Post Project 10 Pan Makeup Haul!

Hey, y'all! So as you know, I finished my Project 10 Pan last week! Woot! So, since I'm going to go back on a makeup buying ban, I bought several things- mostly pretty inexpensive, but a couple high end thrown in. The majority of the products are shown above, but I also bought something after these and have an order for some other things.

So, I'm just going to talk about the products individually and give mini-reviews as well as discuss the products I haven't gotten yet. 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer- Porcelain

So, this was one of my high-end purchases. I've never tried a tinted moisturizer, but I wanted something lighter than foundation because it's almost summer and I want to be a bit nicer to my (very acne-prone) skin. Plus, it's oil free, so it's not going to oil up my face. I saw several reviews on Youtube saying that this was really great as far as tinted moisturizers go. However... I'm returning this on Saturday. I tested it in-store and thought it looked like a good color match, but when I got it home and looked at it in the natural light... NOPE. Way dark and brown on my skin, and it's the lightest shade. Normally, I'd try to make it work, but I have reached my threshold of too-dark face products and I don't want to waste my money on something expensive that I'm probably not going to use. I can't really give much of a review on this, since it was way too dark for me to wear out of the house, but I can say that a lot of people really like this. Yay for return policies!

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

I've been wanting to get this one for quite a while, because several of my favorite beauty gurus on Youtube have been raving about Real Techniques Brushes, especially this specific brush. It's really dense and great for packing on powder foundations for maximum coverage. I haven't gotten to use this enough to get a great feel for it (partially because I've been obsessing over another applicator that you'll see soon), but so far I really like it.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

Stipple brushes have always been my preference for applying liquid foundation. My most recent favorite has been the e.l.f. small stipple brush, but I really like this one, possibly more than the e.l.f. one. This one is a little larger than the e.l.f. one, and is made a bit better. Also, the longer white hairs don't stick together as badly as the ones in the e.l.f. brush, allowing it to go a bit longer between cleanings. Overall, I really like this. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation

Per usual, I have the lightest shade of this. I compared it to my Revlon ColorStay and noticed that even though the Ivory shade of ColorStay (the lightest shade) has a slight pinky undertone, it pales (terrible pun) in comparison to this. It's very very pinky undertoned. As far as formulation goes, it definitely didn't stay put as long as I expected it to. Even after setting it with powder, it only stayed in place a few hours. But I'll play around with it in the next few weeks and see what I can get out of it. One good thing I have to say about this is that it has a pretty decent light shade range. This is definitely quite a bit lighter than the lightest shade of most foundations I come across, especially considering that it's a drugstore foundation for about $5. So if you're pale like I am, and have pinky undertones, I'd give this a try. When given the choice between amazing staying power and great color-match, I'd go for color match every time. But that's just my opinion, as a person who can rarely find a light-enough foundation.

 Rimmel Stay Matte Translucent Powder

This was a purchase that was less from curiosity and more from necessity. Even though I had a translucent setting powder as part of my Project 10 Pan, I completed that within about a month and then went back to using my Rimmel Stay Matte, which previously had been almost completely full...

Yeah, I can't really get my big fluffy brush in there very well anymore. It was best just to move on and get a new one while I was buying other makeup. As for a review, this is my favorite setting powder. I say this a million times every single makeup post, but I'm really pale, so it's hard to find a face powder that matches. The fact that it's translucent is really great, and I've found that it actually is translucent, unlike some others I've tried. 

Wet & Wild Eye Shadow Palette- Comfort Zone

I know what you're thinking- how on earth did I not already have this?! Well, put simply, I didn't discover how great these shadows were until recently, and at that point I'd just gotten a Naked 2 palette and didn't want to buy anymore neutral eye shadows since a Naked palette is such an investment. I'm sure I'm going to get great use out of this because I like neutral colors. The only one I don't expect to get good use out of is the green color simply because I just don't like green eye shadow. But I'm really excited about that interesting color in the bottom right- is it brown? Is it blue? Is it some really weird combination? Not sure but it's really pretty. I'm also extra excited for the lighter browns and taupe. Not sure that black is going to see much action, but I'm sure it'll get more than the green.

Wet & Wild Eye Shadow Trio- Silent Treatment

It's kinda like a smaller version of comfort zone. I got it mostly for the top and bottom shades. As you might have realized, I like pretty neutral eye colors. Nothing too terribly dark. But I can work with that dark color and see what happens. Overall, Wet & Wild shadows are really great quality and I'm excited to get into both this and Comfort Zone.

Rimmel ScandalEyes Eyeliner- Nude

I was really excited to get this, because of everything I've heard from my favorite beauty vloggers. Using this in the waterline is supposed to be a quick way to widen your eyes and look more awake. As a blogger who is also taking a 19 hour college semester, looking more awake is always appreciated. However, immediately when I used it, I realized a problem...

