Products Worth the Investment Review | elf Contour Palette | Review and Swatches

Hello there!

I know I've been gone for a while, but I promise to make it up to you all!
Today's Products Worth The Investment Review is on the newly released elf Contour Palette that I am sooo excited about! elf has definitely stepped up their game!

Products Worth the Investment | NYC Liquid Eyeliner | Review + Swatches

Hello there!

This weeks Products Worth the Investment review is on the NYC Liquid Eyeliner. If you follow me on Instagram (@wndr14lnds), then you might recall me being on the hunt for a good drugstore liquid eyeliner that could be used to cover excess lash adhesive. Well, this was the eyeliner that was recommended to me the most so I definitely wanted to give it a try.

Brush tip applicator.

I only realized that I picked up the pearlized black shade when I got home, but they have a regular black shade available too.

Overall, I really like this NYC Liquid Eyeliner and I will definitely be purchasing the regular black shade. Even if I didn't end up using this particularly for covering excess lash glue like I intended to, I still really enjoy this for adding a nice twist to my regular black eyeliner looks. This eyeliner is super pigmented and long lasting. I love the brush tip which is super precise at the tip, allowing you to create the fines and boldest lines in just a couple strokes.

Got any product recommendations or suggestions? Leave them in the commends below!

Thank you for reading!

Stay tuned for more reviews!!

-Mary

Favorites of the Moment | Makeup Favorites + Mini Reviews

Hello hello!

I just realized that I haven't shared some favorites in a while and since The Oscars is today (which I actually don't keep up to), what better day to give some extra love and appreciation to my absolute favorites? I thought I'd do a quick post sharing some products that I've been absolutely loving recently.

I haven't done reviews on any of the items on this post, but I certainly plan on doing some full individual reviews on certain products. 

Any requests? Just leave them in the comments section and I'll get to you as soon as I can!

Favorites of the Moment | L'Oreal Nail Polishes

Hello hello!

Today's post is dedicated the L'oreal Paris nail polishes, which is my favorite drugstore nail polish brand at the moment. I currently own three from their regular line of polishes and Liya's Nude from their Collection Privée.

(L-R) Liya's Nude, Wild and Free, Wishful Pinking, Rough Around the Edges.

Liya's Nude, which is a purple toned taupe shade, has been my daily love during the colder months. The shade is absolutely perfect for the fall and winter seasons without being the usual burgundy red.

Wild and Free is a foiled royal purple that came out blueish in picture, but its purple. Aside from neutral colors, I love royal colors and this one is just soo beautiful on the nails.

Wishful Pinking is a light ballerina pink that comes off very shear at one coat, but looks so perfectly soft and beautiful. At two coats is when you notice the pink tint and is perfect when paired with gold glitter or french tips.

Rough Around the Edges is black with tiny specks of silver glitter. I love this because if the silver glitter was fewer, it would look like a night sky with filled stars. I like how this adds an interesting twist to the regular black nail polish.

Price Comparison:

L'Oreal's website: $5.00

Walmart $4.97

Target $4.99

Walgreens $5.99

I haven't seen too many people talk about the L'Oreal polishes but it's definitely one to consider adding to your collection if you haven't yet!

What do you think of L'Oreal's polishes? Do you have any color recommendations?

- Mary 

Products Worth the Investment | e.l.f. Blush Palettes | Review + Swatches

Hello there!

Today's Products Worth the Investment review is on the e.l.f. Blush palettes in both Light and Dark from their studio line.

A close up of the light palette.
Clockwise from upper left:Matte Light Pink (Very similar to their single studio blush in Flush), Matte Peachy Orange, Glittery Orangey Pink/Salmon, Matte Lemonade Pink.
**The order of the pans is the same order as it was when I received it.

A close up of the dark palette.
Clockwise from upper left: Matte Dark Orangey Pink, Matte Muted (almost mauve) Pink, Matte Brick Red, Glittery Red-Orange.
**The order of the pans is the same order as it was when I received it.

Swatches of the Dark palette (four left swatches) and the Light palette (four right swatches).
**Swatches are of the same order as they appear in the palettes.

I love both palettes, but I find that from the Dark palette I reach for the Matte Brick Red most often while from the Light palette I reach for the Matte Peachy Orange most often.

**Tip: I like mixing the different blushes from both palettes to create a whole new blush shade.

Overall, I definitely think these elf blush palettes from their studio line are definitely worth the investment. For only $6 per palette, you get a lot of product that is very buttery, long lasting, and pigmented. I love elf blushes in general, especially those from their studio line which run at $3 per compact so seeing this for only $6 for 4 pans is a definite steal! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great, versatile, and affordable blush palette.

