Dupe Alert #5: Kat Von D vs. ELF (red lips)

Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in "Underage Red"

vs.

ELF Matte Lip Color in "Rich Red"

Differences:
- KVD $19, ELF $3
- KVD has a creamy finish while ELF is matte

Similarities:
- Long lasting
- Deep red with blue undertone
- Applies smoothly

As you can see in the picture above, these two lipsticks are a perfect match. The only difference is that KVD's lipstick has a creamy finish which makes it kind of shiny and ELF's lipcolor has a completely matte finish. For the HUGE price difference, ELF's rich red is definitely worth trying. Quality-wise, they are about in the same level. Although with the ELF's rich red, you might have to reapply the product once or twice throughout the day and KVD's underage red will last all day. When it comes to color though, they are both the same shade of red with blue undertone. With the price, ELF's lipcolor is definitely worth trying out.

Nadine's Tip #1: ELF HD Blush as Lip Tars

I really love this product. I bought it some time ago and I really liked its quality but I've been really scared to try them on because of the how crazy the pigmentation are. I experimented with them a little bit and I found out a new way to use them! LIP TARS!

I've been very intrigued by OCC lip tars but they're very expensive. Although there are only 5 available shades of the ELF HD blush, they are only $3 a pop! It really doesn't hurt to try.

My experience with this is great! I actually accidentally fell asleep with this on my lips and woke up with it still on my lips. It never smudged. It dries completely matte and but it never dried out my lips. I have pretty dry lips and I'm very impressed with the quality of this HD blush/lip tar.

Here are some swatches:

HD Blush in Showstopper

HD Blush in Superstar

HD Blush in Diva

ELF featured my photo!

ELF recently made a contest on Instagram. Basically, you take a snapshot of your New Year's Eve makeup and tag #eyeslipsface with the picture. After a day I posted up my makeup look, they asked me  if they can post up my picture on their Facebook site. I was very excited and immediately said yes!
This doesn't mean I won the contest but it's still an honor for me to be featured on their site. Thank you E.L.F Cosmetics!

The contest isn't done yet. Please vote for me by opening up the link below and 'like' the picture! Thank you everyone and have a very Happy New Year! Thanks for reading this!

CLICK HERE!! <3

Top 7 Favorite Red Lipsticks

 I've been really loving red lipsticks for this fall and this is just top 7 of the lipsticks I've been loving to wear. Not only because they have pretty colors, but also because of the quality of these lipsticks individually. The list below is not in order.

From Left to Right:
1.) NYX in Eros - This lipstick has a creamy finish and only needs at least one touch up to last the day.
2.) Kat Von D in Underage Red - This is the epitome of red lips. It looks great on every skin color, lasts long, and looks great with Pin-up looks.
3.) Wet N' Wild in Red Velvet - Has a matte finish and lasts all day. The color is very pigmented and pops on the lips.
4.) MAC in Russian Red - Matte finish and lasts all day. When I wear this, I never had to re-apply. This is MY FAVORITE out of all the red lipsticks I own.
5.) L'Oreal in British Red - Very creamy and pigmented
6.) Milani in Hot Flash - Most pigmented foiled lipstick I've ever tried. Pencil form makes it easy to apply.
7.) ELF in Rich Red - For the price, this definitely surprised me. Amazing quality! Gives a nice matte finish and lasts all day.

ELF Essential Glitter Liquid Eyeliner (Review)

ABOUT THE PRODUCT:

This product retails for $1 per bottle and is available at Target stores or eyeslipsface.com. This product is under the name "Essential Liquid Eyeliner" and has 7 different shades available. Copper and Stardust are the only two glitter colors out of the whole line. Each bottle has a fine tip brush for precise application.

