Written Reviews

Oh the Balm- you done me wrong with this one. I had been eyeing this for the longest time and finally took the plunge and was super disappointed. I tried it on my cheeks and lips and wasn't impressed on either. You definitely need to have super moisturized lips or this gets gunky and it takes several coats to get a nice stain. I would never recommend this for cheek stain, it was practically invisible! This was such a let down because I really think the Balm misrepresented this. If you look it up on their website it shows pictures of super pink lips more similar to a gloss. For $17 this was a disappointment for my lips and my wallet!

As an ELF lover this was a painful fail! I guess for a whopping $3.00 I really cannot complain though. After trying and being smitten with the NARS Orgasm/Laguna duo I read multiple times that this was a dupe. Absolutely not. One of my biggest complaints with ELF is the lack of pigmentation and this followed suit to that complaint. While it is buildable, by the time you achieve the desired color it sort of looks like you've bathed in glitter. If you have super fair skin I suppose there would be enough pigment. The bronzer wasn't muddy, so that was nice but it was reallllly sparkly. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this product, but I did find that Fiji was a closer dupe with better pigments and its matte!

Oh Hourglass, you're really slaying the lash game with this one. I wish I could shout from the rooftops to all my fellow longer yet light lash people who need a lift- this is it! I do have longer eyelashes that are almost blonde and this bad boy really gives them life. I have read many a review from those with shorter/sparse lashes that are less than pleased with this so I think we can all agree this was possibly formulated for those who already have longer lashes but want more volume/length. I generally do not like thick bristled/super full mascara brushes because it tends to clump my lashes so application is key with this mascara. Thin, even coats, wiggling the wand at the base and pulling upward is the best strategy. This mascara can be a bit of a fubar- if you know what I mean. If you think you are done and your lashes look good, just trust yourself and stop! Walk away! Once you go past the point of no return that's it, there is no recovery with this one. Once the lashes clump and get spider-y, it's over! At $28.00 this mascara is worth it in my opinion. I don't use it every day but I love it for special occasions or just when I need to feel good about myself lol!

I stumbled upon this little gem through my ipsy bag and have been using it daily for a while now and I have to say it's a new favorite of mine. Although I usually go for pressed highlighters, I actually really like the texture, I have oily skin and it isn't so creamy that it makes me shiny and sweaty looking. The packaging is super awesome for traveling but otherwise I don't mind either way if it's a wand or a pot. The best part of this highlighter is the application, I love that you can see it when you apply it and then it sort of sheers out as you blend. Therefore eliminating the over-highlighting-because-you-can't-see-it, look. The color is pretty standard peachy sheer shimmer, nothing overly unique. Props to Josie Maran though for offering this in 3 different forms, liquid, powder and cream/wand. As much as I do like it, at $28.00 a pop, I'm not 100% sure I'd choose it over a cheaper option. If you have medium skin tones this is probably a bit too sheer but if you have fair skin this would be a great option.

To my ladies (and fellas too) on the never ending hunt for a matte foundation, pump the breaks. I have tried so many different foundations to suit my oily skin needs and I have to say I am quite thrilled with this product. Is this the only matte foundation that's amazing? Clearly, no. Is it the only matte foundation that I have found to work for me that's under $50? You betcha. This is similar to powder to liquid foundation. It goes on creamy and feels sort of thick but dries so matte and smooth. I live in the south where it's always humid regardless of season and I have been using this every day for 2 weeks. By the end of the day I still have the same coverage as when I started. Having oily skin, foundation likes to "move" throughout the day but I can confidently go out after work without feeling like I need a touchup. I have tried this with and without a primer, it seems to last just a bit longer with the primer but isn't totally necessary. It covers well and is buildable depending on how much coverage you need. I have found that "spotting" it on my face via bottle to finger works better versus pouring it on the back of my hand and transferring it to my face because it dries kind of quickly. Overall, for the $6 I paid for this foundation I seriously hope they don't discontinue it.

Can we just take a minute to admire this eyeshadow?? Truth be told I'm a matte kind of girl but this is the holy grail of beautifully pigmented eyeshadows for the most reasonable price. I actually saw this eyeshadow on Pinterest being dubbed as the eyeshadow that makes any eye color pop- so I needed to take that challenge. Well, I'm not sure if that's true but holy Jesus is it beautiful. I prefer to apply prior to foundation/concealer due to fall out, with my morphe m124. It has to be "pressed" on then blended (or just pressed if you want the wow factor). When you apply it I promise the hallelujah chorus will happen and you will feel like a shimmering diva. 24hr? Ehhh maybe if you primed the daylights out of your eyes and used a ton of setting spray. 8-10hr day? Yes, most definitely. Absolutely worth every single penny.