First Impression of the ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer

So recently I ran out of my Sephora perfecting face primer and I was stuck with my hands tied. I wanted to try something new (not that I didn’t like the Sephora one, which was pretty good for the $17 price), but I just wanted to explore more in the face primer world. Honestly, I haven’t always been sold on face primer. But I put it on anyway to help my face powder (the only type of foundation I have been wearing these days) stay longer and smoother and look like cakey.

Well, I was caught running out of primer without the time or the money to head to Sephora and Ulta to pick a Smashbox, Two Faced, or Tarte one. After some researching online, I decided to pick up the Elf Mineral Infused Face Primer. It was $6, a little bit pricier for something from Elf, but I was super excited to try it.

Packaging

The first thing I noticed about the primer was the fact the outside of the bottle was oily. Like it was leaking out of somewhere. That wasn’t pleasant. So I’ve already decided if I have to travel with it, I’m going to have to put it in a little baggie so the rest of my stuff isn’t coated in the primer as well. In terms of the rest of the packaging, I love the pump top. It’s really convenient to get the right amount (usually a pea size). I think the packaging just looks really classy and pretty for a drugstore product that costs $6.

Texture

The primer itself is a lot like the Sephora one I used previously, and much like what I assume the Smashbox primer is like. It’s the clear, silicone type that feels really silky and smooth (I have yet to try a cream like texture of a primer, so if you have tried both, let me know which one you like better!). It’s very smooth, however it has a more gel like texture than the Sephora. It’s not as silky, and I find I have to use slightly more when applying it to my face.

Wear

I’ve actually found that the Elf Mineral Infused Face primer is not as oily as the Sephora one. My face doesn’t feel as slick, it feels more matte. That’s a huge plus for me. I’m not sure about the wear out of it, but I’d say my powder stays on for about 3-4 before needing more application.

Overall Impression

So far I really like it! For the price, it really can’t be beat. The packaging is cute (I’m hoping the leaking is just this bottle) and it works in the same exact way as the Sephora version.

Have you ever tried this face primer? Or any others from the drugstore? Do you think face primers are important? 

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara First Impression!

Hey guys!

As with any trip to Target, last week I picked up a few things I had no intention of buying. One of those things, was Maybelline’s newest mascara, The Rocket. See, I wasn’t intending to pick it up for a few reasons. First, I’m definitely enjoying my Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara. It’s been awesome to use and I really like the results I get. It may not be my favorite when it’s compared to Maybelline’s Cat Eyes mascara, but it’s still really good.

I also watched a few first impressions videos about The Rocket mascara and honestly, wasn’t very impressed with what the formula looked like, and the results. It looks essentially like Maybelline’s version of the Last Blast from Covergirl (big plastic wand, very wet and clumpy formula). And while I love big dramatic lashes (it’s funny because they are the one thing that I love to be dramatic), it’s not worth the mess that a formula that’s clumpy and wet results in.

But it was calling me and the packaging sold me a little too (I honestly hate the packaging of the Clump Crusher). I find it extremely boring. Maybelline always wins when it comes to packaging in mascara. Here is the description Target’s website provided about the mascara:

“Explosive volume in rocket time! Bigger, smoother lashes. Now, the most explosive, beautiful lashes ever! Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara's patented supersonic brush with micro bristles loads on big, sleek volume instantly. Our fast-glide formula keeps lashes smooth. Zero clumps guaranteed!”

First Impressions:

-       Wet. And I hated it. It got everywhere. Below my eyes, on my lids. Everywhere but the lashes.

-       The brush is too big to coat the lashes well. I think the curved wands from my last two mascaras spoil me. But this seemed impossible.

-       Did I mention it was so wet that it took forever to dry? I was afraid to sneeze because I thought it’d somehow end up on my forehead.

-       It washed off pretty well with my Simple wipes though.

Despite these less than impressive results, I went back the next few days and tried again. Day 2 was much the same. I wanted nothing more than to go back to my Clump Crusher mascara, cutting my losses with The Rocket. Day 3 however, I noticed a significant difference. Maybe my lashes were curled differently (let’s just say I’m struggling a tad with my MAC one. It seems to curl too much, like at a 90 degree angle!), but the process went so much smoother and the results were ones that I actually loved!

-       The volume was fantastic. My lashes were dramatic and black! Long and pretty! Not as defined as other mascaras, but the length and volume were definitely there!

-       Not nearly as much clumpiness as before!

-       It was still wet and managed to coat my nose and eyelid, but the control seemed much better.

-       Did I mention my lashes looked fantastic?

-       It took one coat. One. Not ten minutes like sometimes I feel the Clump Crusher takes to get my lashes looking dramatic.

So as you can see, there are some mixed results. I’ve had two days of ehhh and two days of amazing. I’ll keep using it and keep you posted about my final thoughts on this mascara.

