Brand spotlight: elf

elf (http://eyeslipsface.com ) is a budget friendly make up line which has the infamous $1 makeup products and brushes. It has come a long way and has been constantly expanding its line. Now elf makeup can be as expensive (?) as $8 for the mineral foundation. The products are sold in Target but I tend to order directly from their website, as there aren't any Canadian retails that carry this line yet. The site always has some kind of promotion (either free extra products, shipping, or 40% - 50% off with a certain $ purchase). I almost always purchase the Studio line products when there was the 50% off sale.
Some of the products are surprisingly awesome, some are okay and a few are horrible.I have had better luck with their Studio products than the original $1 line (Essentials). I have used up most of the products so do not have actual photos of them. elf makeup is definitely for those who like to try new things or trends in makeup or those who are budget conscious about makeup. It definitely adds to the fun of being a makeup junkie :)

Essential Blush Brush ($1)
It was enticing to buy a makeup brush for $1; however, this is a poorly made and not very useful. The bristles are rough and started to shed right away. The brush is not dense enough to pick up the blush and gave a streaky look. 

Essential Liquid Eyeliner ($1)
Non waterproof eyeliner but yet gives a very black line and for $1, it is great. I prefer waterproof liners just because my eyelids are oily. Otherwise would be a good choice for those wanting a cheap liquid liner. 
I have done a review on this on my Eyeliner post here.

Essential Nail Polish ($1, now $2)  
Very surprised at the quality of this polish. It is a standard nail polish that has a good pay off. 

Studio Cream eyeliner ($3)
I bought the Espresso thinking I would want a dark brown liner to try. The color was too sheer and the gel dried out quickly. I would not repurchase.

Studio Eye primer and liner ($3)  
Unfortunately this did not work for me at all. The primer moved around and did not hold the shadows in place. The liner did not provide the budge - proofing I needed. I literally threw it out after using it only a couple of times :(


Studio contouring blush and bronzing powder ($3)
This is a dupe for Nars Orgasm blush and Laguna bronzer. The blush has visible flecks of shimmer which is not that noticeable on skin. The bronzer is too shimmery for my liking. I have hit pan on the blush and still do use it once in a while.

contouring blush and bronzer powder 

Studio Blush ($3)
I purchased several shades of these blushes. Again they are somewhat of a dupe for Nars blushes. They are super powdery and the colors are not as intense as the Nars blushes. Even the available shades are reminiscent of the Nars line. The shimmery blushes have large shimmer particles that do not look so flattering on the skin. The ones I like are Tickled Pink and Mellow Mauve.

Studio High Definition Powder ($6)
This is the only powder from elf I have purchased twice. Supposedly this is a dupe for Make Up Forever HD powder. The powder is very finely milled and while white in the tub, translucent on the skin. It helps to minimize oil and sets the make up for the day.

Studio Bronzers ($3) in Warm and Golden
Each palette has 4 different shades of bronzers, which you can use separately or swirled together. Golden shade is the lighter of the two and the colors are not too intense. The bronzer like the blushes are really powdery. It stays on about 3 - 4 hours on my combination skin.

Warm Bronzer 

Studio undereye concealer and highlighter ($3)
Bought this on a whim and only used a couple of times before trashing it. The concealer is too thin to give proper coverage and the highlighter did not highlight but just blended into the skin.

Studio complete coverage concealer ($3)
The palette looks very promising with 4 different shades of concealers and a little brush. However, it does not give proper coverage and even with  multiple layers the concealer would not stay on the skin long. This made into misses of 2012.

Studio brush set ($45, on sale for $30) 
My favourite purchase of the elf products! I love all the brushes in this set. The 11 piece will give you all the makeup brush you need for your makeup wardrobe. They are made of synthetic nylon bristles and work very well as intended. I love the blush brush and the powder brush. They are soft and easy to work with.  There are 5 complexion related brushes and 6 eye related brushes. Some of the eyeshadow brushes are tad too small for my liking but overall this is a great buy.

Face brushes from the Studio Line Brush set 

Smaller (eye) brushes from the set 

Eyeliners

Eyeliner is an essential item that is used daily. For me, I don't just use black eyeliner but use dark brown and purple/navy liners as well. I think purple and navy compliment the brown eyes well. I prefer pencil over pen or gel liner because of its ease of use.
Like my mascaras, I tend to buy waterproof ones to minimize the smudging.

For my oily eye lids, I need to use an eyeshadow base to ensure that the liner does not smudge. I almost never line the bottom of my eyes because I think heavy lining at the bottom of your lashes make the eyes look smaller than bigger. I also never line the waterline on the bottom for the same reason, in addition to the fact the liner can smear into your actual eyeballs.