Will my pale skin ever cease to be a problem? This is darker than my skin, so when I use it in my waterline, it's very visible because it's such a different color. From far away, it does make my eyes look wider and more awake, but you get closer and it's incredibly obvious and looks silly. I really want to try to make it work, because I think it would be a really quick morning makeup trick even on days when I'm not putting on makeup, but if I can't either find a lighter one from a different brand or make this work, I don't think I'm going to be so lucky. 

NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray

I've been eyeing this one for a long, long time. The more matte finish on my face, the better. The longer I can get my makeup to last, the better. I've seen so many beauty vloggers talk about how great this is, and I'm really glad that I've finally been able to get my hands on it. I really like the way my face looks after using it, and I definitely think it helps my makeup stay on for longer. Most people wouldn't be that excited about this, but I was because my skin gets so oily and just eats through my makeup, so this helps a lot.

Beauty Blender

Remember earlier, when I mentioned an applicator I was obsessing over? I was talking about this. It took me a little while to figure out how exactly to use it and what kind of foundation to use with it, but once I figured it out, I fell in love. I really like the natural finish that this gives my foundation. I'm not going to go into any more details because I already did a review of this where I compared this to the CVS knock-off. You can click HERE if you'd like to check that out and find out more about the benefits of the Beauty Blender. It's quickly becoming my favorite way to apply my foundation. 

 So, that's it for the items I've actually purchased so far. I'm not sure yet whether or not I'm going to order something on the NYX website or go to Ulta. They get their NYX shipments on Thursdays, and are sold out of what I want by Friday, but I'm unable to get there on most Thursdays... so I may just order what I want. However, the NYX site gives free shipping if your order is more than 25 and one of the items I want to buy to get up to the $25 is sold out currently. So basically, what I'm going to get depends on whether or not the item I want comes back into stock before I can get to Ulta.

OK, so there you go! I hope you enjoyed this little post- project 10 pan haul! Hopefully, if I have time this week, I plan on posting about my makeup storage and how I've changed it around with new products and getting rid of products, plus a new section I've added on. Basically, I'm shoving makeup down your throat this week. I promise it won't be this makeup heavy for much longer!

Anyway, if you enjoy my posts, I'd love it if you would subscribe/follow, since it lets me know you're liking what I'm doing. See y'all back here either Thursday or Saturday!

Products I Regret Buying (Part 2)

Hey, y'all! Today, I'm going to be doing part two of the products I regret buying!

If you haven't read part 1, you can click HERE to check it out!

A couple weeks ago, I talked about the products I regret buying because of things like incorrect color or other problems that aren't due to the quality of the product.This post is going to be the products I regret buying because I don't like it or think that it's not a great product, so it's mostly problems with formulation or design.

Disclaimer: Just as everyone says, this is just my opinion. Some of these, I regret purely because of shade or personal preference. I get really bothered when people use the words "horrible", "terrible" or "hate" to explain why they don't like something. Something that doesn't work for me may work for someone else. There are definitely products on this list that I wouldn't recommend to anyone ever, because I just don't believe the quality is there. BUT, I'll try to explain myself as thoroughly as possible and if you find me using the aforementioned words, please point it out to me, because I don't want to come off as bashing products.

Rimmel Clean Finish Foundation

I tried this out because it was only 3 or 4 dollars, so if I didn't like it, I wasn't wasting much money. Honestly, I'm really glad I didn't spend more than that, because I don't think it's even worth that. I don't think that the paddle is very good at getting the makeup out. I actually don't get the packaging being used like that . I also don't especially enjoy the foundation. To me, it felt far too thick and a bit gloopy, both when applying it and after it has been completely applied. Per usual, it was too dark for my skin, but for once, that was the least important issue to me this time. I would probably have to say that this is my least favorite foundation I've tried.

e.l.f. Zit Zapping Concealer

If you saw my elf haul post, you'll know that I had A LOT to say about this product. I'm going to try really hard to be nice about this product, because I really, really, dislike it. I'll start with the packaging. I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to have huge problems with this "click-up" form of packaging. These little tubes seem to never work correctly. Often, I'll have to click it 8 or 9 times before product will come out, and then 8 or 9 clicks worth of product will ooze out. Then, when you put the cap back on, even more oozes out. I just don't think this packaging works for any product.

