Five Favorites Video... Featuring Luna.

Out of all of the emails I get from readers, I have found that you guys are really interested in the crap that I use on my face everyday. I opted for the video format just because any lengthy posts can get a little bit annoying to read - so I figured this would be more entertaining for you all. Let's be honest, when you see a blog post that rivals one of the Harry Potter books in terms of length, you click right back to Facebook or Twitter or whatever you were doing and continue like you never even saw the damn thing.

I'm recovering from some allergy/sinus issues - so I'm sorry if I sound nasally lol.. I also want to give a disclaimer that there is an attention seeking italian greyhound in this video that wants nothing more than for me to throw her tennis ball. Enjoy.

Tarte Lip Tint ($24.00) <- apparently the color I showcased isn't available through the site, but there is a very similar shade called "joy"
Senna Matte Eyecolor in Blend ($16.50)
e.l.f. Mineral Foundation + SPF15 in Light ($5.00)
Kat Von D Sin-Full Lash Mascara ($19.00) <- not as bad as I thought price-wise

Never hesitate to email me suggestions, comments, or questions! I love hearing from each and every one of you! You can direct everything to unnecessarydrama@gmail.com!

Senna Gets Springy With It

I'll tell you what - Senna treats me like a freaking princess. I am extremely grateful to have a relationship with them & I will forever sing their praises. Not only do they make extremely high-quality makeup that I am always impressed with, they are an all-around good company.

About a week ago, they sent me over a few of their new shades for Spring. I usually change up my makeup routine fairly dramatically when the weather gets warmer & these seem to fit in pretty well with what I do with my face in the Spring. I tend to stay away from super dark colors and I definitely play around with brighter colors a little bit more. I don't know - something just feels wrong about celebrating Easter with black smokey eyes and an obscene amount of bronzer.

So here's what I will be gushing about in this post:

Pressed Powder Blush in Tres Jolie - $18.50

Velvet Eyeliner in Black Violet - $18.00

First of all, Senna's packaging is really awesome, as always. Second - I want to add in that the eyeliner has a smudge tip on the opposite end which I forgot to take a picture of.

Anyhow, the blush is nice on my skin tone. I am pretty pale, but I have a little hint of olive in my skin. The website describes the color as a "clear glowing pink" which is pretty accurate. It has just a tiny little hint of shimmer to it, but I definitely wouldn't classify it as sparkly. This is a huge plus in my book because I don't enjoy looking like I dunked my head in a vat of pearlescent glitter.

Looks pretty natural, just a little color which is all you really need.

Oh yeah - I cut all my hair off, too..

Next, this freaking eyeliner applies like butter, I'm not even kidding. I get really annoyed whenever I get a new eyeliner and I have to shove it into my eyelid with the strength of Jesus in order for it to spit any type of color out onto my skin. Fresh out of the package - this eyeliner goes on smooth and really pigmented. 

I have issues with purple liner and shadows because if they're not dark enough, they can make me look like I'm sick. This shade is called "black violet" and even though I was skeptical, I found that it's just dark enough and doesn't have that "pinkish" color to it whenever its smudged out. I like to take colored eyeliners and apply them thick, then smudge them out around my eyes. I usually don't pair it with shadow, just a little bit of black liner and some black mascara. It's kind of a happy medium between smokey eyes and light makeup. With a pop of color - it's a really cute and easy look:

Senna also makes this really easy since they include the smudge tip right on the other side of the liner tube. Really quick and easy, and it's a nice medium between too heavy and too light. Perfect if you feel like a full-on smokey eye looks too harsh on you.

And if you have blue eyes like me - purple makes your eyes pop.. a lot :)

So if you'd like to try either of these products, you can find them both on Senna's website at www.sennacosmetics.com. I want to take the time to send a big THANK YOU their way for making me one of their trusted blogging partners, as well. They're a great company, and I hope you will all give them a try if you haven't already! Hope you all had a great Easter, as well!

Erin With The Christmas Win & December Birchbox!

