elf Blush Palettes Review & Swatches

elf is killing it with all their new products. I remember when these Blush Palettes first came out and Emily Noel of Beauty Broadcast did a review video on them. I have a slight obsession with face products, and blush palettes are just so amazing! What I love about these is, not only do they come in 2 different color combinations, but you can pop out each blush square and place it where you want. If I have 4 faves out of the two, I could create my own custom palette.

Each palette comes with a full size mirror, which makes them perfect to take on trips. The shades in the light palette are (L2R, T2B) a pale baby pink, a warm mid toned brown, a dusty mid mauve, and a peachy mauve with gold shimmer. These colors are softer and springy looking.

The shades in the dark palette are a warm peachy brown, a rosy mauve, a deep red with gold shimmer, and a brick red brown. The colors in this palette are definitely more suited for darker skintones, but they also look like they're more geared towards vampy winter looks.

All but 2 of these have a matte finish. As far as texture goes, these are super soft and almost creamy feeling. They're super pigmented, especially the shades from the dark palette. Only a tiny bit of the glitter transferred from the 2 shades that had it. The baby pink from the light palette is a tiny bit chalky, but it may just be a little light for my skin. Other than that, these blush palettes are incredible! I'm hoping in the future, elf releases refills in different shades or creates a system like they have with their single shadows.

Make sure to come back to check out what else I bought from elf. Until next time...

Kiss, Kiss.
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The Purge: Mascaras and Lipliners

I have a feeling this will be a fairly short declutter. I do own a decent amount of each of these, but I had to combine these two because on their own they wouldn't be long enough for me to justify doing this. I've been putting this section off for some reason. I don't think I was ready to get rid of any of my liners, but I know I don't use all of them. The mascaras will be easy to sort through. Some of them I haven't tossed, specifically for this post.

I just want to run through my unopened mascaras first. I know I'm keeping them at least to try out. If I don't like them, they go to my sisters to see if they can make them work. I have 5 minis: Benefit They're Real, Urban Decay Perversion, Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, Ultraflesh The Gold Standard, and Makeup Forever Smoky Extravagant. I know I love the Benefit, Tarte, and UD. The full size mascaras I have unopened are LÓreal Lash Out Butterfly and Revlon Bold Lacquer. I'm hoping to like both of them. I hate getting rid of full tubes of mascara.

Moving on to the opened tubes, in mini form I have the same three Tarte, Urban Decay, and Benefit mascaras. Full sizes that I have open are Origins Gin-Zing, and Mary Kay The Ultimate, Rimmel Scandaleyes Lycra Flex, and Wet N Wild Mega Length. I love the Origins as a lengthening and separating mascara. The WNW has a wand that is perfect for the lower lashes. I know I'm tossing the Rimmel. I hadn't intended to, but it smells awful. I just recently chucked Wet N Wild Mega Protein and Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes.

Starting Number: 16
Ending Number: 13

My lipliner collection is super small. I only have 9. All of them but 3 are browns, and three of them are the exact same shade. I didn't do it on purpose, but it is my most used lipliner so I can't complain. That would be the Wet N Wild liner in Chestnut. It literally looks good with everything. Also from WNW, I have Berry Red, and Willow. I've got one NYX liner in Nutmeg, and 3 from Starlooks. They are Cherry Cedar, Tickle Me Pink, and Naked. I can't part with any of these.

Starting Number: 9
Ending Number: 9

I didn't toss many things in this category, but these aren't items I own a lot of. I have my staple products and that's what I tend to stick with. Hopefully, the next installment will have better results. Until next time...

Kiss, Kiss.
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elf Custom Compact and Custom Eyeshadow Swatches & Review

I placed an elf order for a billion and one things, and I couldn't possibly haul them all in one post, so I thought I would break it up into several blog posts. Hope you don't mind. I've never tried out the individual shadows from elf. I have one of their larger palettes and a few of their shadow quads and mid sized shadow palettes. Great things have been said about these, and so I had to buy a few. Both the shadow compact and the shadows, themselves, are 1$ each.