On to the actual formulation. This product is very very thick and difficult to blend. I bought it because I thought it would be great to conceal blemishes, reduce their redness, and (according to the packaging) zap the zits. However, it's so thick that rather than eliminating redness, it turns everything green. A little of it goes way too far. On top of all these aspects, it also had a strong Noxema scent and was almost impossible to remove from my skin. I tried so many times to make it work, but I just couldn't, and I couldn't find any redeeming qualities to it.

e.l.f. Loose Eye Shadow

The big fail with this product is the packaging, but I honestly can't tell you how good the product inside is, because I simply can't get it out. The eye shadow is all in the cap and there's a sponge on the end of a springy wand, which is supposed to get the product both from the cap and onto your eye. It's a nice idea to have the product and applicator all wrapped up into one packaging, but it simply doesn't work. It's hard to get the shadow out because the applicator is springy. The sponge is tiny, so it's really hard to get the product onto your eye. Those two things combined make it nearly impossible to get anything onto my eye or even see how good the product is, which is really sad because the color looks so pretty. Also, this definitely isn't a loose shadow, because it's all packed down into that little purpley part of the cap that you'll see in the picture above.

e.l.f. 3 in 1 Lengthen, Define, & Volume Mascara

I thought this might be really great because the brush is such an interesting shape, but while I liked that, I wasn't a huge fan of the formulation. After putting it on, it looked like I had about 5 lashes. It's not clumpy, but it did stick my lashes together, which certainly is not defining or volumizing. I feel like this brush might be good if used with a different mascara.

e.l.f. Precision Liquid Eyeliner

This is the $3 liner from elf's studio line, but I honestly feel like the $1 eyeliner is much better. This is partially due to the brush, and partially due to the formulation. This brush is larger than the brush on the other one, and I think that's its downfall. Although this is the precision liner, the other one is able to be much more precise. I find it very hard to get a thin enough line with this. I also think that this liner is far too wet. It took a very long time for it to dry- much longer than a liquid liner should.

Wet n Wild H20 Proof Liquid Eyeliner

Once again, my problem is both with the formulation and the applicator. The actual eyeliner is fairly thin and watery, and the applicator is very stiff. I feel like the stiffness of the tip makes it too difficult to apply the eyeliner, especially with how thin the eyeliner is. It seems like it practically scrapes it off as it's being applied.

e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen

While it's certainly easier to apply this eyeliner than the other eyeliners I've mentioned so far, it's almost impossible to get two good lines in a row, which is extremely problematic. I'm not sure if it's only the applicator or the actual product, but it simply doesn't work. I bought a second one to see if it was just this one, but the second one had the same application problem.

EOS Lip Balm: Strawberry

These products are so big and I'm sure some people will be upset that I'm putting this on here. Aside from the strawberry, I also have the lemon. I'm not sure if my strawberry was a dud, because the two balms are very different textures and consistencies. The lemon is very smooth and hydrating, and I really enjoy it. My strawberry, however, is really waxy and not very hydrating at all. It feels like it sits on my lips and doesn't do much. And the strawberry scent is also not very pleasant for me.

e.l.f. Hypershine Gloss

I really like the color of this gloss (fairy), because it's a really natural pink shade. The problem I have with this gloss is that it's very thick and sticky, and I feel like it just doesn't feel comfortable to wear on my lips. I only used it a few times to review it, and just haven't used it since, because I don't like the feeling of it. Another strike this has against it is the packaging. As stated earlier, the click-up style of packaging is one that I'm not a fan of.

e.l.f. Super Glossy Lip Shine

I bought the clear one just for something to put in my purse, but it quickly moved back out of my purse. Just like the hypershine gloss, this is very very thick and sticky. I bought the second one to see if maybe a different color would make a difference, but it felt exactly the same. Although the hypershine gloss and super glossy lip shine are different products, they seem like the exact same product in different packages.

e.l.f. Total Face Brush

This brush just doesn't seem to have any actual purpose. The bristles are very scratchy and extremely sparse, so it doesn't really spread anything well, and it doesn't feel good on the skin. I just don't think it's worth buying, even though it's only a dollar. 

So, there you go, a handful of products I regret buying! I bought a lot of these without looking to see reviews or anything, which I've decided is never a good thing. Often, I don't buy any makeup product unless a beauty guru I trust has said it's good. Or I see them recommend things and it convinces me to buy it.

Hope you enjoyed reading! What products do you have that you regret buying? Let me know in the comments! If you like my posts, I would really appreciate if you'd follow/subscribe, as it lets me know you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all Saturday for the next chapter of The Secret Lightning Scar!

10 Products I Would Repurchase

Hey, y'all! I saw a bunch of youtuber gurus doing this tag, and decided to try it myself. I've seen it done a couple of ways. The one that seems to be the original way is that if ALL of my makeup was stolen, lost, burned in a fire, whatever, what 10 products I would go out and repurchase immediately. I'm also not sure whether or not brushes are supposed to be included in this. Although brushes are super important to my routine, I've never seen a video where they included brushes, so I'm assuming that I'm not supposed to include them. However, if you'd like to see me do one of these with brushes included, let me know, and I'll probably do it!