My Roommate Erin is beautiful:

This is her enjoying the sweet smell of summer back in 2010

But really.. We have been best friends since 9th grade & now live together. We are somewhat of an odd pairing seeing as to how I am clearly very into makeup and hair stuff and all that jazz and erin prefers to keep things pretty simple. Cite this picture for evidence... I refer to it as "the odd couple":

So when Erin got me something for Christmas that involves makeup.. I about died. And ON TOP OF THAT - it was something I had never even heard of and it is really quite awesome. It's called Birchbox & each month you get a little box filled with some "deluxe size samples" of various beauty products. You fill out a little profile of your hair and skin type and what you're most interested in, so every member gets something unique to them each month. Really a cool idea & I get to try new stuff every month which is big for me.

So my first ~shipment~ came & I was like HOLY CRAP THIS PACKAGING IS CUTE. Unfortunately, I ripped it off & ruined it before I could take a pic, but it came in a little UPS box that was pink and had white snowflakes all over it. But once you open it, the box that the products come in is really cute, too:

When you open it up, it comes with a little card that lists all of the items (including their price if you want to buy them full size) & a short description of each:

This month, this is what I got:

1. Yogini Perfume - Not really my thing. It smells a little "old woman-y" to me, but the card says it has notes of sandalwood, egyptian myrrh, and grapefruit.

2. Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo - I have tried this stuff before & was really excited to get the small can because it's easy to take with me when I travel. It's $23 for the big can, but I've found that with my sort of "combination" hair type - this is one of the best dry shampoos out there.

3. Jouer Moisturizing Lipgloss in Birchbox Pink - Check this out - a special color just for Birchbox... FANCY!! And I really love this stuff. It's a really pretty hot pink color that goes on just sheer enough that it doesn't look too overpowering with one coat, but if you double up it's a nice little pop of color. 

4. I-Care Waterproof Eyeliner by Laura Geller in Caffe Mocha - I really really like this liner. It's a darker brown & doesn't have that reddish undertone that a lot of brown liners do. And I freaking hate that, so I was happy with this one. It also has the little smudge tool on the opposite end which is a big plus for me. Apparently (according to the card) it is ~laced with skin-soothers to nourish my eye area~.. So there's that, too.

5. Show Stoppers Designer Fashion Tape - Haven't had a chance to use them yet, but they're double sided tape strips that ensure your tits don't pop out of low-cut shirts. The card puts its a bit more elegantly saying that they "ensure your party dress stays perfectly in place" but let's be honest....

6. ReCharge EBOOST Orange Natural Energy Booster Mix - I cannot wait to try this whenever I go back to work tomorrow after Christmas break. Deep down I'm hoping I don't like it because its almost $30 for 20 packets, but it's a drink mix that you put into water that gives you a natural energy boost. I'll report back with my results, but I'm pumped to give it a whirl.

If you're interested in trying Birchbox, you can click here to check out their website. If you're shopping for a beauty lover, there isn't a more unique gift out there. Once my membership is up - I'm considering renewing just to keep a fresh arsenal of stuff to review on deck especially since they are partnered with awesome brands. I'll keep you updated with what I get every month. Shout out to Erin for the present. You didn't dun goof.

Toki Doki Robbery Palette!

Watch the full video review below :)

^ deep in thought - _ -
i cannot win with still screens.

Swatches:

(Sorry that the bronzer/blushes are a bit hard to see - 

remember that they're not shadows, so they're a little bit milder in pigmentation) 

The TokiDoki Robbery palette is available at Sephora. I bought it for $49, but they actually lowered the price $10 since then - so you can score it for just $39. Lucky bitches!! :) Click here to take advantage & order directly through the Sephora website. They say it's a $149 value.. don't know how true that is but hey - sure makes it sounds like you're getting one hell of a deal ;) Let me know if you'll be picking it up.

Enjoy! xo

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Review

I'm obsessed with doing my nails. It's extremely rare that my nails are the same color/pattern for more than a week at a time. If something chips, forget it - shit is getting repainted. I don't care if it's 2am.

