E.L.F. Haul/Review

After waiting two whole weeks after placing my order from eyeslipsface.com, it finally arrived and now I'm very excited to write my reviews about it! For anyone who doesn't know about E.L.F., this is a company made for makeup junkies on a budget (like me!). Their entire e.l.f. line--mascara, eyeshadow, lipstick, nail polish, makeup brushes, everything!--sells for only $1! Seriously, everything is a dollar. They also have a studio line, which is a little higher quality, that's products are only $3 each (except for a few things that are $6). They even have a mineral line, where everything is between $3 and $8. Basically everything is super affordable and they ALWAYS have multiple promotions going to save you even more money.

So on with the reviews! Some of the things I'm going to review I got online from their website, eyeslipsface.com, and some of them I picked up at my local Target (you can check their website to see where they're sold in stores near you). For me, ordering online was kind of a bittersweet experience. All of the products I ordered online were from their studio line and I had a coupon code for 50% off all studio items so that was awesome (unfortunately this expired already or else I would totally share it with you guys :( ). But like I mentioned earlier, it took two weeks from the day I ordered to get my products, which is much longer than I'm used to waiting for things I order online. Also, it came packaged in a padded envelope as opposed to a box so all of the boxes the items came in were a little bit crunched but none of the actual products were damaged, so that wasn't too bad. So here are all of the things I got from both Target and eyeslipsface.com:1) Studio Mineral Face Primer ($6): This is actually the first face primer I've tried so it was a new experience for me. Basically, face primer's are supposed to even out skin's texture so that foundation goes on more smoothly and gives your face that nice, soft, flat surface to hide any imperfections your face may have. Upon first application of this primer, you can immediately feel a nice, soft finish on your skin. You only need one pump to cover your whole face and neck area. It helps foundation go on more smoothly; it spreads easier and blends nicely. Because the foundation spreads more readily over the face, it makes the foundation's coverage a little more sheer than without the primer, which may be good for some people but for me, I have a lot of redness in my skin and a few blemishes that need covering so, it wasn't that great. Also, I had to stop using it because I was afraid it was making me break out. I'm not sure because my skin is still recovering from a new face wash that did break me out, so once my skin is better, I'm going to try it again.

Grade: B- I give it a B- because I do like the way it makes my skin soft but I don't like that it sheers out my foundation so much and I'm not a fan of it (possibly) breaking me out.

2) Studio High Definition Powder ($6): LOVE IT! This is seriously one of my absolute favorite translucent powders ever. It gives your skin that soft, almost airbrushed look. It does not settle into fine lines or pores so it really gives your face a flawless look. It's pretty amazing. I don't have a negative thing to say about it. I highly recommend it. Plus, for a limited time, you can get this amazing powder for free with any $15 order from eyeslipsface.com! Just enter: FBS2 at checkout.

Grade: A Obviously. Love it!

4) E.L.F. Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Pink Lemonade and Baby Lips ($1 each): These are like a mix of a lip gloss and a lipstick. The color payoff is fairly sheer, not as sheer as a lip gloss but definitely more sheer than lipstick. They aren't very sticky and the colors I got are really pretty. Baby Lips (right) is pretty much exactly my lip color so it evens out my lip color without adding any color. Great for everyday wear, it looks like I'm just wearing clear gloss but better. Pink Lemonade (left) is a really pretty pink with a little bit of a gold shimmer to it. It's a brighter pink than Baby Lips but it's sheer enough to not be TOO pink. It looks really great alone but I also like it with a little bit of Baby Lips on top.

Grade: A I love these for everyday wear and I'm really excited to try the other shades they have.

5) Studio Kabuki Face Brush ($5): This is a really good kabuki brush. It's nice and big, it's really soft, and it's very full. I use it to apply my High Definition Powder and I use it to soften up lines of blush and bronzer. I've had zero hair fall out and I'm going to get another one so obviously I like it.

Grade: A Love it!



6) Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush ($3): Great eye shadow brush. It packs color on nicely and is also good for blending. It's size and shape make it great for all different eye shadow applications: highlighting, all over color, crease definition, and blending. I recommend getting multiples of this brush because you will be reaching for it over and over again.

Grade: A I really don't have anything negative to say about this brush. It really is a great brush.

7) Studio Fan Brush ($3): This brush is really not my favorite. The bristles are too soft and too loosely packed to do very much of anything. Its not very good for sweeping away fall out from under the eyes and it's not very good for applying blush or highlight to my skin. The one thing I do like to use it for, however, is for putting blush on my 7-year-old niece. She loves to play dress up and always wants me to do her makeup so I use this brush to give her an extremely sheer wash of color on her cheeks.

Grade: D Unless you have a 7-year-old that wants you to put makeup on them, this brush is not worth the $3.

8) E.L.F. Slant Tweezers ($1): These are actually a lot better than I expected them to be. They get in there and grip hairs nicely for a smooth removal. I still would recommend picking up a pair of Tweezerman Tweezers because they will last you forever (literally forever, since you can send them out and they'll sharpen them for free), but if your desperate for tweezers and don't have $20 to spend on Tweezerman's or if you need a stand in for when your Tweezerman's are being sharpened, then there is no greater value than these tweezers and I highly recommend them.

Grade: B Not the absolute best but still good and there really is no greater deal out there.

9) E.L.F. Mechanical Eyelash Curler ($1): This is one of the best eyelash curlers I have ever used and they're only a dollar. They squeeze tightly and give a great curl that really lasts. The only downside is that they're kind of bulky and the spring operation in them makes them store with the handles open and extended, unlike normal curlers that store closed so they take up less space. They come with a little plastic piece that fits over the handles to keep them semi closed so don't toss this when you get them, otherwise they'd be a pain to store.

