Rachel's Favorite and Not-So Favorite Concealers!!

Cover Girl Queen Natural Hue Liquid concealer - Light

ELF Tone Correcting concealer - Spice

Mac Select cover-up concealer - NC 45

Graftobian HD Glamour Creme Palette - Warm #2

Sleek Cosmetics Luminaire concealer - L03

*Swatches at the end*

The Favorites:

ELF Tone Correcting concealer - Spice: This is one of my favorite concealers for concealing and highlighting a the same time. It works perfectly under my eyes to highlight in a 'V' and is even amazing under my eyebrows down my nose and any other area I want to add brightness to! ELF has definitely changed the formula from when I bought this a while ago. The formula is much more long wearing and thicker which makes for better coverage. That said, this is still a very light coverage concealer, not something you could fully cover a blemish. This is a good product for a concealer and highlighter look where you still want dimension in your face. It also works well with other liquid face products.

Updated review coming soon. Older review Here!

MAC Select cover-up concealer - NC 45: My favorite concealer during the summer for covering blemishes must be this MAC concealer. The reason I say summer is because this concealer only matches me in the summer. When I travel, this is the concealer of choice because it works well on blemishes but also is not too heavy for under the eyes. Come winter, I'm going to try NC 42 for a match but I have the feeling it might be too light. The only thing I might say about this concealer is that it can lean orange.
Full review Here!

Graftobian HD Glamour Creme Palette - Warm #2: I found this concealer while looking for an alternative for the Makeup Forever concealer palate and I am very glad I decided to buy it! I love that it has multiple shades that i can go between and mix and match to find my perfect shade. I use the third color for under my eyes and to cover blemishes and I use the second color to highlight around my brows. The last 2 darkest shades I use as a cream contour and the lightest shade I use as an eye shadow base. Basically, i have a use for every shade! I will make a full review for this soon because there is really so much to say!

The Not-So Favorites:

Cover Girl Queen Natural Hue Liquid concealer - Light: This concealer has been in my collection for a long time and I haven't thrown it away because I honestly have been trying to like it. When you first put this concealer on it goes on very liquidy and patchy. It actually evens out and turns matte as it dries but it also gets darker as it dries. As you go throughout your day it seems to convert directly into oil and wherever you put the concealer you have a shiny spot. The brings me to the other thing about this concealer, that it has no staying power whatsoever! Thumbs down for me.

Sleek Cosmetics Luminaire concealer - L03: My mom bought me this concealer on a trip to London! Thanks Mom! Too bad it doesn't work for me :(. This concealer is the type of concealer that you would think would be good for under your eyes as it is a highlighting concealer, but that is not the case! This concealer is too thick and unblendable to be anything useful to your eyes. The consistency needs to be thinner. I haven't tried this on blemishes but its too light for the rest of my face and why would I want to highlight a blemish??
UPDATE: I really like the peach undertone this concealer has as it helps a lot with my dark circles however, the thick nature of the products causes me to pull on my eyes and I  still have a problem with that.

Swatches and Shade Description:

1. Sleek Cosmetics Luminaire concealer - L03 - medium yellowy salmon

2. Cover Girl Queen Natural Hue Liquid concealer - Light - neutral tan leaning yellow

3. ELF Tone Correcting concealer - Spice: brightening yellowy salmon

4. MAC Select cover-up concealer - NC 45: tan yellow
5. Graftobian Buttermilk(lightest shade in palate): light yellow tone 
6. Graftobian Desert Sand: medium yellow tone
7. Graftobian Golden Sunset: Almost identical to MAC NC 45
8. Graftobian Deep Xanthe: Rich yellowy brown
9. Graftobian Mid. Marygold: Dark yellow tone

Hope this was helpful and hope this gave you some ideas of concealers that might work for you!

Love,

Hitting Pan - Products i love !!

When you've used a product to the point where you've hit pan, you must really enjoy it. Or it could be that you don't know what else to use, but in my case these are products that I've really enjoyed using and that I would repurchase over and over and over :)

Cover Girl Powder in Tawny - I don't use this so much as a powder because its about 2 shades darker than my skin but its perfect as a matte bronzer for contouring. In small amounts it looks very natural and doesn't look dirty.  The undertones are neutral which can make it have a very 'brown' look but its perfect for creating that shadow. Perfect color for contouring my nose. This was my first matte bronzer and I haven't been able to break away from it!