The Custom Compact is about 3in x 3in. It fits 4 shadows, has a really good sized mirror, a latch closure, and a little slot for a sponge-tipped applicator. It feels fairly sturdy. I got it so I wouldn't have single shadow pans floating around my drawer.

I only purchased 4 Custom Eyeshadows. (So I could fill the compact, of course.) The shades I got were Sage, Moondust, Peach Fizz, and Taupe. All of these are shimmers. None of the elf Custom Eyeshadows are matte/satin. These all have a great texture and great pigmentation. I hope elf releases more shades.

Kiss, Kiss.
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Too Faced Cosmetics: The Favorites

A while back, I bought a little bundle of mini products from Too Faced to try out before I committed to buying anything full sized. I only own one thing from the brand, but there's a lot of good things said about Too Faced products, so I had to see for myself. I have seven products here, 5 of which are always talked about. Let's get to it!

Shadow Insurance Eyeshadow Primer

Just to get this out of the way, this is the one product I already own. I gave the sample size to my bestie so she could up her makeup game. You have to have a good eyeshadow primer. You can make a gorgeous shadow look, and it only last a few hours because you didn't use a primer. Shadow Insurance is one of 3 shadow primers I own, and it is my ride or die. 

Better Than Sex Mascara
You either love this mascara or you hate it. Lashes are such a huge part of my makeup routine. I can have on a full face, but still feel incomplete without mascara on. I've never been good at applying falsies, so mascara is my best friend. 

Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

I was so incredibly surprised to see that this would actually show up on my skin! I can't tell you how excited I am! It's so hard to find bronzers that I can use to contour with. Not to mention the obvious chocolate smell. Too Faced recently released the Dark Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. Once I run out of this sample, I'll be checking out the Dark version.

Primed & Poreless Face Primer
I so love face products. Primers, concealers, foundations, blush, and highlighters are the most amazing things ever and I love them all so much. I have larger pores around the center of my face. If this primer helps to fill them, I'm sold.

Glamour Gloss in Sex Pot
I don't know that many Too Faced glosses are talked about in the beauty world. I hear a lot about their lipsticks. This gloss is a plumping gloss. I don't exactly need any help with the size of my lips, but the color is gorgeous. It's more of a fall/winter shade, but if worn over a nude lipstick would be very pretty in the summer.

Melted Liquified Lipstick in Melted Peony
This was the other product I was most excited to try. These are so raved about on YouTube and on Instagram. I have always wanted to try them, but I don't want to spend the money on them. I might have to if I love this as much as I think I will.

Primed & Poreless Powder
I'm running low on powders. It has a slight yellow tinge to it, which would work perfectly with my warm skintone. I'm stoked to use this to set my T-zone. It can also be meant to prime the skin, I assume, for a powder foundation if you didn't want to use a traditional primer. I'll be using it as a finishing powder.

Kiss, Kiss.
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March 2015 Ipsy Glam Bag Unboxing

I knew I shouldn't have peeked at what I got in my Glam Bag this month. I like having a surprise, but checking the site is too much a of a temptation for me. I'll tell you now that I wasn't too impressed with Ipsy this month. (And then I swatched the stuff, and I changed my mind lol.)

FLORAL FANTASY

This bag is truly one of the cutest bags we've gotten in such a long time. It's feminine without being too girly. I pretty much love it. +1

NYX Butter Lipstick

You could have gotten one of three shades: Hunk, Little Susie, or Pops. I got Pops! This is actually the shade I wanted, too. Go figure! I don't own any other Butter Lipsticks, but the NYX lippies that I do own, I love. They all wear really well and are so comfortable on the lips. +1

Pur~Lisse Pur~Delicate Cleanser

Everything I've ever gotten from this brand I've liked. My skin always feels nice and hydrated afterwards, I've never had an allergic reaction, and the products always smell good. I like that this actually has a makeup remover built in. I have another cleanser that I'm using that is similar. It's great for getting off any excess after a cleansing wipe. +1