So I was at wal-greens today just kind of browsing after work & I stumbled upon the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish strips. The bastards were sold out of both cheetah AND leopard print which was lame, but I kind of liked this flowery pattern they had in stock. They also had regular colors and glittery ones which I don't exactly understand. Paint your freaking nails that color. It takes WAY longer to apply these strips - trust me.

These run $9.99.. Like I said, I got mine at wal-greens.

There's enough for one set of nails. They do throw in a cuticle stick 

and a teeny little nail file.

It took me like 15-20 minutes to put these on. You put them onto bare nails, kind of fold them over the end of your nail, and then file the excess off. They do apply pretty easily, but I'm wondering how long they'll stick around. They say 10 days, but even when I pressed them onto my nails, they don't really like.. STICK. If I accidentally set it down wrong, I could pick it right back up and reposition it. I threw a top coat over them for the hell of it - so hopefully that'll lengthen their lifespan. They say to rub the magical cuticle stick over top of them to kind of "seal them" down, so I did do that just for good measure.

They kind of give me a Katy Perry vibe :)

Overall, I was happy with how they came out. I'd recommend them for sure. The only complaint I have is that there's only enough in the pack for one set of nails. The nail sizes they gave me worked pretty well on my hands, and I feel like I have average sized nails. But for $10 - I was hoping to get more than one set out of them. If you've got short nails, it might be a little hard to file the excess decal off of the edges of your nail - so I'd make sure to grow your nails out, even if it's just a little, before you put them on.

I'll let you know if they all rub off the second I reach into my purse tomorrow morning :) lol - goodnight, guys!

Smoky Shadow Blast Review... Puke.

Well hello there everybody. I realize it's been about a month and a half since my last post, and while I do apologize for that, it was nice to take a break from blogging and reviewing products. Not only has it given me a chance to really try out stuff and add some new favorites to my arsenal to tell you guys about... it's given me a chance to miss writing. So it feels good to be back.

I have alot of shit to talk about, but I'm going to start with a post I've gotten alot of freaking questions about.

I had gotten emails about trying the whole Covergirl "Smoky Shadow Blast" stick before, but it wasn't until one of the girls I nanny asked about it that I considered giving it a try. Ana is 13 and just starting to get into makeup. She's the oldest of the bunch so she doesn't have an older sister to steal stuff from or ask what does and doesn't suck. That is where I come into play. The bottom line is, some people want no frills no fuss makeup solutions. The easier the better. This totally intrigued Ana since they made it seem so simple and awesome in the commercial. They had Drew Barrymore running around making out with the stuff, wearing fake eyelashes and giggling. So being the kickass nanny that I am - I went out and bought one of these little $7 wonders from wal-greens to try for myself.

This one is "silver sky".. They have a bunch of colors but to me, this one seemed the most.. practical. The base color is basically platinum and the other end is a dark plummy color for the crease.

Number one - upon uncapping I noticed the crease color had like .. a waxy buildup on it. Immediately off to a bad start. I swatched the colors and I mean, while I didn't have to scribble on my hand for hours - I certainly didn't get alot of color with one swipe. Be prepared to inflict alot of pressure on your precious eyeballs to get any sort of pigmentation. 

The colors are super shiny looking, too.. Which doesn't always come to mind for me when I think "smoky eye". It's another turn off in my book.

Bottom line, the product feels greasy and creases like it's nobody's freaking business. I even used a primer (kat von d's - which is like freaking PUTTY, so if you're creasing on that... shit is bad) and everytime I blinked - I had a line. I put the crease color on and .. I just got mad. When I think SMOKY EYE - I don't think of HARSH LINES. with this... you have no choice. If you try and blend it out, say peace out to the color because it's going to wipe right off. The applicator on the crease color is shaped in a manner that there is no "subtle" application. It's either stab your eyeball's crease with a wedge shaped wax stick or go home. And it's just as oily feeling as it's silver friend. Perhaps they should call this stuff "grease ball shadow blast" instead, because that's the result you end up with.

Check out that sharp line in the crease lol.. I tried to blend it out a teeeeny tiny bit and here's what I ended up with:

Where has the purple gone???? Oh there it is. All over my effing finger.