Grade: A Great curl, inexpensive price tag.

10) E.L.F. Candy Shop Lip Tin in Melon Mayhem ($0.50): These sell for 50 cents but I actually got it for free with my online order for putting in the email addresses of 3 friends. Unfortunately, I don't really like it. It's very glittery, I don't like the way it smells at all, and it's not really that glossy.

Grade: F At least it was free!


Overall, I like most of the products I got from e.l.f. These products are definitely worth giving a try. If paying for shipping and waiting 2 weeks to get your makeup then definitely check out your local target to see if they have e.l.f. there. But of course there is always the online deals. Here are some of the coupon codes that are good right now:

Free High Definition Powder w/$15 order: FBS2
$1.98 Shipping w/$20 order (normally $6.95): EGSHIP198
$5 off any order: FREEFIVE
50% off orders over $15: WINNERELF
Find more at retailmenot.com

Also, for those of you new to the e.l.f. brand, they have a deal where, for $9.50, you can pick any 5 of their regular e.l.f. line products and they'll give you five more for free and that price includes the shipping. So your basically getting 50 cents off and free shipping. Use the code: TAKETHETEST .

Love beauty on a budget,
Jamie

A Review: Mark. Glowdacious and Mark. Keep It Going

Before I get into the reviews, I wanted to tell you all a little bit about mark., since it’s not actually a drugstore brand. Mark. is a sister company to Avon with a focus on a younger, trendier style. They use eco-friendly, customizable packaging and they never use any animal testing. They have good quality makeup at drugstore comparable prices. You can buy mark. products from any mark. representative or any Avon representative or online at www.mymarkstore.com/jgriesinger. Every four weeks mark. debuts a new magalog (mix of magazine and catalog) which contains new products in makeup, skincare, fashion, and accessories along with some of their brand staples. So today I got new makeup from the current magalog and a new item debuting in the upcoming magalog that goes live this Tuesday, April 27.

Mark. Keep It Going:

So the first thing I have to review is mark.’s Keep It Going long wear eye liner and shadow. These are gel-based duos that can be used as either eye liner or eye shadow. They are said to be smudge-proof and waterproof with buildable colors that last all day. They come in five different shades but I only got three of them. The first one I got is called “Entourage” which is a matte black and shimmery silver duo. Both colors are fairly sheer. The silver is practically invisible with only one layer, 2-3 layers are needed to get a definite silver. The black is good when used as eyeliner with a thin eyeliner brush. If you want to use the black as shadow and you really want a true black, you’ll need at least 2 layers. The next shade I got is called “Iconic” which is a shimmery green and gold duo. The colors are good. The gold is a shimmery yellow-gold. It’s pretty sheer like the silver in Entourage, but with a few layers, it’s a really pretty gold. The green is like an olive-ish green and it’s a little more opaque than the gold; you can get pretty good coverage with just one layer. It has a gold shimmer to it that makes it a perfect pair with the gold it comes with. The last shade I got “Exposure.” It’s a shimmery tan and matte chocolate brown duo. These colors are both opaque enough. Only one layer needed for these. The tan is nice and the chocolate is good as an eyeliner. This duo is great for a natural look.

All of the colors are really creamy and smooth going on. They work better when warmed up by the skin a little rather than straight out of the container so I would suggest applying them with your ring finger or if you prefer using a brush then take some product out of the container with a brush and rub it on the back of your hand to warm it up. It goes on smoother and doesn’t dry as fast when warmed up. If you use them with a brush straight out of the container, they dry incredibly fast making any kind of blending nearly impossible. As for their staying power, they really do last all day long without fading, creasing or smudging. These would also be good as an eye primer; the tan from Exposure or the gold from Iconic would be good any color eye shadow or you could use the green from Iconic, the purple from another shade Industria (which also comes with charcoal grey), or the blue from another shade Surreal (which also comes with bronze) as a base for eye shadow looks of those colors. These cost $10 each and again, you can get them through your mark. rep, Avon rep, or online.

Mark. Glowdacious:

The other item I got is the mark. Glowdacious illuminating powder. This item will debut when Magalog 5 goes live on April 27^th. It’s a compact that has three rings of colors that combine a bronzer and a highlighter. It’s a shimmery “illuminating powder” that brightens skin tone and enhances a tan. It is $12 and comes in three shades: Prettied Up, which is good for light skin tones; Shimmied Up which is best for medium skin tones; and Amped Up which is better for darker skin tones. I am super pale so, of course, I got prettied up. Let me just start by saying, this is the first bronzer I have ever used that hasn’t made me look dirty or orange. I swirled my brush through all three colors to use as a bronzer then I took a smaller brush in just the lightest shade to use for a highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones, right under my eyebrows and down the bridge of my nose. This one compact really worked great as both a bronzer and a highlighter and it really made my skin look glowing (in a good way). I also decided to try this compact out as eye shadow because I love makeup that multi-tasks (money savers!) and it looked really good. I used the medium shade as an all over lid shade, the darkest shade in the crease and the lightest shade as a highlight under the brow and in the inner corners of my eyes with just a thin, smudgy, black liner, the result: a gorgeous, beachy, summer eye look. I absolutely love it and (over my Victoria’s Secret Eye Primer) it has lasted 12 hours so far and still going strong. I can’t wait to wear this look out to the beach in the summertime.

Overall I am very impressed with both of these new mark. products and I highly suggest you check them out. If you don’t already have a mark. or Avon representative, you can order online at www.mymarkstore.com/jgriesinger.

Love and lipgloss,

Jamie