Milani Color Statement Nail Lacquer

It's been a while since I got a nail polish in my Ipsy bag. I'm glad it was a brand of polish that I don't own. I tried a Milani polish before, but it was in their old formulation and packaging. The packaging on this is stupid cute. I like that there's a color swatch on top of the bottle. I've never seen that before. I got the color Doll Face. The other option was Peri-Wink. +1

Mary Kay at Play Eye Crayon

I did not think I would like this. The other At Play products I've tried haven't been super impressive. I liked the concept of them and the colors, but they just didn't work for me. This eye crayon in Teal Me More is such a gorgeous color for spring and summer. The only downside to this product is that you have to sharpen it. +1

St. Ives Apricot Scrub

This scrub is the only disappointment for me. Shocker, right? I love scrubs, but this one is way too abrasive for me, and my skin is no where near sensitive. I get that it's supposed be good because the grit is made from apricot pits, but they aren't uniform pieces and my skin feels like its being torn when I use it on my face. I'll try using it as a hand scrub instead. -1

Price Summary:

NYX Lipstick (FULL SIZE) - 5.99

Pur~Lisse Cleanser - 6.43

Milani Polish (FULL SIZE) - 4.99

Mary Kay Pencil (FULL SIZE) - 10.00

St. Ives Scrub - 0.75

Total: 28.16$ USD

Kiss, Kiss.

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All Gone! - Skincare Edition (Oily/Combination Skin)

I love it when I finish a product. That means I get to open a new one! Here are all the skincare products I've finished in the past few months. If you wanted to check out my earlier All Gone! posts, I have a few (Feb 2014, Apr 2014, July 2014, Oct 2014, Jan 2015). Like the title suggests, I have oily/combo skin.

Removers
La Fresh Oil-Free Makeup Remover Wipes - Clean & Clear Night Relaxing Cleansing Wipes
I did not like the La Fresh wipes. They just weren't moist enough to take off much on my face. I ended up using them to remove swatches or to spot clean brushes. The Clean & Clear wipes were great. Really moist and they smelled great. I would absolutely repurchase those.

Cleansers & Scrubs
Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask - Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash - Anna Naturals Glowing Mama Scrub - Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Exfoliant - Derma E Microdermabrasion Scrub
Of these 5 products, my least favorite was the Dr. Brandt product. It wasn't as gritty as the Derma E that I was used to. It did alright, but I wouldn't repurchase it. I already have another open jar of the Derma E scrub and the Proactiv wash. I will definitely be reurchasing the Neutragena cleanser. It was my favorite of the bunch. I love the tingle of the benzoyl peroxide and how quickly it got rid of any bad breakout I was having.

Masks
Proactiv+ Skin Purifying Mask - Glam Glow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment - Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque - Proactiv Refining Mask - Skyn Iceland Fresh Start Mask - Love & Beauty Lavender Sheet Mask - Love & Beauty Aloe Vera Sheet Mask
I don't know that I hated any of these. The sheet masks were hydrating and fun to wear. The Skyn Iceland mask is really different because it's dual phase and has this wonderful cooling and fizzing sensation. I have nothing bad to say about either Proactiv mask. I have many backups of those. The Mint Julep is incredible. I bought a full size of that. I would purchase a full size of the Glam Glow if it weren't so expensive.

Toners
Proactiv Revitalizing Toner - Proactiv Clear Zone Body Pads - Botanic Hill Moist Youth Ampoule Essense
So the Proactiv toner has been my ride-or-die for so long now. I'm on my last bottle now. *tear* The Clear Zone pads I used when I was having breakouts because it has salicylic acid. This was my first Korean essence I had ever used. It felt really nice on the skin. It's more of an in-between of a toner and a moisturizer, but I loved the texture of it and the smell. If I can find it online for a reasonable price, I'm totally buying a full size.

