Swatch Sunday #6 | elf Cosmetics

SWATCH SUNDAY #6 | ELF COSMETICS

As you know, I am a big fan of makeup bargains, and elf cosmetics knows the way to my heart.  The brand's "essential" line typically retials for $1-3, while the "studio" line is typically $3-6.  Those are amazing deals, but they get even better!  elf offers 50% sales once or twice a year, which bring the price down even lower.  I decided to swatch some of my recent finds as well as some past favorites.  And from now on, I will have a special guest swatching along with me - my husband! 

I often, in my YouTube videos, mention that cosmetics products can appear drastically different on deeper versus lighter skin tones.  Well, we finally had the brilliant idea to do double swatches, and I am SO excited that we did!

Here are some highlights from this week's Swatch Sunday video.

Pictured above are elf All Over Cover Sticks.  They are retractable cream foundation/concealer tubes, and they typically retail for $1 on eyeslipsface.com.  I purchased these for just 50 cents during a 50%-off sitewide sale.

These are creamy and pigmented, and they blend out very nicely.  The major downside, in my opinion, is that these never really set.  They really need to be set with a powder, or they can tend to transfer easily. 

Bottom line: these are a great concealer - try the middle shade to offset dark circles.

 
 
 

 

I found these HD Blushes at Dollar Tree, and they are also currently available at eyeslipsface.com in five different shades.  I really like all the shades, and, since the product is very creamy, I decided to try swatching on my lips. 

 

 This went on very smoothly and set semi-matte.  I absolutely love all of these shades as lipsticks, and will definitely be using them in this way.  I also imagine they would make great eyeshadow bases, and will be sure to try them that way as well. 

 

Two thumbs up for this product!

 

 

 

I purchased these bronzers online during an elf sitewide sale, when they were just 50 cents.  I got several of each, on the off chance they were awesome as highlighters, and- guess what?- they totally are!

 

I swatched these on my hand and my husband's hand to show how they appear on different skin tones.  In my opinion, these wouldn't be very effective as bronzers even on fairer skin, but I'll let you be the judge. 

 

 

 

I have used all of these as highlighters (I typically go with Luminance- the lightest of the three- during winter), and am a huge fan of these. They're creamy and blendable, and give off a nice sheen.  I would recommend picking these up, if you're not afraid of a little bit of sheen at the high points of your cheek and under the browbone.

 

There are more swatches in the YouTube video, so be sure to check it out!  If you've used any of these products, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 

Thanks, as always, for reading!  See you next time.  :)

Swatch Sunday # 5 | Physician's Formula

SWATCH SUNDAY # 5 | PHYSICIAN'S FORMULA

I know you're going to start thinking that I am in love with this brand, but I actually have just amassed a large collection from Dollar Tree hauls (and one EPIC Burlington Coat Factory haul).  This week, I had a special guest swatching along with me - my husband! 

I often, in my YouTube videos, mention that cosmetics products can appear drastically different on deeper versus lighter skin tones.  Well, we finally had the brilliant idea to do double swatches, and I am SO excited that we did!

Here are some highlights from this week's Swatch Sunday video.

Pictured above are the Physician's Formula Felt Tip Eye Definer marker.  The tip is a pointed brush that is long, firm, and actually does create a defined line.  These typically retailed between $5-8 and appear to be discontinued.  I found these for just $1 at the Dollar Tree.

These are moist, defined, and pigmented to show up on deeper skin tones.  I've had them for several months (open and in use) and they haven't yet dried out.  However (and the experts at Makeup Alley tend to agree), these don't have great staying power.  Good for a dinner date, but not for all-day office eye looks.  The Makeup Alley reviews also call this brush difficult to work with, and I didn't find this to be the case. 

Bottom line: buyer beware.  You may love these, and at the $1 price point, it's worth a gamble.

All three Physician's Formula Eye Definer Flat Automatic Pencils pictured above were purchased at the Dollar Tree.

I actually really love the formula of these pencils, and the colors came across beautifully on both skin tones.  I have used Black Raisin as a smoked-out shadow liner (I didn't even bother trying to line, as I could tell by swatching that these would budge easily), and it worked beautifully.  I also use the Warm Black and Dark Brown as eyebrow pencils and they are simply awesome for creating the shape I love.

