Review: e.l.f. Beauty Book in Warm

I’m a huge fan of saving money. And if that means testing out super cheap, drugstore makeup, I’m all for it. Especially when you come across a brand like e.l.f.

I hadn’t really paid any attention to the brand until joining a makeup subreddit. Then, they all started recommending these super affordable products. I was blown away at how much these folks seemed to love this budget makeup. So one day, I took a dive and went for it. I found this beauty book of eyeshadow in the clearance section and figured that if anything was worth five bucks, it was hopefully finding a new brand affair.

Sure enough, this is some awesome shadow. The colors are nice and professional, with some hints of shimmer throughout to keep it young and fresh. The pigmentation is nice, especially over the e.l.f. primer. They are all very solid colors that work well together. And they are grouped according to what works well with what. I like that. It makes my morning routine a little easier.

Also, I love that with such a good selection, I can take this with me while I’m travelling. Then I don’t have to worry about not having a certain shade for a certain look. This covers a lot of my bases at once.

Wear time is also good. On top of primer, I got a whole day’s worth of wear without any sign of creasing or fading. They are also easy to remove, which is nice considering how often I’ve taken to wearing a color or  three from the book.

Definitely a worthwhile investment. 100%.

Thanks for reading!

Miracle Finds Under Five Dollars

You remember when I said that sometimes buying cheap is the best option? Because it lets you test out a product and maybe get lucky?

This is the story of the best $5 I've ever spent on a nail product.

You see, I used to be a huge fan of Seche Vite. Everyone recommended it. It was expensive, but supposedly worth it. And, in fact, it was.

For a time.

But as you may have heard or experienced, after a couple of months, Seche Vite has a habit of getting gummy. And not just a little thick and gloopy. Oh no. It gets thick enough to drag wet polish around and off the nail. If you use a bottle of Seche Vite a month, then fine. This wouldn't be a big deal. But I don't know anyone who paints their nails that often, even for swatching.

In the end, I was severely disappointed by this "miracle" product because, for me, it wasn't worth its money. I paid $8 for it and only made it through half a bottle before it became too gluey to use.

Enter a necessary Walmart run.

While waiting for my prescriptions, I perused the beauty section like I always do. At this point, my nails were naked because I had no top coat. Suddenly, I saw a big, round bottle looking up at me from the bottom shelf. I don't know why it caught my eye, other than its sheer size, but I'm so glad I picked it up.

The price? $4.99. The effect? Awesome.

Now, don't get me wrong, this doesn't dry as fast as Seche Vite. But within five minutes, my nails are dry to the touch. No smudges, no pooling, no gumminess. And look at the size of that bottle! 

I've already had this product for two months and there have been no negatives. And the best part? I don't feel bad adding two or three coats of this because it was so cheap! 

All in all, this is definitely tiding me over until I can afford the Deborah Lippman Gel Lab. And for $5, it's something great to have in your arsenal if you're planning on swatching at all. 

Thanks for reading!

Budget Beauty Products

Sorry for the lack of updates this past week.

Friday, during the first really big freeze in Georgia, I slipped down the stairs to my apartment and severely injured my tailbone. As a result, I haven’t been able to sit down for longer than a few minutes for several days.

Which means the segment I was going to post on Saturday has been postponed until…well, until now. And I’m changing the subject.

Because of my injury, I had to miss a day of work. Which means a tiny paycheck for me. So this little chat is going to be about budget.

Namely, how do you supply a beauty addiction with a small amount of income? Do you get substandard beauty products? Or hold off and splurge on something expensive?

There was a time when I would have said to go with drug store beauty products and just suck it up. But now, my opinion has changed. Because I realized what happens more often than not, is those substandard products don’t get used. If the concealer is cakey, or the moisturizer leaves your skin greasy, it’s going to be unused in a drawer. That’s money down the drain, even if it was super cheap.

Now, if you can find a product that’s affordable and awesome, you’ve hit the jackpot. Bask in that glory, because it doesn’t happen often.

Usually, beauty products are a case of “you get what you pay for.”

That’s why I’m more the type to spend a lot of money on one or two products, and only buy things occasionally. It’s tough saving up for something and doing without for a while, but in the long run, it’s worth it. You’ll end up with a product that is amazing, that you love, and that you’ll use regularly. And honestly, there’s nothing better than that.

For instance, there's a really great hair protecting spray on Birchbox's store right now. I have lots of points, so I can get it pretty cheaply, but I'm waiting until my bank account has recovered from Christmas. It's difficult, but I know that if I don't buy the best, it's going to end up like the hair putty that I bought ages ago: I had to throw it away because it dried up in its little container. That was a $7-8 product that just went to waste. 

And to get things more often? I recommend putting up a wishlist online. Anywhere visible really. That way, when a birthday or anniversary comes up, or your friends want to give you a gift, they can give you something you’ve had your eye on for a while.

Another tip: Like your favorite beauty suppliers on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. A lot of companies have giveaways for their products and that’s a great chance to enter to win goodies. In addition, they’ll post coupons or promotional codes that can cut the price for something you really want.

Basically, you just have to be smart about it. And spend the big bucks on something you know you’ll use rather than something that might fester away in some dark corner of your bathroom.

That’s all for today. Hopefully I’ll be able to put up a longer post once my tailbone isn’t in agony. Thanks for reading!