Review : ELF Studio Eye Enhancing Eyeshadow Palette - Brown Eyes 1

Check out my ELF haul video here!

These swatches really don't do this palette justice.  These pics were taken as soon as I got the palette.  Using them on the actual eyes with brushes, they perform even better than the swatches look.  It's almost as if there was a film on top of the shadows and once you break through that, they are super pigmented.

Shadows #4 & #6 are matte.  #1 & #2 have shimmer but come off pretty matte on the eye.  #3 is super pigmented so I find the shimmers stay put within the shadow better (does that make sense?). #5 has a sheen to it.

The 2nd and 4th shadows are the only disappointing ones, and it's not like they're super crappy or anything. 

 The 2nd shadow is just not as pigmented as the others, but there is still plenty of color there.  The 4th is a bit chalky.  The others are super pigmented, especially the blue and dark brown!

For $6 (or $3 on sale), I would definitely recommend this palette.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

ELF Eye Enhancing Eyeshadow Palette - Brown Eyes 1 Makeup Look w/ Wet n Wild Purty Persimmon

Products Used:

Maybelline Metal Color Tattoo - Barely Branded
ELF Eye Enhancing Eyeshadow Palette - Brown Eyes 1
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil - Ink
Marbella Permanent Eyeliner Pen
ELF Studio Mascara Primer
Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara
Jordana Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil - Eternal White

ELF Contour Blush/Bronzer - Turks & Caicos
Wet n Wild Lipstick - Purty Persimmon
Milani Felt Tip Pen - Dark Brown

 Video will be up Sunday!

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

Review : ELF Mineral Eye Brightener - Buff

Check out my ELF haul video here!

This concealer gives the smallest little bit of coverage but it really does brighten and even out the undereye area.  I enjoy using it and I think you can see a difference.  I don't find that it helps prevent creasing of other concealers, but on those "no makeup makeup" days I use the ELF Hydrating Under Eye Primer, then put this on top and it's just enough to brighten up and even out the face, but no one would even know you're wearing any concealer.

I find that it covers more than the HD Undereye Setting Powder, probably only because it has a tad bit of color to it.  It is the perfect shade for my light skin.  It doesn't have any shimmer to make it "brightening," just fyi.

I just love that this does not look powdery or cakey whatsoever at all!  It looks so natural and light.  If you have crazy undereye circles, you're probably going to need to use another concealer underneath, but if you just want a tad bit of brightness, this will do the job.

I would recommend the next time you get on eyeslipsface.com, pick this up along with the HD Hydrating Under Eye Primer, and you will be just so happy!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

Review : Pacifica Quench Lip Tints Review + Swatches : Guava Berry & Coconut Nectar

Click here to watch my Pacifica haul video!

I don't typically enjoy these kinds of products, but these came free with my recent purchase of Pacifica products.  They have shimmer and that's what I don't particularly like about them.  But that's just me.

I do like Coconut Nectar as a super neutral color to wear, and the shimmer is alright here in the summertime, but I don't find Guava Berry to be anything new, different, or special.  If you're obsessed with sheer berry colors, then you'll love it. :)

Coconut Nectar on top

Guava Berry below

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

Review : Pacifica 3 oz. Soy Candles Review - Island Vanilla

Click to see my Pacifica haul!

I must say, right off the bat, I am disappointed in these candles.
I got two 3 oz. candles because I figured one little one would not create enough fragrance on its own.
One candle burning cannot fill my room with scent.
Two candles burning can only be detected within a few feet.
For such a wonderfully fragranced brand, I figured these candles would kick butt, but honestly I do not like them at all.
They also burn away rather quickly and despite them being soy, which is supposed to burn cleaner... they still give off black smoke... not cool.

I would not recommend this candle at all. Perhaps the larger ones are better, but I'm not even going to try them out to see. I hope your experiences go better than mine.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette Look #3 : Summertime Makeup

More blog posts with this palette:

The Nudes Palette Review & Swatches

Look # 1

Look #2

Videos with this palette:

Look #1 Video

Look #2 Video

Here's another look using the Maybelline The Nudes eyeshadow palette which I am still in love with.

Watch the video here!

A nice summertime look finally! I've been obsessed with darker shadows lately, so when I got the inspiration to actually do some appropriate summertime makeup, I knew I had to film it for you guys. 

It's still a little smokey on the lower lash line, but the face and lips are very summer friendly and the pop of hot pink in the waterline is just a little something different I've been enjoying.

