Quick Review: elf Studio Minty Lip Gloss in New York City

Yes, another elf post! I ordered from them like 4 months ago and have quite a backlog of products still to post about. This lipgloss is... just okay. I wasn't blown away by it, but I'll probably wear it occasionaly. I think I would like it better if it was from the $1 line versus the $3 Studio line. It just feels cheap. The cap is just difficult enough to get off to be annoying. It doesn't twist off well but kind of squeaks along, if that makes sense. The gloss is definitely minty and makes my lips tingle. Those who are sensitive to mint probably won't like it. I normally love mint but don't really care for the smell of this. This gloss is petroleum based and I can smell the chemical-ness of the petroleum under the mint.
The gloss itself looks nice, although it is more sheer than I was expecting. It has a pretty shimmer that doesn't make the gloss feel gritty. Probably because of the texture- thick and a bit sticky. It isn't my favorite texture in a gloss, but it's okay. I don't think I would buy another of these glosses because they're a bit boring and the smell and texture aren't my favorite. On a scale of dog turds to fairy dust, this one gets a solid rating of grass clippings (AKA it is just mediocre). Sorry, I'm weird, haha.

elf Studio Minty Lip Gloss in New York City

elf Studio Minty Lip Gloss in New York City

elf Studio Minty Lip Gloss in New York City

elf Studio Minty Lip Gloss in New York City

Ingredients

Available:

• These retail for $3 and are available of elf's website.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Quick Review: elf Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Luminance

I know I always say this, but I've been sitting on this one awhile. I'm conflicted when it comes to elf products. Some are a pleasant surprise while others make me wish I had my dollar back. This one I liked. I'm just not super big on highlighters and rarely wear them. Yes, despite the word "Bronzer" in the product name, this is definitely more of a highlighter. This one is damn good for only $1. The texture is soft, it blends well, and actually gives a glow instead of looking like a glittery eyeshadow fell out on your cheeks. I think this would make a great brow bone highlighter as well.

elf Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Luminance

elf Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Luminance

elf Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Luminance

It looks pretty yellow in the heavy swatch on the left, but it doesn't show up that way when used as a highlighter on your face. Even the blended out swatch on the right is heavier than I would wear it. It blends out to a really pretty, not over the top, sheen.

Ingredients

Available:

• Retails for $1.00 for elf's website.

Thank you for reading and have great day/night/whatever!

Quick Review: elf Studio Blush in Pink Passion

Well, I'm pooped. The nice thing is that I get to sleep in tomorrow. No school, yay! The bad thing is that I have 3 more tests coming with two on Friday. It's probably not true, but I feel woefully unprepared. Then again, the first tests of the semester always make me feel that way.

My lack of time prompted these quick swatch/review posts that I'll be doing occasionally. I'll do this for products I feel don't need an in-depth review and I can just give a few quick thoughts on.

elf Studio Blush in Pink Passion

elf Studio Blush in Pink Passion

elf Studio Blush in Pink Passion

elf Studio Blush in Pink Passion

I wanted to love this blush because the color looked cool in the pan, but it just didn't work for me.  I am extremely pale so I tend to be pretty washed out looking most of the time, but this blush did nothing for my complexion. The color is like Pepto-Bismol (or Pink Bismuth as I'm too cheap to buy name brands), pastel yet almost neon at the same time.Plus, the texture is powdery and a bit chalky. It didn't want to "stick" to my skin that well and didn't last as long as blushes normally do on me.  I would be willing to try another blush from elf's studio line, but this one just didn't do it for me.

I tried it twice and hated it equally both times.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

elf Nicely Nude Mineral Lipstick Swatches and Review

School just started and I'm already behind! Being sick and having a non-functioning computer screwed me over so I'm rushing to catch up. Thank god today is a holiday so I can catch up on my reading!