Have you tried it? Any thoughts? What’s your go to drugstore brand for mascara?

Spring Semester Room Updates!

Hey everyone!

I just finished up my first week back from Christmas vacation, and I wanted to share with you some new room updates I made!

I don’t know about you, but I hate looking at the same stuff for months on end. When it comes to decorating, I like change, I like incorporating new things into my space so it’s less stagnant and it keeps me interested and excited. The changes can be simple (my new scent for my Wallflower: Frosted Cupcake!) or more major like a bedding switch. But what I want you to keep in mind, is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to put a fresh new look and energy in your old, tired space! Something that I know college students can struggle with! 

The first dramatic change to my room at school is my bulletin board! If you remember, I had some picture frame decals and a bulletin my big made me. While it was lovely, I wanted something that didn't have so much white space! Something more dramatic and interesting to look at! 

Here's a little reminder of the before!

And this is what it looks like now! 

Pretty dramatic, right? So the picture before doesn't illustrate it really well, but behind my bulletin board and frame decals, was a cork board that they painted white. I guess in older homes (like my sorority house), it was pretty common to just build cork into the walls, since they are plaster and pretty much impossible to put nails or tacs into. 

Over break I saw this picture on Pinterest of a chevron board. First I love chevron, and I love bulletin boards, and I like the look of having like an inspiration board. 

From AnntheAdventurer

And I got to thinking about the cork on my wall, so I decided to change it up a bit. I bought this fabric from a local fabric outlet (it is a black chevron from Riley Blake, though if you want to search for it). I basically bought two yards (I just had a enough!), used push pins to cover it, then simply lined it with red ribbon! So far it's holding up nicely! And while the pictures and things on it are a work in progress, I put up some of my favorite pictures and notes and other things I love! The chevron is so perfect!

There were other changes I made too. Since chevron plus damask would equal a major migraine from all the busy prints, I decided to change out my bedding. If you know one thing about me, it's that I love bedding. Because I love the combination of dots and chevron, I decided to use the PB Teen dottie duvet I purchased last spring! 

I like how it grounds the chevron and isn't as visually crazy as my damask comforter last spring. Plus, if I have to recommend bedding for a dorm, it would definitely be PB Teen bedding. It's definitely worth the price! I arranged the pillows a little differently, I eliminated some as well, but overall, the all were things I already owned, so the change was free! 

You'll also notice in this picture that I brought in a different lamp as well. Since zebra and chevron are like weird cousins of each other, I thought I'd give my eyes a rest and exchange the zebra lamp for this plain black one I bought at Target a couple of years ago. 

Here is another shot of the lamp and my bedding. 

Other changes I made her all sort of little, but they are definitely fun ones! 

 On the shelf beside my bed I added this cute little cupcake picture holders from Big Lots. I love cupcakes, and I love Valentine's Day decor, so I thought these were a cute little addition. Plus the have red and dots! 

 On the mirror on the back of my door, I added some cute little window gel clings for Valentine's Day. I love the little ladybugs (Hobby Lobby) and the little cupcakes (Target dollar section!). 

And then a really fun addition to my dresser area (which is where I put my makeup on), is Max. My little ceramic doggie that holds my makeup brushes. I saw this idea on Youtube, and loved it! Basically, I filled up Max with glass beads (mine were from Joanne's and I bought three of the little mesh bags), and then I just stuck my brushes in there. I love him! Max came from Target's Valentine's Day table decor area and was $14.99. 

Those are the changes so far to my dorm room, but I love them! All were very inexpensive, but definitely help get this spring semester off to the right start! 

High Five For Friday

Hey everyone!

This week the posts have been a little on the non-existent side because it was my first week back from Christmas break. It was definitely busy, so I’m glad I get this three day weekend to recover. Here is my High Five for Friday!

The Best Christmas Present Ever

A few days ago, my boyfriend and I had a slightly belated Christmas present exchange (I like having multiple Christmases). And he gave me probably, the best give I’ve ever received. I love them.

 

The best part: on Black Friday I lost one of my beloved pearl earrings I had worn every day for pretty much the last year. I was crying. I texted him that I was sad because I lost it. He texted back a very suspicious text that I shouldn’t be sad. I guess, earlier that day, he bought these for me, and as fate would have it, they were the more than perfect replacement.

They are absolutely perfect and I love them dearly.

January Lusts

Hey everyone!

With more time spent on Pinterest lately, and watching my favorite Youtubers and reading blogs, there are some things that I’ve definitely loving right now, all of which I wish I could get my hands on. With Christmas right behind us, and needing to buy books for the new semester here soon, it’s doubtful I’ll actually get my hands on anything of these. But a girl can dream? Right?

