Elf Product Haul =)

I ordered some more Elf products about 2 weeks ago, and they came in yesterday (Feb 15/11). I was super excited to open my package, even though I really wanted to save the excitement until I was off work yesterday, but 9pm just seemed so far away...but not like I was able to get back to sleep after going to my morning product knowledge class anyway.

Anyway, I will say I forgot to take pictures of the brushes I purchased, and now it's the pm that I'm writing this review, can't exactly take pictures because 1, my camera is getting old so it can't really focus well on things that are detailed and small, so the printing and picture itself turns out a bit blurry. Second of all, the flash would kind of white out the product from the picture, so that alone defeats the purpose. BUT, I guess I have no choice but to link the pictures.

To start off, from the first time I purchased the Elf Studio Brushes...I was super impressed by the quality it offered. I mean, for a 3 dollars, to like 10 max (sometimes with coupon codes), you really can't go wrong. Initially when I ordered their studio brushes, I got the blush brush, powder brush, small angled brush, and the kabuki face brush. They all worked very well, and you can see the rest of the brushes here.

The ones I did get this time was eyeshadow "c" brush, complexion brush, and the kabuki body brush. Here are the pictures of them in there respective order:

The reason why I got the eyeshadow c brush was because the one from Elf original line kind had this one prickly hair that kept hurting me when I was applying eyeshadow. It wasn't very pleasant, and I felt like it was cutting my lids...needless to say it was a much needed purchase for that brush. The complexion brush is really nice too, it feels super soft and it's nice and fluffy. Great for applying powder or blushes for a much softer and diffused/blended look. As for the kabuki body brush, it's much bigger than I expected..doesn't feel as dense as the face brush, but it'd be really good to apply loose powder with. The reason why I bought these brushes was because I needed another set of brushes inbetween cleaning each set after 1 weeks use. I found my face broke out because I didn't have the time or I'd forget to clean them on a night before a day off...and sometimes the denser brushes don't dry fast enough so by the time I need them again, they aren't dry. So now I have enough brushes between cleanings, and have spare brushes to use.

I also got the eyelid primer...but unfortunately I couldn't take a proper picture of it, so here's the link for it: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/eyes/concealers_and_primers/eyelid_primer

I applied it to the back of my hand it and has a bit of a tint, but nothing that's overwhelming; it's very sheer and has a bit of shimmer to it I think. I have yet to put it to the test though.

For some reason though, my picture for the shimmer pencils turned out decently clear, but it had to edit the lighting in the photo a bit because it was a bit dark.

Top one I believe is Boldy Bronzed, and the bottom one is Precious Pink.

Both pencils are very pigmented, more pigmented I find than my purple pencil I got in NYX, which I'll review another day. I'll also mention they feel quite creamy, so application should be really nice too.

Blush and Bronzer

I'm sure everyone is familiar with this duo. Supposedly very comparable to Nars Orgasm?? If I remember correctly...but I honestly have never used it, so I don't know. But again, very pigmented, you might see a smudge in the middle of the powders because I swatched them on my hand to see how pigmented they were.

I realize it's not a great picture, but anyway...don't quite remember what this is called, but I got it because it would be great for a highlight, and great for the eyes in the the inner corner. So I'm excited to see what this stuff will do since I've only used shimmering white eyeshadow powder, I want to try some creamy colors.

So yeah, overall I'm very excited to see how this stuff works, how well it applies on, and how long it lasts. Best part of it was that it didn't cost me very much either. Of course, most of these products are ones that I bought after doing research, and ones people do recommend.

