Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Making Things Up
In my latest make up haul (you can tell I'm getting a tad too obsessed about this shit), it was pretty exciting because I got to try out an American budget beauty brand that I've been hearing a lot about for the past year or so.
Part 1 here and part 2 here for those who are interested.
E.L.F! (website) I've been hankering for their products for ages because everything is $1! I dont know why I have no qualms about putting $1 products on my face when I would never in a million years do it if its RM1. The yellow culture has got me bad.
Note: Not too sure why everytime I go to the main website's home page, it redirects me to E.L.F. Asia, which I do not want because it reminds me that damn Singapore has E.L.F. while we dont. So the link I gave goes straight to the Face make up section of the website.
Anyhoo, on with the haul report and swatches! This time around, I bought both E.L.F and NYX stuff. As per ush, all bought via SgDrugstore on Lowyat.net. I dont know a lot about make up, so my descriptions will be in average ignorant layman terms =P
First thing on my list is the E.L.F. Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder.
I've never really been too keen with bronzing powder due to the overwhelming snow-white syndrome that most Asians tend to have. Then I chanced upon an article saying that a tan helps makes people look skinnier, and my world changed like white bread in a toaster.
I ordered the E.L.F. Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Warm Tan and it came in a clear round standard pressed powder plastic casing (no mirror and brush). It looked abit cheap. Well, because it IS cheap. Had no problems opening it up (read a few reviews that said it was difficult).
Warm Tan is the darkest bronzing powder shade available, and it was really how you'd imagine golden bronze to be. Its pretty shimmery, so if you're looking for a matte bronzer/contouring powder, steer clear of this one.
After 1 soft tap with a brush.
The bronzer powder is evidently not very densely packed, so you really need a light hand when using it. I tapped as lightly as I could with a brush, and a whole pile of bronzer came up. If I pressed my finger onto the surface of the bronzer, I could see the entire layer move. Kinda messy and you might end up with too much bronzer on the brush.
E.L.F. All Over Colour Stick in Pink Lemonade.
Now the E.L.F. All Over Colour Stick is meant for your entire facial real estate. The website says you can use it on your cheeks, eyes and lips. I've had 3-in-1 face colours before, and I only ever use them on my cheeks. I find the stuff too drying for my lips, and I dont want pink on my eyes.
The E.L.F. All Over Colour Stick is basically a creamy, shimmery stick that adds a hint of colour (depending on how much you use, but not much really), highlight and shimmer wherever you choose to use it. It is really small and came in a twist-up case (like lipbalm). Convenient to carry around.
I love the effect it has on my cheeks. Pink Lemonade looks like a pretty intense shade of pink, but its really not very pigmented, so it shouldnt be a problem layering it on. It would make a great highlighter.
Dont expect the colour to last all day though. I'd say about an hour, before you have to reapply again. I prefer to use it after applying a powder blush for more staying power and to add a slight highlight on the cheeks. Since its a cream-based formula, it might not agree with oily skin.
Left: E.L.F. Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Warm Tan swatch. Right: E.L.F. All Over Colour Stick in Pink Lemonade swatch (with proper blending, it'll look quite natural).
Right, that's the cheeks done. Now for the lips! Now I've decided to venture out of my comfort zone and get in touch with my inner lipgloss goddess!
I bought 2 NYX Round Lipglosses in Kiss and Frosted Plum ($2 each).
Much to my delight, the NYX Round Lipglosses are very lightweight! They dont have that heavy sticky feeling that most lipglosses do, and the staying power is not too bad either. It lasted through a meal and was still glossy enough for my satisfaction. The lipglosses smelt abit citrusy, which I definitely dont mind. They're quite pigmented too, so if you prefer colour with your glosses, this is a winner.
Kiss is a light shimmery pink which is slightly frosted. As for Frosted Plum, its a dark plum-ish red with slight hints of gold shimmer.
I also decided to try the E.L.F. Plumping Lip Glaze in Fire Coral.
Lip plumpers basically work by containing a whole lotta menthol which serve to slightly irritate the surface of your lips, thus plumping them and swelling them up. Unless you're buying the more expensive and reliable lip plumpers, dont expect any Angelina Jolie miracles with the cheaper ones.
I've read up on the tingling effect that lip plumpers have when you swipe them on. They range from a slight and bearable tingle, to a burning and sometimes quite painful sting! If ever there was a make up product that really embodies the saying of "No pain, no gain", lip plumpers would be it.
The E.L.F. Plumping Lip Glaze came in a double-ended tube with the normal doe-foot lipgloss wand. It's got the slightly opaque and shimmery lip plumping gloss on one end, and the normal coloured gloss on the other. I am pleased to report that the lip plumping gloss provided a pretty interesting tingle on my lips when applied. Think really strong minty toothpaste. It stung abit in areas where my lips were abit chapped, but nothing too hardcore. As for the plumping? Not much of a difference since my lips arent exactly thin to begin with. I dont know if it was my imagination or not. Maybe my lips did look a little fuller, but no discernible difference.
But the tingling sensation really woke me up alright! Oh, and even though the lip plumping gloss looks pretty shimmery, its almost colourless when you put it on. As for the coloured gloss, its actually quite sheer.
L-R: NYX Round Lip Gloss in Kiss and Frosted Plum swatches, E.L.F. Plumping Lip Gloss in Fire Coral swatch (only the coloured gloss bit).
Ooo I also bought the E.L.F. Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara!
I needed a clear brow gel to tame my wild manbrows, so I figured this would be perfect to start with. It does the job well and keeps things in place. The clear mascara however, is almost useless. Curled my lashes and slathered it on, and it doesnt hold up very well. Made almost no difference to my eyelashes.
But wait, there's more!! Wow this haul is epic! I bought the E.L.F. Brightening Eye Colour in Ivy.
Ok, so I've never focused much on eye makeup because the only thing I know how to use is eyeliner (and quite badly too at that). So I decided to take the plunge (since it was cheap anyway haha) and buy a simple eyeshadow palette to help me get started!
I err.. Havent quite used it yet. But here's how it looks like (was too lazy to do a swatch).
The E.L.F. Brightening Eye Colour in Ivy comes with 4 shades in a palette. There's a light minty green, a dark forest green, a gold and a bronze. All are slightly shimmery. Underneath the little eyeshadow applicator is a tiny mirror btw.
Beauty bonus! Since I've been looking for a good clay/mud mask to try out, I decided to give the Queen Helene Mud Pack Masque a go. It contains natural kaolin clay which is supposedly effective at drawing out all those facial impurities (be gone!) and clear skin up.
It smells a little like baby powder/lotion and is a little messy to apply because I've never applied masks like this before, so not sure if I'm doing it right. It comes out a light pasty muddy brown and dries to a crispy crust in about 15-2o minutes. I used a damp facecloth to wipe it off and splashed my face with water to get rid of any residue. I used some toner and a cotton pad to wipe down my face just in case I missed some out, but the cotton pad came out nice and clean anyway.
Well, my face did look a little clearer after that, but I suppose that's usual after washing up anyway. I've only used it once, so I guess its a long term commitment before the results really start to show. Will probably only use it on my T-zone next time to avoid wasting it.
P.S. I have gone batshit insane with these cosmetics sprees. Have just ordered another batch of swag, and its my most expensive bill yet. But IT WILL BE WORTH IT!!!!
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