E.L.F. Contouring and Blush Duo (the original one) - I hate the blush. Too glittery and doesn't show up otherwise on my skin. The bronzer however... :D I love it. Its dark enough to contour with and I can use a big powder brush and put this all over my face. I use this every season of the year. It not matte but its not shimmery. There are sparse sparkles in it which I quite like.

L.A. Colors Mineral Powder in Sand - Smooth, silky powder that i loveeee! Too bad I can only find where to buy it online :( I love how this makes my skin look. Some powders make my skin look so dryy, but THIS makes my skin glow without needing bronzer! I used this most of the summer over a primer and it was perfect. Coverage is light to medium and perfectly build-able without looking cakey. It has some kind of illuminating property but its not shimmer or glitter, it just... glows! Full review coming soon :)

Hope this was helpful,

Face of the Day: An Everyday Face

My "Everyday Face" is ever changing, so it would  be wrong to call this look my everyday face. But, this IS the makeup that I've been wearing this week as the new semester has started. I apologize i didn't take a picture of the completed look, I wasn't feeling very photogenic today :/

1. I first set my brows with my ELF brow set gel. I love this for my unruly brows.

2. Next, ELF Studio Tinted Moisturizer applied with my fingers. I don't need to set this with powder because it has a matte finish.

3. I then used bronzer to warm up my face. I used the Cover Girl powder in Tawny, a powder a few darker than my skin tone, with my ELF Complexion brush just under my cheekbones and on my temples and jawline.

4. For my eyes I used my Milani Eye Tech Eyeliner Pen in Black for the first time! Verdict: I love it. Whenever I do liner I wing it out. I also applied Maybellines Plush Mascara in Black focusing on my bottom lashes and the center of my top lashes, as it tends to look better behind glasses. 

5. For a light color on my cheeks I applied L.A. Colors Mineral Blush in Tenderling, a pretty light pink with a light shimmer. I used the included little applicator, not shown in the picture.

6. I finished this look with my ELF conditioning lip balm in Peaceful Pink. I liked how it matched the blush.

Done! Let me know if you want to see more of these!

Thanks for stopping by,

E.L.F. Haul: 50% off Studio Sale!

My first E.L.F online haul!

Super excited for my first online makeup haul ever! I just had to jump on this 50% off sale :D

With my order came a free brush set which may end up as someones Christmas gift...

MY LOOT!! :

ELF Maximum Coverage Concealer

ELF Tinted moisturizer in Almond (a needed backup)

ELF Tinted Conditioning Lip balm in Peaceful Pink and Blissful Berry

ELF Makeup remover Pen

ELF Contouring  Blush and bronzing Powder in Turks and Caicos

ELF Glossy Glosses

ELF Pressed Powder in Almond

ELF Angled Brush

ELF Mineral Powder Brush

ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzer Cream

ELF Eye Enhancing palate in Brown 2

I had more in my cart but they didn't send me some things. I guess they didn't have in stock because they gave me back the money later. I was sad because one of the things was something I really wanted.
:( 

Things I ordered that i didn't get:

Elf Brow treatment gel Duo - Dark 

Glossy Gloss in Ballet Slippers

Things I wanted that they didn't have in stock:

Studio Mascara Primer

Small Stipple brush

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT:

Reviews are coming soon!

Simple Face of the Day for School!

I didn't have a set makeup routine for school and everyday stuff this month or last month for that matter, but I wanted to give you guys an idea of my everyday face, so... here it is,

a natural FOTD :)

1. ELF Studio Tinted Moisturizer: A favorite of mine since I began makeup. Applied this first just with my hands.

2. Next I applied the bronzer from my ELF bronzing and blushing duo (this is the original one). I applied it on my cheeks and on my temples. I like how it darkens my cheeks and makes my tinted moisturizer blend seamlessly into my hairline.

3. I then set my brows with this ELF brow set gel. I have extremely unruly brows. No need to fill them in for everyday :)

4-5. I then do my eyes with a little L.A. colors Shadow in Beige in the inner corner for a little brightness and finish my eyes with the ELF Lash Extend mascara on my bottom lashes and CG mascara on my top lashes.

6. If I am feeling like my face lacks color or if I'm going for a nude lip then I'll put this Maybelline mineral blush in Fresh Plum over the bronzer.

7-8. I finished my look today with my favorite lip combination -WNW Just Peachy and NYC Nude York city.

^ No photoshop applied!

