The Battle of the Powders: ELF vs. Rimmel

Hey Y'all!!!

Today we are going to be comparing two powders! The elf pressed powder and Rimmel London stay matte pressed powder. Both are matte pressed powders that are supposed to last all day, control oil, and minimize appearance of pores!

ELF Powder

This powder is in the color ivory and it is more yellow based. It is in a flip up container.

Yes, this product does so what it promises. It sticks to the skin and mattifies it. It lasts almost all day with very limited touch ups. My problem with the product is that it makes your makeup look very cakey even with just a thin layer. It also is super yellow based so even the lightest color is better for warm toned people than cool toned. Neutral tones people may be able to get away with it. It costs about $1!

Swatch:

Rimmel London Stay Matte

This product costs about $5 and is much bigger and much more product than the elf powder; making it less convenient to stick in a makeup bag. It matifys the face and it great for all days including days with bb cream because it's color (mine is natural) is just a nice sheen over the skin.

A few touch ups are needed maybe two or three times during the day depending in what you are doing but it does give a very natural look. It's also better for those who are cool tones because it seems that this powder is more pinkish tones. As they get darker, at least in the store, it appears that they get a little more yellow based.

Swatch:

Final Verdict

I do prefer the Rimmel powder over the elf powder. Although the Rimmel does have to be touched up more I like that it is very natural looking and that I don't have to watch my bronzer use because it's more linked toned. I've found a use for my elf powder though: concealer. It does work as a powdered concealer to set the green corrector over small blemishes! So that my opinion!

What do you think? Leave me a comment about these products if you use them or you love them! Which ones do you prefer? 

Until next time!

Cheers! <3 :)

-K

Caring For A Pixie Cut

Hey Y'all!!!

If you don't know already or if this is your first post then you don't know that have a pixie cut! I tend to do dramatic things to my hair; I grow it out, cut it short, dye it... You name it and at some point I'll probably try it! In the long run, it's just hair it grows back and it's a great way to change up your look. Here's my pixie cut as of right now:

I really love it! Overall, a pixie is much simpler to have than longer hair. However, I've found that there is a lot of care that goes into a pixie! So I want to share that with you today!

Daily Care:

I wash my hair probably about twice a week. In between these washes I use dry shampoo and I got into the habit when I had red hair which bleeds when it simply touches water. However, I know that the natural oils in your hair and washed out whenever you wash your hair and that's is damaging. It can dry out your hair and make it loose nutrients. I suggest washing hair only 1-3 times a week and using a dry shampoo in between. I use a CVS brand shower cap to shield my hair from the water when I shower on the days I don't wash my hair. 

My personal favorite dry shampoo is suave professionals in the yellow bottle which is about $3. It smells good and works great! However more recently I've invested in PSSSST! in the true origional formula. It doesn't smell as nice as suave but it doesn't have a whit residue that needs to be brushed out. Psssst! is about $6 a can.

The Days I Wash Hair:

Like I previously stated, I wash my hair twice a week; sometimes three. My hair has been damaged from years of heat styling, dyes, and medication for my health problems. My hair is very thin, dry, brittle, and prone to dandruff. For shampoo I use dove daily moisture therapy. It take that rough texture out of my hair making it smooth and easier to work with. I've tried several other moisture therapy shampoos and, for me they tend to weigh down my hair and make it greasy faster. Dove just uses gentle ingrediants which helps my hair gain moisture without gaining an excess of oil! Similar more high end shampoos cost about $40 in this size whereas my dove bottle cost a little less than $20!

Then to help strengthen my hair I use Garnier Fructis Fall Fight conditioner. I paid about $7 for this bottle which is very affordable for girls on a budget; the set shampoo and conditioner for fall fight is about $15. There are more chemicals in this than in some higher end brands but there is also caffeine to stimulate hair growth, biotin for health and growth, as well as other vitamins that you would get from fruits and veggies! 

