The best of elf!

    Hello again! I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite elf products. I have pretty much enjoyed everything I tried from this company with the exception of VERY few things. If you are not familiar with elf, it's a very affordable beauty brand that stands for eyes, lips, and face. They have three lines: Essential, Mineral, and Studio. They have recently added the gem line which I believe is limited addition. You can find elf at target or eyeslipsface.com where they always have some deals going on, making it even more affordable!

   
    This first item has became a favorite of mine very quickly. I believe it's given the mention it deserves often, which is why I went ahead and got it, but I must give it a mention as well. In case you have not guessed already, it's the elf kabuki Face Brush. It's so very soft and does not shed at all! It retails at $6 which is surprisingly very affordable, given its great quality. Simply put: your face will love how it feels when using this brush and you won't wanna stop using it!

    My next item is a lip product. I have been using this for a few months now and I just purchased more colors to try. It's the elf Hypershine Gloss from the Essential line. It retails at $1 ONLY! There are many shades to try and the formula is just right. It's not too sticky where it's uncomfortable, nor is it too greasy. It also tastes good! That might sounds weird to some of you, but taste and smell are very important to me when it comes to lip products. The shade Vixen is a very wearable fun red, which makes it perfect for this time of the year.

    We are still talking lips here, well sort of. The product I'm talking about is the elf shimmering Facial whip. I love using this on the center of my lips and on my cheek bones. It just brings harmony to the face and who does not love some shimmer? My favorite shade to do so is Persimmon. Again, this product retails at $1! Great value! You only need a little bit of this to achieve the desired effect and the tube will last you a long time. 

   Next is the elf Blush from the Studio line. It retails at $3 and it comes in many shades. Most of the shades elf offers are shimmery so if you are more of a matt fan, this product is sadly not for you. My favorite two shades at the moment are Berry Merry and Gotta Glow. Berry Merry reminds me of a blush I used to own from a different brand and it got discontinued, so needless to say I am glad I found this replacement. Gotta Glow is just a white shimmery powder that you can use as a highlighter, over your blush, or on your brow bone. The blush comes in a very sleek, classic, black packaging. No one will ever guess it was only $3. 

  Last but not least, the elf Mineral Foundation-SPF15 in the shade Warm is something I love using. It's just great for every day use over a BB cream or tinted moisturizer. It's very natural and gives a little bit of coverage. Also, the nature of this powder being lose helps makes the face less oily throughout the day. This item retails at $5. It came with the elf professional powder Brush, which is my only complaint about this product. Let's just say I decided to toss it because it feels terrible and rough. This brush is actually one of the very few things I did not like from elf. 

  I hope that this was helpful to you. Let me know what are elf the products that you can't live without. Stay tuned for a giveaway soon! Thank you so much for reading! Have a FANTASTIC day! 

Lancome Holiday Brush set

         Hello again beauties! Now that the holiday season is nearing, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the Lancome holiday brush set. 

This set contains:

Powder Brush #1
Foundation Brush#2
Angle Shadow Brush #13
Dual End #18
Cheek and Contour Brush  #25
Signature Makeup Case

      This is my first time to try out lancome brushes, so I don't know if these differ from their individual brushes, quality wise. However, I must say I do enjoy this set a lot. This set retails at $67 at lancome-usa.com/ and if you get it at the right time like I did, you will get a gift with purchase as lancome has those a lot of the time. Also, the website offers free shipping on orders of $49 and more.

    So on the quality of those brushes: sadly, I am experiencing some shedding with the powder and cheek brushes, though the rest are doing just fine. The bristles are soft and you will love how they apply makeup on your face and eyes. 

    My favorite brush of this set is the contour brush. It is so easy to use! What makes this brush different from other contour brushes is that it's small and stiff, so it really does get the job done fast in a precise manner. I also like to use this brush to apply powder highlighters  The other end of the brush is just your basic blush brush.

   The dual end #18 brush is a great basic addition to the set. On one side, it has an angle brow/liner brush. On the other, it has a stiff shadow one. They are both of great quality. I usually use angle brushes to apply liquid liner and/or to set it with shadow, so I enjoyed this one a lot. The bristles are very tight and I did not experience any shedding. 

   The angle shadow brush is great for contouring and blending in the harsh lines in the crease of the eye. It could also be used to apply a mineral color on the eyelid. 

   The foundation brush is just a foundation brush, not much to say about that. I prefer using a sponge to apply my foundation, so I have not tried this one yet.

   The powder brush is big and puffy. It's great for a quick sweep of powder all over the face, or even to apply a bit of bronzer all over the face and neck to warm up the look. Other than the shedding, I have no complaint about this brush. I love how it's a tad angular.

  All the brushes have a soft handle which makes them desirable to use. The set is very classic and looks great on my vanity.

  The set comes packed in a very classy and sleek signature makeup case. I just think the flower looks adorable! This case is ideal for traveling as it's small and holds a decent amount  of makeup as well as having a separate pocket for brushes to prevent damage.

  All in all, I think this is a great set to have or to give to someone. The value is great and it has a lot of variety which makes it ideal for a beginner. If you have this kit, let me know how you like it. Also please feel free to leave me a comment if you would like me to review something beauty related :D

  


Daily Nuggets: 
*My sleep cycle has been very messed up and I'm working to get it fixed and succeeded this morning.
*Lorie has not caused any damage to the Christmas tree yet!
*I love this time of year! So much going on :)
*I have this terrible craving for a McDonalds McDouble.

Influenster College VoxBox '12

Hey everyone! Thanks for stoping by my blog! I am sharing with you the free influenster voxbox that I have received for the first time ever. I was so excited when I got the news that I am getting this box because it's the first time I was ever sent something to try out for free.