This picture was taken about an hour after school so this is 9 hours into my day! I never do touchups during the day with the exception of my lips. I re-applied my lips today after my coffee in the morning and after lunch.

Hope you guys enjoyed this! Let me know if this is something you'd like to see more of in the future!

E.L.F. Studio Tinted Moisturizer

What do I think about this Tinted Moisturizer?

Can you tell its really been around? :D This is my 2nd tube! I even used this product during my year stay in Thailand because it beat the heat! 

What E.L.F Says: 

This lightweight and hydrating formula is breathable and provides anti-aging sun protection with UVA/UVB SPF 20. Achieve even skin tone and naturally radiant skin with this moisturizing sheer tint of color. The smooth formula enhances your complexion with the nourishing key ingredients Aloe, Cucumber and Vitamins A, C & E.

If your not ready or just don't want to shell out big bucks for a tinted moisturizer I highly recommend you check this out. It used to be that if I wanted to find a tinted moisturizer for my skin color, it meant big bucks. These days, however, a lot of drugstore brands have been coming out with all these BB cream/Tinted Moisturizer type products in more colors than just one or two! Can't complain about that!

Also if you like to drop the foundation for the summertime or just are a no-foundation kinda girl like me, you might find a lot you like in a product like this. 

Packaging: Sleek black, mimicking the other studio products. I think squeezy tubes for Tinted moisturizers are great. I do occasionally clean the part where the product comes out because it can get gunky. The see through window at the front is not a sticker, you are actually seeing inside the bottle!
Smaller than your average 1oz foundation (your getting .88oz).

Color: As I'll show you in the swatches, Almond, the shade I use, is more on the yellow side. If you are an NC 44/NC 45 in MAC, you could nicely get away with this color. I am a NC45 in MAC and this matches me almost perfectly. In the winter, I find myself switching to the shade Sand.

Product: The finish on this is matte. In no way oily. It smooths into my skin so nicely and leaves a very natural finish. The feel once blended into my skin is smooth and dry. I almost never set this with powder because the matte nature of it gives me the option to and I love the natural finish. Sheer coverage.

Pros:
*7 colors to choose from, Almond is the 3rd darkest shade so if your darker you still have 2 shades to choose from!
*Dries a natural matte
*Wears all day
*Tube Packaging
*Skin benefiting ingredients (Aloe, Cucumber, A, E,)
*SPF 20
*Sheer coverage
*Smooth finish
*$3 (what a deal!)
*Travels well: Has been all around the world with me!

Can be purchased online or at Target

Cons:
* Smells like sunscreen
*You don't get a full 1 fl oz

 Swatches:

How I wear this tinted moisturizer:

To wear this I skip primer so that It can blend into my skin easy. I put the product on the back of my hand and warm it up with my fingers. I use my fingers to apply, then pat my face to press it into my skin. I usually use a matte bronzer around the edges of my face and lightly contour so that it fades the color into my hairline and neck.

If I need this to last through more than school, or I need it to last through a special event, I spray it with the elf Mist and Set and once that dries I apply the NYC translucent powder.

Would I repurchase? OVER AND OVER!

Dear E.L.F people:  I am really proud of your color selection, thanks for taking notice of the darker skinned women in this world and not leaving us out and having affordable products for everyone to be able to try :)

<3 Rachel

Haul! Lee Beauty, Target and Sally Beauty and Big Lots!

Haul from last week. Really enjoying the things I got :)

 Maybeline Mega Plush Mascara
Elf Tinted Lip Balm SPF 15 - Rose

 Aveeno Clear Complexion Cleanser
Makeup Remover Wipes from Big Lots

Silk Elements Mega Silk conditioning and heat protecting spray
Africas Best Braid Spray and Conditioner (great for lightweight leave in conditioner)
Olive Oil Thermal Protect and shine

Thanks! Let me know any reviews you'd like to see!

Rachel

Collective Haul! Target, Mac, Walmart, Big Lots, Lee Beauty Supply

A few things I recently added to my collection! 

Brushes

Elf Complexion Brush: Great brush for light bronzer or contouring and blush. Also great for touch ups. It came with a plastic brush protector thing that i put it in and slip it right into my bag along with my Elf Complexion perfection! ~$3

 Sonia Kashuk Large Crease Brush: The smaller of the 2 brushed shown. Awesome for blending eyeshadow and pointed so i can put shadow on my lower lashline and inner corner as well! ~$4.99

Sonia Kashuk Pointed Blending Brush: I must pick up another of these! Awesome for blending eyeshadow in the crease AND for applying concealer! If you love applying concealer with a blending brush rather than your standard concealer brush you'll love this. ~$3.99

Lips

Ruby Kisses Jellicious Gloss in Cotton Candy: Light milky toned pink, mostly clear on the lips but moisturizing and a great gloss! Also smells and tastes like candy! Not necessarily cotton candy though. I plan to pick up other colors. Review here!