Honestly - if you want a good smokey eye, buy an eyeshadow palette & a decent makeup brush and practice. With a little bit of blending, you can end up with a way nicer look than this mud stick will give you. Trust.

Target... I Have Something to Tell You...

I am a loyal, loyal Target shopper. In fact, my boyfriend was once almost frightened by the fact that I turned down a trip to Target. Typically I shop there as opposed to the Wal-Mart that's literally 2 minutes away (unless I feel a little Miley flowing through my veins) because I find Target's stuff cuter, more "trendy", and they have a kickass dollar section. My best friend also works there so I enjoy distracting her while she's trying to fold clothes.

Anyways, I'm sorry Target but Wal-Mart's addition of Hard Candy to their arsenal might just sway me to stop there a little more often than you. I know you have all those makeup brands that are a little crazy expensive for what you get (sorry but aside from Sonia Kashuk ... NONE of those collections have done anything for me), but I'm not impressed. I got a couple things from Hard Candy the other day and I might have a new fave brand emerging.

Not only is their packaging amazing (shelf appeal whore... HOLLA!), but their products are seriously my style. Their shadows are all wearable colors - you don't have anything too outrageous and they have a pretty big selection. Everything from face primer (which I willlll be trying) to giant tubes of colored mascara... I could seriously look at their stuff all day. Another thing that really impressed me about them is that you get a really good amount of product with everything you buy. You're not paying $6 and getting a tiny ass pan of shadow. I am far too familiar with that feeling except add the number 2 before the 6. Pissed.

I got these 3 things to start me off, but I know I'll end up buying everything they freaking make:

Baked Shadow in "Break Up" - $6

Glitter Cream Eyeshadow/Glitter Eyeliner - $5

Liquid Glitter Eyeliner in Licorice (Sparkling Black) - $6

The shadows are baked, so they're really light and both have an irridescent quality to them. They're going to make fantastic highlights and they also look great blended together. You get a really unique gold color that way. The cream glitter shadow was not at all like I thought, and that's a good thing. They typically tend to be gloopy, hard to apply, and sticky. This was just like any other cream shadow except super glittery. Trust me, I won't be wearing it to work or anything but it'll be pretty for christmas parties and such :o) The matching liner was a nice bonus, too. And finally this HOT glitter liner. Although it is a bit more translucent than I hoped, the glitter is GORGEOUS in it and I used it today overtop of my e.l.f. eye marker to give it a sparkly effect and wing the edges out more. Loved it. I'm going to pick it up in a few more colors because for $6 it's such a steal.

Have you guys tried Hard Candy yet?

We Are NOT COOL Anymore, Michelle Tanner.

Going to Wal-Mart is Dangerous (notice the capital D). I go there for shampoo - I leave with $50 worth of crap. It's inevitable. Wal-Mart has a lot of make-up brands that aren't sold anywhere else, so I always take a trip down that aisle to see what they got. Being the bargain hunter that I am - I always look for the cheap crap that looks cool... but obviouisly, I never expect too much. If I end up with something I really like - awesome. If not - $2 isn't a huge loss.

So Mary Kate & Ashley. I was singing your praises for the blush wipe things but this time... we have a problem.

Now don't ask me why I'm buying eyeliner from two people who constantly look like they let a 4 year old trace their eyes with the stuff.. but I did:

They give me a zombie/raccoon vibe.

Where are you Michelle Tanner? Come back.

So I'm doing my makeup this morning, minding my own, and it comes time for the eyeliner. Typically - I have been religious with the eye marker's from E.L.F. but today, I don't know - I felt like spicing shit up. So I picked up the goddamn MK&A pencil and started going to town. Typically (unlike zombieland up there), I take it easy with the liner and just do a little on the edges & some along my lash line just for definition. Today, I got a little bit wild and crazy and replaced the white (which I normally use) on my waterline with the black manufactured by Danny Tanner's daughter(s). I finished up the job and went to get my lip primer and what happens?

EYES FEEL LIKE I HAVE DUMPED SULFURIC ACID INTO THEM.