I tried to be really realistic as to which products I chose. Like, logically I would purchase all of the different steps for a full routine, but being myself, I would probably go for things I like and can get really easily. So for that reason, this is certainly NOT my "holy grail" products Also, I have no idea which of these products is most important, so I'll just do it in the order that I put it on in the morning. So, let's get started!

#1: Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer

Up until about a week ago, I had been using a different primer with a green tint which was meant for eliminating redness. My acne has significantly cleared up, thus making my face less red, and I'd heard this was really great, so I decided to try it. I really really love this. My skin is very soft after using it, and I've noticed that it has helped my makeup stay on longer. So, this would be a very fast repurchase. 

#2: Revlon ColorStay Combo/Oily- Ivory 110

I cannot say enough good things about this foundation. This stuff is just amazing. The range of colors is GREAT. I always need the palest shade, so I love having an actually light color. Also, it always seems like the lightest color in any given line has a yellowy undertone, but I have a pinky undertone, so that simply doesn't work. This is more neutral or pinky than yellowy, so that works great for me. Also, there's almost no way to beat this in staying power. I have combo/ oily skin, so by the end of the day, any other foundations are gone. But this manages to stay all day long. I've gone through so many foundations trying to find one that works for both my skin tone and type, and I'm so glad I finally found this. If this was stolen, I would go repurchase this in a heartbeat. 

#3: Rimmel Stay Matte- 001 Translucent

I went back and forth on what powder to put on this list. I use both this one and my L'Oreal True Match (in C1) quite a bit. At first, I thought about choosing the True Match even though it's expensive (About $9 or 10 vs. 4) because it can easily get really great coverage. But, if I have my Revlon ColorStay, I'll have all the coverage I need and then some! The Stay Matte is translucent, less expensive, and just super easy to use. So it's definitely my choice.

#4: e.l.f. Eyeliner & Shadow Stick- Black/Smoke

I strongly STRONGLY considered choosing my Mary Kay black eyeliner, because it's a really great eyeliner. However, I recently discovered these eyeliner/ shadow duos, and I feel like it's almost as good as the Mary Kay eyeliner. The e.l.f. duo is also a lot easier to buy- I can purchase it at either Target or Walmart, as opposed to purchasing the Mary Kay online and waiting for it to arrive. Also, the Mary Kay eyeliner is $12 versus $3 for an eyeliner AND eye shadow. So I'd repurchase the duo ASAP.

#5: e.l.f. compact

I have palettes that I like better, but they're more expensive. This is only $5 because each eye shadow is $1, as well as the compact itself. Some people may consider this 5 different things, but since the compact does nothing on its own, and the eye shadows were made to be put into the compact, I'm counting it as one.. I'd repurchase Pink Ice (top left), Peach Fizz (top right), and Driftwood (bottom left). I'm not a fan of Moondust (bottom right) so I'd probably replace it with Dusk or Taupe.

#6: e.l.f. Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara

I use this every day, and I love it. I don't really use the lash side, but I use the brow side all the time. It's readily available, and super cheap, so I'd repurchase it quickly. 

#7: Almay Color + Care Liquid Lip Balm- 200 Nudetrients

This is probably my favorite lip product. It's not too thick and sticky. I absolutely LOVE the color. It's a very natural color- skintoned but pinky, and just perfect for a natural lip. I really like the formula and the amount of color. A definite repurchase for me.

#8: L'Oreal True Match Blush- C1-2

Once again, I like another blush better than this one, but the other one I'd have to purchase online, and I would probably go out and buy this one rather than ordering the other blush, because I would want it immediately. I'm not a patient person.

#9: Maybelline Volum' Express One By One Mascara

I have yet to find one mascara that I prefer over all others. Overall, Maybelline makes good mascara, and this is the one I'm using currently, so I'd probably just go and buy it again. Or I'd try out CoverGirl's LashBlast mascara, because I heard it was really great. Actually, I'd probably do that... but this is a REpurchase, not just purchase. So the Maybelline is fine.

#10: e.l.f. Eyeliner & Shadow Stick- Brown/Basic

No, you aren't seeing double! Well, kinda, but it's not the same thing! I really debated on what to put last. And I definitely thought about putting a concealer on here, but I realized my ColorStay's coverage doesn't need to be used with concealer if I'm being totally honest. So, of course, I'd want to get more eyeliner. Because if there's any beauty product I can never have enough of, it's eyeliner. And the eye shadow with it is good too, so really: WHY NOT? It's $3 and it's great.

