E.L.F. Essential Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick Review and Swatches

The other day, I posted part 1 of my ELF haul, reviewing their new Jumbo Lip Gloss Sticks, which I'm loving right now!  So for part 2, I wanted to review their Jumbo Eyeshadow Sticks. At $2 a piece, they're a total steal, but did I like them as much as the Lip Gloss Sticks?  Read on....

I purchased five shades: From left to right, they are- 

Rock Out- A dark grayish green.

Turkish Coffee- A bronzy brown.

Feeling Lucky- Dark plum shimmer.

Little Miss Thing- Golden Shimmer.

French Lace- Nude with a hint of pale pink shimmer.

Here's some packaging shots: 

These are chubby sticks that twist up and down from the bottom- no need to sharpen.  I find that using them on their sides rather than pressing the tip down directly helps to keep them in a point.

Left to Right: French Lace, Little Miss Thing, Rock Out, Turkish Coffee and Feeling Lucky

The Good News: 

These are creamy, and very pigmented.  They glide right on without much tugging, although I prefer to apply eye crayons to my finger first, and then press them onto my eyelid.  It helps to get a more even color.  

Left to Right: French Lace, Little Miss Thing, Rock Out, Turkish Coffee, Feeling Lucky.

The Bad News: 

These CREASE.  The first time I wore them, creasing started within about 2 hours or so.  The next day I used a primer which helped them last a little bit longer, but they still creased. And I have dry skin, so those of you who have oily eyelids will likely see these slide right off, unfortunately.  

The Bottom Line: 

I'm disappointed in these, since I loved the ELF gloss sticks so much.  Their smooth creamy formula, while easy to apply, isn't dry enough to keep them in place for long.  The only way I'll use these now is as a base under eyeshadow- the powder on top should keep them from creasing, and the color from the sticks will add depth.  But other than that, I wouldn't recommend these. 

Spotted in Stores! New Maybelline 2013 Products- The Lifter Foundation, Eraser Dark Spot,The Rocket Mascara and More!

At Walgreens yesterday, I spotted Maybelline's Spring 2013 line, and it's got me really excited!

First, their newest foundation from the Age Rewind collection The Lifter.  This is foundation and primer in one, and is supposed to have a lifting effect on the skin.  I bought one, and will be reviewing it soon!  There's also the Perfector powder which is supposed to smooth the skin.

Next is the Eraser Dark Spot concealer. It's packaged like the regular Eraser but this one is also a treatment to help get rid of darkness and spots- pretty cool!  I also bought one of these, and will be doing a review soon. 

Next are some new Color Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow shades!  There's a pretty Rose shade, a light silver, bright yellow, the same beige that launched with the limited edition brown shades in the fall, and a navy blue. 

Finally, a new Volum Express mascara called The Rocket.  This is supposed to have a very rigid brush to deposit more product at the roots for bigger volume.  I also bought this, so check back soon for a review!

There were also new Color Sensational lipstick shades, and a double ended eyeliner that has both thick and thin brushes, which I didn't get photos of, unfortunately.  

Has anyone tried these products yet?  If not, which ones are you most excited about?

NEW Drugstpre Launches- Rimmel BB Cream and Eyeshadow Sticks, Neutrogena Eyeshadow Sticks and Lip Crayons plus more!

Today I was at my local Walgreens and spotted a slew of new products!  I couldn't even photograph them all because I was getting weird looks from the employees and I didn't want to get kicked out.  I'll get some more photos tomorrow.
Anyway, get ready to be excited- there's so much to talk about!

First up is a BB Cream from Rimmel called BB Cream 9-in-1 Super Makeup. There were only three shades in the store, but it looks like there's a spot for a fourth, so I'm thinking there has to be one more.  I bought one so look for a review very soon!

Next from Rimmel is Scandaleyes Show Off Mascara.  This is supposed to lift, give volume and length.  It also has a funky brush with a rounded tip, similar to Benefit's They're Real mascara or Revlon's PhotoReady.  I wasn't too impressed with the last two Scandaleyes formulas, but maybe this one will be better!

