Budget Fun in These Tight Times

Hey all -

So, I know I haven't blogged about E.L.F. in a little while, but I must say I have been using their hydro tint (their tinted moisturizer)

in the lightest shade for months now, and really really love it. It is my favorite tinted moisturizer that I have found - extremely hydrating, good color and a bit of coverage, and doesn't make me break out. Plus its got SPF 15, so that is a good thing.

Today I logged onto the E.L.F. website to order some more of the stuff, and what did my eyes behold? A special wherein if you buy $20 of stuff you get a free $25 restaurant.com gift certificate and a fandango movie ticket, just for entering the coupon code DINE at checkout. How could I not take advantage of this offer? Talk about a deal! And this is on top of the fact that E.L.F. sells most of their products for $1 a pop. These are good things in these tight economic times. Take it from a girl who hasn't gotten a haircut in over 6 months.

So, I loaded up my cart with $20 worth of their goodies (which is actually harder than you would think when most things are a mere dollar). I ordered several more hydro tints, plus a few lip glosses (their super glossy lip shine spf 15 is a real deal lip gloss that comes in a handful of great shades), and I'm also going to try their all over cover stick and their shimmering facial whip

in Persimmon. I've been really big into the tinted moisturizer and blush combo for daily work primping, sometimes I don't even do eyes. I just feel like it gives me a naturally pretty glow. So this will be my latest blush addition if I like it. I rounded out my cart with a few body lotions (I already have and love their Pineapple Mango and Vanilla Coconut, so I tried their Peony and Lavendar scents this time, and at $4 a pop you can't beat it).

A word to the wise about E.L.F. When you first get your face products, they seem small, but a little goes a long way. I haven't run out of anything yet and I've been using my last shipment's stuff for months and months. Just FYI. Oh, and they also have a KILLER nail polish selection. I'm just sayin'.

So order away, get some great beauty products (the only things I haven't loved so far are the pressed powder - even their lightest shade is too dark on me - and their mineral foundation powder - not because of the product, but because it is really difficult to get enough powder out of the container), and then treat yourself to dinner and a movie on E.L.F. How's that for a chic and cheap night out?

ELF Makeup update

So as some of you might remember, I was very excited to order some of the $1 makeup from the Eyes Lips Face line, especially after I got a discount coupon to save even MORE. Well, I received my ELF shipment yesterday, and so far have been VERY pleased. So pleased that I ordered a few more things this morning :-)

DISCLAIMER: For some reason for the last 2 days I have not been able to successfully upload images to the blog. I have to look into this, as it has lead to various half finished blogs being abandoned out of sheer frustration. Therefore, I hope to get this fixed soon, but in the meantime, you will have to settle for the extra step of going to www.eyeslipsface.com if you want to see pics of the mentioned products. :-( Sucks.

What I have tried so far:
The tinted moisturizer in Tone 1. It seems cool, I am TOTALLY inexperienced in the ways of tinted moisturizer though and feel that I will need to play around with this a bit to see if the coverage works for me.

The all over color stick in Pink Lemonade. This is nice. I like color sticks. This one is VERY shimmery, but I dig that at this time of year, and the pink color is suble but intense.

HIGHLIGHT #1: The nail polish in Nude. I went back and ordered another bottle today. It is a buck, has a great nude color and seems to be holding on well (believe it or not since applying it yesterday afternoon I have already put it through the ringer, I had a cook/clean-up night at the apt last night, which means I'm washing my hands or washing dishes ever few minutes it seems. This sort of night has been enough to chip lesser polishes within hours. This polish ROCKS!!!

HIGHLIGHT #2: The Super Glossy Lip shine SPF 15 in Angel and Pink Kiss. This gloss is EXCELLENT. Heavy but pretty, it won't be gone 5 minutes after you apply, it has sun protection, smells good, and looked REALLY REALLY pretty. I ordered some more of this too.