The colors that I have are:

- Copper (clear gel with gold-copper glitter)

- Stardust (clear gel with multi-color glitter)

I would rate this product 4/5

I really love this product! And for only one dollar, it definitely doesn't hurt to try for yourself. The only thing I don't like about this is that the base is a clear gel. I think it would look better if the base matches the color of the glitter, but it's not a big deal. In some cases that I have to use this, it actually looks a lot better with a clear base. It really makes your eye makeup pop. If you look at the very bottom picture of this post, you can see how it makes my eye makeup A LOT more vibrant and lovely. I definitely recommend this product to everyone! It's one of those products that might be very useful when you want to make a statement with your makeup.

Here are some swatches of the product:

No base. Left: Copper, Right: Stardust

I used Copper on top of a gold eyeshadow.

ELF Matte Lip Color (Review)

This product retails for $3 each and is part of ELF's Studio line. They've had these for some time now and added a few not too long ago. There are 6 shades available online. They are: Tea Rose, Praline, Natural, Rich Red, Nearly Nude, and Coral. I've had four of them for a while now and I must say that I'm very impressed with them. First of all, any matte lipstick for me is already a plus. But of course, I had to check for the consistency.

The colors I have are:
- Tea Rose (nude pink with some purple undertone)
- Praline (nude reddish brown)
- Natural (nude pink)
- Rich Red (cherry red)

I must say that the lighter shades are VERY dry. They glide on the lips when you apply them, but it dries out my lips after 5 minutes. However, the darker shades (Praline and Rich Red), I very much enjoy. I find that they last very long and never dried out my lips. They also look a lot better. I find that the lighter shades (Tea Rose and Natural) washes me out. Its not very tan-dark skinned friendly. They are meant for lighter skinned women.

I would rate this product 4/5

The one point deduction is because not all of them have the same formulation. Some dries out the lips, some keeps it moisturize. Although I really love the lighter shades on the product, it doesn't look as good on my lips because I have tan skin. I've been really loving the shade RICH RED though. I think it would look amazing on all skin tones and it LASTS FOR A VERY LONG TIME. During my 7 hours in school, I only had to reapply once. Since they are in stick form, they also work as a lipliner. I think this product is great!


Here are some swatches of the product:

Tea Rose

Praline

Natural

Rich Red

(from left to right) Tea Rose, Praline, Natural, Rich Red

ELF Studio Eye Transformer (Review)

I've been very curious with this product for a very long time. I've seen pictures of it and it really intrigued me! This product retails for only $3 and you get 4 decent-sized eyeshadows in each palette. I won't necessarily call them eyeshadows though. Although they can be used alone, they are meant to be used on top of a really dark base. On the palette, you can see very light colors. I find that these work wonderful highlights just below the eyebrows as well. In low light, it looks like it is white shimmer but when light actually hits it, you can see the colors.

I would rate this product 5/5

It claims to transform boring old eyeshadows into different eyeshadows and that is what it did! I think this product is very unique and very underrated for its quality. I definitely suggest you'd try it! Also for the price, you get so much product! Another great job ELF!


Here are some swatches of the product:

No Base

Black Base (NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean)

ELF Baked Eyeshadow - NYC (Review)

When ELF had a 50% off on their studio line, this is the first item I had to have. I've been obsessing over baked makeup lately. When I got this, the first thing I did was open it up and swatch them and I was blown away. The colors are so beautiful on the palette and they look as flattering on the eyes.
Recently I made a "Dupe Alert" post about this palette comparing it to Sephora's Moonshadow Baked Eyeshadows in "In The Dark". Check out the post here: http://timebombbeauty.blogspot.com/2012/09/dupe-alert-4-sephora-vs-elf-cool-color.html

I would rate this product 4.5/5

Every detail in this palette is basically the same as the California palette. Only this one is definitely have a lot cooler and darker tones. Plus I just wanna show you guys swatches of the product so enjoy! BTW I definitely recommend these. If you want a more detailed review, check out my review for the "California" palette: http://timebombbeauty.blogspot.com/2012/10/elf-baked-eyeshadow-california-review.html...They're the exact same thing but different colors.