Twice a month I also like to do a deep conditioner to really help keep my hair healthy. This Eva NYC was a sample from my ipsy bag but you can find comparable products at your drugstore for about $10.  The hair mask I'm using at this moment is a little pricier and I can only get it online. Again, this was through ipsy and although I like it; my budget doesn't have room for extremely expensive hair care as I'm sure many of yours don't either! 

Styling:

When I get out of the shower on the cool setting I use my Remington pearl hair dryer with the straight nozzle attachment and a small gentle round brush.

I blow my bangs to the left to attain the swoop and straight effect that I have. I'm heat free so to dry my hair I only use the cool setting on this dryer and in the summer I sit in front of a high power box fan! 

After I dry my fringe I add some argon oil to the rest of my hair (I also do this before I dry the fringe). I use the suave Moravian oil styling oil. It tames fly aways and Argon oil is very healthy for your hair without weighing it down or making your hair appear greasy:

Then I simply mess with my fringe to make it he messy look that I love. I can achieve this quickly with my axe messy look hair paste. This product is only $6 while the comparable girls brand is about $12. I wrote about this product In my Juky favorites if you want to know more!

Once I get my fringe and my other hair the way I want it; I spritz it with som Aussie flexible hold hairspray which is about $7 at the drugstore

THAT is the routine I have right now to care for and style my pixie! I try to use mostly affordable brands that's are healthy for your hair. Sometimes affordable brands can be full of follicle clogging products or unhealthy chemicals BUT I can attest that these products don't weigh down your hair and that most of them have plenty of ingrediants that are healthy for your hair! Hopefully you found a product or two to add to your routine or techniques that you will want to add! Please leave me a comment about what you've leavers or what you do with your hair!

Until next time!

Cheers! <3 :)

-K

My Drugstore Review: Revlon Balm Stain

Hey Y'all!!!!!

So I got a new product and I've decided to share it! For a while I've been wanting to try the Revlon just bitten kissable balm stain! I got the color 040 at my local kmart on sale for $3 when they are normally around $8 or $9. 

First, the packaging is nice. It is fairly heavy plastic and I feel that it just looks nice and sleek. Very easy to slide into a purse or clutch!

My color is a virally orange which when I applies it looks like a very tame version of my classic red lip so I love it! Swatch:

It has a light shimmer to it althought it's no overpowering. It smells minty but that is also not an overpowering scent! It applies smoothly like a balm but sits on your lips like a matte lipstick. Then it also has the staying power of a stain.

Here is it just applied this morning:

And here is it at about 5 in the evening:

I ate and drank normally all day and did not reapply for the some purpose of this expiriment. In the second picture you can see the color is a little washed out but it is still very opaque and I feel that it lasted pretty well with no touch ups. Even my red stains need to be touched up throughout a regular day. This product is also moisturizing and doesn't dry out the lips though I saw it begin to settle Into the crack on my lips. I recommend using a balm before application or a lip primer which I did not do; wanting to see how it preformed on it's own. 

I rate this at about a 7 which is great for a drugstore lip product! Not my favorite but definitely not a disappointment. If you can get it in sale it's a great and affordable product! 

Until next time!

Cheers <3 :)

-K

Battle Of the BB Creams!!!

Hey y'all!!!!!

Today I'm goiing to show you a battle between two affordable drugstore bb creams! In one corner in the NYC smooth skin parfait and in the other is Maybelline dream fresh bb! Both make high claims, but which one delivers????

The products:

The Maybelline dream fresh bb is an 8 in 1 skin profector with SPF 30. It's $7.99 and contains 1.0fl of product. Today we are testing the regular formula that does not include salycilic acid.

The NYC smooth skin parfait is a 5 in 1 beauty balm that is $3.50 and contains 1fl of product. It has no SPF and contains light shimmer.

The claims:

Maybelline promises to:

1. Blur imperfections

2. Enhances

3. Brightens

4. Adjust to skin tone

5. Smooth

6. Hydrate

7. Protect skin

8. Contain 0 oils or heavy ingrediants

the NYC bb cream promises:

1. Protect skin

2. Minimize pores

3. Erase imperfections

5. Smooth skin

6. Brighten skin

Here is my skin with no product and this will be our guide to testing the bb creams.

