ELF Haul!

ELF (Eyes Lips Face) had a site-wide sale where everything was priced at 60% off!!! I couldn't help myself and picked up quite a few things as you can see below:

Shimmering Facial Whip in the shade Toasted

Hypershine Lip Gloss in the shade Fairy

Both Toasted and Fairy were recommended by one of my favorite youtube gurus, Emilynoel83. If you haven't seen her videos, you should definitely check them out. 

Studio Cream Blushes in the shades Tease and Vixen

I already have one of these studio blushes featured in one of my past posts on cream blushes called Heartbreaker. That product convinced me to purchase two more shades because of their lasting power and the way they apply onto the face.  The texture is also too unique to pass up with a 60%  sale going on! I thought Tease was a more natural color, while Vixen would be a great shade to wear during the fall season.

Mineral Lipstick in Rosy Raisin and

Mineral Eye shadows in Natural, Celebrity, Caffeinated, Confident, and Sassy

This will be my first time trying a mineral lipstick. I have purchased all these mineral eye shadows in the past but decided to give them away to a friend.  However, I decided that I missed having them in my collection.  These mineral eye shadows are loose, pigmented, and shimmery.  They are beautiful when layered on top of the eyelid! I'm sure I will do a post soon showing the swatches of all my ELF mineral eye shadows.

Duo Cream Eye Shadow in Olive

I also already have two of these duo cream eye shadows, so this is just another one added to my collection!  They are extremely pigmented and work as an amazing eye shadow base.  They will crease when you wear them on your bare lid, but if you are wearing a green eye shadow, for example, you can make the green eye shadow appear brighter and more vibrant when you place the green cream eye shadow in a thin layer before applying the green eye shadow. 

Studio Cream Eye Shadows

Finally, I have been waiting to get these babies in so that I can do a review and application post for one of my followers, Kat . For now, I can say that they are pigmented, smooth, and creamy! I have high hopes for these as I would love them to replace my expensive MAC Paint Pots. 

Professional Blending Brush and Studio Stippling Brush

After almost 3 years, my professional blending brush is finally giving out and starting to come loose from the ferrule.  3 years is a pretty long time for such a soft, dense brush that only cost me $1.00.  I also purchased the Studio Stippling brush because I have been wanting to try it out as a blush brush. I'll see how that works.

If you love makeup or you're a beginner...definitely check out ELF at eyeslipsface.com.  The site sells quality, affordable makeup that you can try! 

My Favorite Summer Cream Blushes

I love a dewy, fresh-faced glow for the summer.  To help me achieve that look, I turn to my creamy blush products!  Shown above are my favorites...E.L.F. cream blush in Heartbreaker, NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Glow, Two NYC Blushable Creme Sticks in South St. Seashell and Pink Flash (special edition), and Benefit's Benetint.   Let's take a closer look at each! 

This blush really wakes the face up! It's super creamy though, and it can be applied with your fingers...however, I suggest using a stippling brush or a synthetic brush because a little goes a long way.

You can see here just how delicate the product is because I accidentally nicked it while I was trying to pick it up. Boo...anyways, here's a swatch!

It's pretty vibrant on my medium/tan skin, but don't worry...we can blend it out!

This blush is easily build-able for those days that you just want to look extra flushed. Below is another thin layer of Glow:

Hopefully you can see a slight difference. Trust me, it's more obvious on your face!

 Next up is ELF's Studio Line cream blush in Heartbreaker. This is another vibrant, BAM! in your face color.  The consistency of this blush is very different from any I've tried before.  It's squishy, foamy, and kind of reminds me of playdough. I really like it though because it's also very buildable and the color lasts a good while on the cheeks. 

On my skin, you can tell that the color appears more muted than what is shown in the jar. This could also be due to my lighting..it was a cloudy day, so I apologize!

If you're looking for a product that is inexpensive and readily available in stores such as Rite-Aid, Target, and Walmart...try NYC Blushable Creme Sticks.  I believe they retail for $3.99 at Rite-Aid.  

South St. Seashell (left)  is part of their permanent line, where as Pink Flash (right) is not.  One thing I noticed about these creme sticks is that the color of the tube is the same as the product! Pink Flash is matte, while South St. Seashell is a light beige/brown with a slight shimmer or satin finish.  I believe that these blushable creme sticks come in different finishes. 

These blushable creme sticks are in fact creamy and easily blendable.  They also have incredible pigmentation..which may be difficult to see because of my tanned skin tone.  I don't think the lasting power of these creme sticks are very good on their own, but they are a wonderful base for helping your powdered shadows last longer. 

Finally, we have Benefit's Benetint.  I have a mini jar that I got in a value set from Benefit. 

To use this product, you use the brush applicator to place a few dots on your skin. Then you blend it out! 

This is what I get after one layer.

Two layers...

Three layers. PERFECT...for me =P Keep in mind that if you are fairer in skin tone, you will not need as many applications to get the product to show up.  I love this tint because it really does last a good few hours for me, and it gives me the most natural.."i just took a run around the neighborhood" flush. Right now, you can get a Benefit minis set called "feelin' cheeky!" at Sephora stores near the check-out area.  It includes posie tint, high beam, and benefit for $15.00--which is a steal! 

What are your favorite blushes for the summer?