L.A. Colors Lipliner in Rose Brown: My go to my-lips-but-better color! A matte, rosey brown and it looks so natural on me! I absolutely love it and its AUTOMATIC! woohooo! I combine it with a lipbalm to keep my lips from drying out.

Nail Polishes

Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow

Revlon Base Coat

Sinful Colors Secret Admirer 

WNW Under your Spell

NYC Matte Me Crazy

NYC Grand Central Station

 Eyes and Concealer

Mac Select Cover-up Concealer (NC 45): My favorite concealer of all time. Love it for undereyes blended with my Sonia Kashuk pointed blending brush. Wonderful color and def worth the price tag!

Ruby Kisses HD Cream Eyeliner in Dark Brown: Awesome gel eyeliner that I've been using everyday. SUPER long wearing, convinient little pot but I wont be buying black because the WNW black cream eyeliner is my all time favorite :)

Covergirl Mascara: I forget which one this is...its the orange one and strangely it came with a purple cap. So, I don't know what thats about. This is my second tube of this stuff and it works nice, but def not my favorite. Still looking for my all time favorite mascara! Any suggestions??

Thanks so much for stopping by, be sure to follow! Reviews coming soon :)

Rachel <3

Video: Elf Complexion Perfection

Hey! Video review this time!

Other Info:
* this product got a 3.7 on makeupalley
* On eyeslipsface.com also Target and some Meijer stores
* Also known as tone correcting powder
* Price $3

Ingredients

Mica, Talc, Magnesium Myristate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Nylon-12, Titanium Dioxide, Octyldodecanol, Dimethicone, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Silica, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Boron Nitride.

Product Description:
Create a balanced and radiant complexion that is beautiful and healthy. The lightweight formula evens out the skin tone and absorbs excess oil. The sheer formula brightens, mattes and neutralizes the skin. The colors are meant to be blended together as the Blue neutralizes orange, the Green neutralizes red, the Pink neutralizes grey and the Yellow brightens and neutralizes red. 


Thanks SOO much to my new FOLLOWERS!!


Love, Rachel

ELF's Professional Eye Makeup Remover Pads Review

Hey!! Hope everybody is having a good day, if you are not, contact me and I'll blow you a kiss :)


Ok, so todays review on Elf's eye makeup remover pads and I actually love these and they only cost $1!! Wooohooo!


You get 18 Pads in the container and its PERFECT for travel! I don't like to pack a lot of makeup when I am traveling and this is one of the things that comes with me! They are convenient, they smell like soap (supposed to be fragrance free) and they work extremely well. 


They have not burned my eyes at all, they remove eye makeup very well and I have even used them on the rest of my face and it still removed the makeup amazingly. If you are wearing a lot on your eyes you will need one for each eye, but if its not much you could get away with one each removal.
One thing I might say is that you will go through one of these fast if you are using it everyday. Also I have had them for about 3 weeks now and they have not dried up yet in their container. I would recommend that you close the lid tightly after use!
Here are some pictures:

I found that these did not remove all of my mascara and eyeliner if I was wearing heavy eyeliner but the shadow was removed immediately. If you wear waterproof mascara you'll have to do a bit more work.

Elf Says: Forget the mess of liquid eye makeup remover and enjoy the easy to use e.l.f. Eye Makeup Remover Pads! Great for travel and for the girl on-the-go. 18 pads included.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Caprylyl Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben.

Total Rating: 4/5! Hope this was helpful!!


<3 Rachel

Elf Super Glossy Lip Shine Review

This lipgloss is yet another great Elf product. This is on their professional line which means it will cost you $1 pretty much anywhere, that my friend, is a deal in itself:)

I gotta say, this is a pretty darn good lipgloss. I think these are very comparable to the $8 Liplicious glosses.

What elf says: This Super Glossy formula leaves your lips with a healthy glossy glow. The delicious flavor and sweet scent will leave you licking your lips in delight! The perfect on the go tube that is mess proof for anywhere and anytime!