You see my obvious acne, scars, and dark circles. Now we can easily see how well these products preform.

Maybelline

For a while this was my go to bb! The SPF is great because it does not require a sun tan lotion before application. I use the shade light/medium. The coverage is very sheer. It's also very light and great for summer use! My face with Maybelline:

You can clearly see some of my imperfections on my chin peaking out. However, my dark circles are not as noticeable and my skin looks fairly even! 

I give this product an 8 out of 10! It lives up to most claims and the formula is great! 

NYC

I recently picked up the bb as a chaper alternative to my Maybelline. This product is also good. It doesn't have SPF which bums me out but it does have a slight shimmer. The shimmer is nice and light, not overpowering, and I think it gives a nice glow to skin. It has more coverage than the Maybelline but it is a little heavier of a formula. My face with smooth skin parfait:

My acne is less noticeable here and I can see how layering a green concar underneath would make them literally invisible. However, my dark circles are a little less covered. Overall, I give this a 9 out of 10. It only doesn't live up to the protecting claim. Otherwise I believe it lives up. 

The verdict:

Both crams are very close but it seems that prefer the NYC smooth skin parfait! The formula covers more and I love the shimmer! Although it doesn't have SPF is rather layer a lotion underneath than have breakout popping through my makeup! I still love the dream fresh and it's great for hot and humid days but I have to say that I do prefer the NYC for daily summer use!!!

Hope that was helpful for y'all! I so adore both products and maybe one will work better for you but these are my thoughts and opinions for my face! For those with sensitive acne prone skin who have a lot of scarring and discoloration like me. Y'all might do better with the parfai from NYC than the dream fresh from maybelline. Those with better skin only looking for light coverage might prefer the dream fresh! Hope this review was helpful for you! Until next time!

Cheers <3 :)

-K

*disckaimer: thoughts and opinions are all my own I'm never associated with any companies meantioned!*

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My Favorites: Mascara

Hey y'all!

Today I am brining you three products I enjoy! Each are of different price points and each are a mascara that I use religiously! I'm not a big hoarder of mascara so my favorites are limited and extremely exclusive. I've tried everything! Any drug store you can think of (including new ones like miss manga) and a lot of high end ones (like too faced better than sex). These are my three favorites! A very exclusive club to join! 

Estée Lauder Suptuous Volume

Lash multiplying volume mascara

Color: extreme black

this is the blackest shade of mascara offered by Estée Lauder. It's the gold tube with black writing. It retails at about $30. A very high end and pricy product. Not something is normally buy... BUT it stands up to the claims it makes! It claims to give a full effect to lashes and lots of volume. It delivers! It darkens and gives tons of volume without getting clumpy if flaky. The non-waterproof formula WILL run a bit if you put too much on and it really doesn't do anything leanght wise.

The brush I super soft and large. It can be hard to get the lashe underneath it on the inner corner. Overall, the formula is good though I prefer the waterproof one as the regular one runs for almost nothing. If you have over watery eyes the waterproof formula is going to work better do you. 

The brus:

Be A Bombshell

Lash out mascara

Colo: black

The packaging is sleek and sexy and the texture of the tube makes it easy to hold onto. This fits perfectly into my makeup bag! This mascara gives a lot of volume and darkens. It does some for leanght but not a lot (however that not what I look for in mascara as I have long lashes) the brush is a little smaller than the Estée Lauder one but the brush is a tad smaller making it easier to work with. The formula is also a bit thicker than the Estée Lauder. The formula also doesn't clump because it is slightly dryer and it only flakes a tad bit. 

The downside to this product is the smell. It has a very very strong chemical smell. Although it does go away after application the scent is extremely strong when you open the bottle. Those very sensitive to strong smells may be put off by that. This retails for about $7. A great fairly affordable product!