Anyway, here is the list of what I love right now:

NARS Deep Throat Blush

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This was featured in my November lusts post, and here I am, still lusting away. Part of it is that I haven’t been to Sephora in months. But most of it is because I just don’t want to spend the $28 on just a blush! Ugh! I keep telling myself that NARS Orgasm is working out for me, and it’s a color that many would die to try out too, so I should just be happy with that, but Deep Throat is still calling me. Maybe this month? (probably not) If you have a favorite natural MAC blush you love, please tell me! I'm always so tempted by MAC blushes, but when I swatched Pink Swoon and Fleur, they kinda scared me because they were so pigmented. So help me out here! 

Stila Kitten Eyeshadow

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So it wasn’t until recently that I started hearing about this eyeshadow, but now it seems to be absolutely everywhere. It looks like such a pretty shimmery color and I would love to add it to my collection! Only problem, it’s $18! That practically as much as the blush that I don’t want to spend so much on! We’ll see. Since Stila is sold at Ulta, they actually have coupons, so I might actually buy it with my $3.50 off coupon or something.

MAC Technakohl Liner in Graphblack

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This is another product that I talk about almost non-stop. This costs $15, which is a tad steep for eyeliner. But I am out of my Physcian’s Formula almost, so maybe that will be a good enough excuse to pick some of this up.

Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12-Hr Perfecting Primer

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This is a new lust of mine. I’ve actually been using the Sephora Perfecting Primer for about the last 6 months, especially when I just use my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. And while it’s worked pretty well, I wanted to see if there is a difference between a high end primer and the Sephora one (which is pretty inexpensive when compared to other brands). I worry a little bit about if this will break me out or make me oily, but I do love Tarte and I would love to try a new primer.

Scarves

I can’t get enough of them! I would really love more infinity scarves (I’m so addicted to them right now). I would love to get a few knit ones, a gray, red, and black one, and this white one I spied at Pac Sun a few days after Christmas (which they probably don’t have any more).

Vera Bradley Double Zip Backpack in Island Blooms

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I recently checked out the Double Zip backpack in person and decided that after ranting about its smaller size, that it’s not too bad. However, if the Island Blooms Laptop Backpack ever is not sold out on line, I’d probably take that first.

Old Navy Rockstar Jeggings in Black
 

I’ve been wanting a skinny pair of black pants a lot recently, and I really want to check out these by Old Navy. I have a pair in the normal jean color and they are really good.

Chalkboard


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I’ve been seeing all these awesome huge chalkboards online, and I’ve decided that I need one. Well, need to build one. Only problem, how do I make my handwriting and drawing that good? This one from Littlebabygarvin makes me seriously want to have one! Plus, she is so artistic! I know my writing would never be that good!

MAC Studio Fix Powder

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So I'm pretty much obsessed with my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. But sometimes, I wonder if I should try out this out because it offers a medium to full coverage. Only thing I'm kinda concerned about is looking cakey and breaking out. I don't usually have very sensitive skin, but I don't want to learn that this bothers me after spending $27.

Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm

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I saw these at Target in this big display, and I was totally drawn to them! I'm not a huge lip product person, but I feel like this type of style would be perfect for me! And the colors looked really gorgeous!

Covergirl Nail Polish

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This was also in the giant display at Target and these too were calling my name! The colors looked so lovely! The color above is Toasted Almond and it looks so pretty!
 

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara Review

Hey everyone!

So if you checked out the post about what I got for Christmas, you probably remember that one of the stocking stuffers I received was the Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara. This is Covergirl’s newest mascara in the Lash Blast collection. It came out I think in early November, and honestly I wasn’t sold on buying it when it first came out.

See, I’m one of those super rare people that absolutely hate the Lash Blast Fusion and Lash Blast Volume (the purple and orange tubes). Maybe I’m a freak of nature, but I can’t stand the formula, I hate the brush, and the packaging doesn’t win me over in the least.

But after hearing a lot of good things about this mascara, I decided why not, and asked for it for Christmas. And my mom found it and got it for me after all!

I’ve now been using it for a while and honestly I have a lot of positive things to say about it.

The Positives:  

-The brush shape is fantastic. Like my Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes, the wand is a slight “C” shape. This makes reaching all of the lashes, particularly the outside corners, very easy.
 

-This is definitely a dry formula. I thought that Cat Eyes was dry, but after trying this,  

-True to its name, this mascara doesn't clump at all. It's great at separating and defining lashes.

-For me this mascara was also very lengthing.

-Great staying power, especially for a non-waterproof mascara. No smearing, flaking, or fading throughout the day.

The Negatives:

-As of now, it isn't available in waterproof, and I've noticed that when it comes to watery eyes, this eventually will run.

-But despite that, it is definitely more difficult to remove at the end of the night with my Up and Up brand makeup wipes than other mascaras.

-Because it's drier, if you attempt two applications, it can get spidery fast. So if you want to do multiple coats, do them quickly.