I hope you found this quick review helpful!
Let me know what you think! :)


-Mary

Products Worth the Investment | e.l.f. Lip Balm Tints| Review + Swatches

Hello hello!!

Today I have a Products Worth the Investment review on the e.l.f. Lip Balm Tints from their Essential line.

The shades I have are in Peach (top) and Berry (bottom). 

In the pot, the product looks very highly pigmented and vibrant, but when applied, it is very sheer and beautiful. 

The actual product has a thick jelly like consistency that is thick enough to not spill out of the jar...if that makes any sense. The product has a sweet candy-like smell that applies very smoothly over the lips, and (not that I puposely tasted it!) it doesn't have a noticeable taste.
**I do notice that over time, the Berry shade has a slightly odd smell and taste, but its nothing that bothers me too much.

Layered swatches of Peach on top and Berry on the bottom. These can definitely be builded up to have a slightly more vibrant color or a sheer tint. 

These come in four different shades:

• Nude-pinky neutral nude (not pictured)
• Peach-peachy orange (pictured)
• Grapefruit-pinky red (not pictured)
• Berry-red (pictured)

I love these because they leave your lips feeling very soft and moisturized, and the tint it leaves on your lips is just perfect! It adds a very beautiful and natural tint that is absolutely perfect for day-to-day wear. If you're looking for a product that is highly pigmented, vibrant, or vampy, this isn't the product for you as its name explains itself...its a tint!
The only thing I dislike about these is that they come in a pot, which means you'll have to use your fingers or a lip brush to get the actual product out of the pot.


I love using the Peach all over my lips and sometimes the Berry shade to create a soft gradient effect.

Berry

Peach

Overall, these e.l.f. Lip Balm Tints are definitely worth the investment, especially for only $3, you can't go wrong! These are very comfortable on the lips, very moisturizing and non-sticky, and are perfect for day-to-day wear! I would definitelly repurchase these and I highly recommend it!


I hope you found this quick review helpful! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

-Mary

Favorites of the Moment | Makeup + Mini Reviews

Hello hello!

Today I have another Favorites of the Moment to share with you, here I'll be sharing with you some of the makeup products I've been really enjoying in the past month of September plus like last month, I'll do a mini review on each product.
As you might have noticed, I changed this series to 'Favorites of the Moment' instead of the typical 'Monthly Favorites' because I'm just really not the type to have a new favorite each month, so I'll just be sharing with you some of my favorites at the moment,

Throughout the month of September, I haven't gotten much of a chance to branch out and try new products or new brands. But from palettes to brushes, I've tried a couple new ones or have been re-loving products I've had for a while. For the most part, I've been really enjoying these products! 
Let me know if you want me to do individual review on a specific product :)

This month, I got the chance to finally pick up the Lorac Pro 2 Palette, for a while I've been hesitant to get it because its a cool toned palette and I have a warm undertone, I'm glad I picked it up though because I've been really loving it! I think its a great way to expand my neutrals collection since I love neutral eyeshadows!!

A full review on this palette will be up next Monday! :)

Talking about another monthly favorites product similar to last month's, I picked up another Milani Bella Gel Powder Eyeshadow! I know, I had to, and I still have to get more! This time I picked up the shade Bella Rouge, its a metallic finish fuchsia/magenta that I used on my Elsa Makeup Tutorial and the mermaid look I did on my Instagram. I also did a full review on the Milani Bella Gel Powder Eyeshadows if you're interested!

Since school started, I haven't had the chance to do glamorous makeup as often as I'd like, but to achieve a perfect 'no makeup-makeup', I've been loving this Sephora 12HR Wear Waterproof Jumbo Liner in Taupe to use as an everyday eyeshadow to bring some color and brightness to my eyes. I love how quick and easy it is to use and how much of a difference it makes to my 'no makeup-makeup'.

Another favorite from this month has been the Real Techniques Base shadow brush that comes with the Real Techniques Starter Set. I seriously cannot go a day without using this brush! I use it to apply eyeshadow all over my lid, as a blending brush, a crease brush, a highlighting brush...everything! I can create a whole eye look with just using this one single eye brush! I love it!!

With the heat wave last week, no product was able to hold my makeup like this e.l.f. Studio Makeup Mist and Set Spray! I seriously cannot believe how well this has held my makeup through the heat! And with this only being $3 its well worth every penny!!

Another e.l.f. favorite is their Lip Exfoliator! Not only that it conveniently comes in a lipstick like packaging (so its mess free), but it also smells like brown sugar! Yumm! It does such a great job at exfoliating the lips and taking out all the dead skin cells from your lips making a following lipstick application look soo flawless!