Moisturizers
Skin & Good Cera Super Cream - Origins Gin-Zing Moisturizer - Proactiv+ Complexion Perfecting Hydrator - Meijer Oil-Free Moisturizer
All of these were great! Origins was lightweight and ideal for mornings. Proactiv+ and Skin & Good were ridiculously rich. Those two were my favorite. I'm working on another of the Proactiv+. Even the Meijer brand product did amazingly. It has SPF 15, so I used it daily in the mornings.

Treatments
A-True Black Tea Sun Cream - Proactiv Repairing Treatment - Julep Luxe Repair Skin Serum - Kate Somerville Mega-C Dual Radiance Serum - CVS Eye Cream
I wasn't particularly fond of the A-True sunscreen. It gave a really obvious white cast to the skin. I had to mix it with a moisturizer to thin it out. We know how I feel about Proactiv products. The Julep serum was my very first. I liked the feel of it. One pump covered my whole face, but I didn't notice a difference with it. The Kate Somerville, though, is incredible. But it costs a days pay. I have zero complaints about the CVS eye cream, either. It helped keep the dark circles at bay.

Stay tuned for my next empties update. Until next time...

Kiss, Kiss.
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February 2015 Starlooks Starbox Unboxing

Hey there! Welcome back. I've, obviously, got a Starbox to show you today. Just like Beauty Box 5, I canceled this subscription too. I'll pick it back up eventually, but I'm just getting overloaded with stuff from them. I genuinely love their products, though, so like I said, I'll definitely be subscribing again before the year is up.

Tender Gloss Lipstick in Cherub
Their lipsticks are most definitely my favorite things they make. They always have amazing pigmentation, and the feel of these on the lips is absolutely amazing. The Tender Glosses are like a mix between a lipstick and a lipgloss. It's an amazing combination. This shade is gorgeous rosy mauve, a shade I always gravitate towards.

Petite Starluxe Fan Brush
I love getting brushes! Fan brushes are probably my least owned as far as quantity goes. So when I'm trying to clean both, that leaves me with just 1, and then I freak out. I love how Starbox sends these out.

Gem Eye Pencil in Myth
The last time I got a Gem Pencil was in an Ipsy bag. That may have been the first time I ever heard about Starlooks as a brands. Either way, I've been hooked ever since. Myth looks to be a sparkly charcoal color. I'm not sure how much use I would actually get out of this pencil, but I may as well give it a go.

Price Summary:
Tender Gloss - 16.00
Fan Brush - 20.00
Gem Pencil - 16.00
Total: 52.00$ USD

Kiss, Kiss.
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4 or More Tag - Wet N Wild Eyeshadow Trios

I freaking love doing these 4 or More posts. It gives me a chance to go through my collection and play with some old things I may have forgotten about. Today, I wanted to do a larger post. I love Wet N Wild eyeshadows. They're probably the best at the drugstore. To say I have a few of their palettes is an understatement. Just in trios, I own 7. A lot of these have been discontinued.

I'm Getting Sunburned
This is one of my go-to trios. All three shades get a ton of love from me, but the golden shade is my favorite.

Cool As A Cucumber
This trio I don't use very often. It isn't because I don't like the shades, but because they aren't colors I use in my everyday looks. I definitely need to rectify that.

I Dream of Greenie
I completely forgot I even had this one! I used to use the brightest green all the time in the spring and summer months.

Zero Dark Flirty
I bought this in a value pack that came with a mascara. The trio is limited edition, but it has 2 satin/matte shades, which is rare for WNW.

Knock On Wood
Another trio I had forgotten about! It looks like I've only really used the mauve-y shade at the bottom and just swatched the other two. What is wrong with me?!

I'm Feeling Retro
I do believe this is one of the first WNW trios I ever bought. I made huge dents in all three of these shadows.

I Got Good Jeans
This one is my most used trio out of them all. I love the amazing blue shade that this comes with. For a really basic look, I would use the gold on the lid, put the blue through the crease and outter V, and pop the silver in the inner corner.

Kiss, Kiss.
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