started to think of looks I could do for Christmas parties with this color. Beautiful!

Swatches were quite difficult to get until I used the Pixie Epoxy. I also had to forgo using the flash because it washed the colors out. I think the colors above a pretty true to life (at least on my screen), but at least you can see the colors and shimmer! I have used both above bare skin and Epoxy above so you can see the effect. If I didn't have a good sticky primer like the Epoxy, I would not like these shadows at all. There was no depth or character to the colors until applied over primer. Once I used the Epoxy, the color, shimmer and sparkle appeared.

These are absolutely gorgeous, but not for the faint of heart. If you are not a glitter girl, these will not appeal to you at all!

Who has tried these babies out? I believe they retail for $6 a piece, and for the size and quality, they are quite a steal!

CVS

My L'Oreal Haul from the CVS 75% of Sale

1:20 PM

I recently wandered through my local CVS's L'oreal department to see what was 75% off, and decided to invest in some of the L'Oreal Endless Lipcolors. Honestly, there were few and far between to pick from, but at around $2.50 a piece, I decided to grab four and see how they worked. The four I picked were In the Buff, Naked Ambition, Moonlit Mocha and Perfect Plum.

Swatches are below - the colors become much brighter on the lips compared to my hand-swatches.

In the Buff: A truly matte buff/nude shade - perfect for every day wear.

Naked Ambition: A deep nude with hints of beige shimmer. This looks lighter in the tube, and then once applied turned into a deep nude - your lips but better - shade. I really liked this, even with the shimmer.

Moonlit Mocha - a mocha with taupe shimmer. Although the base color is neutral, the shimmer comes out making this shade a bit on the cooler side. A great color for the fall/winter.

Perfect Plum - a deep matte cranberry. A great alternative to your reds - this reminds me of a sister color to the e.l.f. nail color in Rosy Raisin I wore earlier this month.

Overall, the formula on these is quite nice. I will say, your lips need be pretty dry and barren of product to get an even application. I noticed that I had a gloss on early in the day and tried to apply the lipstick in the afternoon and had some trouble with that. The staying power is nice, but those with the shimmer seemed to push the product to the outer edges of my lips, making it look like I lined my lips in a frosty pencil. I didn't have any peeling or flaking, so I wouldn't exactly say this product dries your lips out like some lipsticks that stay, but you do not get the moiusturization that a lot of lipsticks have now.

Have you tried these? What are your favorite colors?

EOTD Smokey

EOTD: Wet 'n Wild Pixie Palette "Night Elf"

8:00 AM

Wet 'n Wild Pixie Palette in Night Elf is gorgeous, simple as that. The taupe shade is beautiful and creamy. The ivory color is the perfect highlight with hints of golden shimmer. The Club dupe is beautiful, although I haven't played with it beyond swatching. I was also very surprised at how nice the black is. I usually steer clear of blacks because they end up being chalky and look like a toner cartridge exploded on you, but this one is very easily used, blended, and if you use a light hand, can be quite wearable every day.

Above I used the taupe on the inner corners, the black on the outer corners and the ivory as my highlight. The eyeliner is just the black gel from the Physicians Formula trio I wrote about a while back. Again, I used Mally's mascara. This would be an easy smokey look for any type of evening event - the picture doesn't do the colors justice at all!

EOTD Purple

EOTD: Wet 'n Wild Pixie Palette "Sugar Plum Fairy"

8:00 AM

Definitely not my favorite look, and my blending was terrible (I blame that on my lack of experience with mattes), but at least you can see the colors on. I really do like the deep plum on the bottom left of the palette - this is by far my favorite color in the set.

I think that next time I use this palette, I will try using my LA Splash Eyeshadow Primer/Sealer and see if it will help pick up the sparkle in that deep plum shade.

For the look I used:

Middle Right - inner corner

Lower Right - outer corner/crease

Top Left - highlight

e.l.f. Cream Eyeliner "Plum Purple"

Mally Volumnizing Mascara "Black"

I will say I'm anxious to try out that grape purple. I do think it is quite pretty, so I'll be experimenting with that in the near future.

e.l.f. Cosmetics

NOTD: e.l.f. Nail Polish "Rosy Raisin"

8:00 AM

A quick NOTD using e.l.f. Rosy Raisin. This is a gorgeous color - almost a warm cranberry/raspberry shade. I used two coats, and I should have used one more, as the consistency was a bit thin on this polish. If you like reds, but are looking for something a bit different, this might be a good option! I recently saw this color in a set at my local Big Lots, although I did order this online during one of e.l.f's sales. A pretty color for winter...too bad I did a shoddy job on the manicure! Live and learn I guess...

