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Monday, February 28, 2011

Sephora, MAC, Drugstore Haul

So my apartment complex was doing some work on the electricity today, so there would be no heat/power/light from 10am-6pm, and after showering in the dark, I decided it was a good day to go shopping!

I stopped by Sephora to pick up my free Beauty Insider birthday gift (my birthday is March 9), this year it's the Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath. It's a nice freebie, big 180ml bottle, there is no purchase necessary to get this, just tell the cashier that it's your birthday and you'll get it (if you are a Beauty Insider). Last year's gift I didn't even bother getting, it was a Sephora brand eyeliner, eyeshadow set.

My main mission at Sephora was to get my first NARS blush, but upon looking at the section noticed they did not have Gina (the blush I wanted), not even a spot for it. Luster was a nice peach too, but too shimmery and Taj Mahal, which everyone raves about didn't have a spot either. I spoke to one of the girls there and they hadn't heard of the colours and told me they must have been US only blushes.. great, don't you love when that happens? You have your heart set on something and you can't get it. I dislike shopping at Sephora online too because paying $10 extra to get something (shipping cost) when I should be able to get it in the store is just irritating, I'll probably end up buying those blushes elsewhere.

While I was waiting in line to pay I also noticed this cute Benefit set, it comes with 3x 4ml bottles of Posie tint, High beam and Benetint for $18 CAD, it's available online too. I've wanted to try High beam for a while and the full size is like $30 CAD and frankly, I would never go through the entire thing, and the High beam To Go is like $12 so for $6 more you can get 3 minis, which are really cute and practical. Let me know if you've used any of these three and how you like them.

I also got another Benefit Creaseless Creme Shadow/liner, this time in Birthday Suit, it's described as a "brushed chrome" to me it looks a bit taupey or brown, not really sure what colour it is yet. This was one of those spur of the moment purchases, I probably shouldn't have bought it.. got home and regretted it, I might return it. I have that problem with Sephora, I always buy too much.

I was pleased to see that my MAC store had Lady Gaga 2 lipstick in stock still, the picture of it looks peachy, but it's a light brown/nude lipstick. I grabbed that and also Back to MAC'ed 6 empties for MAC Hue lipstick, which I have wanted for a long time too.

Then at the drugstore I picked up the Physicians Formula Organic Wear Jumbo Lash Mascra, the packaging on this is really cool, it's like a green leaf shape. I find Physicians Formula to be really expensive for drugstore, and despite all the rebates they offer, you're still spending a lot of money, that's why I opted not to get those heart powders that everyone has been getting, too expensive for me, I'd rather spend that on other things. This mascara was 40% off and ended up being $10 after discount and it comes with a full price rebate, meaning you send in and get the entire amount you paid for it back.

I also picked up Revlon's Coral Reef Super Lustrous which I finally found, couldn't get it for the longest time, it's always sold out, it was $6.99. And I picked up some Garnier face wipes, the cheapest "nice brand" I could find, they were $7.99.

If you want reviews of anything, let me know, I am definitely planning to do a full review on the Lady Gaga lipstick and the Benefit set.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Monthly Faves: February 2011



February.. I always thought that was spelled really weird, not pronounced the way it's spelled either. My favorites for February are going to be pretty easy, lots of basic stuff that I've been using consistently and loving.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - Very late on getting this, but I got it recently and glad that I did. I have a full review here, it's good for subtle to dramatic looks everyday. All you really need if you like neutral eyes.

Sigma F80 - I suggest getting several of these because they are essential for liquid foundation application, I reach for either this or my ELF powder brush, but this one is more dependable because the handle does not come off (all my ELF powder brushes handles have). Full review of it here.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator - Been trying to use this mascara consistently to see if it has any effect on the length and appearance of my lashes, I will update once a month has gone by. I like the effect it gives and has become a favourite new discovery in February, full review here.

Olay Touch of Concealer Eye Regenerating Cream - When they say "touch of concealer" they mean it, the coverage of this is very minimal and frankly the colour too dark (happens a lot with me with these types of products, Garnier dark circle eye roller did the same), but I like to use it on days that my eyes aren't too bad. And I like to think that it doubles up as an eye cream too. Let me know if you've used this or would like a full review. Mine is tiny (7ml) because it's only a sample bottle.

