REVIEW: Hard Candy Natural Eyes palette - Chalk City Blues

As a neutral eyeshadow palette freak, I ran to Walmart to get the last Hard Candy Natural Eyes Neutral Eyeshadow Palette on the shelf and went home. I was so excite! (Intentional misspelling.)  After using it three times on three different primers- Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Lorac Behind the Scenes, and the Hard Candy one that came with the palette- I am so not excite.

Ingredient list. Click to enlarge

Comes with a fold-out card showing day to evening looks and the names of each shadow

 Jumping early to the TL;DR - Use the super cute tin to depot your eyeshadows! 

It will fit 15 MAC or Makeup Geek shadows, though you'll have to add magnets to your MUG shadows. You can also fit some shadows into the plastic part where the info card sits by using double-sided tape or you can go to the craft store and get some peel and stick magnets that come in sheet form.

I pried out the plastic part holding the shadows by sticking an orange stick in one of the corners.

Ended up with this. From left to right starting at top row: MAC Tete-a-Tint (disc), MUG Cocoa Bear, Milani Java Bean (disc), MAC Expensive Pink, MUG Frappe, MAC Satin Taupe, MAC All That Glitters, MAC Texture, MAC Scene, MAC Vex, MAC Soft Brown, MAC Quarry, MAC Ricepaper, MAC Woodwinked, MAC Humid. Shadows on the left are random discontinued Revlon shadows.

Can you tell I didn't like the shadows nor the primer? Lol. To be honest, I wanted to get this for the cute packaging.

SWATCHES & THE BASICS

 THE RUNDOWN:
~$8 and exclusive to Walmart
~9 shadows (11.1 g)- 4 matte & 5 shimmers
~Comes with a primer, a pretty nice double-ended sponge-tip applicator that isn't cheap foam and a black wooden pencil eyeliner (smudge city)
~Includes a look card that I didn't take a picture of (sorry)
~Easy to open metal tin with magnetized closure. You won't lose your fingernails by prying it open.
~Decent-sized mirror

The primer dries to a very powdery feel that I didn't care for.  Those with dry eyelids might not enjoy that.  I have super oily lids and it surprisingly kept my oiliness away and the shadows didn't crease.

Tease, Toying, Minx, Bashful, Girlie, Philander, Chatty, Coy, Frisky (with flash)

Tease, Toying, Minx, Bashful, Girlie, Philander, Chatty, Coy, Frisky (no flash)

SHADOW NAMES, DESCRIPTIONS & REVIEW

 Top row Day:
1. Tease- matte cream, chalky as heck!
2. Toying- matte mid-tone cool brown, pigmented but powdery and also chalky
3. Minx- matte dark cool brown, pigmented but also chalk city

Middle row Drama:
4. Bashful- shimmery pale pinkish champagne; really disappointing color; pigmentation is poor and the finish is a low shine; thought it would be a nice lid color but wasn't
5. Girlie- mid-toned champagne; this was the only shadow I liked out of the bunch; texture was the smoothest and pigmentation was nice, although a little powdery
6. Philander- dark cool-toned brown with gold glitter; doesn't go on smoothly; must be built up and fallout galore

Bottom row Evening:
7. Chatty- matte light cool-toned brown; the transition color in the palette and nice blender color but also chalky as heck like the other mattes; it kind of reminds me of Naked in the first Urban Decay Naked palette but lighter
8. Coy- shimmery copper bronze; really disappointing color; texture is gritty and color doesn't go on smoothly; has to be built up and is fallout prone
9. Frisky- shimmery darker warm brown with gold glitter; gritty and also fallout prone; color must be built on

Chalk city after dipping into Tease

The aftermath. See how chalky and powdery the palette is? So much residue. It required too much work even after tapping off the excess on my brush.  Not worth the effort for me.

Even though I didn't love the Wet n Wild Fergie palette in Milano Collections, I would recommend that palette over this one because the textures are better.  The middle shadow, Girlie, in the Hard Candy palette was my most liked but overall, I only like the tin packaging. Lol!  But $8 for a "Z Palette" isn't bad.

I had seen a couple good reviews about this palette before purchasing but I'm with Tati's opinions about this palette. You can watch her review here.

The last time I tried Hard Candy makeup I was also disappointed. I think I'll just be sticking to their nail polishes. Thanks for stopping by!