So, there you go: the 10 products I'd repurchase first if all of my makeup was stolen/disappeared/ whatever. As said before, many of these are not even my favorites in their category, they just happen to be pretty good, inexpensive, and very accessible. Because I feel like in my life, I'd want to take one trip to Target or Walmart, purchase all 10 of these, and then just buy the other essentials and more expensive stuff along the way. 

Also, as a follow-up to this, I'm going to be doing a "Products I Regret Buying" post. That one will NOT be limited to 10 products, mostly because I regret A LOT of purchases. Oops. Anyway, thanks for reading this, and make sure to tell me in the comments what you thought of my choices. What would your 10 products be? Also, keep an eye out for the Products I Regret Buying post, coming soon!

HUGE E.L.F. Makeup Review

Hey, y'all! So, over the summer, as I got into testing different brands of makeup, I discovered E.L.F. makeup. I'm actually shocked that I hadn't found out about it before, because it's SUPER cheap (Most products are 1-3 dollars!) and quality-wise, I find it to be better than a lot of the other brands in the drug store, even though it's the least expensive. So, since then, I've been gradually accumulating more and have decided it's about time to do a review of them, so let's get started!

Eyes:

Disclaimer about ALL eye shadows: For each eye shadow, I swatched it once with the ELF Professional eye shadow brush (which will be the top line), the ELF C shadow brush (the middle line), and then just with my finger to show the true pigment. 

3-in-1 Mascara:

This Mascara claims to do 3 things: Lengthen, Define, and Volumize. I disagree. Usually, I'm not a huge stickler about my mascara. It's not super important to me as long as it's not completely clumpy. However, this mascara made it look like I had about 5 eyelashes. It wasn't clumpy, but it certainly did not define my eyelashes at all. I like the overall design of the brush because it makes it easier to get the baby lashes, but I just did not like the way the mascara looked. I think if the bristles on the brush were longer, it would've worked out better.

Baked Eye Shadow (Dusk): 

I'm a sucker for grey/silver eyeshadow, and I like the color of this one. It works as well as my silver Mary Kay eye shadow for half the price. If the other colors of this line work as well as this one, I'd definitely recommend them. You can't go wrong for $3! As you can see, the C eye shadow brush from the $3 studio line got the pigment the best. However, the professional eye shadow brush spread it out a bit more and made it a bit lighter which is a bit better for a more everyday look.

Black Liquid Eyeliner:

I'm admittedly not the best at applying liquid liner, but I really like this liquid liner. It's a really nice black, and you don't have to do multiple coats. I have yet to perfect the application, but I really like the brush because it's very flexible and easy to work with, and I really like it.

Brown Eyeliner Pen: 

That nice brown line looks really great, right? Unfortunately, that lasts for approximately one more line. It's a felt tip, and it doesn't work well for long. The tip didn't stay very pointy, and the eyeliner doesn't go on well after the first line or two. It's legitimately like a pen running out of ink within two swipes. It's a good pigment and consistency, but it just doesn't apply well.

Precision Liquid Eyeliner- Black:

I don't think precision was the right word for this. It's very very liquidy and the brush, though small, is large enough that it spread the eyeliner too thick. When I tried to apply it, it stayed very wet for too long. The cheaper black eyeliner worked much better! 

Pink Ice Eye Shadow: 

I really like how natural this looks on my super pale skin. Unfortunately, when I swatched it, it didn't show up well enough in picture. But I like that it's natural and sparkly!

Peach Fizz Eye Shadow:

Once again, it really works when going for a natural look. When swatched, it looks a bit more orangey than I like, but it's a nice sparkly light brown. I feel like the $1 Professional Eye Shadow Brush did a better job with this one than with some other eye shadows. It got the true pigment well, but I still think the C brush performed a bit better.

Driftwood Eye Shadow:

Can you tell I usually go for more natural eye shadows?  I enjoy natural colors with sparkle and this one is really great. I also was more impressed with the C brush (again). I think the eye shadow came off a bit chunky with the $1 brush, whereas the C brush was very smooth.

Moondust Eye Shadow:

Not sure why this one isn't as good as the other 3, but I don't really like this one as much. It's just a touch too dark, in my opinion, and I didn't like it as much as the driftwood color. Once again, I feel like the $1 brush applied the eye shadow a bit chunky. I really like how smooth the C brush applied the eye shadow, but it's still not my favorite.

Here's my full compact, which is only $1! I like that it comes with a mirror and it's really convenient that it's magnetic, so the eye shadows won't fall out. I haven't tried the sponges, because I really don't like applying makeup with a sponge. One complaint I do have about ALL of these eye shadows in the compact is that they come apart very quickly, so there's a lot of broken up eye shadow laying around on it. If you look at the driftwood one (bottom left) you can see what I'm talking about a bit. 