Clinique Even Better Foundation - Love this stuff, did a full review of it here. Works very nicely on my dry skin, great coverage and love the finish that it gives.

MAC Painterly - The paint pot that I would suggest everyone get, if you had to get just one. I use this everyday (that or Bare Study). If you are pink-toned use this one, Soft Ochre if you are yellow-toned, I think I could use either/or.

MAC My Highland Honey - Looks a lot like some of my other peach blushes, but it's not. I love this peach blush, it's become my favourite. Full review here.

Revlon Gum Drop - This is one of their scented polishes, not a fan of the scent, but the colour is very nice. It's an easter pastel purple which brightens my mood in the winter.

What were your February Faves?

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Review: Wet N Wild Sand Castle Eyeshadow Palette

Before Wet N Wild had their Color Icon palettes, that everyone speaks very highly of, and before they were really popular, they had eyeshadow palettes that looked very different. Today, I will review for you the Sand Castle Ultimate Expressions Eyeshadow Palette. I am not sure if this is still available, I don't see it on their website, please let me know in the comments below. I really like this palette because it provides a nice selection of light and dark colours.

On the back of the package this palette is described as "Smooth, powder formula. Define, highlight and contour, 8 long-wearing shades. Dress up your eyes... these eight-color combos are designed to accentuate and bring out your eye color. Each shade is perfectly harmonized to work well together or individually for ultimate defining, highlighting and contouring. Turn your everyday eyes into eye-popping masterpieces".

The palette comes with 8 shadows, I am assuming the vertical ones are meant as highlighters and the horizontal ones the lid/crease colours? You know how drugstore brands put out palettes and they have the lid, crease, browbone labelled on the package so that it's easy? I think this was Wet N Wild's attempt way back when, but it's a tad confusing for me. I am totally fine with finding my own combinations and ways to use these shadows though.

Here are the swatches, the top ones are the vertical and the bottom the horizontal shades. The first two are the two left colours, they aren't as smooth as the rest of the palette and the second down from the left doesn't have much pigmentation, is chalky and prone to fallout. The two on the right (and right on palette) are very nice and probably my two favourites, they are very smooth and buttery. The four bottom (or in middle of palette) are all stand out shades, very smooth and buttery. There is a taupe brown (similar to Nutty), dark gold, bronzy brown and deep brown.

The packaging is quote hefty and large, in comparison to my palm here, you can really see how big it is, I prefer the current packaging of Wet N Wild shadows much more.

And here is the palette opened all the way, you get a huge mirror that comes out in the bottom of the palette, great for taking with you travelling. There is also a double-ended sponge applicator, I've never used it. The shadows are really nice however. I thought it would be neat to show you what Wet N Wild used to look like, I think they have really improved, but the shadows used to be just as good. Oh and I wanted to add...the shadows smell cheap, I haven't noticed this with the Color Icon palettes.

Do you have any retro Wet N Wild?

Friday, February 25, 2011

Review: Clairol Nice and Easy Colorblend Foam

Clairol recently out with a new haircolor product, 'Nice and Easy Colorblend Foam' and gave away a ton of these (in coupons) on Facebook, I managed to get one. A little background on my hair, I typically only dye it at home since it's so expensive at salons. My hair is long, so I use two bottles normally, but used one this time. My hair is medium brown, but has some greys (found my first grey when I was 15). I dye it to liven up the color more and cover greys. Plus I like the softness and glossiness that hair dye gives my dry hair. My regular hair dye is Clairol's Natural Instincts, it's a semi permanent dye with no ammonia. I don't normally opt for permanent dye (like this foam) because I am always worried I won't like the colour.

Here is what you get in the package, standard stuff here, except one main difference, the hair dye comes with a nozzle instead of the typical liquid pour bottle. The gloves that they apply you (in small square package) ripped as soon as I put them on, which made for a messy application.

I got it in the colour., 5 Medium Brown. I aim for a shade close to my natural color, I don't like red undertones and usually opt for "cool" tones. This range does not offer varying shades, it's mostly just standard ones, there is a lighter brown and darker brown available close to this.

Here are the directions, put on the gloves, shake the developer and dye up, but the nozzle on the bottle, apply it, etc. You know how it works. And you leave it on for 25 minutes, and 10 minutes longer if you have persistent greys. Eek that's a long time.