 Copyright © 2015, Lady Lostris Beauty 

SWATCHES: Wet n Wild Fergie Eyeshadow Palette in Milano Collections

 

Wet n Wild Fergie Milano Collections Ingredients

When I first picked up the Wet n Wild Photo Focus Studio Eyeshadow Palette in A226 Milano Collections, which is part of the Fergie Centerstage Collection, it didn't scream to me as an Urban Decay Naked (1) dupe. It only became apparent to me when I decided to do this swatch post, so look out for the comparison near the end!

I believe I picked this up last month at Walgreen's for $7.99 but it had a $1 off coupon attached to the front of the palette.

THE RUNDOWN:
~10-shadow drugstore eyeshadow palette
~ Contains 0.28 oz / 8.1 g of product total so each shadow is 0.028 oz or 0.81 g each
 ~Comes with double-ended brush; one side is a long, skinny fluffy blending brush while the other is a thin flat brush that's better for concealer or cream products. It's not dense enough to pack on eyeshadow
~Cruelty-free, paraben-free, oil-free, made in China

All swatches over LORAC Behind the Scenes eye primer

Wet n Wild Fergie Milano Collections swatches

THE COLORS (description + mini review):
1. Satin/demi-matte ivory- not much pigmentation but good for a soft highlight
2. Pink champagne shimmer- this color along with the next two shimmers have to be built up to get a good even color
3. Yellow gold shimmer- needs to be built up to get a good even color
4. Copper bronze shimmer- this is the most disappointing color of the palette. I expected this to go on smoothly, pigmented and maybe have a foil finish.  It has so be built up many times to somewhat satisfy me.  Not smooth at all.
5. *Antique bronze shimmer (my fave of the bunch)- the smoothest shimmery shade in the whole palette and has a good pigmentation. I love this one the most and reminds me of Urban Decay's Smog.
6. Mid-tone cool matte brown - this is the transition shade in the palette and the only one.
7. Light taupe shimmer- has to be built up like #'s 2, 3 & 4.
8. Dark warm brown with sparse golden flecks- looks more matte on the eye especially after blending; really pigmented
9. Dark cool-toned brown- really pigmented as well
10. Matte black- swatches a little patchy but pigmented

Wet n Wild Fergie Milano Collections swatches

Wet n Wild Fergie Milano Collections with flash

Wet n Wild Fergie Milano Collections in natural light

 

 COMPARISON OF WET N WILD FERGIE MILANO COLLECTIONS TO URBAN DECAY NAKED (1) PALETTE

Wet n Wild Fergie Milano Collections on top; Urban Decay Naked (1) palette on bottom

Top row is URBAN DECAY NAKED (1) palette with flash- Virgin, Sin, Half-Baked, Smog, Naked, Sidecar, Hustle, Creep. Bottom row is Wet n Wild Fergie Milano Collections. I know it doesn't match the picture of the palettes together.  I should have switched them around.

As shown in my swatches, there are 8 shades in the Wet n Wild Fergie palette that are similar to Urban Decay's Naked (1) palette. However, there are no similar shades to Urban Decay's Naked, Darkhorse, Toasted or Gunmetal in the Wet n Wild palette.

COMPARISON OF THE COLORS (top row Urban Decay Naked [1], bottom row Wet n Wild Fergie Milano Collectons):
~UD Virgin & WnW #1- Virgin is more pigmented and shimmery than #1. Not dupes
~UD Sin & WnW #2- very similar in color but UD is smoother and more pigmented
~UD Half-Baked & WnW #4- Half-Baked is more of a golden bronze, is smoother and doesn't have to be built up like #4. Not dupes
~UD Smog & WnW #5- SPOT ON DUPES! Similar in texture and pigmentation.
~UD Naked & WnW #6- Naked is a mid-tone neutral matte brown while WnW #6 is a mid-tone matte COOL brown. Not dupes.
~UD Sidecar & WnW #7- very similar in color but Sidecar has microglitter, which I can do without. WnW #7 isn't as smooth and pigmented as Sidecar, though.
~UD Hustle & WnW #8- Hustle is a dark brownish-burgundy shimmer but it swatches like a demi-matte dark brown so it ends up looking similar to WnW #8. Quite strange.
~UD Creep & WnW #10- Creep is a matte black with silver or multicolored flecks while the WnW #10 is just a matte black and not as smooth. Not dupes but black is black.