That's it for this month's beauty favorites! 
Hopefully I get to try out more great products to share with you for the month of October!


-Mary

Favorites of the Moment: Makeup + Mini Reviews

Hello there!

Today I have a Favorites of the Moment to share with you, here I'll be sharing with you some of the products I've been really enjoying recently plus I'll do a mini review on each product. Enjoy!

Through out summer, I've been branching out and trying new products and new brands mainly from the drugstore. From palettes...to brushes...to glosses...I've tried a couple, and some I didn't like so they aren't included here. But for the most part, I've been really enjoying these products. Let me know if you want me to do individual full reviews on a specific product :)

To start of, the new Maybelline the Nudes eyeshadow palette is one of my greatest finds of August! This is one of the best full neutral eyeshadow palettes from the drugstore and is in my opinion a good drugstore replacement (not at all saying its a dupe!) of the Urban Decay Naked Palette or the Lorac Pro Palette...somewhere along those lines. This is a great and affordable drugstore neutral palette especially when used with the right primers! I recently did a full review on the Maybelline the Nudes palette if you're interested.

Speaking of eyeshadow bases/primers, one of the best eye primers I've been loving to use with the Maybelline the Nudes palette or even as a stand-alone product are the e.l.f. Smudge Pots I find that the shades Gotta Glow, Back to Basics, Cruisin Chic, and Brownie Points are shades that really go well with the Maybelline the Nudes palette and the other shades like Poppin Party, Ocean Bound, and Hit the Town are the shades that could be used to achieve similar looks that the Urban Decay Naked Palette or the Lorac Pro Palette could give. These smudge pots have a decent color range and are very creamy allowing you to have some working time with them once they're on the lids.

To single eyeshadows, the new Milani Bella Gel Powder Eyeshadows are another one of my greatest finds of August! I've been especially loving the shade 28-Bella Chiffon as an all over highlighter and use it everyday since I purchased it...that says a lot because I'm not one who enjoys highlighting much! This product is available in 30 shades and various finishes that range from matte, to shimmer, to metallic, to even iridescent! They have such great pigmentation and last all day! I also did a full review on the Milani Bella Gel powder eyeshadows if you're interested!

Speaking on highlighting, the limited edition Smashbox Hint of Bronze Blush has been my go to summer bronzer. Yes, this is a shimmery blush/bronzer and is no longer being sold at the Smashbox website, but you can still find it at Amazon or eBay (where I purchased mine). This blush/bronzer is very versatile and depending on your skin color, it can be used as an eyeshadow, a natural looking highlighter, blush, or bronzer! I will soon do a review on this product as well!

Moving on to lip products, the NYX Butter Glosses are amazing!! I know, I'm so late on this, but I've just been so hesitant to try on lipglosses because like everyone else, I hate the sticky feeling lipglosses have! These ones however, are buttery smooth, have great color selection, great pigmentation (not to mention, are true to color), are non-shimmery/glittery, and smell like vanilla! I will definitely be picking up more of these!

Another lip gloss I've been quite enjoying is the Milani Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss in Coral Crush (I've been really into that orange/coral lip this summer). This lipgloss is very light weight and is true to color so what you see on the tube is what you'll have on your lips. The formula is quite smooth and buttery (but not as buttery) as the NYX Butter Glosses, it is not sticky, tacky or gluelike on the lips.  

Drifting toward lip balm type of products, I've been really loving the Jordana Twist & Shine balm stain in Honey Love. This is definitely one of those 'my lips but better' types of products, plus it's very light weight and moisturizing! This is definitely a more affordable alternative to the Rimmel Balm Stains or those other chubby lippies from both high and low end brands. 

Lastly for the lips, I've actually been really enjoying these eos lip balms! At first I was really disappointed by these since they have a dry formula, but now I've actually been using them to provide a light layer of moisture underneath my lip gloss or lipstick, I find that using dryer formula lipbalms instead of the creamier lipbalms will prevent any lip product from slipping and sliding on your lips. 

Finally, my last favorite as for now is the e.l.f. Kabuki Face Brush! At first I was really disappointed by this brush because it shredded a lot on me whille I was using it and washing it. But after about 3-4 washes, it stopped shedding on me. I find that depending on the angle tou hold it, this brush could be quite multipurpose..I use it for my mineral powder foundation, blush, bronzer, and highlighter.

With all the new limited edition fall/autumn makeup sets, I'm excited to see what the following months bring! :)

-Mary