Eyelid Primer:

I've seen a lot of ELF reviews, and people are kinda mixed about this product, but I personally really like it. I've never used an eyelid primer before, but I feel like it's good quality and it's just a dollar. I have a reddish birthmark over my right eye, so I use this every day to get a natural skin tone on my eye, even when I don't put on eye shadow. I really enjoy this!

Eyeliner & Shadow Stick- Brown, Black: 

This is possibly the best product I've tried from Elf. I absolutely love both of the colors that I've tried. The brown eyeliner is one of the better brown eyeliners I've tried. A lot of the time, I find that I have to use a lot of  pressure to apply brown eyeliner, but this glided right on. And the eye shadow that comes with it is a really great natural and sparkly eye shadow. In my opinion, the black one is even better. I really love silver eye shadows, so I really like the one that comes with the black liner. The black eyeliner applies really easily and is just as good as my $10 Mary Kay eyeliner, and I've never found any eyeliner that comes close to my Mary Kay black liner. It's also a retractable liner, which is my favorite to use because you don't have to sharpen it and it's easy to apply. I've seen people complain that it smudges or loses color throughout the day, but I've found that it stays put well. My SINGLE complaint is that both of the liners have broken off on the inside. But that doesn't bother me so much because I can still apply it just as well. I'm really surprised that I've never seen anyone review this on an Elf haul or review, because I think it's really great!

 Jumbo Eye Shadow Stick: 

As you can see in the picture, these are very pigmented. Each swatch was just one swipe. Generally, I don't like eye shadow to be THIS pigmented, but I've found that it's fairly easy to smudge it out and make it a bit thinner. The lightest color, Little Miss Thing, is really great for a subtle eye shadow. The brown, Turkish Coffee, is great because it's a good brown, with just the slightest sparkle. My personal favorite is the metallic, Rock Out!, because I really like having metallic eye shadow. The black stick, Midnight Rendezvous, is my least favorite. It can be thinned out and made a bit more grey, but it's very hard, and it's very very black. As much as I like these colors, I don't use them much because the stick form is very hard to apply correctly and evenly because it's not a powder. So, if you want something really pigmented and are willing to put in the time and energy to apply it correctly, I'd say to go for it!

 Loose Eye Shadow- Rock Candy:

This is one of the biggest disappointments I've had from elf. The stick part with the sponge on the end is actually a spring, and the sponge is squished into the eye shadow while screwed closed. It's called loose shadow, but the sponge makes it as if it's a pressed powder. It's so hard to get more product on the sponge because you really can't control that far into the cap. And once you get it onto the sponge, it doesn't apply well because when you apply pressure on the sponge, it pushes the spring in rather than getting the shadow onto the skin. I think the eye shadow has a good color, but I can't tell for sure because it's utterly unusable.

Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Mascara:

I use the brow side on a daily basis, and I never use the lash side. As you can see, the lash side is still nice and clear, but the brow side got a bit murky looking. I wasn't sure whether this was normal or not, so I went ahead and purchased a second one and have been using that. I really like how it keeps my eyebrow hairs exactly where they need to be all day. And it's only $1, which is just absolutely great!

Eyebrow Lifter & Filler- Dark/Ivory:

I don't really use the ivory lifter side, but I like the filler side. I have fairly patchy eyebrows, and I like that even the dark comes with the ivory color, because I have dark brows and very pale skin.

Lips:

Hypershine Lip Gloss- Fairy:

I really like the color of this gloss. It's a soft pink that I think is really wearable on an everyday basis. I also really like the brush. However, I really don't like the packaging. I much prefer lip glosses that have a wand. The twisty ones always come out very uneven and too much always comes out. I'm also not a fan of the thickness and stickiness of this gloss. It's very thick and very sticky, so I really don't use it much because I just really don't enjoy the texture.

Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick- Nude:

I like the color of this gloss, and I think that it's more matte like a lipstick. It's not too thick. It looks great from far away. It looks too thin when you get really close, but from a normal distance, I think it looks great.

Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick- Summer Nights:

This color is a natural pinky color with some sparkle, which I like. The texture is just as good as the nude color, but I personally like the nude color a  bit better.

As you can see, the Summer Nights color is a bit more pink and sparkly, and they're both very natural, smooth, and I like that they aren't extremely pigmented since they're more natural.

Lip Balm- Pink:

I really love this lip balm. It's a really nice light pink, and it doesn't fade super quickly. For me, it's one of the better elf lip products.

 Lip Balm- Nude:

The texture of this lip balm is just as good as the pink one, but this color is NOT nude. If anything, it's an orangey color. And I don't know about y'all, but I don't really want orangey lips.