Top row: Urban Decay Naked (1)- Virgin, Sin, Half-Baked, Smog, Naked, Sidecar, Hustle & Creep.  Bottom row: Wet n Wild Fergie Milano Collections in natural light.

  

Overall, the Wet n Wild palette was "meh" for me.  The shimmers aren't up to par with the textures in the Comfort Zone palette or some of the trios. The mattes were pigmented but not the smoothest, either.  But if you don't have an Urban Decay Naked (1) palette, then you might consider getting this especially if you're on a budget.  Personally, I would splurge on the Urban Decay palette because the pigmentation and texture is much better, and you would be getting 4 additional colors.

Thanks for stopping by! =)

 Copyright © 2015, Lady Lostris Beauty 

Review: HARD CANDY Reawakens at Walmart

Remember when Hard Candy used to be sold in department stores or Sephora? Well, the line is now offered at Walmart at a more affordable price, and if you're lucky enough to find a display that isn't ravaged - like mine was - you'll see that they have a wide range of products, such as eyeshadow palettes, baked eyeshadow duos, lipsticks, glosses, nail polish, blushes, bronzers and eyeliners. They also had body glitter, a tinted moisturizer (?), a double-ended loose eyeshadow stick, and some metallic shadestick thingy. There was something called "Eye Tattoo" but I wasn't too sure what that was - something like an eyeshadow on a sheet that you rub onto your eye. The prices ranged from about $5 to $10 and Hard Candy does not test on animals.

JUST NAILS Nail Color

This deep and mysterious blackened emerald green with lighter green shimmer is called Envy, and I envy it so. The polish went on a little streaky on the first two strokes, but after that it was quite pigmented and very smooth (I used two coats in the swatch). All the nail polishes ($5) come with a plastic ring shaped either like a hemisphere or a puffed heart (I wish Envy came with a heart-shaped one). They have a small selection of glittery finishes, cremes and shimmers. Their polish contains Formaldehyde Resin, which some people like to stay away from so that can be a con. Each nail polish contains 0.35 fl. oz., which is less than your usual 0.5 fl. oz. =/

I have to go back and get this peachy-pink color with golden shimmer. I had it in my hands but decided to put it back. I hope it's still there!

MOUTHING OFF Sheer Lip Shine

• PRICE: $6
• AMOUNT: 7.5 g or 0.26 oz
• APPLICATOR: Sponge-tip
  
• OPAQUENESS: Sheer, as the product states
• TEXTURE: Smooth and moist without feeling oily; absolutely NOT STICKY like MAC Lipglasses
• SMELL: Vanilla, like MAC Lipglasses
• SHININESS: Almost as shiny as a MAC Lipglass
• PACKAGING: Cardboard handle and bottom, which I didn't notice at the store because it was shrink-wrapped, but it has a waxy coating. I don't like how the bottom of the tube is covered with the cardboard because I won't be able to tell how much product is left.
• LIPGLOSS FINAL THOUGHTS: If you like MAC Lipglasses minus the stickiness, then go and get these Hard Candy ones. But remember, these are very sheer (like a lot of MAC Lipglasses, anyway) and look better over lipsticks. I wish they were more opaque but I would definitely try out another color.
• FINAL GRADE: B, if it were more opaque, I'd give it an A. But I can't complain about something being sheer when it's advertised as such.

Gossip is a sheer peachy-pink with golden shimmer, like a light Expensive Pink eyeshadow in a tube. When blended out, the color is sheerer than in the pic.

IN THE SHADOWS Eyeshadow Collection

SPECS

• PRICE: $7
• AMOUNT: 8 g total
• PRODUCT: A palette of 5 shadows with a mini-sized primer
• PACKAGING: Cardboard with a shiny coating, hidden magnetic closure, small double-ended sponge tip applicator (the good kind like in NYX trios), see-through plastic film window, has small elastic band to hold primer to the palette
  
• PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: "This ensemble sizzles with five pigment drenched, blendable shades. Shadow primer is a superbly effective way to instantly eliminate creasing, fading and smudging." (Yeah, right.)

