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....

THE WARRENTED SPLURGE

Sometimes, even for a cheapskate, a splurge is a good thing. I was at the hairdresser this weekend (no, that wasn't the splurge) and was, of course, perusing the magazines while getting my highlights applied. As I looked in an In Style magazine from a few months ago, I came across a product feature for Smashbox's "O-Gloss" ($22), and completely wanted it.

As you know, I am always on the search for the perfect pink-flushed lip gloss, and this product intrigued me. O-Gloss Intuitive Lip Gloss promises that "this innovative silky formula goes on clear and then reacts with your personal skin chemistry to instantly transform into your own custom shade of pink". It's like the mood lipstick from my childhood days, but a) I bet it actually works and b) mood lipstick always seemed to tell me that my mood was for lip color remeniscent of flamingo pink, but uglier. But Smashbox, oh Smashbox, I trust that your product will not do this. Not only does it claim to find the perfect pink blush shade to compliment my personal chemistry, it also has good for me stuff in it - "O-GLOSS is packed with our exclusive microcirculating Goji Berry-C Complex™ and ginkgo biloba, pomegranate seed antioxidants, revitalizing marine botanicals and moisturizing avocado oil for lustrous shine". Niiiiice. I will have to try this soon and tell you all the tales of my pink tinted adventures.

While on the Smashbox website, I found MORE products to covet. I think that because I have seen what a huge result the products of theirs that I have tried have delivered, I'm caught in their beautiful web now. Sigh....

1. PHOTO FINISH FOUNDATION PRIMER SPF 15 WITH DERMAXYL COMPLEX

AAAAAAAH! How could Smashbox make my favorite product even better? By adding SPF 15 and their Dermaxyl Complex (an advanced peptide treatment clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles over time) to their already fab formulation replete with vitamins A & E, grape seed extract and green tea for antioxidant protection. I LOOOOOVE the old Photo Finish to bits, and this one looks even better. It is an extra $8 ($42 for this puppy) but really, in terms of upscale cosmetics, that is still a steal and this product is SO WORTH any price! I must try this soon....

2. FILTER WITH DERMAXYL COMPLEX ($28)

I also completely want to try this product. It promises a one-two punch of camoflauge and correction. First, "this portable pen-like filler has a silicone tip that targets the delicate eye and mouth area instantly filling in laugh lines, flattening crow’s feet and disguising fine lip lines", plus the Dermaxyl to help actually improve your facial lines. Knowing how much I love their primer, I can't wait to test this one out.

3. SHEER FOCUS TINTED MOISTURIZER ($30)

I have always liked the idea of tinted moisturizer, but just haven't really ever tried it. But with the summer months coming on fast, and me feeling pretty dandy about my skin quality at the moment, I might give the ol' tinted moisturizer a try. Smashbox's take promises that their "unique citrus honey moisturization technology nourishes skin as it absorbs excess oil throughout the day and UVA/UVB SPF 15 guards against future damage so skin stays flawless and protected". Sounds sweet.

Lastly....

4. O-GLOW INTUITIVE CHEEK COLOR ($26)

It makes so much sense to me that the personalized color flush capability of their O-Gloss would also be a welcome addition to cheeks. I've been neglecting new blush advances lately, using a stick blush that I have almost worn through, so it is time to find something a bit better, I think. All the good stuff of O-Gloss, but for my cheeks! MUST TRY THIS!!

Time to test

Ok, so at lunch I had to go to CVS to pick up a new nightguard so I stop grinding my teeth, and while there I grabbed a couple more things as well.



1. Mineral Makeup: First I picked up the NYC mineral makeup powder I blogged about earlier. Then, for good measure, I grabbed the Revlon version of the same thing in "fair", just so I could compare the two. I put the Revlon one on in the car after I left, and at first was sort of frustrated because as most loose powders are, it was a little messy. But that is just klutzy me, probably. I looked in the mirror and thought it pretty much looked like powder, but I realize that I put it on a half day old face, which is not the best testing ground for this sort of thing. Once I got back to the office though, I checked it out in the mirror in the bathroom and it does look smoother and more substantial than regular powder, but without the makeup look of foundation. Not sure yet, must experiment. I will let you know.



2. I also needed a new night cream, and wasn't yet decided on what I wanted, being relatively new to high tech night creams (for years I avoided them for fear of breaking out). So after perusing the aisle, I settled on Alba's Sea Plus Renewal Cream.

This retails for $14.95, which was within my budget (some nightcreams are insanely expensive!), and I like that it includes Alpha Lipoic Acid (derived from vegetables), avocado and kukui oils, and their unique Marine Complex (several kinds of algae extracts), which I secretly think I dig on all the more because I am a pisces. HA! This is my first non-Proactiv high tech night cream, so we shall see how it goes. I dig Alba's other products, however, and their cruelty free, nature-based stance combined with their ok prices. Sweet.