        If you are not familiar with the program, influenster is website that you can request an invite to, and they will email you an invitation once one is available. Once you are a member, you will have access to reviewing different products. Whether you love it or hate, you can share your thoughts with others. And if you are anything like me, you will love doing it! I love getting my opinion out there and sharing my thoughts on the things I have tried to help others before they spend money it! All in all, I love this program! Companies do want to hear our thoughts on their products and try to make it better, so why not voice your thoughts and concerns?

      Anyways, on to what I have received. First of all, you get a card with a description of the products that are included in the box. Let's just say I did not read it till I saw all the stuff ;)

     First off, let's start with my not so favorites. I have received what they call "Tropical wafers." These tasted absolutely awful to me. I also offered some to my husband and his cousin and they both hated it. Influenster said these are still to be released. I wish I liked how they tasted, but I did not.

     Also, you get a pen. As a college student, you can't complain about that, can you? The Pentel EnerGel purple pen is a nice quality and I have enjoyed it.


    This was one of my favorite items actually: the energy sheets mint boost. This product claims to give you some energy. If anything, it has a minty taste and is a freshener. I don't really know about the company's claim that it will give you energy, though it states that it has a certain amount of caffeine in it. A cup of coffee will do fine for me, but never the less I did enjoy the minty taste it has and how you can just use one on the go. Note, this has a very strong minty taste, so if you are not a mint fan, this is for sure not for you!

    Being a make up collector, I was thrilled to receive the NYC Glitter Eyeliner. It's very sparkly, so if you are not a fan of sparkles, this is definitely not for you. However, I do enjoy this one as I do not have any shimmer liner. It's nice if you want you go out at night and want this extra sparkle. It's very creamy and you can use this in your waterline. Its staying power is not the greatest due to it's creamy nature, and I don't know that I want to put that much glitter on my eyes. Perhaps, using it on top of a liner just a little bit would be better. The plus thing about this is that you can use it in your crease to create a smoky effect. 

       Last but not least, I received Broadway Nails imPRESS nails in zebra print. I just used those few days ago, and I must say they are very easy to use. You just take the plastic part off and pop the nails on. The kit comes with different size nails, so they can look fitted. I think those are great for a night out or a special occasion, but they are not for every day use. Now that the holiday is almost here though, I can defiantly use a new set! Below is a picture of the nails applied. 

       All in all, I was pleased with what I received. You can't really complain about free stuff. If you want an invite to influenster, let me know and I will send you one. 

Daily nuggets: 

*I have managed not to break the bank this weekend and I'm proud of myself for resisting most of the shopping temptations.
*My husband is getting me the benefit kit "Confessions of a Concealaholic" and I cant wait for christmas to actually be able to start using it.
*It's been over a week away from my cat, Lorie, and I'm really missing her dearly! I hope she is not too mad at me.
*It snowed here in Canada today. I wonder if it did in Wisconsin at home too.

Thank you for stopping by!  See you soon!

October 2012 Favorites

Hi everyone! I thought I would share some favorites of mine that I have been constantly using this October. This is a very special time of the year. The leaves are falling, and the weather is changing. I especially enjoy having lots of warm foods and drinks now that it's not too hot! I also love wearing boots. Fall is just a lovely season and is one of my absolute favorite seasons! Okay, I will stop rambling and start listing what I have been loving this month! :)
First of all, I find that my lips get super dry as the season changes, and regular lip balms just do not do it. So, I like to use the Avene cold lip balm. It does a great job conditioning my lips and making them kissable! I just love to keep it in my pocket and apply it multiple times a day! This product retails $12 at drugstore.com
        Speaking of lip products, I love rocking red lips! For lipstick, I love my Estee Lauder  in 26 Nectarine. It's a very opaque red with shimmer particles. I like to top that off with my Mary Kay lip gloss in mango tango to give my lips a glossy finish.

         For my eyes, I have been going for simple. Rocking any cream eye shadow with a liquid or gel liner, then mascara can never go wrong! I have been using my Mac pain pot in Rubensque for that very purpose! For liner, I like to use my black gel liner by Clinique. It's so creamy and easy to work! When it comes to mascara, I'm not the most particular person in the world. However, I have been loving my Urban Decay Big Fatty mascara. It does not clump my lashes and I can apply a little for a basic soft look, or you can layer it to get a more dramatic look. I also love the packaging! It's quite adorable!

         I have been using my mac full coverage liquid foundation a lot lately. Once you learn how to apply it properly, you will love the results! With this product, a little truly goes a long way. Otherwise, it will look caked and as if you were wearing a mask. Then, I use my Revlon Photo Finish concealer to cover my imperfections. Having an oily skin, I like to top the work off with my Clinque powder for acne. It's a matt powder and it works perfectly with the other products that I use.

        When it comes to blush, I enjoy a healthy sheer looking cheeks, so I having been reaching for my Physician Formula Happy Booster blush. I enjoy that blush very much! It has just the right amount of shimmer for my taste! On my cheek bone, I like to apply a little bit of Benefit High Beam to add that desired glow!

So, these are my favorites for the month. I hope you enjoyed them, and lets chat soon :)   

   Having an oily skin, I have to wash my face at least once a day. However, I find that most products dry out the face and gives my skin a very unpleasant feel. Hence, I started hunting for a good moisturizing cream. I was given this as a sample at my drug store, and oh my, I instantly fell in love with it from the first use. The smell alone is so wonderful, and it is the perfect face moisturizer. It has a very nice fruity smell, yet its sent is sharp-- in a good way! I have had this for over a year now, and I have not gone through all of it yet! Will defiantly purchase again! The only complaint I have is the price, but like I said it lasted me a year! It can be purchased for $25 at Sears.