Pictures: www.eyeslipsface.com

China Glaze and ORLY Nail Polish

 I started wearing nail polish at a young age, I'm going to say about 12 years old (could have been earlier).  The only brand I ever used was Sally Hansen, and it was a few selective pink shades.  This is the only brand I've used for about 90% of my life until I found out about China Glaze/ORLY through gurus on youtube.  Pricing wise, Sally Hansen is of course is more affordable.  CG/ORLY are a bit pricier.  I think normally for a bottle of SH, it's about $2-$3 canadian, and CG/ORLY is about $4-$6 I believe.  So a couple dollars more (mind you this was last weeks prices when I stopped off at Sally's).  However, at the time when I purchased these ones, they were on a a promotion of buy 2 get 1 free, which is really good.  I pretty much stocked up!!  Actually, the photo on your left is all the CG's I have, and I own only one ORLY so far (I plan to more buy in the future especially during promotions).  So that's an idea of the prices, let's get down to the quality.

Sally Hansen:

NOTE:  I'm referring to the line "Hard as Nails" I believe.  As for for as any other line that SH may have, I have not tried...so this review is only focusing on that specific line (because I'm aware SH has other ones as well).

My first issue with this brand is the drying time.  I find that even if I allow it to dry for an hour or two, I can potentially (or accidentally) press it somewhere or apply slight pressure on my nails, and it'll either slide the nail polish or create a huge dent(revealing the nail underneath).  I'm sure you can imagine how irritating that must be after spending 10-30 minutes applying, and then another 1-2 hours on top of that to let it dry and it gets ruined.  The second thing that I dislike about the polish is that from my experience, I can only sweep across my nail about 3 times max until it leaves streaks, and the polish applies very goopy, therefore ruining the smooth texture (and it gets worse when you're about half way done the product, it's even more goopy looking).  Last but not least, if you put on a top coat, you want something that isn't as dense.  If the top coat feels like it will drag the clear polish on, stay away from SH.  It'll only drag the polish underneath, and may also create wrinkle like textures.  Not fun after all that work.

Those are the cons to the product.  By no means am I saying don't buy it.  I mean, it could be just me, but I really don't have the patience to wait for it to dry inbetween coats and after application.  So definitely the biggest con for me is the dry time, and that's a major one for me.  The finishing look is nice, but I do prefer having a glossy clear top coat over.

China Glaze/ORLY:

I'm putting these both together since so far I'm finding them both pretty similar in quality.  They're the reason why I can't go back to Sally Hansen anymore.  The polish is smooth coming out of the bottle and glides on the nails very well.  It's like water, but slightly more dense.  Dry time is also extremely fast inbetween coats.  I give it about 1-1 1/2 minutes before applying the next coat, or even under a minute if it appears dry.  I had to go out for a birthday dinner the other day and wanted to glam up my nails with some nail polish, and had about 2 hours left before I had to leave the house.  After application, I waited about 40-50 minutes or so, and it was dry!  Amazing stuff.  I was able to apply make up and do my hair without worrying about smudging or indenting the polish.  Normally with SH, I have to be so carefully with every move I make.  As for the finish, without the clear top coat, it still dries smooth, looks shiny and feels super smooth.   

Basically to sum it up, since I've started to use a "higher" quality polish, I find myself going back to it all the time now.  My main concern is usually the dry time.  For example some other colors that CG carries aren't very opaque and you have to apply more than 2 applications, enough that not only do you need it to dry fast between coats, but to be able to dry with so many coats layered together.  But when it comes to opaqueness, most nail polishes in general regardless of the brand, the lighter the color, the less opaque it is when it's applied.  

Make Up & More

This ranges from cosmetics, to nails, cosmetic lenses, and whatever else comes to mind cosmetic related. There's just a wide variety of cosmetic products to really limit down to what goes on the face to enhance features. I consider myself decent at make up, not the best, but I'm willing to learn. I've had my fair share of buying make up, hoping it'll do what it promises and end up only using it once...but hey (and they don't go to waste because I give it to my sister after using it once) , that's the only way you find out. I'm aware some of us are spending using money we collected over christmas, possibly a recent birthday and can only afford to allow ourselves to buy it because we really need a new one. Well no worries, you'd be surprised what's out there because there's tons that work great and doesn't break the bank.