Bottom line: I love these pencils and would recommend them!

The Physician's Formula Loose-To-Go powder was purchased at Dollar Tree.  The Magic Mosaic powder was purchased in a set during the Burlington Coat Factory haul referenced above.

These powders both give off a slight wash over deep color, and the Loose-To-Go powder offers a bit of shimmer as well. 

Bottom line: there's not much pigmentation in this palette - skip it unless you're very fair.

Left to right: Mineral Wear FaceBrightener, Gentle Wear Bronzer, Les Botaniques Bronzer

All three of these products were purchased at Burlington Coat Factory as a part of a set.  The sets cost $2-3 each, which is a huge savings from the typical Physician's Formula price of $10-13 per item. 

These actually do show up on both skin tones (some more than others), but the color being given off by the first two is not something I would describe as bronzer spectrum. 

Bottom line: If you're interested in trying one of these bronzers, I'd recommend the Les Botaniques line.  It actually looks like a bromzer on fairer tones, and works as a totally respectable highlighter on deeper skin.

 

I purchased this 3-in-1 Shimmer Strips product at Dollar Tree, where it was- of course- just one dollar.

As pictured above, the lighter colors appear to be a great highlighter and bronzer set, and they could function as eyeshadows as well.

Bottom line: I like this product a lot, and actually to intend to try these powders as shadows, highlighters, and bronzers.  There's not a ton of product included, but for $1, that's not a deal-breaker.




Shimmer Strips blushes in Sunkissed Glow (left) and Rosy Glow (right)

I purchased these Shimmer Strips blushes at Burlington Coat Factory (left) and Dollar Tree (right).

These swatches were specifically for Instagram, because I wanted to get good photos of the product in the same lighting and directly next to each other for better comparison.  We also applied these wet inadvertently (I had cleaned off the swatch surface with a wet wipe just prior to swatching and LOVED the effect), which ended up being a great thing.

As you can see, these colors are absolute magic for both skin tones.  Applying wet makes the color rich and intense.  These could easily double as eyeshadows as well. 

Bottom line: GET THESE!  I would actually dare to say these may be worth the asking price.


Believe it or not, there are actually even more swatches in the YouTube video, so be sure to check it out!  If you've used any of these products, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 

Thanks, as always, for reading!  See you next time.  :)

 

Swatch Sunday #4 | Physician's Formula

SWATCH SUNDAY #4 | PHYSICIAN'S FORMULA

 

Over the last several months, I have found tons of Physician's Formula makeup items at Dollar Tree.  Not just a large quantity, but also a large variety.  Below, I'll share photos and quick reviews, and also head over to YouTube to see live swatches.



Baked Sands looks like it would be perfect as a highlight/contour palette for me.

I haven't yet used these wet, but they're excellent dry, so I'm very hopeful!

Next up are these Physician's Formula Natural Origin blushes.  I found five different shades at Dollar Tree.

Top to bottom: Blushing Organics, Mauve Organics, Natural Organics

 

Top to bottom: Pink Organics, Warming Organics

 

 

I broke Blushing Organics (it fell out of the pan and shattered), and repaired it (ish) by saturating with rubbing alcohol and allowing it to dry.

 

A swatch of "Blushing Organics" after alcohol repair.  Actually more pigmented!

 
There are a ton more swatches in my video (the longest video yet!) so take a look.  If you've used any of these products, please let me know in the comments section below. :)

Thanks for reading!  I'll see you next time!

Swatch Sunday # 2 | Lip Stains

 

 SWATCH SUNDAY #2 | LIP STAINS

  

I go through various phases with my cosmetics - sometimes, I use exclusively lip glosses for months at a time before turning on a dime and focusing on various shades of red lipsticks.  I can't explain what draws me to certain items at specific times, but I'm suddenly reaching for my lip stains again. 

 

I like to use lip stains in lots of different ways: as a sheer wash of color, as a base color for an ombre, or layered for a lasting lip look.  Because of their versatility and staying power, I tend to pick up lip stains whenever I can find them on sale.  They also have a bit of a short shelf life, so they won't sit in your collection too long.