And you know how there's NEVER anything decent around to blot your profusely watering eyeballs with? Yeah, me freaking too. I have my scarves hanging next to my makeup stand but I was picturing lint balls in my eyelashes, giant black marks all over them, etc... Bad news. So i grabbed a freakin makeup sponge and started blotting my life away. And at that point ... there was black shit all over my face :o) Nothing like doing your makeup and then having an eyeball waterfall ruin your hard work.

So thanks, bitches. From this point on, I'm staying away from your painful ass makeup if it has anything to do with my eyes. I'll give you the blush sheets - but that's all you're getting. And I'm serious. We may have been close friends back in the 90's, Michelle, but it's the new millenium. And you do NOT got it, dude.

Variety Is Totally The Spice of Makeup, Too..

So the fact I have cool, awesome friends is definitely a great thing. The fact that I have cool, awesome friends who are also willing to hook me up with the sweet makeup that they sell? Even better. My friend Natalie has been selling Mark. (a branch of the Avon brand for those of you who have been living under a rock) for awhile & she wanted to give me some stuff to try that she was liking. I used to buy EVERYTHING mark. and nothing but, but I have definitely branched out over the past year or so and have kind of forgotten about my beloved mark. It was nice to be reunited :o) Here are 2 of the things that she sent me that I am totally in love with and have been using on a daily basis.

Behold - the Flip For It Color Kit, my friends. This one in specific is called "Sydney", but they do have other palettes available (London & Southbeach). If you're looking for a grear fall/winter palette - this one is full of pretty warm colors that work on every skin tone. For $20 - you get 2 lipcolors, 2 lip glosses, 2 sparkly shadows (one dark, one highlight), and a blush color. This is fantastic to take on the go since the shadows & blush are on one side and the glosses are on the other. You literally flip the little center part around to get to each side. It's really compact, fits perfectly in your purse, and has everything you need to create a coordinated look. The mirror is really big, too! And I'm always a fan of that :o)

Next was this super duper cute lip gloss sampler... I'm not sure if this product itself is available (couldn't find it on the site), but you can definitely get the glosses separately. mark. has a line of glosses called "glow baby glow" and I absolutely love them. They're extremely sparkly, not too sticky, and they smell minty (not like shitty fake strawberries). They're long lasting, as well - which is hard to come by with lip glosses that aren't sticky. There are also two in here that are the "metalicious" kind of gloss - and they give your lips a super shiny, metallic look. I absolutely love the pink one (2nd from the right) called Opulance. Here are swatches of the two styles so you can get an idea of the difference:

"Glow Baby Glow" in "Melon Luxe" and "Metalicious" in "Opulance"

See how the glow baby glow is more see through,
& the metalicious is a bit more matte?

The great thing is is that the glosses themselves are only $5 each & if you buy two - you'll get a "hook up", allowing two glosses to be hooked up together.
Gotta love it :o)

So if you're looking to stock up - definitely check out mark. They always have great deals (right now it's free shipping on $25 or more) and around Christmas they have great gift bundles so be on the lookout for that. Click on the links to head to the mark. site and see what they have. I'm telling you - the Flip for It is a little slice of heaven!

Thanks, Nat! :o)

Strawberry Kiwi Shadow Look

So I got some new shadows today at ULTA and I have been itchin to use some of these Jesse's Girl pigments I got awhile back - so I figured I'd do a little look for you guys :o) Since I was off today and boyfriend is at school, I had to look fresh to sit in my bed and watch season 3 of the Office in it's entirity. Busy day you guys, busy busy day.

