Makeup Besties for 2013

Hello Beauties! 

Today I have for you my Makeup Besties for 2013. Let's get right into it because this is going to be a long post. 

Best Eye Primer (Left): Benefit's Stay Don't Stray

Best Face Primer (Right): Benefit's the POREfessional

Best BB Cream/Tinted Moisturizer (Left): Revlon Photoready BB Cream

Best Foundation (Right): Sonia Kashuk Perfecting Luminous Foundation

  Best Color Correcter (Left): ELF HD Lifting Concealer in Brightening 

Best Under Eye Concealer (Middle): Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

Best Face Concealer (Right): Revlon Colorstay Concealer 

Best Face Powder: Revlon Nearly Naked Powder 

Best Bronzer: Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sunlight 

Best Powder Highlight (Left): Wet N Wild Fergie Shimmer Palette in Rose Champange Glow

Best Cream/Liquid Highlight: Avon's Mark Touch & Glow Shimmer Cream Cubes in Palette Visage

Best Matte Blush (Left): Revlon Matte Blush in Perfectly Peach (Depotted)

Best Shimmery Blush (Right): Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush in Natural (Depotted)

Best Brow Product: ELF Studio Line Eyebrow Kit

Best Mascara: Almay's Get Up & Grow Waterproof Mascara

Best Liquid Liner (Top): Jordana FabuLiner

Best Pencil Eyeliner & Best Eye (Bottom): Revlon Photoready Kajal in Emerald Empire

Best Cream Eyeshadows: Maybelline Color Tattoos

(Personal Favorite colors are Inked in Pink & Barely Branded) 

Best Loose Mineral Eyeshadow: ELF Mineral Eyeshadow 

(Personal favorite color is Sweet)  

Best Single Eyeshadow: Wet N Wild Color Icon Single in Brulee (Left, Depotted), ELF Studio Baked Eyeshadow in Moonlight Serenade 

Best Neutral Palettes: Sonia Kashuk eye on neutral matte palette (left), Covergirl Trio in Shimmering Sands (Top right), Maybelline Expert Wear Palette in Sunbaked Neutrals (Bottom Right)

Best Large Palette: ELF Studio 80 Piece Day to Night Eyeshadow Palette 

Best Small Palette: NYX Love in Paris in Madeleines And Macaroons (Left), Hard Candy Glam Kit Eyeshadow Palette with the gold cover (Right)

Best Colorful Single Shadow: NYX Cherry

Best Colorful Eyeshadow Palette: ELF Brightening Eye Color Quad in Pretty 'N Pink ( Top Left), Black Radiance Eye Appeal Shadow Collection in Posh Plums (Top Right), Jesse's Girl Eye Color Collection in The Eyes Have It (Bottom Left), Jesse's Girl Masquerade Palette (Bottom Right)

Best Lip Balm: EOS in Tangerine (Left), Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss (Middle Left), Lypsyl Lypmoisturizer Original (Middle Right), Sally Hansen Full & Radiant Lip Balm

 Best Tinted Balm: Vaseline Lip Therapy in Rosy Lips

Best Lip Gloss: ELF Hypershine Gloss in Fairy (Left), NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair (Left Middle), Revlon Super Lustrous in Super Natural (Right Middle), Maybelline The Elixir in Petal Plush (Right)

 Best Lipsticks: Milani Color Statement in Fruit Punch (Left), Maybelline Color Whisper in Pin Up Peach (Middle), Sally Hansen Colorfast Tint + Moisture Balm in In The Pink (Right)

Most Improved Formula: Mark I-Mark Wet/Dry Eyeshadows

Most Surprisingly Awesome Product: L.A. Colors 3 Color Eyeshadow (Depotted, to see them in the original packaging click here)

Biggest Underdog Product: Hard Candy All Glossed Up Hydrating Lip Stain

Best Limited Edition Products: Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Bejeweled, Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Lemonade, L'OREAL Infallible Eye Shadow in Strawberry Blonde, Maybelline Greatlash in Green With Envy, MAC Archie's Girls Pearlmatte Face Powder in Flatter Me, MAC Archie's Girls Powder Blush in Cream Soda, MAC Pearlmatte Face Powder in Pink Buttercream

Best Face Brush: Adesign Brushes Flat Top Foundation Brush (Top), ELF Studio Small Stipple Brush (Middle), ELF Studio Angled Contour Brush (Bottom)

Best Eye Brush (From Top to Bottom): Essence Of Beauty (CVS Brand) Crease Brush Duo Pack, ELF Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush, EcoTools Shadow Brush, ELF Studio Small Angled Brush, Rite Aid Renewal Flat Top Eyeliner Brush 

Best Tool: Revlon Eyelash Curler

Best On The Go Brush: EcoTools Retractable Kabuki Brush

Best Setting & Best Touch-up Product: Evian Facial Spray 

Well guys, that's all for today!