Products Used:

Eyes:

ELF Smudge Pot - Pearls of Wisdom

Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette

- shimmer champagne

- matte light brown

- matte deep brown

- shimmer white

- matte black

- shimmer warm deep brown

- matte cream

Wet n Wild Fergie On Edge Longwearing Pencil - Ex-Stacey

Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil - Black Velvet

Physicians Formula Eye Booster Eyeliner

Tarte Lights Camera Flashes Mascara

Face:

Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream 

Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Foundation - Medium 52

Revlon Colorstay Oily/Combo Foundation - Buff 150

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer - NC15 

Loreal True Match Powder - N2

Sleek Makeup Face Form Contouring and Blush Kit - Fair 

City Color Be Matte Blush - Fresh Melon

Milani Felt Tip Brow Tint Pen - Dark Brown

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade - Dark Brown

Pixi Medium Brown Brow Gel

Lips:

Pop Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon - Coral Crush

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Alaina

ELF Studio Hydrating Under Eye Primer Review

Check out my ELF haul video here!

So... I have very mixed feelings about this product...

I love it because it makes the under eye area look wonderful!  The product itself is so good.

However, holy cow, the pump broke the second time I ever used it... stupid cheap packaging!

And this isn't like a big surprise from ELF, I had a face primer from them a couple years back and the pump on that broke half way through.  But on the second day? C'mon ELF. :'(

So let's talk about the actual product and get over the stupid packaging...

I find that this has a bit more stickiness to it than a traditional face primer.  It doesn't have a silicone feeling to it, but rather like a lotion.  Since it has a bit of stickiness to it, it really helps product stay put under my eyes.  Since I use this in the triangle section underneath my eyes and along the sides of my nose, it gets to all the pores on my cheeks and it actually does a really good job of filling those in! Yay! 

It hasn't completely eliminated the creasing I experience with pretty much anything under my eyes, but it sure has improved it.  Everything just glides on beautifully after using this primer.  I love it so much, I just really wish the packaging didn't die on me. 

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

ELF Studio Waterproof Mascara Top Coat Review

Check out my ELF haul video here!

I don't find this to make my mascaras perfectly waterproof, like your traditional waterproof mascara, but it sure does give that little extra layer of protection from water.  It doesn't make your mascara difficult to remove like many waterproof mascaras can do.  It also doesn't make the lashes feel hard or crunchy.  And I actually notice that it helps keep flaky mascaras on better.  I usually don't have problems with smudge-y mascara, so I can't vouch for that, but given the fact that it reduces flakes from certain mascaras, I would assume it would at least somewhat help with smudge-y mascaras. 

The test I did on this mascara was to take my wet fingers and press down on the lashes.  The first few presses didn't allow anything to transfer or come off, but after a few seconds messing with the lashes, the mascara did start to come off.  So although it didn't make them completely waterproof, it added a little bit of extra something to make the mascara withstand more water than usual.

I don't think I would trust this product if I were going to be swimming (or crying for that matter), but perhaps on a rainy day, it would survive. 

Overall I would recommend this if you're just looking to experiment with your mascaras.  I find it has that extra little something that makes your mascaras just a little better than before. And for $3 ($1.50 on sale), it's not a bad price or product. 

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina 

Lush Caca Noir Henna Hair Dye Before & After Review

Click here for an updated post about 4 months later.

Click here for my experience using Caca Rouge too!

I previously dyed my sister's hair with Lush's Marron and Rouge henna hair dyes and I finally decided to take the plunge and dye my own hair for the first time ever!  I always said I would never dye my hair but after seeing how awesome and healthy this henna made my sister's hair look and feel and reading every review on the Lush website, plus a ton of blog posts, I was ready to do it.

I chose Noir because I wanted my hair to be darker.  Results really seem to vary with this product and I believe it has a ton to do with your natural color.  My natural hair color is a medium brown that definitely has a red tinge to it in the sunlight.  I didn't want to use Marron or Brun because I figured they would just end up looking too similar to my natural color and if I was going to dye my hair, I wanted it to be a noticeable difference in color.  I thought about Rouge, but I figured with the fall months coming along, I'll try something darker.

My sister has a hair color pretty similar to mine and when (on March 12) we used Marron on her, it looked like a shinier healthier version of her normal hair color.  The next time (on July 11) we mixed Rouge with Marron  and you could definitely see more of a red tinge to her hair indoors and in the sunlight.   I guess next time we'll be using up the rest of her Rouge block, so stay tuned for updates on that. :)

My sister applied it for me.  Yes it is messy, we did it in the garage.  It only took about half an hour to apply it all on my hair.  I used an entire brick for my head and it was the perfect amount in the end.

I let it air dry, uncovered, in a bun on top of my head for 3 hours (3 hours not including the application time).  It only took 30 minutes to rinse out too, which surprised me.  I really thought it would take all night. :-P  My hair was also not a big tangle-y mess, it rinsed out much more easily than I thought it would.  Beware though, with this Noir, the shower water was black and really quite yucky. 