Wet and Wild

Wet 'n Wild Limited Edition Pixie Holiday Color Icon Palettes: Sugar Plum Fairy, Night Elf, Golden Goddess, & Snow Sprite

8:00 AM

Well hello my beautiful shadows! I've been looking all over for you! I decided I *needed* all four, so below are pictures and swatches. Enjoy!

Golden Goddess: A set of 6 gorgeous golds and bronzes, all with either a little or a lot of shimmer. Pigmentation is great on all of them, even the top left - this reminds me of a pressed version of MAC's Vanilla Pigment when it's on, although not in the pan. The pencil that comes with this is a deep copper/bronze shimmer.

Snow Sprite: A set of greens (left side of palette) and blues (right side of palette). On the green side, the top is a light mint green, with an almost iridescent turquoise shimmer. The middle is a pale lime green shimmer, and the bottom is a beautiful evergreen with shimmer. On the blue side, although the top and middle blue's look different in the pan, when they are swathed, they seemed very similar to me, although the top might be a bit more of a silver blue than the middle, which is a true icy periwinkle. The bottom is a deep navy with shimmer. The pencil that comes with this is a deep silver/pewter color.

Sugar Plum Fairy: Probably my least favorite of the bunch, but simply because I don't wear mattes all that often. With that said, the consistency of the WnW mattes are quite nice and bendable, which was a plus! On the left side, the purples are cooler toned, and on the right side they are warmer. From the top left, a pale pink/white matte - this was practically invisible on my skin. The middle is a pale lavender matte, and the bottom is a grape matte. On the left hand side, the top right is a warm pink muted shimmer with golden sparkle - again, this was almost invisible on my skin tone. The middle is a muted plum with golden sparkle. The bottom left is a deep plum brown with golden shimmer/sparkle. These are all extremely pigmented, even for mattes, especially those on the right hand side. On a side note, the bottom right is an apparent dupe of Nars Mekong - hop on over to Nouveau Cheap for a look at them side by side. The pencil that comes with this is a gorgeous grape shimmer.

Night Elf: This set is quite unique. Although I doubt I will ever wear the red in this set, this palette is by far my favorite, especially with the duochrome on the bottom left (an apparent dupe of MAC's Club). Regardless, the colors in this set are extremely pigmented, smooth and creamy. The blendability was so easy, and the colors are so pretty! The colors are as follows: Top left is a pale, ice frost ivory. The middle left is a champagne frost - I wouldn't call this gold, it is truly a pale beige or champagne. Bottom left is the Club dupe, which is a chocolate brown shimmer with turquoise duochrome. Top right is a creamy, silver frost. Middle right is a matte (possibly bordering on satin) red. The bottom right is a matte black with silver sparkles. I was nervous about the black - sometimes the color can be so dark that it looks like you dipped your brush in a toner cartridge (all of you who work in an office know exactly what I mean!), but instead, this blended extremely well and wasn't overwhelming. Yes, I used a light hand, but regardless, I was impressed. If you use a shadow base, you will also pick up the silver sparkle without fall out. This palette came with a black shimmery pencil.

All four of the pencils are below. The consistency was pretty nice in these - I think the silver was a bit more difficult to use, but all-in-all, these are a better consistency than the original WnW pencils. I would put these right along with the other Color Icon pencils I reviewed a while back.

Well, all I have to say is I am totally impressed with these. Yes, there are colors that I won't use, but that typically happens with any palette. For me, it's the mattes, but if you are a matte girl, these appear to me to have a great consistency and pigmentation - who knows, maybe I'll convert? Well, I wouldn't go that far quite yet, but I was impressed! Hands down my favorite group is the Night Elf, followed closely by Golden Goddess (strictly because the colors are gorgeous in this set, and I can't pass up golds). All of the frosts have an extremely smooth and creamy texture, and the blendability is great. I have begun to play around with the colors, so I'll be posting some pictures soon!