Ingredients (Click to enlarge)

Notice the embossed design

PRIMER REVIEW

• AMOUNT: 4.3 ml or 0.14 oz
• TEXTURE: Like a watery, starchy glob. It dries clear but basically leaves a sticky, tacky residue on your lid and takes a long time to dry.
• SMELL: Kind of like when you mix water and flour together, or water and cornstarch. I don't like it.
• INGREDIENTS: Water-based; click picture below
• CREASING: Definitely did not help with creasing because after 3 hours of wearing this alone on my lids, the colors creased and practically disappeared off my lids. It did not crease when I used it as a base over TFSI (Too Faced Shadow Insurance). That's why I love TFSI on my oily eyelids!
• MAKING COLORS POP: In the swatches below, it actually made the first two colors look better than on the other two bases, but I think that was only because it was still somewhat wet when I swatched the shadows over them. It's better than nothing but it's not the best base to make your eyeshadows pop. I used the primer under some other drugstore eyeshadows and it just did ok. I really don't like using it and it will probably just sit in my drawer.
• PRIMER FINAL GRADE: C, I'm not going to use it again

Click to enlarge

EYESHADOW REVIEW - VICE PALETTE
Pictured from bottom to top

• COLOR DESCRIPTIONS: 1) shimmery, taupey-silver, 2) shimmery mid-tone warm purple, 3) matte light beige, 4) shimmery light mint green, 5) shimmery dark steely gray
• TEXTURE: I love the smooth texture and the product easily gets into the bristles of your brush, but wait for the pigmentation comments...
• PIGMENTATION: A major disappointment for the first two colors, especially the purple. The matte light beige is what it is, so I can't really complain about that one. The most pigmented color is the dark gray, followed by the mint. It's a 2 out of 5 for me. You'll definitely need to use a better base like a cream shadow or shadestick to bring out the colors.
• VICE PALETTE FINAL THOUGHTS: I wish I could return it and get my $7 back. LoL! But since the dark gray was nicely pigmented, I wonder if the other palettes with the darker bronzey colors would be more pigmented than this palette. These colors are fairly light, you know.
• VICE PALETTE GRADE: C-, but if you like softer colors, you may like it. Otherwise, pass on by!
  

The HC Primer isn't that good, even though the first two colors look better than on the other two primers. The primer was still a little wet when I swatched the shadows, so maybe that's why. Plus, I kept packing on those first two colors to make them show up.

Even over my trusty Scandalous Eyeshadow Magnet, the first 2 or 3 colors are so washed out.

Finger swatches are so misleading. That's why I don't do them!

HARD CANDY OVERALL

Did I mention that I love the designs on the packaging? The lipsticks have tattoo-like designs on them and I was going to buy one called Perfect, but decided to wait on someone else's swatches before I buy more Hard Candy. I just wish that the Vice Palette was more pigmented because I love the packaging and the idea that it came with a mini primer. Most of the items on my display were completely gone, so I hope you find a well-stocked one. Well, for now, I'll be going back for more nail polish!

Have you tried any new Hard Candy stuff?

I found my old skool HC Jewel Box from 4 years ago...hardly touched. Tsk.

For updates, sneak peeks at upcoming posts and random pics, follow me on my new Twitter account: @lady_lostris

UPDATE: I got two more polishes...yay! I think the rings are size 7.

Copyright © 2009 Lady Lostris

elf Studio Haul & Review: Pic Heavy!

(This post is hella long, so I apologize for all the scrolling you'll have to do.)

Three weeks ago, elf had a 75% off code on their Studio Line, so mostly everything you see here - except for five items which I ordered from before - cost me only $0.75. However, elf Studio products are still very inexpensive at their regular price of $3. Their current code (EGTWOSHIP) offers $1.98 shipping on orders over $15 for a limited time only. Also, you can sign up for their newsletter for more discount code information, and you can follow elf on Twitter. Another site to go to to find codes is Retailmenot.com.

Now, on to the pics, swatches, and review...

BRONZERS & BLUSH

Elf Studio bronzers are well-sized and come with 13 g of product. The packaging doesn't come with a window on the cover, like their eyeshadows and blushes, but this makes space for the huge mirror on the inside lid. And because there isn't a window to see what color you're looking at, the color name is printed on the lower front lid. (You already know that elf Studio packaging have that NARS-inspired look.)

Each bronzer has four quadrants of color, and if you use these colors individually instead of mixing them together, the blush brush is the perfect size for each quadrant. (I'll get to the blush brush review last.)