I used conditioner and no shampoo to wash it out.  It took like five conditioner rinses to get it clean.  Then I wrapped it up and went to bed, woke up the next morning and rinsed it again.  It was rinsed really well the night before because it didn't leave any sort of residue or color on my pillow case, etc.

As you can see in the pictures, my natural hair is darker at the top and lighter towards the bottom and you can still see that difference after dyeing it too.  So your results really will depend on how your hair is naturally. If you naturally have a lot of highlights and lowlights, you will still be able to see that after dyeing it, it will just be that different color.  It will still have dimension, it's not going to be super flat, one color.


FYI, in the "after pictures" I had straightened my hair and in the "before" pics, it was my natural hair texture.  This product didn't make my hair straight or weighed down at all.


I would definitely recommend this at this point.  It leaves your hair super duper soft and shiny.  But we must wait and see how it lasts, if it fades nicely, and how my roots look after awhile.  I bought two bricks of Noir just in case one wasn't going to be enough for my hair, so yes, I will be doing it again since I already have another brick.  So stay tuned for updates on that too. Some say the more you dye it, the more intense it can become, so we will see. :)

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina 

Review : ELF Essentials Smudge Pot - Pearls of Wisdom

Check out my ELF haul video here!

 

This stuff does not crease on my eyes (which usually crease with a lot of products).  It's a softer consistency than Maybelline Color Tattoos.  This particular one is a little sheer, but I enjoy that about it.  You can build it up too if you so desire.  

The packaging is the downfall of this item.  Because it is cheap and plastic, I know it's just going to let my little smudge pot dry out eventually.  I don't know how long it's going to last in this packaging.

It's very smooth and thin to the touch, it feels wet, so it's a great surprise to see it hold up and not crease on the lids.  When I first dipped my finger into it, I honestly did not have high hopes for it.  You just have to try it our for yourself. 

I will probably be purchasing more colors down the line.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

Review : ELF Eyebrow Lifter & Filler Pencil - Dark - Ivory

Check out my ELF haul video here!

I really like this product! The color of the pencil is not too red and not too grey-cool toned.  It's an awesome color for my medium/dark brown hair.  (and if you've watched my videos or read my blog posts before, maybe you know how fed up I am with crappy drugstore brow products)

The pencil is a bit creamy, so you think it's going to come right off of your brows.  But as long as you use a gel to set them anyway, this stuff works fine.  It's not waterproof by any means, but on a regular day, it won't fail you.

The creaminess of the pencil really shows in your brows if you don't try to brush it out.  You are going to have to comb a spoolie through them to make them look normal.  If you don't have a spoolie, ELF has one for a dollar from their Essentials line and it's perfect.

The "lift" end of this pencil is too dark for my light skin tone to use as an under brow highlight, but it looks very natural on the inner corners of my eyes.  It will glide onto your waterline, but it's not going to stay there for any period of time.

Overall I would very much recommend this product as long as you're going to take the extra minute to comb it through your brows.  It doesn't set too quickly, so you're not going to get a splotchy mess while trying to blend.  It looks very natural and it's easy for those quick morning when you just want to get out of the house without looking like you just rolled out of bed.  I find that eyebrows can really liven up your face so much.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

Review : ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Crayon - Moss

Check out my ELF haul video here!

I now understand why the reviews were so mixed about this product.
It does take a bit of pressure to get the product to come off onto your eyes.  It does tug at the skin. However, it really is waterproof.  It does not smudge or budge or do anything until you go to take it off. You could even rub your eyes and it will still be fine.  That being said, you can't blend it out.  There is no moment where you can take a blending brush and blend the edges, where you put it is where it will stay.

Although it stays put like crazy, it's not as hard to remove as you might think.  I figured it would take a ton of scrubbing to get this off, but with a good makeup removing wipe, it's gone in a couple swipes (just the same as a Maybelline color tattoo or similar product).

So, I too have mixed feelings about it.

PROS
-waterproof
-stays put
-no smudging, creasing, fading, etc.
-no need to sharpen, it's retractable

CONS
-tough to apply
-tugs on skin
-cannot blend/smudge it out

I hope this was helpful!
Thanks for reading.
Love,
Alaina

Urban Decay Sin Primer Potion Dupes? ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer - Blush & ELF Essential Primer Eyeshadow - Misty Mauve

COLORS:
Sin - more champagne-beige
Misty Mauve - most metallic looking, very reflective, lavender to mauve-y tone in different lighting
Blush - least reflective/metallic, almost matte, taupe-mauve color

Blush is almost a matte formula.  It's a very pretty color that could totally be worn alone as a light wash of color on the lids.  I don't find that it makes shadows pop as awesome-ly as Sin does.  I'm not sure how I feel about this product as a primer.