So, who has been lucky enough to stumble across these beauties?

e.l.f. Cosmetics

EOTD: NYX Secret World & e.l.f. Persimmon

7:06 AM

I had completely forgotten about my NYX Secret World palette until I stumbled across it in a drawer the other day, so I thought I would wear a few colors out of it, along with my e.l.f. Persimmon All Over Stick. The Secret World palette is gorgeous - a compilation of browns, bronzes and greens - the colors coordinate perfectly! I used the lime green and deep brown colors for this look.

Also, I used the e.l.f. All Over Stick in Persimmon as my blush. These blend really well into my skin, and don't leave it greasy at all. This does have some frost to it, so you can see that below, but I honestly think it left my skin with a nice glow because the color of the stick was a warm pink that looks like the "pinched cheeks" color I was going for, without being over the top.

Eyes:

LA Splash eyeshadow sealer - all over lid as base

NYX Secret World - lime green - inner corner

NYX Secret World - dark brown - outer corner, crease

NYX Secret World - champagne - highlight

e.l.f. Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil - Grassy Green - lower lashline

e.l.f. All Over Stick - Persimmon - blush

e.l.f. Cosmetics

e.l.f. Studio Blush "Gotta Glow" - Nars Albatross Dupe?

9:25 AM

I have a few other Studio blushes from a previous order - you can see those here - but I decided to try out the Studio Blush in Gotta Glow because it is an apparent dupe of Nars Albatross. Just run a quick Google search and you can see side-by-side swatches...unfortunately, I've never sprung for the Albatross, although I always gravitate towards it when I'm in Sephora. This was my way of getting the next best thing.

The e.l.f. Studio Blushes come in a very similar package as the Nars blushes, and actually are quite similar in size as well. The textures are quite soft, and the pigmentation is nice, although a bit sheer, which isn't necessarily a bad thing with blush...no one wants to look like a clown! From the e.l.f. 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!"

Gotta Glow is a sheer ivory base with golden shimmer. To be honest, on my fair skin you don't even see the base - all you see is the golden shimmer when it is applied.

See my swatch above? All you can really gather is a hint of golden shimmer. This is really a nice highlighter - just enough shimmer to give a subtle glow. And, this isn't frosty, it's just glow. I have used this on top of blushes, especially those that are extremely bright and need to be toned down a bit.

Overall, what are my thoughts? I like the color, the shimmer and the price (it's about $3 regularly, unless they have a sale running). On the other hand, it's a little bit chalky and didn't last quite as long on me as I would have liked. But, bottom line, if you are looking for a Nars Albatross look alike...this is your guy. I would highly recommend searching along for comparison swatches so you can see the similarities and get some other perspectives on the two. From what I have read, it's a great match!

So, do you own this highlighter? What are you thoughts?

e.l.f. Cosmetics

e.l.f. Shimmer Eyeliner Pencils

8:40 AM

Part III of my e.l.f. haul...I ordered all of the Shimmer Eyeliner Pencils. There are 9 different colors, in the order below: Iconic Ivory, Gunmetal, Black Bandit, Blissful Blush, Boldly Bronze, Precious Pink, Plum Passion, Twinkle Teal, and Grassy Green.

Now, these are described on the e.l.f. website as:

Instantly brighten eyes with e.l.f.’s shimmering metallic liners that put the spotlight on eyes. The smooth formulation glides on effortlessly without tugging at the delicate eye area. Choose from an assortment of 9 delicious and essential shades designed to add depth, definition and a special sparkle to create a very glamorous look! Pencil includes a convenient sharpener cap for easy use!

So, what are my thoughts? First of all, I am impressed with the color selection. Of course, you would expect the typical black, gold and teal/turquoise, but I was surprised at the Blissful Blush (champagne), Iconic Ivory, and Precious Pink. Those colors, on the other hand, are not typically found in your every day pencil eyeliner selection. The texture on these are very creamy, which helps prevent tugging when you use along your lashline. The pigmentation is really nice, even the lighter colors (ivory, champagne an pink) show up on my fair skin-tone - I think you can really see that in the swatches below. Between the pigmentation and creaminess of the liners, these could definitely be smudged and used underneath another shadow to enhance the staying power of both the liner and your shadow of choice. I will say, I was a bit concerned as to how well these would last without smearing or running down my eye since they are so creamy, but I was pleasantly surprised. They actually stayed quite nicely. I don't have extremely oily lids, but I do find that most pencils don't say put - for $1, these did really well.

Now, these are called "Shimmer Eyeliner Pencils" so they definitely sparkle. I wouldn't say there are chunks of glitter in these, but instead dense pieces of shimmer (this can be seen pretty well in the Plum Passion swatch above). I did not experience any fall out or flaking from these, but they are there, so keep that in mind if you are not into sparkle or frosty pencils.