Used:

Jesse's Girl Angelic Eye Dust (light pink in center/highlight/tear duct)

Jesse's Girl Pink Glitz Eye Dust (dark pink in inner corner)

Urban Decay Graffiti Eyeshadow (lighter green on outer corner)

NYX's Lime Green Eyeshadow (dark green on outer corner/crease)

e.l.f Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Ash (top lid eyeliner)

Jesse's Girl Kohl Eyeliner in Mint Condition (lower lash line/waterline)

Covergirl's Lash Blast Mascara (were you expecting something else??) :oP

Personally, I think dark pink colors wash my eyes out, so I stay away from doing it on the outer edges. Is it just me or do other people feel that way? I tried to do a hot pink eye once and I felt like I looked like I had a severe case of pink eye. I do, however, like light pinks for highlights and on the lid - just not in the crease or the outer corners. I got one of those trio NYX palettes at ULTA today and meh - I'm not super impressed. I have trouble getting NYX shadows to stick, but their colors always look so great on the shelf that I continue to buy them like the shelf appeal whore that I am. I gave two of them to my mom because they seriously frustrated the hell out of me. Maybe my eyelids are NYX-aphobic.. who knows. I was planning on just using the NYX greens, but I couldnt get them to stick so I used my urban decay shadow as a base and that made them adhere a little better. Grrr.. Shouldn't have to do that!!

If you guys haven't picked up a sample of "Off with Those Heads" from my last entry - make sure you click here to get the information & pick one up. They told me they'll give up to 100 out, so take advantage. If you guys would like to pick up any of the shadows I used in this look - click here for the Jesse's Girl Website and here for ULTA where I got everything else. And apparently NYX won't let ULTA sell them online - so here's a link to their site. Making things difficult, I see.......

Scarf Swap & Makeup Tutorial!

SO! I came home today and found a lovely little silver envelope sitting on my table waiting for me and I realized that it was the scarf from my scarf swap! Thanks to Katie for this lovely little number! I have totally already planned my outfit to work tomorrow so I can wear it. Thanks again to Katie for hosting the swap & congrats on your preganancy, love! Here are some pictures of my new scarf that was picked out for me. It's from Old Navy:

Love it! And it's really soft, too.. Thanks Christa! xoxo

If you like the idea of the swap - don't forget to sign up for the Lip Gloss Swap that I'm hosting! It's open for entrants up until October 15th. For those of you that're already signed up .. I can't wait to assign you all your partners! Hope you're all excited to get started, too :o)

Alright, in other news - thanks everybody for all your positive feedback from the video I posted yesterday! I decided to film another one today after the craptastic day at work I had and I'm happy with how it came out. The youtube channel will definitely be growing in the future, so make sure you subscribe. All of your support is lovely... I love you guys. So I'll leave you with the tutorial I did on quick & easy makeup! I'll get into more elaborate things down the line and if you guys want to see anything in particular let me know! C'mon, I need ideas!

As always, thanks for everything you guys. You're all the best!

And if you haven't - enter my giveaway to win Jesse's Girl Eye Dusts! You still have plenty of time to enter still so don't worry :o) Keep it real & enjoy your weekends! I'm going to WV with boyfriend & our 3 friends to go to the haunted penitentiary... Hope we make it back alive!!

xoxo

Catching Up!

Hey Lovelies :o) It has been such a crazy weekend! I worked both Saturday & Sunday and boyfriend is home from school, too - so it's been a lot of running around over the past 2 days. I'm currently on the last day of my seven freakin' day stretch at work - and I feel pretty damn accomplished for not killing anybody. AAAAnyways, I wanted to let you know about some things that I have coming up & also fill you in on some amazing crap that I did yesterday.

I have been working with a super amazingly awesome makeup company called Jesse's Girl cosmetics and I got tons (and I mean TONS... I freakin' love Jesse - she is amazing!) of samples to try out and report back to you guys on. I have been giving everything a go over the past few days and tomorrow (since I'm off.. WAHOO!), I plan on doing a really big review and giving you guys tons of new ideas for things to buy. They're super inexpensive and the quality is comparable to MAC - and yeah I'll say it - I think it's even a little bit better.. SO THERE! Tons of stuff to tell you guys about, going to be a big post. If you wanna check it out in the meantime - here's a link to her site: http://www.jessesgirlcosmetics.com/

Also, if you're not already signed up - make sure you put your e-mail in to participate in the lip gloss swap I'm hosting. You go out and buy a new lipgloss and mail it to the partner I assign you and TA-DA! You get one in return! Even if you don't have a Blogger account, you can sign up since I allow those kind of comments. Make sure if you are signed up that you help spread the word by putting this banner on your blog & linking back:

Click on the image to be taken to the post

Finally, me, boyfriend, and our friends Matt, Julia, & George all went out for our first Halloween Adventure of the season. All five of us are really into Halloween - so we were all really excited to get out there after having such a great time last year. We went to "Castle Blood" which is an interactive Haunted House in Beallsville, PA - about an hour from Pittsburgh where we live. It was really fun & they gave us little plastic fangs on the way out for "making it out alive" so of course, we wore them the entire way home (complete with an insane jam session to "Party in the USA") and then into the movie theater. We saw Zombieland and I'll tell you what - it is one of my new favorite movies of all time. Totally my kind of humor. If you liked Superbad or anything like that - you gotta see it. Just a really, really good movie. Throw in a trip to Eat N' Park at 1:30am & you have yourself one perfect night. Can't wait to do it all over again next weekend, guys!

Well I hope you all enjoyed your weekends & are loving the fall weather as much as I am. Happy back to work tomorrow (not for me.. SUCKAS!) & I'll hit you all up with that review tomorrow.

xoxo

My Battles with Eye Makeup Remover & Finally One I LOVE.

I have had a battle with makeup removers. As much as I love E.L.F.'s brand - their eye makeup remover pads burn the shit out of my eyeballs. Does anybody else have this issue? I thought if I used them a few times, I'd build up some type of immunity (I know, I know...) - but after digging the palms of my hands into my eyesockets in pain for the tenth time, I think I've officially sworn them off. Here's a picture of the little shits incase you're not sure which ones I mean:

THESE ONES... GRRR!

After becoming obsessed with E.L.F. and ordering everything they've ever manufactured, I also got their makeup remover towlettes from their Studio Line. Now, although they do not specifically say "for EYE MAKEUP", I figured I'd try them out on that area of the face and once again - man down with the burning. Also, they leave like a greasy film all over my face so I don't think I'm going to be using them much since sometimes I just like to remove my makeup, put on some moisturizer, and go to bed. I'm not always down (or awake enough) to go splash water all over my face and crap. These are the grease towels:

Unless you're into sleepy with greasy sheen, I don't recommend..

Continuing on in my search, I was in Walgreens & I saw Wet and Wild was advertising a "NEW" eye makeup remover & although I'm not the hugest Wet & Wild fan due to their craptastic quality, I figured I would pick some up seeing as to how it was like $2. The only things I've gotten from W&W that I've used more than once have been eyeliner & nail polish - but I think I might use this on occasion now, as well.  It smells really weird - and I know the smell from somewhere but I CANNOT think of what it is & it's driving me slowly insane. You have to squeeze it onto a tissue or something to use - but it doesn't burn at all which is fantastic. I was totally expecting it to feel like I was smearing acid all over my eyelids judging by it's color & it's manufacturer, but I was surprised. Here's what it looks like:

Way to go, Wet & Wild.. just when I counted you out...

 

Well finally, I had to end up with one EVENTUALLY that I was into... right? Thanks to Avon, I'm not burning my eyes with E.L.F.'s remover pads any longer. I love this stuff. It's eye makeup remover lotion and it's completely unscented. I love that fact about it because I don't feel like I'm rubbing chemicals into my eyes, even if it doesn't burn. Also, it feels freakin' good to rub the crap out of my eyes after not being able to touch them all day in order to not mess up the makeup. You end up looking like a raccoon when you're done - but it wipes off really easily with a tissue or towel. It gets everything off, even mascara and from now on - it's my swear by makeup remover. I think it's like $4 on avon's website - so if you're looking for a new alternative - PICK IT UP! Seriously people, you'll love this stuff:

Ever tried it?