Misty Mauve is not as tacky as sin, so you have to work quickly if you're using it as a primer to get your shadows to stick better.  I would just use it as a cream shadow because it sets super quickly and doesn't crease.  Also, once it's set, it doesn't allow powder shadows to cling to it, so it's really not a good primer.  I guess it's called the "Essential Primer Eyeshadow" because it is an eyeshadow with primer built in.  Not what I was expecting, but it is nice that it sets super well and lasts a long time.  This product can also apply somewhat splotchy.  You need to add a second layer of it to get decent pay off on the lids, but it still won't crease with two layers, so it's okay.

Sin is creamy, almost whipped in texture.  It is the hardest to wash off, so it lasts the longest.  It stays tacky so you can easily add shadows on top of it and make them really pop, but it's also not too creamy, it doesn't make your eyeshadow crease at all during the day.

Overall, the answer is no, neither of these ELF products are dupes for Urban Decay Sin Primer Potion.

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

ELF Eyeshadow Reviews & Comparisons Overview

Here is a written review/overview of these ELF eyeshadows that I own.  You can watch the video review here, but I figured some of you would enjoy reading and seeing swatches and pictures too. 

1-3

 Cream Eyeliners - Gunmetal, Plum Purple, Teal Tease

-crease without primer underneath

-good color pay off for bases, not eyeliners

4

 Pigment Eyeshadow - Passionate Purple

-not as pigmented as other brands I own (ex: Mica Beauty, Maybelline)

-messy packaging, I think the square container and round sifter just don't work well together

5

 Matte Eyeshadow - Smoke

-difficult to blend, patchy

-not super pigmented unless used wet

6
 Cream Eyeshadow - Dawn

-does not crease with or without primer underneath

-good color payoff, easy to blend, not patchy

7

 Smudge Pot - Pearls of Wisdom

-does not crease with or without primer underneath

-not streaky, patchy 

-soft texture

-sheer but can be slightly built up

8

 Long Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow - Soiree

-very lightweight whipped texture

-left glitter fallout

-sheer, needs to be built up to see the intensity in the jar

9

 Studio Eye Enhancing Eyeshadow - Brown Eyes 1

-4/6 shadows are excellent, easy to blend, very pigmented

-since 4/6 shadows are shimmery, there is some fallout

10
 Baked Eyeshadow - Pixie

-rub the entire shadow first, then you will get to the pigmented part underneath the "film" or whatever seems to be on top

-first swatch disappoints, but give it another shot

-pigmented color, little fallout

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

Pacifica Island Vanilla Spray Perfume, Rollerball, and Body Wash Reviews

Click to see my Pacifica haul!

I tend to be a scent sensitive person, many scents can give me a headache, but this particular fragrance is not too strong or overwhelming and doesn't bother me.  I absolutely love the scent.  It is vanilla but like an awesome vanilla summertime wonderfulness scent that is just divine.  Sorry, I'm really bad at describing it, but here's what the Pacifica website says about it...

"Inspired by the unique magic of Tahitian vanilla, this sensual blend sets sweet and sultry vanilla absolute, with honey-jasmine notes and a touch of fruitiness, against a deep and beautiful base of tea." 

The spray perfume definitely lasts longer on the skin than the rollerball, I just feel that the rollerball perfume doesn't dispense enough product to make it last as long.  I can hardly detect the scent unless I sniff my wrist after about 2-3 hours.  So this fragrance is not intensely long-lasting, but it's not a super heavy scent either, so I wouldn't really expect it to last ages in reality.  I always carry the rollerball with me for touch-ups.

The body wash lathers up super well.  The first time I used it, I probably should have dispensed half the amount I used because it was super bubbly.  It doesn't take much to fill up a loufa.  The scent is a little stronger in the shower gel than in the perfumes.  This body wash does not leave my skin feeling stripped or tight, it is perfectly moisturizing.


Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

Bonus:
Solid Perfume - Lotus Garden
This has a citrus-y scent with some floral aspects.  It's a great summertime scent.  Sorry if I'm bad at describing smells. lol. I don't particularly enjoy the solid perfume because you have to like dig your finger in and then rub your finger on your wrist or neck or whatever, it's kind of a weird concept, I wish it came in a more shallow container so you could take off the lid and rub it directly from the pan onto your skin.
This also seems to last the same amount of time as the original perfume on the skin.

"A meditative and intoxicating blend of sparkling yuzu, lotus blossom, jasmine, olibanum and bright, radiant green notes."

New Maybelline Color Tatoo Leather Collection - Vintage Plum & Creamy Beige Swatches & Pictures