-It's buildable, but it takes more work than my Cat Eyes mascara.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this mascara, especially if you like my beloved Cat Eyes mascara (and even if you weren't a big fan of that one). It's completely different than the other Lash Blast mascaras by Covergirl, so if you were like me and hesitant about that, definitely give this a shot, because I was impressed.

Of course, I'm not a huge fan of the packaging, but that really doesn't matter. From where I'm from, it hasn't reached Target yet, but it is available at Walmart, Ulta, and Walgreens.

Have you tried it yet? What are your thoughts?

 

Review of Kirkland Makeup Brushes

Hey everyone!

Did you know that Costco’s brand Kirkland sells makeup brushes? Well, you probably do, because a lot of people talk about them. Recently on a trip to Costco, I came across these and couldn’t help myself. I’ve heard from a lot of different people that these makeup brushes are quite the steal, so I wanted to try them out for myself. Plus, the gold, champagne colored handles totally sold me too.
Here's a look at the packaging:

As you can see, it's a pretty big. By the way, I searched pretty much the entire building for it. I found it really close to the pharmacy, so it's probably in that area. I like that you can see what the brushes look like in the package (I always get the ones in the back because I think people mess with them less. I wonder if that actually works?).

Now we'll take a closer look at the individual brushes in the kit! There are 8 brushes total, plus a brush travel bag.

So first up is this powder brush. It's very large! I would say this brush would be fantastic with your are using something bronzer, since it's generous, fluffy, but not densely enough packed to make you look orange. I noticed a couple hairs shedding, but nothing obnoxious.

I was super excited about this duo fiber brush! I currently do not own a brush like this that can be used for wet or dry products. I have yet to use this, but I was very impressed with the density. I've heard complaints in the past that the Sigma version is too floppy to apply things like blush. But because this isn't too long, I feel like it would be a great job. I can see myself using this with blush, and maybe even if I try out a liquid foundation.

 Here is there large angled contour brush (very similar to my MAC 168 and my Sigma F40). First thing I noticed about this, is that it's kind of the middle ground between the 168 and the F40. The 168 has short bristles that are very dense! It makes applying color to my cheeks extremely easy and pigmented. The F40 is slightly harder to use because it's hair is much longer. It can be hard to sweep color because of the length (it just wants to bend over if that makes sense). The Kirkland brush on the other hand is a little in between. First, let me say, it packs color on fast! Using my NARS Orgasm, I was shocked that just 2 (yes two!!) sweeps of blush totally coated my cheeks! It's not as dense at the 168, but super soft and a lot easier to use than the F40.

Here is the usual flat foundation brush that is recommended to be used with liquid foundation. I have never used any brush like this, so I can't say for sure if this is a winner (I don't think a lot of people use this style any more for foundation, but I could be wrong! That's why I like powder...so much easier!). Here are the eye brushes that were included in the set.

On the top, if the crease brush. It's really precise and fine point. I didn't think it would be worth a hill of beans honestly. But, I tried it out with Snakebite from my Naked 2 palette and was surprised! It would be fantastic when you want to precisely apply a dark color to the outer V.

 

Next is the angled brush for defining eyebrows or eyeliner. On the end of that brush is a spoolie (is that what it's called?). I desperately needed this addition! I'm not sure if it's for eyebrows or eyelashes, but it has already saved me from a mascara mishap!

 

The third brush is a huge all over eye shader. It's huge. I really don't see a use for it for me personally, although they say it's one of the only synthetic brushes in the kit, so it could be used with like my MAC Paint Pot or something like that.

 

And last is the eye shader. At first I was super impressed, I didn't think it'd pack color very well. But it's been great! I love it a lot! No complaints! It does exactly what you want your eye shader to do: apply color evenly and quickly over a big surface area!

 

And finally, this is the pretty brush travel case it came with! I love it! It has the same champagne colored outside (like faux alligator) and a zipper around the edges.

On one side is has a pouch, perfect for my Covergirl Shimmering Sands or a few MAC single eyeshadows. And the otherside has places to put the brushes. Super helpful and great for traveling.

Overall, my thoughts on this set are pretty positive. Honestly, I don't think the brushes are remotely close to being MAC quality. But, the cost of this entire set when I bought it ($24.99) is the cost of one brush at MAC. But for the average makeup wearer, someone that wants brushes that are slightly better than ELF, these are fantastic. I would most definitely recommend them to anyone starting out with makeup and needs a set, or someone that wants an extra few brushes on hand.

 

Have you ever tried a Kirkland brand brush kit? What were your thoughts?  

 

Happy 2013!

Happy New Year! Hope you had a safe and fun New Year’s Eve! I got to thinking about the New Year and wanted to write down some resolutions or goals that I have for 2013. While I doubt I’ll stick to all of them, they are all things that I really am determined to change in my life, so this seems like the perfect time to focus on them!