The cap includes a built in pencil sharpener. I'm a bit undecided on this. I have accidentally nicked a couple of the pencils unintentionally when putting the cap on because of the sharpener, so I'm a bit disappointed in that aspect of the design, but honestly, if the pencils weren't so creamy, it probably wouldn't have happened in the first place, so I guess it's a matter of perspective! I haven't actually used the sharpener yet, but I have read mixed reviews online regarding that part of the packaging.

All in all, these have received 4.5 stars out of 5 on e.l.f.'s website, and after using them, I can definitely see why. The price is amazing ($1 is 5 stars in my book!) and the pigmentation and color selection is great as well. So, do you need these? If you are looking for an inexpensive pencil with some great colors, then, yes you do! I mean, honestly, why not throw a couple on your order if you are going to be placing an order for the cream eyeliners I mentioned yesterday, or the All Over Sticks from Monday.

How many of you have tried these? Thoughts? What is your favorite color?

e.l.f. Cosmetics

e.l.f. Cream Eyeliners in Metallic Olive, Copper, Gunmetal and Plum Purple & Liquid Eyeliner in Plum

8:00 AM

Part 2 of my e.l.f. haul - the cream eyeliners and one liquid eyeliner in plum. As I tend to lean towards shimmers and sparkles, I opted to order the four shimmery cream eyeliners: Copper, Metallic Olive, Plum Purple and Gunmetal. In the liquid eyeliner, I ordered Plum.

The four cream eyeliners all come in a pretty hefty screw top jar and come with their own miniature angled eyeliner brush. The jars are 0.17oz, so this is a decent amount of liner for the price - $3 a piece. The consistency is extremely smooth, creamy, and pigmented. The shimmer in the liner actually comes through, as does the color. The cream eyeliners wear extremely well too - I didn't have any cracking, smudging, or flaking.

Closeups of all the colors are below.

Now, the liquid eyeliner in Plum is absolutely beautiful. This is a warm, deep almost coppery purple with shimmer. As the website says...

"No more tugging or pulling on your eyelids with this easy glide liquid eyeliner. The smudge-proof liner is rich in color, creating a long lasting defined look. The fine tip brush creates easy and precise definition for natural or dramatic effects."

I definitely agree that this liner runs along the lashline easily and the color wears extremely well. My only complaint is the applicator is a felt tip, where I prefer a brush to apply my liquid liners, but at $1, I will work with it!

There are tons of colors to choose from online, including browns, blacks, navy, and a selection of new glitter liners in iridescent, gold and silver.

Swatches are below - the colors are great and there is a fantastic selection of colors.

Right now, you can get their favorites, including the cream and liquid eyeliners, 50% off, meaning the creams would be $1.50 and the liquid would be $0.50! Not a bad deal at all!

So, bottom line...would I buy these again? ABSOLUTELY! These liners are great and the price is even better! Take a look at your local Target (if you have one by you) - I just noticed the new end-cap yesterday. Included, there are 3-pks of the liquid eyeliners for $3. I believe in this set you get black, a charcoal shimmer and iridescent white shimmer.

Have you tried either e.l.f's cream or liquid eyeliners? What do you think? Which is your favorite?

CVS

FINALLY Wet 'n Wild Holiday Palettes Spotted at CVS

5:34 PM

Honestly, I paroozed the entire store and stumbled upon this display on the BOTTOM shelf in the very back corner of the store - nowhere near the cosmetics! I'm so happy I was bored and just wandering my CVS or I never would have found them!

Of course, with my CVS Bucks and a $4 of $20 coupon, I ended up buying all of them, so swatches forthcoming...

Bare Escentuals

e.l.f. All Over Sticks in Persimmon, Pink Lilac and Pink Lemonade

8:00 AM

**EDIT** I just realized I switched the labels for Persimmon and Pink Lemonade in all my pictures!

I recently ordered quite a few things from e.l.f. cosmetics, so you will be seeing quite an onslaught of posts regarding some new and older items of there's. The real reason for my order was due to my love of the tarte's Amazonia Cheek Stain in Perfect Rose I ordered about a month back in a set from QVC. Since then, I have come to appreciate cheek stains quite a bit more and wanted to try some other brands. The three I ordered from e.l.f. aren't specifically cheek stains, but instead are all over colors, so they can be used on the eyes, lips, and cheeks as well. I chose to order Pink Lemonade, Persimmon and Lilac Frost - at $1 a piece, if they weren't any good, I wasn't really out a whole lot, in my opinion.