What surprised me about this dye is that the nozzle does not pump, when you shake the bottle (to mix up the dye) it foams on it's own and then you just squeeze the bottle to get it out. I thought the nozzle would turn it into a foam. Notice how foamy it is in the bottle already?

And here is the foam, notice how the color is not consistent all the way through? I think this is a major con of the product, I don't feel like it gives even application because of this.

When I first heard about this product, I thought the foam aspect was really neat, but having used it now I think the foam makes for uneven application and the entire process takes longer. And another main con, this stuff stinks of strong ammonia! Does all permanent hairdye smell of ammonia? It was like putting cat pee all over my head, I hated it, I stood out on my balcony for the majority of the 25 minutes because it was so strong. And I threw the bag with the garbage out right away, in fear that my cats would start peeing in my bathroom. I would not purchase this again because of the smell.

As for the shade, I picked one that turned out to be too dark for me, it's almost black (with a red tint eww). I would say this is my own fault, but it was the only shade that interested me. Also, I got staining on my scalp and along my forehead hairline, I assume this will come out after repeated washing. I hope this hairdye tones down as I wash it too.

Have you tried the Clairol Colorblend Foam? What your favourite hair dye?

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Updated MAC Eyeshadow Collection and Swatches

My MAC eyeshadows are my favourite part of my makeup collection, I love looking at the pretty colours and use them regularly. I love how you can customize your palette, no one else's is the same and it's fun collecting them. I am a fan of neutrals, so that's mostly what you will see here, I have very few "colourful" shades, since I don't wear them and prefer to spend my money on everyday shades. I did a MAC eyeshadow collection post about a year ago, and it's come a long way since then, so I thought I would do an update. I have acquired these from MAC purchases (obviously), blog sales, makeup/discounted etailers such as allcosmeticswholesale and bridgette's boutique and the many were purchased "free" on Amazon from Swagbucks. I redeem my Swagbucks for amazon.com gift cards on a regular basis and have one seller in particular that I purchase from again and again, with shipping it ends up being a bit more than retail, but since they are "free" I have no issue with that at all. I always buy pots, and then take them back to MAC once I have 6 and get a free one.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Review: Clinique Even Better Foundation

Today's review is going to be the opposite of yesterday, let's see if you can tell why. Clinique's foundations are tricky for me, I never seem to get the right colour match the first time. But what I love about Clinique is their frequent gift with purchase offers, I only buy from them when they have these, but I would if they didn't, cause their products are that good. Clinique's Even Better foundation is the second I've ever used, the first was their Redness Solutions foundation. I must say, I prefer this one much more.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Review: ELF Flawless Finish Foundation

I purchased ELF's Studio Flawless Finish Foundation when it was first released in December, but it quickly made it into the "forgotten products" pile since I buy new foundations all the time and was more excited about those. This foundation retails for $6 on ELF's website, which is a great price, low how ELF keeps their prices low (even though this is one of their priciest products), and with a coupon code you can get this for half price. I was so excited when this came out, it makes you think of HD (because of the name) and the pump is great, packaging is nice, but how does it perform really? I will tell you today.

ELF's Flawless Finish foundation is described as "Achieve a flawless complexion with the silky smooth e.l.f. Foundation. The lightweight and oil-free formula blends in naturally for a beautiful semi-matte finish. Applies easily and lasts all day for radiant looking skin. Provides SPF-15 to protect your skin against sun damage." You will notice that this foundation contains SPF 15 and is oil-free, however you've probably read other reviews or seen youtube videos that prove that this actually is NOT oil-free, check out the ingredients list...

"Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, isododecane, Paraffin Liquid (Mineral Oil), Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Sorbitan Sesquilsostearate, Butylene Glycol, Talc, Dimethicone, Diseardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Beeswax, Potassium Sorbate, Propylene Carbonate, Boron Nitride, Barium Sulfate, Caorylyl Glycol. MAY CONTAIN: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)"

Does Mineral Oil not count as oil? I am no expert here, but I found that a bit strange, a product that is marketed as being oil-free with oil clearly in the ingredients. Perhaps an ELF rep can get back to me on this.

The packaging is what impressed everyone with this product, it comes in a heavy glass bottle, with a pump and a nice cap, it looks like it's worth more than $6 I think. However, the pump nozzle has failed me already, it often gets stuck and does not dispense product, which means I have to open it up and pour foundation out the old-fashioned way. Another thing to note is this product provides you with 0.8oz, and not the standard 1oz/30ml that you get with most foundation.