Let me know ;o)

xoxo 

E.L.F. Studio Products Review

Well I've been lucky enough to have the opportunity to pair up with E.L.F. so I can tell you guys who truly amazing their brand is. For those of you who are unfamiliar, E.L.F.(stands for eyes, lips, face) is an affordable cosmetics company who has everything from body butter to lip primer. Like I said, everything is very inexpensive and many products are available for $1! Their mineral make-up foundation is only FIVE DOLLARS just to give you a comparison. You don't come by prices like that too often. Amazing.. So here's the look i created today with some of the great products from their "studio line" that they sent me:

1. These are the primary products I used..

- Mineral Eyeshadow in "Angelic" $3

- Shimmer Palette in "Sheer Sunrise" $3

- Eyebrow kit in "Light" $3

- Warm Bronzer in "Warm" $3

- Eye Primer & Liner Sealer in "Natural/Clear" $3
- Concealer (not pictured.. whoops) in "Glow/Fair" $3
(how can you beat $3 each????)

2. Here's the brow box & the bronzer, as well as the concealer/highlighter I left out of the first picture (oops!). The brow box is great, the darker side is the gel you use to fill in your brows and the lighter is the powder you use to seal it. The colors are really natural and the product applies very easily. The brush it came with is a helpful tool, as well. Packaging is sleek & compact.

The bronzer is also great. You can see the hint of shimmer right away and the four different shades combine to create a rosy/warm color. Great for any time of year. The concealer is in the shade of  "Glow/Fair" and is a great color for those whose skin isn't totally light, but kind of a happy medium between that & fair.

3. The shimmer palette & eyeshadows are both fantastic.. The shimmer palette is composed of 4 sheer creams in different hues that you can use either under or over your shadow to create a little bit of color or illumination. They make great highlighters, too and the consistency is very easy to work with.

The eyeshadow is a mineral shadow so it goes on wonderfully. The color of this is so great because it's such a pretty shimmer, but also makes a great highlighter since it has a pearly white color. Any colors that are versatile like this are great additions to your collection!

4. Swatched the shimmer palette.. you can see the variation in the shades.

Okay Here We Go!

5. So there's me with just foundation on. I always use CG's TRUblend.. Shade #2

6. Phew, much better.. Just applied E.L.F.'s Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter. The consistency of it is pretty liquidy, so it makes it easy to pat in and blend. I think it does a great job of covering and I always apply the highlighter to my brow bone. Sometimes I use it as a shadow base, but I was using other primer today so I just put on on the brow bone.

7. This is after I applied the primer which I pictured in the first photo. The primer is in stick form (think concealer stick) and I run it across my lid and then pat it in. It creates a nice smooth base to work with.

8. I applied the brow kit products and used the white shade in the shimmer palette as a base for my mineral eyeshadow. My brows definitely look a lot neater and the color matched my brows really well! You can see here how it adds a subtle shimmer to my lids, and you could definitely wear it alone if you wanted to have a simple, light eyed look.

9. I then applied the mineral shadow over top and as you can see, I now have more of a silvery color. In the corner of my lids, I applied the pink shade of the shimmer palette as a little highlight since I have a pink shirt on. Definitely works great as a brightener.. that palette is so versatile.. I love it!

10. Then I applied some white liner to my water line. I used E.L.F.'s eye brightener pencil.

11. For the pink liner on the bottom, I used the opposite end of the Primer stick which has a "liner sealer" which means you can dip it in any color shadow and it instantly becomes an eyeliner! TRULY a great piece to have! I used a color off of my "Manly" 120 palette.

12. Put on some simple black E.L.F. pencil liner and followed up with my coveted Lash Blash Mascara to finish my eyes off. I'm wearing pink & grey so this color combo worked out great!

13. Finished look! I brushed on some of the "warm" bronzer and then gave my cheeks a pinch of color with the E.L.F. blush I already had in  "Flushed".. It's a pretty mauve-y coral-y color (haha). I love this look! It's pretty and subtle and works for work, too :o) Hope you guys enjoyed it!

If you want to pick up any of these amazing E.L.F. products, head over to their website www.eyeslipsface.com .. Check their main page for fun discounts and deals! They always have stuff going on, they truly are "afforable luxury" and a great way to jumpstart your makeup collection.

and YES - that  is the hair holder backer vel-cro thing! Like I said, it's my new favorite thing!

Let me know what you guys think!
xoxo