Lip Exfoliator:

The lip exfoliator is supposed to be really good for your lips to repair them. I liked this for the first two uses. It has a nice vanilla flavor and is really smooth. After it got worn down a bit, it got to just the little exfoliating beads, with none of the soft lip stuff around it, so it just felt rough and I did not enjoy using it.  So it's nice, but not for long.

Lip Stain- Nude Nectar:
This might be natural for someone a bit darker than me, but I think it's too reddish for it to be a natural shade. But, as far as a stain, it definitely worked well. I really like how it dried and stayed well.

Luscious Liquid Lipstick- Baby Lips:

I feel like this is definitely more of a lip gloss than lipstick. And compared to the gloss mentioned all the way at the top, this is definitely much better. It's a bit thinner of a formula and isn't anywhere near as sticky, which is great! I don't like the color as much as the lip gloss, and I don't like the applicator as much as the brush. Once again, I don't like the twist design, but the product inside of it is a pretty good quality.

Luscious Liquid Lipstick- Pink Lemonade:

The formula is just as good as the other one, but I don't like the color quite as much, because I don't usually go for a bolder lip look.

Matte Lip Color- Nude:

I really like nude lip colors and was really hoping this matte lip color would be good. Unfortunately, this was just really thick and didn't look good at all. It was just really cakey and unpleasant.

Matte Lip Color- Rich Red:

I got this one after the nude one because I wanted to see if the other matte lip colors were as thick and cakey, and surprisingly, this one wasn't! This one had a great color and had a good texture.

Super Glossy Lip Shine- Angel:

As stated earlier, I like natural lips, so I definitely had to try their clear lip gloss. I was not impressed. Like their other lip gloss, this was too thick and too sticky. Surprisingly, it was even worse than the Hypershine Lip Gloss.

Super Glossy Lip Shine- Pink Kiss:

I bought this one to see if the color of the lip gloss changed the quality of the product, since I know that has happened with other products. Unfortunately, however, this had the same stickiness and thickness as the angel color.

  Face:

Clarifying Pressed Powder- Ivory:

I got it in the lightest shade, and it was definitely more yellowy on my skin than in the container. I also didn't feel like it did really anything to my skin. It was like I'd never even put it on. Also, there's a little puff that comes with it, and it was basically worthless.

All Over Color Stick- Persimmon/ Pink Lemonade:

This has a very strong scent. It's kinda sweet. I don't dislike the scent, but I'm not a big fan of makeup having scents. This is supposed to be used all over the face (eyes, lips, cheeks, etc.) but I'm not a fan. I think there are reasons why we have separate products for those areas. This has the consistency of a lip balm, and I know that for me, it would feel weird to have lip balm on my cheeks. It just feels too thick and wet. I like the color of both of them but I feel like the only way they can really be used is as a lip product.

Contouring Blush and Bronzer:

And now we come to the product that EVERYONE is raving about. If I were really into cheek color and contouring, I feel like I would be raving about it too. However, I'm much more into foundations and eye products. I like the blush. I think it's a really nice color, especially since I have paler skin. However, the bronzer is definitely too dark for me. Also, it's a bit sparkly, and I'm not sure bronzer is really supposed to be sparkly. If you're into cheeks, I'd definitely check this out!

Cover Everything Concealer- Ivory:

Just like the pressed powder, this is too yellowy. This is another of my elf let-downs. Besides the color, the consistency is not great. It feels very thick, but it doesn't conceal very well. It's also a bit hard to get the product out unless you really scrape at it with the brush.

 Shimmering Facial Whip- Lilac Petal:

My complaints about this are the same as the all-over face sticks. It has the same scent and has the texture of lip gloss. Basically, this seems to just be a more liquidy version of the all-over face stick.

HD Powder:

This is a product that people seem to be very divided on. People either love it or they hate it. I thought it seemed interesting, so I got it. Unfortunately, I just wasn't a fan. First off, everyone agrees that it's really messy. And honestly, that's an understatement. Don't open this while wearing black. It gets everywhere just by opening it. Although I don't like puffs, the one it comes with is actually a really nice puff. I'm not sure why so many people thought that this made their skin feel really soft. My skin felt very chalky after applying this. Later in the day, it felt soft, but I'm not sure if that's from the product getting softer or the product not staying on my face. I'm betting on the latter.

Studio Blush- Tickled Pink
I'm not a huge blush person, and since testing this, I haven't really used it. It's a bit chalky, and I'm not sure how much I like this color on my skin. Also, the packaging on this fell apart the night I bought it. The little plastic window fell out almost immediately after opening this. I also know that this has happened to other people, so the packaging on this is just a bit shoddy.

Studio Concealer- Ivory
This is a bit better than most stick concealers, which are usually too thick and chalky, but it's still definitely not my favorite.