Candlelight:

Watermellon:

Swatches:

On the lips Candlelight is shimmery color with not much color. It does mute  

the strong pigmentation of my lips but is still pretty sheer. Like a peachy gold but the shimmer seems more silver. 
Watermelon makes my lips look very pink, there is a bit of shimmer but not as much as Candlelight. The shimmer is a pinky silver. 
They both smell and taste good too:)

Pros:

Smells good: mild fruity smell

Tastes good: mild fruity taste

Nice but simple packaging

Lots of product for your dollar

Long wearing

Cons:

None that I can think of...

On elf this has 4.5 stars but overall I would give this 5/5 and I would totally recommend these to any person any skin tone. The only thing I would say is that if this is not the type of container you like to have your glosses in. For me, for easy peasy sake, I would rather a tube with a wand applicator but these are still amazing :)

Ingredients:
Paraffinum Liquidum, Polyisobutene, Silica, Mica, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

MAY CONTAIN: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Mica (CI 77019), Red No.7 Lake (CI 15850), Red No.27 Lake (CI 45410), Redn No.6 Lake (CI 15850), Blue No.1 Lake (CI 42090), Yellow No.5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow No.6 Lake (CI 15985)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel :)

ELF Tone Correcting Concealer Review

Hey again!

Today's review is on the ELF Tone Correcting Concealer from their professional line! Everything in the ELF professional line costs $1 and this is one of the things I happen to come across at my Target.

Elf Tone Correcting Concealer in Spice:

*Sorry for the faded lettering. I have been using this a while :)

The first thing I noticed when you open unscrew the cap and pull out the applicator is the smell. The smell is strong and floral. I mean VERY strong and floral. Why a concealer needs to be scented? No idea.

As for the concealing aspect this concealer I seem to be having a love hate relationship. They should have named it tone corrector, not tone correcting CONCEALER. I would not say this is opaque enough to be a concealer, but when put it around the nose/mouth area and it does a good job of getting rid of minor discoloration and redness.

The hate part is that I wanted this to be more concealer like. As of late I use this to cover my mild dark circles, it's not cakey, but it does not cover blemishes. When put on a blemish it really does nothing.

One last thing I have to say is if you have dry skin this might be what your looking for. This is very 'moisturizing' if that's the word i'm looking for, though some people describe this as oily which is really up to you...

I'm not sure that I like the ingredients. I have been hearing lately that parabens are really bad for you. It also has Mineral oil which is pore clogging (not best for blemishes and sensitive skin people)

 Ingredients:
Aqua(Water), Paraffinium Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Octyl Palmitate, Petrolatum, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Ceresin Wax, PEG-30, Dipolyhydroxystearate, Mica, Microcrystalline Wax, Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Silica, Ascorbyl Palmitate , Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Iron Oxides(CI 77891 , CI 77892 , CI 77899)




UPDATE: This is currently the concealer I use for under my eyes. I think it works great as an eye brightener. I like the more that the undertones suit my yellowy skin. I find that I get best results from using my fingers. Its also a great natural highlighting concealer for that area :) MUST be set with powder or will be gone off your face in no time.

SEE ME COMPARE THIS TO OTHER CONCEALERS!

Hope this helps :)

Love,

Rachel

Elf Hypershine lipgloss

Bought this at my target, and I definitely like it! This along with my elf liquid lipstick in brownie points sits in my backpack because they are my favorite to carry around :)

The color I have in this is fairy and it's a very light pink color with a light color:

Fairy( i dont know why the tip looks brown) :

Swatch:

Now, obviously you get more product than you see because I have been using this like crazy.

Pros:
Nice smell
Nice taste
Awesome packaging: cute brush thing
I love that you can click up the product by twisting the bottom and control the amount of product that comes out each time
Cons:
Not readily available (only at target or online)
Not long wearing

Cost: $1 @ Target or eyeslipsface.com

Ingredients:
Paraffinium Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Polyisobutene, Silica, Fragrance(Aroma), Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Titanium Dioxide(CI 77891), BHT, Iron Oxides (CI 77491 , CI 77492 , CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Mica (CI 77019), Red No.6 Lake (CI 15850), Red No.7 Lake (CI 15850), Red No.28 Lake (CI 45410), Blue No.1 Lake (CI 42090), Yellow No.5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow No.6 Lake (CI 15985)



Overall, yes, I would buy this again! 4.5/5 because of the short wear. 
This is one of those products that pretty much  stays with me though :)

Rachel