Hello, all! If you’re a budget savvy diva like I am, then you are more than likely very familiar with the brand elf. Now, the object of today’s affections is more of an oldie, but it’s still a goodie: Smudge Pots! They’re $3 and the ELF website is always aiming to hand out those deals and coupons.
The pots come in a very chic and classy clear pot that looks like glass, but definitely isn’t. It’s fine, though, because you can still get that rich queen aesthetic. The shadows inside have a very smooth and creamy feel, but the downside is that if you’re like me, and prefer to get the maximum pigmentation by using your fingers for application, the pots are a bit too narrow to get to the product without getting it clustered under your nails.
Without FlashWith Flash
In terms of pigmentation, color pay-off generally depends on the shade. Back to Basics tends to have the best stand-alone application on my eyes and Poppin’ Party is the most likely to get a little streaky on my lids. All of the shadows are buildable and once they’re on my lid, I usually get a solid 5 or so hours of uninterrupted wear. I find this to be a huge plus because it offers a lot of flexibility to the product. All of the shades can work as a decent primer or go on to make a great base for corresponding shadow colors that you want to layer on top.
In conclusion, I am a huge Smudge Pot fan and have recommended them to all of my friends and recommend them to you all as well! They’re versatile, they’re great for people who want quick pigmentation and don’t have time for brushes, and come in neutrals, bold shades, and shimmers! Spend your coins in a cost efficient manner and pick this up ya’ll (as long as your budget has accounted for it – $3 can be a lot of money and you should only spend it if you think it’s a great investment).
Hello, all! I’m all here for trying new things and I love a good deal which has led to the culmination of this review. I’ve heard a lot about ColourPop cosmetics from the mystical world of YouTube makeup tutorials and am obsessed with trying out new eyeshadows, so I decided to pick up the KaePop quad from ColourPop. As usual, I signed up for their email list (which I recommend doing anytime you’re ready to make a purchase from anywhere for the first time), received my $5 off coupon, and dropped this gorgeous piece into my shopping cart.
The quad contains 4 SuperShock shadows that come in a nice purple sleeve and are inside of a tiny cardboard box that looks a bit like a game of Connect 4. Because this is a collection of shadows, rather than a palette, they all come in individual small plastic pods with twist-off, see-through lids.
Without Flash: Beverly, Wilshire, Sunset Blvd, and CrenshawWith Flash: Beverly, Wilshire, Sunset Blvd, and Crenshaw
The collection has 3 matte shades (Wilshire, Crenshaw, and Beverly) and one pearlized shade (Sunset Blvd). They swatch a little less pigmented than they apply to the eye, and go on best with the use of your finger (but you can use brushes too if that’s your jam). When it comes to color selection, I think they’re all beautiful shades, though I am rarely ever tempted to use all 4 shades together. Despite that, I do think it offers great versatility for making a bold look or a natural one.
In terms of texture, they’re very “squingy.” I personally love the texture and the only way I can describe it is like a firm sponginess. They’re quite malleable and apply in smooth layers. More specifically, they have a “cream to powder” formula which allows them to be built up on the lid or blended into the crease. My favorite thing about the formula of them though, is not the fun texture, but the wear time. Once they’ve had the opportunity to set on the lid, they lock on. Even without the use of a primer, they don’t break up on the lid, transfer, or crease which makes them the perfect base for other shades, an awesome primer for the lid, or a great product for if you’re in a hurry and are living for that one finger swipe!
Overall, I think this is a great quad, particularly for those who are just looking into trying ColourPop for the first time. They offer a great amount of versatility for looks that you can create and cost the exact same as they would if you bought them all separately (which, fun fact: you can buy the shadows individually if there’s just one shade that speaks to your soul for $5 each). Also, they’ve got an amazing wear time so even if none of these shades are your jam, the formula is amazing so I recommend checking out the site to see if any of their other shades are!
Hello, all! I have a new favorite product. I don’t know what I was doing before I found it, because it has changed everything about the way I do my makeup. It’s the elf Makeup Mist and Set and it is $3 and it’s the best $3 I’ve spent thus far into 2016.
If you’re an elf fanatic or a budget-savvy individual, you are more than likely familiar with the ever expanding EyesLipsFace lineup and may already know about this setting spray and probably other reasonably priced setting sprays on the market. While I am sure there are better products out there, for $3 this setting spray is pretty bomb and has been able to fulfill many different roles in my makeup routine. As the reviews online for it were kind of ~eh~ I originally bought it for the sole purpose of intensifying my eyeshadows to bring out their color and provide a more metallic finish. Then, with a bit of trepidation, I decided to attempt to spray it on my face as a finishing spray. While I cannot definitively say that it has extended the life of my makeup, it does remove that cake-face aesthetic and trade off powderiness for a smooth skin look.
Most importantly, though, it primes. When you put it on your bare face, it claims to nourish you with the wonderful effects of aloe, green tea, and some vitamins that I do not know the actual benefits of. That claim has yet to do anything for my skin, but it does leave my face just on the right side of tacky, which is when I go in and apply that foundation and then…BAM! Suddenly the product adheres betters. It goes on less patchy. I feel a little bit less terrible about the inadequate job I did in wetting my foundation sponge. I put it on and, in the words of Big Sean, “way up I feel blessed.”
Eyebrows are sisters, not identical twins, but that doesn’t mean that you should let them suffer because of that fault. Join me on the path to making my just okay brows even more okay.
Sometimes it’s hard to remove yourself from the warm, coziness of your bed in the morning. While usually a time crunch that’s brought on by my attachment to a nice mattress + comforter leads to a less carefully crafted outfit for me, apparently nothing cancels out that occurrence quite like running low on wearable clothes. Procrastinating on life and laundry has never treated me better.
I’m not really one for playing around with basic pieces. I don’t own any white t-shirts and I generally prefer things with an extra flair to them (more bang for my styling buck), which is why when I head back to basics, I think more about playing with basic formulas and methods for styling.
It can be a little intimidating when you’re thinking up what you should wear and you’re looking through every single item in your closet. Should you hit the world up with a snazzy sparkly skirt? Make it a little fancy with a printed collared shirt? I recommend thinking of a simple combo and then filling in the blanks: Sweater + Jeans + Socks + Boots. From there, you hit that magical point where you’re restricting yourself to specific types of pieces, while still leaving room for your creativity to shine through. So style it up, keep it classy, and go bold while also heading back to the basics!
Whether your V-day bae is an actual human being or the all powerful tri-force of Netflix, WiFi, and a laptop, you deserve to look a solid 10! Here are 3 outfits in under 2 minutes to offer some inspiration for looking lovely while you spend some time with your one true love!
Hello, all! If you’re a budget savvy diva like I am, then you are more than likely very familiar with the brand elf. Now, the object of today’s affections is more of an oldie, but it’s still a goodie: Smudge Pots! They’re $3 and the ELF website is always aiming to hand out those deals and coupons.
From Paul With Love 