I purchased this foundation in the lightest colour, "Porcelain", it is quite yellow and I would say it would suit those in and around NC15 in MAC. The colour match is pretty spot on for me. This foundation comes in 6 shades, and since the price is cheap, I have seen many reviewers purchase multiple bottles to ensure they have the right colour match. The consistency is thick.

The thing that bothers me most about this product and prevents me from using it is THE SMELL. It smells like men's cologne and soap! And it lingers throughout the day, this does not go away. Also, one pump is more than enough to do your entire face and it's hard to pump out the right amount.

The coverage is pretty good, medium-full, I love the coverage of this. But I do get that mask effect and very dry effect (on my dry skin) if I apply too much. And this does feel heavy on my skin, which I am not a fan of. I love foundation that provide good coverage, but will not walk around with a thick feeling foundation in order to get that.

I would not recommend this for those with dry skin, it does give a somewhat dewy finish, but is very thick and  definitely sticks to dry patches and makes lines look more pronounced. In the picture above you actually see the remnants of the foundation on my hand after I've applied most of it to my face (picture purpose is to show the sheen it gives). This stuff dries quickly too, which isn't good for dry skin (I can't finish blending in time).

So in conclusion, this smells terrible, the pump is defective and it's most certainty not for those with dry skin. It's a good price and a pretty bottle.

Have you tried the ELF Flawless Finish Foundation?

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Review: Too Faced Glamour To Go 2 Palette

The Too Faced Glamour to Go II palette is the second installment of Too Faced's compact eyeshadow, lipgloss and blush pocket palette. This is the updated version of the first Glamour To Go palette and sells at Sephora (and other retailers that sell Too Faced) for $19.50US. Since this palette, there has been a Part III and recently a "Fairy Edition". I got this from a relative a few Christmases ago, I found it recently and decided it was worth a review.

I like the packaging of this, it's small and compact, when closed it fits in the palm of my hand. I wouldn't want to carry this around in my pocket that's for sure. This palette gets you 8 eyeshadows, 4 lipglosses and one blush. The lip/blush section is a hidden compartment that pulls out from underneath the shadows. Honestly, the best thing about this palette is the blush, it's a pretty pigmented peachy pink. And I hate when lipglosses are packaged like that, in fact I didn't touch the lipglosses until I took the swatches for this review (after this picture was taken).

Here are the swatches of the eyeshadows, the choice of colours is really weird in my opinion, you get a lot of green tones. All the shadows have shimmers, but nothing obnoxious and once applied you don't really notice it. But I found the pigmentation of these was not very good, I had to swatch multiple times on many of these to get adequate colour payoff. The lighter shadows especially aren't very good quality. And the shadows had a funky smell too, like really cheap eyeshadows.

Then you have the 4 lipglosses and the blush here. The lipgloss part in the palette looks pretty gross once you've swatched it I gotta say. I know you can use a brush to apply these, but I'd rather just have lipgloss in the old fashioned way, in a tube. The glosses are very sticky and gross, and something that a little kid would play with, not a grown up, and not so 'glamourous' at all. I like the blush here, it's pretty nice.

Overall, not crazy about this palette, wouldn't recommend it. Not a huge fan of the shadows in this and although it's nice that it's compact and small, I think that's all it has going for it. I don't (and haven't) reached for this palette at all in my collection.
What do you think of this palette?

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Review: ELF Mineral Blush in Coral and Peachy

Today I will be reviewing ELF's mineral blushes in Coral and Peachy. These retail for $5 on the ELF website, but with a coupon code you can get them for even cheaper. These blushes are described as having "no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes." They come in a variety of colours, but I like peaches, so I picked up these two. What you should note right away is now un-coral the Coral shade is (on left above), I was expecting from the name that it would be that..Coral, but it's not, so keep that in mind if you order these. I am glad that I got Peachy because it's what I expected Coral to me and vice versa.

Coral is described on the website as a "peachy coral" wrong! This is a very light peach nothing coral about it. This shade is also out of stock currently, I think there are going to be a lot of disappointed people, I doubt it will show up much unless you are very fair. If you are looking for a coral blush, don't get this cause you will be disappointed.