Maybelline the falsies

Big eyes mascara

Color: black

If you've been on this blog for more than one post you know that I'm a HUGE Maybelline fan! Most of their product are great and live up to claim! I was given this mascara as a gift at first but I will be repurchasing! It's about $9 a tube but it's well worth it; lasting over 6 months. 

I have fairly big eyes now but I wanted something that really intensified the look especially on days without much other makeup. I was intrigued by the waterproof formula and the fact it has a lower and upper lash brush! 

The upper lash brush is fairly stiff and slightly curved bristles. The brush is about the size of the be a bombshell and the formula is fairly thin.it gives great volume and the brush easily grabs each lash. I do tend to accidentally smear in on my eyelid so careful of that and it does clump a bit at the ends.

The lower lash brush is very thin and long. It has no curve and one quick swipe will easily coat every lash. It really intensifies the lower lashes and I really have no complaints about the lower lash brush or fairly thin formula! 

This is a great alternative to the loreal miss manga mascara wich has a formula that flakes a lot. This accomplished the same effect and I like the Maybelline formula much better. 

Brushes:

I hope you guys liked this! Please leave a comment with which of these mascara you would try or what mascara is currently your holy grail! 

Until next time!

Cheers! <3 :)

-K

*disclaimer: opinions are 100% my own! Times are purchased by me with my money or given as gifts! I don't work with any companies and every opinion is conetely honest! *

My Drugstore Reviews: Elf Eyebrow Kit

HHey y'all!!!

It's time for another drugstore review! I do these so that girls in a budget can find great products and also know what to stay away from! That way you're prepared next time you have a little spending money and want to head over to your local target, Walgreens, walmart, cvs etc!

Today I want to talk about the elf eyebrow kit and eyebrow/eye lash gel. The brows frame the eyes just like hair frames the face! It's important to get strong brow game for the perfect look. However, not all of us have the money for products like the amazing Anastasia dip brow! So, I've gone through several drugstore eyebrow lots and I have to say that the best one I've ever used is the elf eyebrow kit! As my brows are darker than my hair I use the medium shade kit. I can also use the light kit but I prefer the dramatic effect I can achieve with the medium colors. This product is from the elf studio line and costs $6, a lot more affordable than other eyebrow products!

The packaging is black and pretty durable. It's also in a shape and size that's easy to carry in a makeup bag or purse:

Open it up and you have a small mirror, a dark shade of gel, a lighter shade of powder, and a brush:

The brush is small and dual ended. One end is the classic angeled eyeliner brush that is used to apply the gel. The other is a fluffy brush side used to put the powder on. This very small brush is the same great quality as other elf brushes and it's super easy to use!

As for the gel and powder themselves. The gel goes onto the eyebrows smoothly. The color is rich and it is important to use a lighter hand at first because the color is super pigmented and it is easy to over do it. However, you can build it up for a great dramatic look:

The powder is a much lighter color than the gel and is not as pigmented. However, it does help seal the gel into the lashes and kind if hazes out the look. I skip this powder if I want a very dramatic look. For normal days however, I enjoy it!

So, here's the real application of it! This is my brow before gel:

After I brush it out and apply the gel:

As I have work today I just went for the more natural and light look. And here is after powder:

Not a very big difference but slight enough. And yes I know, I need to get my eyebrows done! I'm waiting for my next check XD then I just deal them with some elf eyebrow and eyelash gel! That just gives it a finished look!

The gel product is great for simply setting everything. I dislike however that the gel gets fairly dirty after being used several times. The makeup sticks to the brush and gets into the tube:

So, now I has one eyebrow done and here's the difference!

 

They look close since I went for a natural look but you can tell that the one on the right is a bit thicker, darker, and more xontrolled than the one on the left! 

This brow kit is easy to use and comes in three shades. It's highly affordable and it lasts all day! I've even had it last while at the beach and pool! I recommend this product for brows for those who might be on a budget!

Cheers <3 :)

-K

*disclainer: all opinions are mine and are completely and 100% honest. I buy all products with my own money or receive them as gifts. I never receive them from brands and I have no prior deals with any company!*