I hope that everyone had an awesome 2013 & that you have an even better 2014! 

Check back tomorrow for the worst of 2013. 

Until next time...

Stay True & Stay You

--Frankie--

Using ELF's 56 Piece Makeup Artist Collection + First Impressions

Hello lovelies, 

Today I have for you a Face Of The Day using for the first time ELF's 56 piece makeup artist collection. You can find this kit on ELF's website here or maybe at your local Target with other Holiday sets from ELF. It retails for $20.00 but ELF's often has some kind of deal going on through the site. 

Here's a look at the kit & what comes with it:

From ELF's website-

This 56 piece set includes:
40 Eyeshadow Colors
5 Blushes
5 Bronzers
1 Blush & Bronzer Brush
1 Eyeshadow Brush
1 Brightening Eyeliner Pencil
1 Mascara
1 Liquid Eyeliner
1 Eyelid Primer

Now for some close up photos & swatches:

 (only random colors swatched, not all)

The blushes & bronzers were swatched without any primer. The eye shadows were swatched over the primer provided.

Now for the look:

 Back to the kit:

Pros:

-Nice variety of colors

-Other than face base products & brows you have everything you need in the kit

-The mascara is surprisingly good, not my favorite but it gets the job done

-The liquid eyeliner is good as well

-The blushes & most of the eye shadows have good pigmentation 

-Good price for the amount of things that you get in the kit

-The shadow brush is good. It's soft & easily picks up shadow. I like it best for placing color all over the lid

-The brushes have a pearl finish on the handles which look very nice

Cons:

-Eye shadows & blushes are a bit powdery & have some fallout

-The lighter colored shadows 

-The shadows fade on my somewhat oily lids without a colored base underneath of them

- The pencil eye liner isn't creamy at all, it drags & pulls on my lid when I try to use it & it just doesn't show up at all on my water line

-I'm not a fan of the eye primer (it's the one that cost a $1), I know a lot of people do but it just doesn't work well for. Maybe cause I have oily lids? I don't know. I just don't like it. 

-The blush/bronzer brush is rough & too smal (to me) for blush or bronzer. It is a good size for highlighter though.

Overall I do think that this kit is worth the $20.00 price tag & even more worth it if you can catch it on sale. The shadow shades are really lovely, so are the blushes & bronzers. I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this. So, if you have been thinking about picking this up I would say to go for it. 

What I used that wasn't provided in the kit:

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Primer

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous Foundation in Ivory 

Evian Facial Spray 

ELF HD Lifting Concealer in Brightening 

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Radiant 

L.A. Girl Color Balm in London Nude 

ELF Tone Correcting Powder in Cool 

ELF Eyebrow Kit in Light 

Revlon Photoready Kajal Eyeliner + Brightener in Purple Reign

Until Next Time...

Stay True & Stay You

--Frankie--

NYX Love in Paris Palettes....Again.

Hello again.

Today I have to share with you two more of the palettes in NYX's Love in Paris' line. Today's palettes are Be Our Guest Maurice & Madeleines And Macaroons. To see my previous review on two of the other palettes in this line then just click here.

Now let's take a closer look at today's palettes. 

 Like the rest of the palettes in this line they have this cute little bow on the side that you open it. 

First up, Be Our Guest Maurice:

NYX describes this on their website as having "shimmery purples, beiges, black & white". 

 These swatches are of course done without primer. 

Now for Madeleines And Macaroons:

NYX describes this on their website as having "Shimmery & matte nudes, beiges, & pink"

 The middle shade in this palette is almost just like the 2nd shade of the Natural palette from NYX which I reviewed here & used in a Face of the Day here.

These are again swatched without primer.

Pros:

- Awesome colors

-Cute packaging 

-Travel friendly 

-Can be nicely pigmented 

Cons: 

-Shadows are a bit powdery

-Shadows don't last long on my somewhat oily lids without primer

-Difficult to find

Overall, I really like these. They are fun to play with & have some colors that are unique to my collection. 

Until next time...

Stay True & Stay You

--Frankie--