Prestige waterproof eyeliner: cheap, easy to use kohl pencil liner with good color payoff. These are available at London Drugs or Shoppers for under $8. The consistency is smooth and does not smudge much. I always have one in my make up stash.

Clio waterproof eyeliner (brown & black): truly waterproof, budge-proof eyeliners that does not need a pencil sharpener. I have gone through 3 - 4 of these in the last couple of years. The pencil is on the harder side so it may tug the eyelids a bit. If I ever want to line tightline (the white part right below the lashes) I tend to use these ones as they do not smudge at all.
About 8,000 won (~$8).

Dollywink eyeliner: super famous Japanese brand. I bought this because the packaging was too darn cute. The black liner is truly black and it is easy to apply. A little harder than Prestige but softer than CLIO. The downfall is that it smudges.

Rimmel eyeliner (automatic): one of the truest purple eyeliners I have enjoyed over the last 10 years or so. Like the Prestige liner, this one is a permanent part of my make up collection. Very cheap (around $5), readily available and simple to use. It used to have sharpener attached at the back of the pencil but now has a smudger.

The Faceshop Make me star gel pencil liners: another clear winner of non-smudging waterproof pencils. All of them have a fleck of glitter which makes them so pretty. I tend to use the bronze and the navy as a shadow stick.

MAC gel liner (blacktrack): the infamous gel liner that rivals Bobbi Brown gel liner. I don't use this much because this definitely smudges on me. I actually find gel liners not that easy to use. The gel is very soft and smooth but in my opinion, not as easy to control.

E.L.F. felt tip liquid liner: this is $1!!!!!! yes for $1, you get a decent product. Not waterproof, but have not had any issues with smudging or fading. Love this one.

Milani liquify pencil liner: I don't know how they do it but this pencil gives a look of a real gel liners. Super black and super soft. My complaint is that it is too soft and I can never get it to sharpen to a fine point so the lines tend to be thicker than I want. This is also waterproof but has not been completely smudge proof on me.

LORAC & Kat Von D foundation review

LORAC performance foundation:
Bought on a whim as was looking for a long lasting foundation. The SA at Sephora swore by it and unlike my usual self bought it without any research.
The bottle is a clear plastic with pump and air free which I like. And the color matched me very well but that's where the love ended. It applied pretty easily with my fingers but felt tacky and wet for a while until it set. The foundation did not last on my T zone and made my whole face super greasy. Also it settled into my already visible pores making them look worse. It clung to any dry parches which was not attractive. And the foundation did not last any longer than other ones I own. Definitely not keeping it.

Kat Von D Lock it foundation:
Now I am not a fan of Kat Von D nor do I desire to look like her. When I heard she has a make up line I was very skeptical. Then I started watching and reading all these amazing reviews of her foundation. Since was disappointed with Lorac one I was a little weary of getting this one. I am happy to report I love this. It again is in a plastic bottle with a pump which I like. The shade I got is L48 (medium with beige undertone). Thought M5 (medium with warm beige undertone) may be a better match for me but this foundation runs a little darker than in the bottle and seems to match well.
This foundation is very thick almost like a cream. Instead of my usual fingers I use a damp Beauty Blender to tap this on. The lasting power is over 12 hours (minus my nose which needs blotting in about 4 hours) even without setting power and the color does not oxidize. And since its long lasting it makes the blush stay on my face longer as well. This is a definite repurchase worthy. I am going to have to try the concealer which I have also been hearing is very good.
Note: due to its popularity the stock is scarce at Sephora and Sephora.com. If you find your shade in stock you better pick it up. $34 usd or $41cdn

Beauty Blender:
I really thought that it was a crazy hype to buy a $19 sponge. But happy to say it really works to blend the foundation on skin beautifully. It removes the cake and heavy look that can result from foundation not being blended well.
You run the sponge under running water, squeeze out the water then squeeze with a dry towel to use it. The sponge almost doubles in size and is very bouncy. I use the round bottom for most of the face and the pointed end for under the eyes and sides of the nose. I am not sure how long this is to last. Hoping with care it will last at least a year. Sephora sells it for $19 but have seen it in Amazon.com for much cheaper.

New reviews to come

I won a $250 gift card to Sephora!  I entered their monthly survey sweepstakes in early January and was so happy to hear I won.
Went to look for a new long lasting foundation as the ones I have were too dark for the paler me in the winter.
The sales girl suggested Lorac performance foundation. Also picked up Kat Von D setting spray to try.
Will update in a couple of weeks!