Peachy is a newly added shade and is described as...there is no description but you can tell for yourself. This colour is really nice and I would definitely recommend it.

These in round plastic container with black tips (resemble bare minerals packaging). They are a far size so you can get your brush in there to tap off the excess.

Here is the inside, it comes with a plastic peeley over the holes, I would suggest only peeling off half of the insert because if you peel off more it will get messy. The holes are pretty large and dispense too much. These are loose blushes of course so they can get messy.

And onto the swatches, I have compared these blushes to two other Studio line ones here. The Peachy mineral blush is nice, but comes off looking a bit terracotta when swatched. The Coral shade is very light and close to my skin colour. The Coral is completely matte while the Peachy has minor shimmer to it. I find Peachy to be very pigmented too. The two studio line blushes to the right are Candid Coral and Tickled Pink for comparison purposes, I have Peachykeen somewhere too, but couldn't find it, sorry.

Have you tried any ELF Mineral blushes?

Friday, February 18, 2011

Review: Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss

Revlon recently came out with Colorburst lipglosses, much like the Colorburst lipsticks these come with the black quilted design. I love the packaging of these and that's what attracts me every time. I picked up only two because they are quite expensive in Canada, I have seen them at Shoppers for as much as $16.99 eek! I got one from my recent Shoppers Optimum points redemption and the other I bought for about $10 at Rexall Pharma Plus during their 30% off lip products sale. (EDIT: I think Rexall had it for around $8 and Walmart has them on for $8 too now, but ya Shoppers Drug Mart is expensive)



The applicator is interesting, it's flexible and thin on the one end dipping in slightly, and flatter on the other. I would rather they have a normal applicator since this is kinda too pointy for my liking, but whatever no biggie. There is a slight scent to these, it's vanilla-y, but not the pleasant vanilla that MAC lipsticks have, this is more artificial.

I picked up two colours, Papaya and Orchid. What turned me off a lot of these lipglosses was the amount of shimmers in them, personally I don't like a lot of shimmer on my lips, and many of these are packed full. Papaya was the one that interested me from the get-go, it's a bright peach colour (comes across very bright in these pictures because of the flash). While Orchid is a purple/mauve with silver and gold shimmers.


Papaya is a more bold colour, but I like it, great for summer. This was harder to apply than the Orchid one because it is a thicker consistency, which means get pigmentation but can be messy. This feels heavier on your lips that I would expect a gloss to. It appears as a creme finish at first, but if you really look at it there are minor peach shimmer in it, you won't notice it on your lips though.


Orchid is a more wearable colour, it's purple with LOTS of shimmers (see tube picture), so if you don't like shimmers steer far from this one. This one applied more even and sheerer, but still gives good colour payoff.

If this collecton had more cremes, I would definitely purchase more, but I think that's all I am getting for now. These are nice for drugstore, Revlon makes pretty good lip products.

Have you picked up any of the Revlon Colorburst lipglosses?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Review: Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet +

Over Christmas, I went a bit crazy and bought all three of the Make Up For Ever liquid foundations. I heard great things about them and because I am greedy and foundation obsessed, I bought all three (not at the same time mind you). I have reviewed the MUFE Face and Body previously and loved it, and today I will review the Mat Velvet + foundation. This foundation is liked by many people, however more for those with oily skin. I have dry skin and kept hearing warnings not to get this, but I am curious person and I had to try it out for myself. The girls at Sephora were not recommending this on my skin either. If you have dry skin you should opt for foundations that offer a dewy finish, have light-reflecting properties and are gentle and light on the skin. So are the claims true that this is not really for those with dry skin?

MAC Viva Glam Gaga II

The new VIVA Glam Gaga lipstick and lipglass just went live on the MAC Cosmetics website. The new lipstick is described as "a light warm beige with an Amplified finish" and the matching lipglass "seductively pale milky-beige". As with all VIVA Glam products, all proceeds go to help those fighting with HIV/AIDS. Enter the code "GAGA" for free shipping until February 20, 2011.

I think these colours are very wearable, more than the milky pink that the last one was. I am planning on picking this up, and am tempted to order it now, seeing how hard Viva Glam Gaga 1 was to get track of. This is a limited edition product and will replace the 1st lipstick from her.

Click here to check it out on MAC's website.