Still more to try, and I also ordered a few of their lip plumper glosses, 2 body lotions, and a pressed powder to try. SWEET!

RETURNED FROM THE DESERT AND A FAB MAKEUP DEAL!!!

From the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA near Palm Springs. It is a weekend that is always fun, and always tests the abilities of my products to keep my physical appearance and well being in tune (what with the sand, the wind, the 100+ degree heat, yipes! Good times). And I felt well taken care of this year. :-) My Alba night cream, especially, and my proactiv, saved my skin from turning into an overly dry and yet broken out mess. I LOVE MY FACE PRODUCTS.

On a product related note, this morning when I logged on to my email I found that one of my friends had passed on this AMAZING deal info to me - just what I was craving after a weekend of roughing it in the desert - glam makeup for $1 a pop!!!!!

"The make-up line E.L.F. ( Eyes, Lips, and Face) has been bought out by Nordstrom and will be re-packaged with the Nordstrom name on it. They are getting rid of all the make-up in ELF packaging. They are selling everything for $1. yes - one dollar. You do have to pay shipping, however, even with that charge it's cheaper than buying make-up anywhere else and it is fun to try things when you don't have to worry about the cost! They have powder, mascara, brushes, nail polish, you name it .. Just thought I'd pass along the good deal.Also, if you use the coupon code: CAROLINA you will get $7.50 off your first $15 of your purchase.Here is the site, have fun!"

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/shop.asp

I checked it out, as I have heard of ELF but haven't tried any of their stuff yet, and first things first, they are cruelty free and extremely active, even donating a portion of the sales of their "fur free" tweezer set to stop the fur trade. YAY!!! I LOVE YOU ELF! And it looks like they have some neat buys.... And for a FRIGGIN DOLLAR A POP???? Yeah.... I'm in. I also like that they have reviews for each product by users on their site (and they are real reviews, because there is a good mix of likes and dislikes with each product). This is what I think I am gonna try:

1. SHIELDING HYDRO-TINT SPF 15

"Anti-aging formula combats premature aging and protects against sun damage while leaving skin radiant and lightly hydrated". Tinted moisture will be my new thing. I swear.

2. ALL OVER COLOR STICK (I'm gonna try it in "Pink Lemonade") . "3 in 1 color for your eyes, lips, and or face! Get the color that illuminates for a healthy glow, and instantly soothes and conditions the skin for fresh and natural color all day long"

3. NATURAL RADIANCE BLUSHER (in "flushed") "Exquisite, delicate, pigment payoff that makes cheeks radiant combined with a healthy-looking glow. Infused with texturizing agents, skin feels smooth and pores are minimized". I was JUUUUUST reading in ALLURE this weekend (ok, so my roughing it desert trip involved beauty mags and a pool at one point) that blush was HUGE in this year's collections. So get those cheeks a glowin'.

4. SUPER GLOSSY LIP SHINE SPF 15 (in Malt Shake and Pink Kiss) " This Super Glossy SPF 15 formula fights environmental damage while leaving your lips with a healthy glossy glow." Lip glossy gloss. Nuff said.

5. NAIL POLISH (in Clear, Nude, Champagne, Gum Pink) "This color-lock formula and chip resistant shield gives long lasting nail color with high shine. The aerodynamic bristle design glides color on flawlessly, while the quick dry formula gives perfect application every time. Key nutrients give nails that natural shine, infused with Vitamin E for stronger healthier nails." Sounds good.

6. SHINE ERASER "These amazing little sheets instantly absorb oil, minimize pores and mattify shiny skin. Woven texture eradicates shine and keeps skin matte for hours. Green Tea Extract helps re-texturize skin, masking facial imperfections." I dunno about the retexturization claim, but these sorts of blotter sheets are great.

So that is my list. They also have bath stuff and mineral makeup, but those aren't $1. Boo. But this is good, lots of stuff to try and if I don't like it, it was a BUCK! Let's girl out and give each other junior high sleepover makeovers....