Friday, September 28, 2012

Eyes, Lips, Face - Massive ELF Haul

Whether you love or hate e.l.f. products, there's no denying that they are super affordable. Since I'm taking a makeup artistry class, I wanted to have a separate set of brushes and makeup kit to use on others. Of course, I could use the brushes I already have since diligent sanitation is always required, but I have my reasons and like having separate sets.

Tammy was kind enough to let me know there was a 50% off discount code not advertised on the website and I went click happy! e.l.f. products are already really affordable with most of the items I wanted, but slashing half off was awesome. I haven't tried a lot of e.l.f. products but with the sale, it was hard to resist since if I didn't like a product, the average price I'd spent on it was only $1.50 or $3!



The items came in these two huge bags.


e.l.f. studio 11 Piece Brush Set



This was my main item that I wanted to get. It's regularly sold at $30, but I got it for only $15! Score!


I also added a large Stipling Brush and Lash & Eyebrow Comb.


Here's all of my e.l.f. studio brushes.


I also wanted to get the Small Stipling Brush and Angled Blush Brush, but they were out of stock. Guess I'll have to spend a full $3 instead of $1.50 in the future.

So far, I think the brushes are not bad for the sale price of less than $1.50 each. Some of the handles have a slight curve, the blush brush is a bit on the wimpy side for my taste and isn't as full as I'd like, the stippling brush is not the softest, but the flat top powder brush is pretty dense and soft. I haven't tried the other brushes yet, but this is definitely not a bad set to have as a spare or to experiment with.

e.l.f. Studio Mineral Infused Face Primer



I didn't even know that e.l.f. makes a face primer, but at $6 regular $3 sale, why not? I like the look of the packaging. However, I was immediately disappointed when I tried it and saw that the texture is thick and jelly like. It reminded me of petroleum jelly, which is not what I wanted to see. I expect face primer to be more fluid, like a light serum. I applied it on my model and she said it felt greasy, but later felt dry. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it and don't feel comfortable using it, it just seems a bit risky although I might test it once on myself (maybe on my hands).

e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer - Sheer



Again, another cheapie to use for class. Saving my good stuff for myself! If this does turn out to work well though, I'll let you know.

e.l.f. Studio High Definition Powder - Transparent and Shimmer (L to R)



Regular price $6, sale price $3! I think everyone can use a translucent HD powder and I'm quite happy with my MAC Prep+Prime one, but this of course, is a steal. I don't like the huge, clunky packaging but I've heard good things about the powder. I also choose the new Shimmer version just to see if it adds a bit of radiance.

e.l.f. Studio Flawless Finish Foundation - Sand, Buff and Caramel (L to R)




Again, regular price $6, sale price $3! For $6...I'd rather get the popular Revlon ColorStay liquid foundation on sale, but come on, liquid foundation for only $3?! I'm glad that this is an oil-free formula. The colors look a bit light in the packaging, but Sand is light with a yellow tone, Buff is a shade darker, and Caramel is a nice, medium tone. Both Sand and Buff work on me, so I mixed them together to match my face. Alone, Sand actually looks better on me although it's more yellow than my skin is.

e.l.f. Studio Maximum Coverage Concealer - Nude, Tan, and Beige (L to R)



Regular price $3, sale price $1.50! This is one of their new items and gosh, if you just look at the packaging, the shades only look slightly different from each other. Luckily, the packaging has descriptions which the website did not.

Nude - for light skin tones with yellow undertones
Beige - for light to medium skin tones with yellow undertones
Tan - for medium skin tones with a neutral balance of pink and yellow undertones

I haven't tried these on myself yet but I'd like to point out that Tan appears pasty and chalky in color on medium skin tones. I thought it would match with the Caramel foundation but it does not. Just FYI for anyone who chooses tan expecting it to work on medium skin tones! I think it with suit a light-to-medium skin tone. (Almond seems it would be a better match for medium skin tones and Caramel.)

I also got this pack of Mascara Wands for class. Regular price $3, sale price $1.50.


Now for the fun stuff! Color  makeup, yippie!! I will swatch these in my next post if anyone's interested.

I loveeeeee blushers, and you can tell just how much by seeing the amount I acquired. My guess is that e.l.f.'s greatest products would be their blushes, hehe.

e.l.f. Studio HD Blush - Headliner and Superstar (L to R)




These are another new item and look to be a dupe of Make Up For Ever's HD blushers, of which I had one but ended up giving away. However these cost a mere fraction of the MUFE price and are only $3, sale $1.50! Superstar is actually a bit more warm coral than it appears in the picture.

e.l.f. Studio Baked Blush - Pinktastic, Passion Pink, and Rich Rose



Another new item and looks to be a dupe of MAC Mineralize Skin Finish (but not as beautiful in the pan), of which I have a few. I am a huge sucker for baked makeup, I don't know why but the look of the products just always appeals to me! So of course, I had to have these. Regular price $3, sale price $1.50. I also wanted Peachy Cheeky but unfortunately it was out of stock.

Note: Pinktastic is in the wrong packaging labeled Rich Rose. I can forgive that however since e.l.f. accidentally sent me an extra Rich Rose, in the wrong packaging for Passion Pink. Yay freebie!

e.l.f. Studio Blush -  Candid Coral, Twinkled Pink, Pink Passion, Berry Merry, and Blushing Rose (CW L to R)



These must be swatched, hehe, and I will do so in a later post. The reason is because Berry Merry is actually a really pretty color, and looks great on medium skin tones. However, in the pan (and on the website), it looks rather dull and sort of brownish! What mockery. I suspect Blushing Rose to turn out the same. Another color I wanted but was out of stock is Fuchsia Pink. I've read some of these are dupes for NARS, but personally I don't care much about dupes. I care about getting a great product, and these seem to be a really good value. =) Regular price $3, sale price $1.50.

e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzer - St. Lucia and Antiqua (L to R)



I got these for class since I assume we will be doing some contouring (we better!). The original color, which is now called St. Lucia, is a dupe of NARS Orgasm. I have the NARS versions in both powder and cream, but I'll gladly use these for practice on others at only $1.50 a pop (regular price $3). Antiqua is a new color which I think will look great on medium-deeper skin tones.

e.l.f. Studio Baked Eye Shadow Set - California and NYC (L to R)



I knew right away that these are dupes of Sephora's baked eye shadow sets since I had eyed the Sephora ones but didn't get them (a bit too shimmery and frosty for my taste, plus I didn't really need them). These are such a steal at regular price $10, sale price $5!! I've yet to play with them but I'm definitely looking forward to it. California  is the warm, more neutral palette and NYC is cooler and looks like it will be great for smoky looks.

NOW for the 50% Discount CODE: ECD2

I have no other information than the actual code and when I checked tonight, it still works. I have no idea when it will expire, but if you want to make a nice e.l.f. haul then I suggest use it asap! You can only use one code at a time and will not qualify for free shipping, so shop wisely. Obviously, you can tell by my massive haul that I'd save tons and more than made up for the shipping cost, even with the $12 three-day shipping.

If I were to repurchase any of these items, I'd go for the blushers and baked eyeshadow palettes, hehe.

Happy shopping and hope you all have a lovely weekend!!
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