Here are some dry and wet swatches:

Dry Swatch (Top Row)

Wet Swatch (Top Row)

Dry Swatch (Bottom Row)

Wet Swatch (Bottom Row)

ELF Baked Eyeshadow - California (Review)

So finally I got to write this review! I ordered both the California and The NYC palettes of ELF's baked eyeshadow palettes and the California one came in with one broken eyeshadow. It wasn't that ba but ELF felt bad so they sent me another one which was very nice of them. I gave the broken eyeshadow palette to my little sister since she wanted to start with using eyeshadows. Anyways, onto the review!

I just did a "Dupe Alert" on this palette comparing it to Sephora's Moonshadow Baked Palette in "In The Nude" and it is pretty accurate. I've swatched the product in a Sephora Store and even the consistencies of the shadows are almost identical. Check out the post here: http://timebombbeauty.blogspot.com/2012/09/dupe-alert-3-sephora-vs-elf-warm-color.html

This product is part of ELF's Studio Line and retails for $10 at eyeslipsface.com. I suggest that you guys should wait for a 50% off sale on studio if you wanna get your hands on these since they're usually giving out coupon codes anyways. Each palette has 10 neutral eyeshadow shades and are all baked. This product can also be used wet or dry. Use it dry if you want a soft touch of color onto your lids and use it wet to intensify the color. All the shades in the palette are shimmery.

I would rate this product 4.5/5

Sometimes when I use this its a bit powdery or messy, but only if your really dig into it and try to get more color out of it. I suggest to use this one layer at a time because you can intensify the color and work with it slowly to get the best out of it and not have too much fall outs. All in all, I'm in love with this palette. They look very flattering on the lids. You can use one eyeshadow alone or mix them up. Since these are highly shimmery, I don't suggest them for mature women. But, if you're a young woman that barely has time to do makeup, just pop one or two (however many you like) of these eyeshadows on your lids and you're ready to go. Another great job on this one ELF!

Here are wet and dry swatches of all the shades:

Dry Swatch (Top Row)

Wet Swatch (Top Row)

Dry Swatch (Bottom Row)

Wet Swatch (Bottom Row)

ELF Studio HD Blush (Review)

So I bought this when ELF had a 50% off Studio sale and I had to get these blushes. I only bought 3 only because the other ones didn't really stood out to me and I don't wanna waste money on something I'll never use. Anyways, sorry if the picture above is kind of dirty but the purpose of it is only to show you that these have some SHIMMERS in them. I thought it would be just creamy and maybe will have a matte finish but they didn't make that claim so it didn't bother me that much.

Anyways this product retails for $3 but I got it for only $1.50 because of the coupon code and you get 0.34 fl. oz. (10mL) of product in each bottle. As you can see in the picture below, these aren't very big. I got the colors:
- Showstopper (dark plum)
- Diva (fuchsia pink)
- Superstar (peachy pink)

BUT! I found out the hard way that you only need a teeny tiny bit of product to cover up your cheeks. I think this whole bottle could cover up two human beings in my opinion! I squirted half a pump on my arm and it covered up most of my forearm, its crazy! But I LOVE IT! For the price, you can't even complain. First of all, a bottle will last you a very long time. Secondly, THESE ARE VERY PIGMENTED! Another pat on the back for ELF!

I would rate this product 5/5

This is an amazing product! It could really compare itself to a high end cream/liquid blush like Tarte's or Make Up Forever's blushes. These are so pigmented and for the price, you get a lot of product that will last you a very long time. The staying power is pretty amazing as well. Although its very shimmery, its not that overwhelming. So great job ELF!

Here are some swatches: (The tiny drop on the left is what you need to get the swatch on the right)

Showstopper

Diva

Superstar

Dupe Alert! #4: Sephora vs. ELF (cool color palette)

Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette - In The Dark

vs.

ELF Baked Eyeshadow Palette - NYC

Similarities:

- Baked.

- Can be used wet or dry.

- Has 10 eyeshadows in each palette.

- Almost the same colors, EVEN THE PLACEMENT OF THE SAME COLORS ARE THE SAME.

