Oh, wait. Not that Elf.
I was recently called a makeup snob. I'm not. Really. If its a dollar and does the job, I'm good with that. Do I have favorite brands that aren't cheap? Maybe. But that's more about preference than ability to get the job done.
On Fridays I'll try to show you only drugstore or cheaper products. Starting with Eyes. Lip. Face. brand. I think this brand gets a ton of attention from Pinterest. I have mixed feelings. Some things are great, some things are pretty much you get what you pay for.
Here are some products that I've given a try:
- Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder in St. Lucia
- Essential Natural Lash Kit
- Studio Cream Eyeliner in Coffee
- Essential Liquid Eyeliner in Copper and Black
- Eyelid Primer
Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder
This is supposedly a dupe for a Nars product (Laguna/Orgasm). This Nars combo is supposedly the best blush color for everyone. That being said I felt I just had to spend the 3 whole dollars to see for myself. I don't own said Nars product but I would highly doubt it is a legitimate dupe. It is completely flaky and hard as hell to get blended. Crazy fall out. Crazy. The blush isn't so bad but the bronzer is just sooooo difficult to work with. On the upside it is very pigmented and the colors are flattering. The bronzer is a nice color without being orange. The blush is a nice peach with a tiny bit of shimmer. Would I recommend it? Well, its 3 bucks, you can check it out yourself. It doesn't really live up to the expectation that pinterest created for it. I probably won't buy it again.
Essential Natural Lash Kit
These lashes cost a dollar. 1 dollar. As you can see they do not look over the top but add a little something extra. These were easy to work with. I wrapped them around my eyeliners to make them more pliable. I'm pretty sucky at lashes. I really tried to get these into place correctly and they were probably the most successful lashes I've ever applied. The glue is pretty thin is my biggest complaint. If you are considering taking the plunge this is a low cost starting point in the world of lashes. Studio Cream Eyeliner
This eyeliner is not half bad. I don't wear a ton of eyeliner but I like cream eyeliner. It came with an itty bitty brush that had this weird curve in it. I used it once. Now I just use my full size liner brush. If you don't own a full size liner brush, don't bother with this. I love this brown eyeliner for more natural makeup days. They also sell a vibrant teal I would love to get my hands on but Target did not carry that color. I bought this for 3 bucks. I would buy it again.
Essential Liquid Eyeliner
Here are swatches of all the eyeliners. Copper, Black, and Cream Coffee
These eyeliners were my first E.L.F. purchases. You can read my original blog post on them here and how I used them to create a leopard print look. I love them. They are worth more than the dollar you spend to get them. The copper glitter is so much fun. Once they dry they have really good staying power.
Eyelid Primer
You can read up here on the importance of eyeshadow primer. Here you can see it buy itself, eyeshadow by itself, and then eyeshadow over the primer. You can see that the primer works well. When I went to wipe off the swatches with a makeup remover cloth the E.L.F. primer really stuck. I had to scrub it really hard to get it to come off. It stuck as well as Urban Decay primer potion. This is definitely something to try out. I have heard it works well for some people, and not for others. For a dollar it would be worth trying out.
Are there any brands you would like to see me feature in a Frugal Friday post? Leave me a comment below and let me know.
My whole look today was with affordable drugstore makeup. My foundation is Dream Smooth Mousse by Maybelline, lipstick is Happy Booster by Physician's Formula, concealer is HD concealer by Nyx, Brow powder by nyx.
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