BTW, I use depotted MAC shadows as pill cases. That's what that is in the picture. =)

BRONZER PROS:

• Large amount of product -13 g
• Comes with 4 colors that are mixable
• Huge mirror
• Easy-to-open latch (just push up on it)
• Pigmented, especially the Cool Bronzer (use a light hand with the browns in that one)
• Each color can be used individually as a blush, contour or highlight
• Cool Bronzer (matte) has smoother texture than Warm Bronzer (shimmer)
• Oil-free
  

BRONZER CONS:

• Packaging may be too big
• Contains talc, which can irritate certain skin-types (like mine). But it's the second ingredient and if I use it once a week, then I'll probably be good.
• Hard to achieve the same color on each cheek when mixing colors together. Since the quadrants are so large, you might not get the same exact color on each cheek when mixing the colors together. If it was designed in a mosaic pattern, then the colors would apply more evenly when mixed.
• Comes in only 3 colors: Cool, Warm and Golden
• Only the Cool Bronzer is matte
  

BRONZER -FINAL THOUGHTS: A worthy buy. If you like mattes, pick up the Cool, but if you prefer shimmery blushes or bronzers, then go with the Warm. Since they're both inexpensive, just get both!

BRONZER INGREDIENTS: Mica, Talc, Magnesium Myristate, Zinc Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, Octyldodecanol, Dimethicone, Silica, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Boron Nitride. May Contain: Iron Oxides (CI 77491 CI77492 CI 77499), D&C Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), FD&C Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Red No. 40 Lake (CI 16035)

Candid Coral Blush is a peachy-coral color with golden shimmer.

BLUSH PROS:

• Same easy-to-open packaging as the bronzers, but smaller in size
• Comes with a good amount of product- 4.75 g
• Has mirror
  
• Lid has a little window so you can see the color of the product
• Layerable/buildable color (which can be a con for some people)

BLUSH CONS:

• Layerable/buildable color (which can be a pro for some people)
• Contains talc and Mineral Oil (I'm not going to use this again because of the mineral oil. I only bought it to test it out for you.)
• Comes in 6 colors and all of them are shimmery. What, no mattes?
  

BLUSH - FINAL THOUGHTS: I'm not using this again because of the mineral oil and I believe it gave me a little zit on the front of my cheek, where I hardly breakout. That's why I have to stick with oil-free face products. But if you don't have sensitive skin, weigh out the pros and cons and determine if you'll like it.

BLUSH INGREDIENTS: Talc, Mica, Nylon-12, Magnesium Stearate, Silica, Paraffinium Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Polybutene, Sodium Dehydroacetate. May Contain: Iron Oxides (CI 77491 CI77492 CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow No. 5 Lake (CI 19140), Red No. 40 Lake (CI 16035), Ultramarine Violet (CI 77077), Blue No. 1 Lake (CI 42090).

Swatches

Swatched from left to right, top row first then bottom row

Since I don't like shimmery blushes, how about using the Warm Bronzer as an eyeshadow quad? Is it safe to use on the eyes? You're going to have to pack that color on, though.

EYESHADOWS & BROW KIT

Next up are the Studio single eyeshadows. I got all of them except for the white one called Sand Dollar.

The above picture will give you the rundown about the eyeshadow packaging, which I love. The back of all these Studio products are just the black plastic with a little circular sticker stating the color, product amount, and product numbers - a very boring photo op.

The colors
(Saddle, Coffee Bean & Mystic Moss are darker and richer than in this pic. I was rushing.)

EYESHADOW PROS:

• Again, the same easy-to-open latch, like the previous products; cute packaging overall
  
• Window in the lid shows the product color
• Has a mirror, but it's a little small
• Good amount of product - 2.75 g
• Good pigmentation over a base (not just UDPP or TFSI alone)
• Colors blend well
• Not loosely pressed like their $1 quads
• No annoying sponge-tip applicator that falls out or takes up space in the packaging
• Shimmery colors are not frosty or glittery
• Very wearable colors

EYESHADOW CONS:

• Only one matte shadow - Pebble - is offered. (I don't know about Sand Dollar)
• Only one color - Raspberry Truffle - was softer and more crumbly than the other colors
• Must use a sticky base, like a shadestick or cream eyeshadow, to make the colors pop more. But pigmentation is still good.
• If you like really shimmery colors, these won't do it for you. Only Coffee Bean and Raspberry Truffle are the most shimmery, and yet, they're not that shimmery.
• Only comes in 10 colors
• No bright colors for you bold ladies. No blues, either.
• May be cumbersome to use; if you're using 4 or 5 shadows at one time, you'll have to pop each one open and scatter it on your vanity or bed (that's where I do my makeup)
  

EYESHADOW - FINAL THOUGHTS: Weigh out the pros and cons and determine if you'll like it. I'll recommend Pebble, Amethyst, Mystic Moss and Butter Cream.