Like usual for me, I've had this lipstick for awhile and have never posted about it. I even took the pictures and edited them and everything right after I got it. How do you guys feel about elf's products? For me, there are a few gems, but it seems like I am disappointed just as much as I am satisfied and I'm not quite sure the gamble is worth it for me anymore. I'll buy something if I see good reviews for it and I really HAVE to have it, but other than that I don't feel like I'm going to go out of my way to buy anything. Plus, I really hate how anytime you go to their website they send you an email saying "We Miss You!" It really rubs me the wrong way. I understand cookies and don't particular mind them in general, but sending me an email pestering me to buy after I have already visited your website just pisses me off. /end rant

elf Nicely Nude Mineral Lipstick

This lipstick is okay. If you can get it on sale it might be worth it, but I don't think I would want to pay full price, $5, for them. I think it's a pretty color and the formula is decent, but the packaging is really cheap and it arrived broken. The lipstick bullet was only superficially placed in the tube and dislodged with hardly any pressure the first time I used it. This isn't the first time I've had this issue with elf's lipsticks either. They were really good about sending me out replacements, but I've experienced so many quality control issues with elf I almost just don't want to go through the hassle of buying their products anymore.

elf Nicely Nude Mineral Lipstick

It looks okay doesn't it? but the next picture shows what happened when I used it the first time.

elf Nicely Nude Mineral Lipstick

I think maybe the formula is too soft and melty or something? Although it doesn't feel especially soft on the lips.

elf Nicely Nude Mineral Lipstick ingredients

Here are the ingredients. Some of the ingredients seem pretty nice for a cheaper lipstick, but if the products doesn't perform well, the ingredients don't particularly matter.

elf Nicely Nude Mineral Lipstick

elf Nicely Nude Mineral Lipstick

I like the color of this one, but I think I prefer elf's $1 lipsticks over these. They can be hit or miss as well, but it general I feel like the formula is better. Don't be fooled by how shiny it looks in the picture (the flash is a liar!). It applies fairly matte and feels pretty dry. I think this is because there is too much pigment in the lipstick and it affects the texture. The lipstick isn't particularly pigmented so I'm not sure why it seems this way. I think they need to work on improving the lipstick base as it definitely feels like it dries your lips out a bit, as well.

Overall, I like this lipstick and use it occasionally because I already own it, but I don't think I would buy it again. It just FEELS like a cheap lipstick when you're wearing it.

Available:

• I don't feel like getting my email spammed by elf by going to their website, but you can find these lipsticks there. They sell for $5.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Lip Layering Swatch Spam!

I've posted a lot of lip swatches lately, so I hope you guys don't mind. I'm not sure why, but lip swatches are my favorite to do. In reality I mostly wear just a quick slick of lip gloss, so doing swatching gives me chance to play with lip products I don't normally use. I have quite a few lipsticks that I know I will rarely or never wear so it's fun to pull them out and play from time to time.

So, I hope you enjoy my lip layering spam; it was fun to do. Even though my lips hurt now, haha.

This is Essence Creamy Nude lipstick under Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in Crystal Lilac.

This is Wet n Wild 516C lipstick under Buxom Tara lip gloss.

This is Rimmel En Vogue lipstick under Essence Bubble Babe lip gloss.

This is elf Studio Matte Coral lipstick under Kiss My Sass Caribbean Escape lip gloss.

This is NYX Rosebud lipstick under Kiss My Sass Summer Lovin' lip gloss.

This is Wet n Wild 509A lipstick under NYX African Queen lip gloss.

So that is it for today- just some swatch spam!

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

EOTD: Versailles' Old Gold

My final exam in my lab is tomorrow.  Man, these summer classes go by quick.  I hope I actually learned something, haha.  The good thing is I can make as low as an 60 on the final and still  make an A in my lab!  It's looking good for making an A in my lecture, too.  Yay me!  I start my second summer class class and lab for biology the day after my current class ends. I'm really looking forward to a break, but won't get one until December, when the fall semester is over. Ugh.
I wore this look to school last week.

This is MAC's Old Gold pigment on the lid and below the lower lash line, Antoinette's Revolution Cosmetics' Versailles eyeshadow in the crease, and MAC's Superslick liquid eyeliner in Desires & Devices on my upper lash line.

I don't actually own the full size of MAC's Old Gold pigment.  I asked my SA for a sample because I was thinking about buying the full size but she filled the sample jar so full I'm not sure I will even use the whole thing.  As much as I like Old gold, I love Antoinette's Revolution Cosmetics' Versailles eyeshadow even better.  It is so gorgeous and a definite must own.

Here is what I wore on my lips with this look:

This is elf Flirtatious lipstick under Essence's Rising Star lipgloss.


Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

elf's Studio Matte Lip Colors Swatches and Review

I've been curious about these matte lipsticks from elf for awhile but every time I looked they were out of stock.  So when I finally saw them back in stock I snapped them up.  I originally was going to buy all 4 colors, but I didn't think there was any way Praline would be flattering on me, no matter how much the completest (completionist?) in me wanted to buy it.
 The formula is pretty good.  They are matte, so they tend to be on the drier side, but that is to be expected.  The flash makes them look shinier than they actually are, but really are pretty matte.  One complaint is that the pencil is only .06 ounces (or 1.8 grams), which is about half the size of regular sized lipstick.  I probably won't even use one up anyway, but it still is something to think about.  Then again, these only retail for $3 so you could probably afford to buy more when one runs out!

The one I thought I would like the most- Coral, is actually my favorite.  Natural I might wear sometimes, and Tea Rose I will probably never wear unless I can find something to layer it with that looks decent.  Although I don't really think any of them look that great on me.  Coral and Natural are a bit too warm toned and Tea Rose looks like a weird brownish bruisey mauve purple that isn't flattering in the least.

Here is a size comparison next to one of elf' lipsticks from the essential's line (pretty much a standard sized lipstick).

From left- Coral, Natural, Tea Rose

elf Studio Matte lipstick in Coral

elf Studio Matte Lipstick in Natural

elf Studio Matte Lipstick in Tea Rose

Ingredients

Available:

• These retail for $3.00 and are sold on elf's website.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

elf's $1 Essential Lipsticks- Swatches and Review

I originally bought 2 of the $1 essential lipsticks from my local grocery store that carries elf.  I liked the formula, so the next time I placed an order on elf's website I ordered 2 of their newer lipstick colors.
It's strange, the newer colors seem to have a completely different formula than the older shades I bought in store.  I've already shown you in my review of elf' mineral eyeshadows how elf isn't very consistent in their products- the two mineral eyeshadow brushes I got were completely different from eachother.  I guess when selling things for so cheap, quality control isn't as stringent.  But Wet n Wild also has products in the same price range as elf's and I haven't seen the same consistency issues.  Sure there are Wet n Wild products I don't like, but at least I can be more sure the reason is not just because I got an off product.

Because of the differences between the 2 sets of lipsticks I swatched them separately.

elf Lipstick in Seductive and Gypsy

The first two lipsticks I bought- Seductive and Gypsy, I really liked.  They were a little more sheer than the second set I bought, but still left a good amount of color on my lips.  The lipsticks themselves were a little dry, but not drying on my lips, if that makes sense.  I don't feel like I need to put on lip balm before wearing the lipstick.  These lipsticks dragged a bit across my lips when I applied them, but they didn't apply streaky and I didn't have to apply a bunch of layers to get the color payoff I wanted.

elf Lipstick in Seductive and Gypsy

elf Lipstick in Seductive and Gypsy

elf Lipstick in Seductive and Gypsy

elf Lipstick in Seductive

elf Lipstick in Gypsy

elf Lipstick in Flirtatious and Sociable

The second two lipsticks, the ones I bought off elf's website, were quite different.  Both are very pigmented and look pretty in pictures, but that about as far as I can go in giving praise.  These were very creamy and soft.  TOO creamy and soft as both lipstick bullets have pretty much dislodged from the tube.  I have to be very careful when applying them as they tend to squish down.  I had this problem more with the color Flirtatious (the bubblegum pink color).  But Sociable had it's own problems.  You can't tell in the picture, but Sociable is incredible gritty.  I couldn't figure out why this was as it looks like a cream finish lipstick.  When I removed it I discovered that the grittiness was tons of huge flaky silver glitter.  The lipstick is so pigmented that you can't see the glitter at all, it just looks like gross chunks of gross.  Yes, gross chunks of gross.

I'm not really sure if these last two lipsticks were just a fluke, but I emailed elf and they are sending me new ones.  If they are any different I will update the review.

elf Lipstick in Flirtatious and Sociable

elf Lipstick in Flirtatious and Sociable

I'm frustrated you can't see the chunkiness of Sociable in the swatch.  But trust me it's there, and it looks really ugly.

elf Lipstick in Flirtatious

elf Lipstick in Sociable

The ingredients

Overall, I would recommend the first two shades, Seductive and Gypsy.  I like the color of Flirtatious, but it was way too soft.  And Sociable just felt gross because of the grit.  Luckily elf is really good about sending out new products if the ones you bought were defective.  But this has happened to me several time already.  It seems like it would be easier for them just to have better quality control to begin with...


Available:

• These lipsticks retail for $1 and are available on elf's website (I'm not going to link to them because every time I go to their website they send me an annoying email).  You can also find these at stores that carry the $1 elf essential line.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!