Tone Correcting Concealer- Ivory

I like this concealer more than the studio concealer, actually. It has a similar scent to the facial whip and all-over color stick, but more subtle. It also covers really well, and isn't cakey since it's a fairly thin liquid.

Tone Correcting Powder- Cool
Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of this. Like many of the Elf face powders, I think this is very chalky. And it definitely didn't do any tone correcting. So it didn't really serve a purpose for me.

 Translucent Mattifying Powder
The fact that it's translucent is good for me, because it's very hard to find something to match my skin tone. Overall, it's a pretty good mattifying powder. There are some that I prefer, for a comparable price, but this isn't bad.

 Zit-Zapping Concealer- Green

This is one of my biggest makeup disappointments of all-time, let alone just in this elf haul. I tried really hard, but couldn’t find any redeeming qualities to this concealer. The click tube packaging takes several twists (even after several uses) to get any product, and once the product starts coming out, it doesn’t stop when you stop turning the clicker. I also noticed after a couple tries that it had a fairly strong Noxzema-type scent. The concealer is extremely thick and unblendable. It’s supposed to be a corrective green, but even on very red and irritated skin, all that shows up is green. A little of this product goes way too far. I tried several times and was never able to get it to blend into my skin. It just sat on top of my skin, bright green. I had to laugh and think that it worked well as Wicked Witch of the West makeup, but it faded to a less “witch-like” green after a couple minutes, so it can’t even be used for that purpose. As an added bonus, it’s impossible to remove it from your skin. After doing the swatch, I had to scrub and scrub just to get my hand to a muted color. Seriously, don’t waste even a dollar on this.

Zit Zapper:

Although it definitely has zit-zapping ingredients like Salicylic Acid, it doesn't really seem to zap zits. In fact, I didn't really notice it doing anything to my zits. And it has a rather strong scent.

Brushes:

Complexion Brush:

This one is not my favorite brush. I have a feeling I would like it if it were a round brush, but it’s flat. At first I thought it would be good to contour with, but it’s just too big for that. I prefer round brushes for liquid foundation and powder, so I haven’t really figured out how to fit it into my makeup routine. It’s probably good for something, but I have yet to discover what that is.

Concealer Brush:

This is a really nice, very dense brush. It’s definitely too big for just blemishes, but it’s good for under-eye concealer and larger areas that need concealing, and I use it every day for my concealer.

Eye Shadow C Brush:

As I demonstrated with the eye shadows, this brush is really great for applying eye shadow. It’s very soft on the eyelids as well.

Professional Eye Shadow Brush:

This brush is really good for packing on color. It does seem to spread it out quite a bit. My only real complaint is that the brush is a bit rougher than the studio brushes. Despite that, however, it works pretty well and I like both it and the C Brush.

Kabuki Brush:

I think it works really well for blending out any blush or bronzer that might have been packed on too much in one spot. It’s very soft, which I especially love.

Mineral Powder Brush:

This is actually my favorite for blush. It’s just the right size for it, and it’s a nice, rounded brush. For me, it’s a bit too small for powder, so the blush use is just right. (Additionally, something that JUST happened, the ferrule just detached from the handle of the brush 

Powder Brush:

This is one of my absolute favorite brushes. It’s incredibly soft and very dense. I use it for pretty much every all-over face powder I own, and I absolutely love it.

Small Stipple Brush:

This is my other favorite brush. It’s perfect for applying liquid foundation, and that’s how I use it on a daily basis. It’s the right size, has the right density, and is very soft. A word of caution though, it does need to be washed on a regular basis or else the longer bristles will stick together. My first stipple brush had to be tossed out because I got lazy about the washing and couldn’t get it clean enough later.

All-Over Face Brush

This is my only real brush disappointment from elf. It’s extremely rough and feels terrible on your skin. The bristles on this are also way too sparse. There’s no density at all to this brush. And it doesn’t seem to serve a real purpose.

So, those are all the reviews I have. I decided that since this is such a long list of things, I should give my best and worst E.L.F. products.

Top Suggestions:

Small Stipple Brush

Powder Brush

Eyeliner/ Shadow Stick Duos

Wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara

Black Liquid Eyeliner

Eyelid Primer

Lip Balm- Pink

Least Favorite Products:

Zit-Zapping Concealer- Corrective Green

Loose Eye Shadow

Waterproof Eyeliner Pen

Super Glossy Lip Shine

Total Face Brush

HD Powder

Cover Everything Concealer

Well, there you go, my super huge ELF Makeup Review. Seriously, this is the longest a blog post has ever taken me. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, let me know in the comments. Also, let me know what you think of ELF makeup in the comments. What products do you like/ dislike? I've got a lot more makeup posts coming soon, so stay tuned! See y'all soon!