EYESHADOW INGREDIENTS: Talc, Mica, Nylon-12, Silica, Iso-Octyl Palmitate, Magnesium Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, Dimethicone, Triacontanyl PVP, Sodium Dehydroacetate. May Contain Iron Oxides (CI 77491 CI 77492 CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow No. 5 (CI 19140), Red No. 40 Lake (CI 16035), Ultramarine Violet (CI 77077), Blue No. 1 Lake (CI 42090).

Swatched over Scandalous Eyeshadow Magnet

EYESHADOW COLOR DESCRIPTIONS:

• BUTTER CREAM* - soft shimmer; creamy yellow-gold
• WILD WHEAT - very soft shimmer; peachy-tan (hardly shows up on my medium skin-tone so I don't really like this one)
• PEBBLE* - matte; mid-tone taupe; good to fill in eyebrows with; reminds me of a matte NYX Rootbeer
• SADDLE* - soft shimmer; mid-tone coppery-brown
• COFFEE BEAN - shimmer; dark bronze-brown with bronze shimmer
• AMETHYST* - soft shimmer; mid-tone violet purple
• RASPBERRY TRUFFLE - shimmer; dark maroon/burgundy with reddish shimmer; turns muddy brown if packed on and reminds me of the top-right color in the 28-color neutral palette, which does the same thing. However, on a white base, it looks good, huh?
  
• MYSTIC MOSS* - soft shimmer; deep forest green
• CHARCOAL - soft shimmer; your basic dark gray or soft black

(* indicates favorites)

Eyebrow Kit - 2 g of product total. NOTE: The wax is labeled as a gel on the packaging.

This is the last brow product I will try from elf. I don't like the $1 brow gel because it doesn't set my brows well, and I hate the Studio Eyebrow Treat & Tame because of it's strange peachy color and its useless "Treat" end. Then there's this...

EYEBROW KIT IN "DARK" PROS:

• Convenient packaging that includes a brow gel (soft wax), brow powder, and double-ended applicator (but wait for the cons)
  
• Has mirror

EYEBROW KIT IN "DARK" CONS:

• Not dark at all! It's way too light for my black eyebrows
• Too warm-toned and not ashy or taupe enough for more naturally-looking filled in brows (Try Pebble eyeshadow instead)
  
• Stubby brush is not user-friendly
• Powder is somewhat too soft in texture
  
• Brow gel/soft wax color is dark enough, but it's greasy/oily and smudges easily
• Gel/wax contains mineral oil, in fact, it's the first ingredient
  

EYEBROW KIT - FINAL THOUGHTS: Stay very far away from this. If you have it, do you like it?

EYEBROW KIT GEL INGREDIENTS: Paraffinium Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Ricinus Comunis (Castor) Seed Oil, Talc, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Ozokerite, Methylisothiazolinone, Caprylyl Glycol. May Contain: Iron Oxides (CI 77491 CI 77492 CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).

EYEBROW KIT POWDER INGREDIENTS: Talc, Mica, Caprylic/Caprictri Glycerides, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Sodium Dehydroacetate. May Contain: Iron Oxides (CI 77491 CI 77492 CI 77499).

EYELASHES

Pictured above are the elf Studio Eyelash Curler and the Mini-sized one. Both come with two black silicone pads, or lips.

Look what came with my Mini Eyelash Curler - someone's nasty azz dirty fingerprint! Bleck! I had to scrub, wash, and swipe that thing with alcohol ten times before I felt comfortable using it. It was some sort of thick residue on the packager's thumb. I want a new one! Anyway, despite that foulness, I like this mini curler because it can catch those hard-to-reach lashes on the outer and inner corners that a regular curler can miss.

As for their regular Studio Lash Curler (pictured two pics above), I prefer the spring-loaded, or Mechanical, $1 Eyelash Curler, which also comes with 2 silicone pads, or lips. This curler - pictured on the left below - is so good and it hasn't broke on me, either. After more than a year, I'm still using the pad it came with but I think I need to change it, since I noticed a little groove in it this morning. But, it never pinches my eyelids and it makes my lashes stick up nicely. I think I like the old handle design better. It just curls better than the Studio one and you don't have to apply a lot of pressure.