Are you getting this?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Giveaway: Apothica.com $25 Gift Card

It's giveaway time again and this time it's with Apothica.com If you aren't familiar with this company they are basically a giant online makeup store, offering many different cosmetics brands, such as Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Clinique, DuWop, Estee Lauder, Too Faced, Yves Saint Laurent and many others. They offer 5% loyalty points on purchases as well. Shipping is reasonable for international shoppers, and for those in the US, shipping is free on orders over $49, and they accept Paypal too, which is great. When I shopped with them last I chose a foundation from Estee Lauder. I picked up the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation which is totally awesome and covers like no other foundation I've ever tried.

So onto the giveaway, Apothica has sponsored me to give away a $25 gift card to use on Apothica.com, the giveaway is open internationally, but Apothica does not ship to all countries, so please check if your country is listed before entering. The contest will run for 14 days (starting February 16 and ending March 2). This contest has many severeal different ways to enter, by visiting Apothica's website and completing either a Facebook, Twitter or Blogger response. Each option counts for one entry, if you complete all three you get three entries, but you are not required to complete all three. If you complete the bonus entries you can get up to 6 entries. You must be a follower of this blog to enter, of course.

Option 1: Facebook
1. Visit Apothica.com
2. Write on  Apothica’s Facebook wall about what you think of Apothica
Bonus Entry: Opt in to Apothica’s Newsletter (at bottom of page, you'll also get a 10% off coupon code when you do this, valid for 30 days)

Option 2: Twitter
1. Visit Apothica.com
2. Tweet about Apothica on your own Twitter Account
Bonus Entry: Retweet Apothica’s tweet  about this giveaway 

Option 3: Blog
1. Visit Apothica.com
2. Write something on your blog about what you think of Apothica
Bonus Entry: Write about the brand I highlighted (Estee Lauder) and link it to Apothica

I will provide Apothica with the winner's name and upon verification, Apothica will email the code for the gift card to the winner that can be used at SkinCareRx.com, Apothica.com and SkinBotanica.com Please comment below when entering this contest on which option you did and please link me to that entry.

Thanks for entering and goodluck! :)

Winner of Sigma Gift Card Giveaway!

It's time to announce the winner of my Sigma $20 gift card giveaway. Thank you to everyone that entered and spread the word about my blog and this giveaway, I appreciate it very much. I will be contacting the winner after this post is up with the gift card code! Congrats!

The winner is: Miss ♥ Nikka

Review: ELF Studio Glitter 11 Brush Collection

A girl can never have enough makeup brush, well this one can't. ELF recently came out with a limited edition version of their Studio 11 piece brush collection, with glitter handles! The brushes are the exact same, but they have glitter on them, and who doesn't love glitter? This sells for $30 on the ELF website, but with a 50% off coupon code (they have promotions all the time), you can get them for $15, which is what I did. You get all the Studio line brushes in a sleek, black zippered case. Each brush would normally cost you $3.

Here is what the handles look like, I think it's cute, whereas the original ones come with plain black handles. I wanted to get another Studio Powder brush, so I just opted to get this entire set instead. The zippered pouch that comes with these fits the brushes nicely and is flat and portable.


The glitter collection comes with 5 face brushes (as shown above) and 6 eye brushes. The face brushes include (from top-down) the fan brush, angled foundation brush, blush brush, complexion brush and powder brush. I've only ever owned the last 3, but I tend to think the blush and complexion is a bit fuller and softer in this set (keep in mind I purchased my original ones years ago). The powder brush, I can't say enough about, if you don't have it yet, you need it.


And here are the 5 eye brushes that include (from top-down) small smudge brush, small precision brush, small angled brush, concealer brush, contour brush, and eyeshadow "c" brush. I guess the concealer brush should of been in the face part in my review, but I actually prefer this brush for applying paint pots on my eyes so it's here instead. All these brushes are made of synthetic fibers, which personally I think is the downfall to the eye brushes, I feel that natural hairs pick up eyeshadow better.

This is a nice set if you are on a budget, I am more of a fan of the face brushes than the eye brushes from ELF, for eyes I would suggest the $1 eyeshadow brush and $1 eye blending brush, which both are favourites of mine. If you like glitter handles, I would definitely pick this up.

Do you have the ELF glitter brush set? What is your experience with ELF brushes?