Differences: (Some things on this list makes the dupe better)

- Sephora $30, ELF $10

- The eyeshadow on the left bottom corner of the palette, Sephora has a dark purple shade while ELF has a black shade.

- ELF has a huge mirror.

- Sephora has a silver-laced artwork on the packaging.

You can clearly see the difference on the pictures below.

ELF Baked Eyeshadow Palette - NYC

Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette - In The Dark

*I will make a review on the ELF baked eyeshadow palettes soon.

Dupe Alert! #3: Sephora vs. ELF (warm color palette)

Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette - In The Nude

vs.

ELF Baked Eyeshadow Palette - California

Similarities:

- The colors are almost completely the same. The plummy-pinks, the nudes and the silvers are almost the exact shades.

- There are 10 colors in each palette.

- Baked.

- Can be used dry or wet.

-Highly Shimmery.

Differences: (Ironically, this list makes the dupe better)

- Sephora $30, ELF $10.

- Sephora has a gold lace artwork on the packaging.

- ELF has a HUGE mirror.

You can tell the huge similarities just by looking at the two pictures below.

ELF Baked Eyeshadow Palette - California

Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette - In The Nude

*I will make a product review on the ELF Baked Eyeshadow Palette in the near future.

ELF 32 Eyeshadow Palette - Cool (Review)

There are two shades of the ELF 32 Eyeshadow Palette, Warm and Cool. I bought the one in "Cool" a long time ago and I just remembered about it because I BARELY USE IT. Now don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed using these, but not for the reason I bought them.

I preferred this palette over the other one because this one is half "colorful" and half neutral colors. I thought to myself that these would be great for traveling because you basically get the best of both worlds but I was disappointed when I tried on the colorful shades. THEY WERE VERY CHALKY AND POWDERY, especially the top row.

This palette retails for $5 each. For that price, I can't really complain. Especially, ELF usually have 50% off sales on their studio lines. I very much enjoy more than half of the palette but I can't really find a use for some of the shadows.

Here are pictures of swatches of ALL the colors in the palette:

1st Row

2nd Row

3rd Row

4th Row

I would rate this product 3/5

Like I said, these are very powdery and you have to pack on the colors to really get the color that it looks like, and when you pack it on, it looks like a powdery chalky mess! I only enjoy the 3rd and 4th row. I feel like these are the only ones that are not chalky but they are still not very pigmented. I had to really dig in to get the color for most of these.

If you're only going to buy this for the "colorful" shades, I suggest you don't get it. But this is just my opinion. MAYBE IT'LL WORK FOR YOU.

I actually enjoyed the shimmery shades very much. I feel like they weren't as messy or as sheer as the matte shades. Even though almost half of it is basically useless, I feel like its still worth $5 for the amount of great ones that you have. The palette is not that great as a whole, but if you break it down to the shades that actually performs well, which is more than half of the palette, its definitely worth trying.

ELF Studio Cream Eyeliners (Review)

I bought the same eyeliner about a year ago, but in black, and I've been using it since.
When ELF had the 50% off sale on everything, I decided to pick up two of the most colorful ones on their color options. Teal Tease and Punk Purple. The black one that I have had a great staying power so I decided to test these.
The Teal eyeliner stayed longer than the Purple. I find that the Purple on smudges a lot.

With the color, I was excited for both of them. They look amazing on the jar as you can see on the picture below. These are not matte colors. The definitely have some shimmers on it.

Even though the Teal stayed longer than the Purple, I think that both needs to be set with an eyeshadow of similar color. After that, I think they won't be a problem.

These are definitely NOT waterproof, but you can't blame ELF. They never said it was waterproof.
I haven't really used this product as an eyeliner but as a based for eyeshadow. I think that it makes my eyeshadows pop. I used the teal on my LOTD #4 under Urban Decay's Eyeshadow in Painkiller.

I would rate this product a 3.5/5 

Don't get me wrong, it is a great product. But I expected them to work on their own without being set with a setting powder or an eyeshadow.
But really I have no complaints since they're only $3 each.