I haven't tried on the lashes from the Hollywood Eyelashes Kit yet, but I took pictures of it. It comes with a pair of full and dramatic lashes, a stand, an applicator with rubberized tips, and a dinky tube of useless glue. The band of the lashes is black, which is good. The stand is cute but I feel it doesn't keep the shape of the curl - the tray would be better for that. The applicator is also cute, but I'm not sure if it even makes application easier. I'm going to have to play around with it more. If you have this, how do you like it? Honestly, I'm not much of a wearer of falsies.

EYELASHES - FINAL THOUGHTS: The non-Studio eyelash curler ($1) is a must-have, while the Mini Curler would be something nice to try, since I never see mini-sized curlers at drugstores. I hope you won't get a thick, crusty thumbprint on yours!

BRUSHES

How lovely does this Kabuki Face Brush look? It's my new love and completely worth the $5, even if I only paid $1.25 for it. As stated in the picture above, the bristle height is 4.5 cm, while the bristles at their widest part is 5.5 cm. (The Metric system is so much easier, America!) It may look a little small but it's a very nice-sized Kabuki. Elf also offers a new Kabuki Body Brush, which I assume is larger than this.

FACE KABUKI PROS:

• Dense, fluffy, SOFT, full, smoothly dome-shaped: good stuff
• Hasn't shed on me
• The black dye didn't bleed on to the paper towel after washing
  
• Not too small and not overly large, either
• Can be used for body, or the décolleté area
• Great to use with finishing powders or any loose powder
• Great for buffing out your blush or face makeup
  
• Covers a large area in a few swipes
• Will look really cute on your vanity!
  

FACE KABUKI CONS:

• Despite the chemical smell when I first got it, after the first washing, there's no longer an odor
• Doesn't come with a satchel or case, but it does come in a box
• Costs $2 more than most elf Studio items, but well worth the $5
  

FACE KABUKI INGREDIENTS: Just kidding...

And finally (whew!), here's the blush brush, which is about half the size of the Complexion Brush. I can't recommend this brush and it's too bad that I have two of them now. Everyone needs to get the Complexion Brush because it's the perfect size for blush, bronzer, finishing powders, and even contouring.

BLUSH BRUSH PROS:

• Very soft bristles, just like all the elf Studio face brushes
• Tapered head
  
• Doesn't shed or bleed
• Matte, black plastic handle, instead of painted wood like their $1 brushes (even though some of those brushes are really good)
• Good to use when picking up color in separate quadrants of the Studio Bronzers (it fits perfectly)

BLUSH BRUSH CONS:

• Brush head is too small for applying blush, since it covers a small part of your cheek. If you like precise blush placement, then you may not mind this.
• Instead for blush, it's probably better to use for highlighting or contouring your cheeks
• Comes with a brush guard but the brush slides right through the bottom hole =/ That doesn't happen with the Complexion and Powder brushes.
  

I think they should rename their Blush Brush to "Highlighter Brush", their Complexion Brush to "Blush or Powder Brush", and their Powder Brush to "Flat-Top Brush." It makes better sense. At least they got the Kabuki name right.

BRUSHES - FINAL THOUGHTS: The must-have brushes are the Face Kabuki, Complexion Brush, Powder Brush, and if you like a thin, precise line for eyeliner, then consider the Small Angled Brush.

RELATED LINK

For my previous elf Studio Haul & Review, click here.
I highly recommend the Studio Complexion Brush (my fave) and the Powder Brush.

SIDE NOTE: I don't give ratings to products (i. e. 6/10 or 8 out of 10) because what does that really tell you? I'd prefer you weigh out the pros and cons and determine whether or not it will appeal to you, since we are all different. A pro to me might be a con for you, or a con may be a pro for you. I'll only give ratings if I'm comparing similar products and want to rank them.

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Whew! That took me HOURS to do. LoL. All the picture-taking, swatching, cropping, labeling, uploading, writing and proof-reading takes a long time, and I do it all for YOU. =) Since that's out of the way, I'm going to take a little break from bloggin'. I'll try to post something in a couple weeks.

Thanks for reading and I hope this helped. Have a great day everyone =)

Copyright © 2009, Lady Lostris