Lilac Frost is just as you would think - a pale, frosty lilac, which to me almost looks bubble gum pink in the tube. Persimmon is a really neutral pink with frost, and Pink Lemonade is a berry pink with champagne shimmer. All three are swatched below, and really quite pretty. Pink Lemonade is very pigmented, so it needs a lighter touch so you don't look like a clown, where Persimmon and Lilac Frost are both pale enough shades that if you have a heavy hand, it's easy to correct when blending into the skin.

The texture and consistency in these are a bit dry, so for those of you that like the tarte cheek stains, but find them too *wet* for your skin, this would be a nice alternative. Too me, the dryness made them a little more difficult to work with than the tarte, but again, I don't really have a problem oily skin - in fact, in the winter mine can be a bit on the dry side. As I said, Pink Lemonade is quite pigmented, so you definitely get some bang for your buck based on the $1 price tag for these items. I also found that they wear quite well, and I am applying them over Bare Escentuals foundation, not just to naked skin. The e.l.f. have a slight fragrance - not that of cosmetics, but a true fruity scent. This isn't so strong that you smell it all day, instead it reminds me of how a lipgloss or lipstick might have a bit of a scent that you can detect when you smell the tube, but not once it is applied.

The three swatches are below - they are frosty, but I didn't think I looked like a disco ball when I used them on my cheeks. I was also a bit concerned that these might emphasize my pores, but they did not do that either. The sticks blended quite well into the skin, and gave a nice color to the cheeks. They also layered quite well over each other - I used Pink Lemonade as my cheek color, and then added Persimmon over the top as a highlight of sorts - it worked pretty well!

Like I said, I wanted to try these because I love the tarte cheek stains, so I thought I'd give you a little side-by-side for reference. Below is the tarte stain in The Perfect Rose, next to e.l.f. Pink Lemonade. The colors look pretty similar in the stick, but in the swatches farther down, you will be able to see that the really are quite different. As I said, I actually prefer the consistency of the tarte stains better, but for the price, the e.l.f. worked quite nicely. I think your preference will depend on 1) if you are willing to splurge on the tarte, and 2) if you have oily or dry skin.

The Perfect Rose is a much warmer shade than Pink Lemonade, and actually if I had layered the Persimmon on top of Pink Lemonade, I may have come a little closer to the shade of the tarte stick. But, as a point of reference, there are how the colors line up...

Over all, would I buy these again? Absolutely - the price is fantastic, and the colors are really pretty. I have worn all three on my cheeks, and Persimmon and Pink Lemonade on my lips. They worked just as well as lip sticks as they did cheek colors. I am very pleased with the quality, and although my skin is a little on the dry side now that the temps have dropped here in the Midwest, I found application to be easy and the colors lasted all day.

Have you tried these e.l.f. All Over Sticks? What is your favorite color?

Shakeup Your Makeup

e.l.f. Cyber Monday Sale Extended - 55% off Site Wide!

Hard Candy Meteor Eyes Baked Glitter Eyeshadows - Intergalactic, Lunar Eclipse and Space Cadet

My L'Oreal Haul from the CVS 75% of Sale

EOTD: Wet 'n Wild Pixie Palette "Night Elf"

EOTD: Wet 'n Wild Pixie Palette "Sugar Plum Fairy"

NOTD: e.l.f. Nail Polish "Rosy Raisin"

Wet 'n Wild Limited Edition Pixie Holiday Color Icon Palettes: Sugar Plum Fairy, Night Elf, Golden Goddess, & Snow Sprite

EOTD: NYX Secret World & e.l.f. Persimmon

e.l.f. Studio Blush "Gotta Glow" - Nars Albatross Dupe?

e.l.f. Shimmer Eyeliner Pencils

e.l.f. Cream Eyeliners in Metallic Olive, Copper, Gunmetal and Plum Purple & Liquid Eyeliner in Plum

FINALLY Wet 'n Wild Holiday Palettes Spotted at CVS

e.l.f. All Over Sticks in Persimmon, Pink Lilac and Pink Lemonade

About me

Follow me on IG:

recent posts

Blog Archive

Popular Posts

Like us on Facebook