Also from Rimmel is 24 Hour Eyeshadow sticks and Kohl Eyeliners.  I'm really excited to try these out!

Neutrogena has come out with new Crease Proof Eyeshadow sticks!  I also can't wait to try these out! 

Lastly, at least for today, are Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Sticks, which look a lot like Clinique's Chubby Stick (Revlon also launched a similar version last Spring).  I purchased one of these also, so a review will be coming shortly. 

All in all, I'm really anxious to try all of these new products.  What about you?

Splurge! Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow Review, Swatches vs. Maybelline Color Tattoo.

This weekend, after it stopped raining, I was dying to get out of the house, so the hubby and I decided to take a ride down Greenwich, Connecticut.  It's beautiful there, and it's a great place to window shop- lots of fancy, posh boutiques and stores you'd normally see on fifth avenue in NYC, but in a pretty New England setting. While there, I decided to stop in to Sephora on Greenwich Ave. and see what's new.  Since I'm a girl on a budget, I don't get to shop there as often as I'd like, but hey, a girl's gotta splurge once in a while!
This time, I ended up making a purchase from one of my favorite brands, Tarte.  It was so hard to choose, but I decided on one of their Amazonian Clay Cream Eyeshadows.  I've been borderline obsessed with Maybelline's Color Tattoo cream shadows, and I guess I was curious to see how the more expensive brands stacked up.
Besides, Color Tattoo has only a few wearable shades that I would consider wearing every day, while all of Tarte's shades were soft and wearable.
Here are the shades:
Top Row right to left- Shimmering Bronze & Slate
Bottom Row right to left- Shimmering Moss, Plum Smoke, & Seashell Pink

According to Tarte's website, these shadows are:

Powered by skin-smart Amazonian clay, micronized Amazonian clay intensifies color pigments while working double-duty as a primer, which binds the pigment to the skin so it won't slide off midday. Thanks to a botanical blend of natural plant waxes, the shadows glide on smooth and form a budge-proof layer that protects against sweat, tears, and creasing for hours of wear time. Not only is it super long-wearing, but it covers delicate eyelids with Amazonian clay, carnauba wax, mineral pigments, and vitamins A and E.

They also have:

skinvigorating™ benefits
			formulated without mineral oil formulated without paraben formulated without phthalates cruelty free formulated without sodium lauryl sulfate

I ended up purchasing the Slate shade, which is a bit lighter than Maybelline Color Tattoo's Tough as Taupe (one of my favorites, tied with Bad to the Bronze). I wanted all the shades, but at $19 a pop, it would have cost me $100 (yikes!).  It comes in a really big box, but it basically sits on top of a cardboard pedestal inside, so the bottom half of the box is empty.

The formula itself is very smooth and creamy, and it goes on silky.  I was worried about this when I first applied it, because I was positive it would rub off easily.  Maybelline's Color Tattoo has a thick, tacky texture which really holds in in place, but the Tarte version felt like others I've tried in the past that didn't last long.  

Ok, so I was totally wrong!  By the end of the night, it looked just like it did when I put it on- no creasing or fading whatsoever. 

Here's a swatch of the slate color on my arm:

It's grayish brown, which makes it such a versatile shade.  One thing I noticed is that this goes on a little sheerer than Color Tattoo, but the color can build really easily, and the smooth application makes it easy to apply. 

Here's the swatch next to Color Tattoo's Tough as Taupe:

My only complaint about Tarte's shadow is the packaging.  The jar is deep with a narrow opening that makes it hard to get a lot of product on my finger.  I like Maybelline's packaging better because it's a shallow jar with a wide opening.  Here are the two side by side:

While I'm not in a position to pay $19 for an eyeshadow all the time, they do exactly what they promise, and come in shades you can't find at the drugstore. I'll definitely be buying more when it's in the budget!

If you'd like to splurge and try one (or two or three!), Tarte is having a 30% off friends and family until August 6th.  Use code FFAUG at checkout at www.tartecosmetics.com.