 

This isn't my entire lip stain collection - just a slice.  I'll be sure to share more in the future.  But, for now, here's a look at lip stains across several price ranges and brands, in order of least expensive to most expensive.

 

KLEANCOLOR

Photo courtesy of KleanColor Cosmetics

 

 

Although KleanColor brand products are available online for $3-10 per item, they are sold at beauty supply stores for $2-5 and select items can even be found for just $1 at www.ShopMissA.com, one of my favorite beauty supply secrets.  Over a year ago, I purchased their entire Mmmuuuaaahhh!!! lip stain collection and I've been using them intermittently ever since.  Some of my most-used shades are starting to dry out, but AMAZINGLY, these babies are still kicking!  I thought I'd better swatch them before they kicked it for good.

 

Photo courtesy of KleanColor Cosmetics

 

The packaging is pretty utilitarian - they look exactly like markers, right down to the felt tip applicator.  There's nothing fancy about that, but it certainly makes application a no-brainer. 

 

These lip stains do not have shade names listed on the packaging.  Instead, they are numbered 1-12.  So, I've swatched them below and included both the number and shade name in the caption.

 



 

 


 Left to right:  01/Cotton Pink, 02/City Pink, 03/Rose Jam, 04/Cherry Spell, 05/Melon Tango, 06/Honey Soda,  07/Candy Orange, 08/Floral Summer, 09/Rose Sand, 10/Berry Mix, 11/Nude Tease, 12/Scarlet Pout



 

For a dollar, I'm very pleased with these!  Visit the KleanColor website or ShopMissA to purchase these. 

 

TIP: To help your lip stains last, apply on clean, dry lips and store up-side-down with the lids tightly closed.

 

 

TKO

 

Amazon listing

 

I can't find out much about this brand online, however I know it's a German brand and it retails for $2-4 per lip stain.  I picked these up in a set of 6 for $10 from Amazon to see how they worked out.

 

Left to right: 906/Coffee Stain, 905/Natural Stain, 904/Coral Stain, 903/Rose Stain, 902/Pink Stain, 901/Berry Stain

 

First off- these were pretty dry, even on the first use. There was decent color payoff, but they didn't last more than half an hour or so, tops.  I would NOT recommend purchasing these, even for a very low price.  My standards weren't very high, and I was still left feeling underwhelmed by the staying power.

 

 

 

MAYBELLINE

 

Spoiler alert!  These are my favorites of the bunch.  I found these stains about a year ago at Dollar Tree and purchased every shade I could find (there were ten).  I've found these to be downright juicy when applied, and they haven't dried out over the course of a year of use. 

Left to right: 05/In the Buff, 15/Wink of Pink, 25/Feelin' Rosy, 35/Blushing, 45/Bitten Berry, 55/Plum Flushed, 65/Cranberry Crush, 75/Cherry Pop, 85/Bit of Brown, 95/Touch of Toffee

 

These are, once again, marker-style stains.  I've heard some negative reviews about that, but I find this design to be mess-free.  It also allows for pretty precise application.  There's a great collection of colors in this line, none of which is a dud for me.  That's a major win for me, as a woman of color.  But really, it's the wonderful formula that made these a stand-out favorite.

 

Bottom line, these were the best of the bunch, so these are my favorites of the week.  I did not list these at the lower price range because they don't typically retail for $1.  Definitely search online (I believe these are discontinued) if you're a fan of lip stains.  I think you'll really enjoy these!

 

Check out my YouTube video for lip swatches of these stains.

 

 

STILA

 

 

These are the priciest of the bunch, at a retail price between $10-20 each in their day, and they have the most unique applicator - a firm, shaped tip. 

 

 

 

 

These were excellent.  They went on and stayed put beautifully.  The liquid tends to thicken (versus dry up) over time, and if you depress the tip repeatedly, you can reactivate it (i.e. send a fresh bit of stain to the applicator).  Truly, these don't dry out - you can really continue to use them until they're empty.    I do really like the shades, but in my opinion, they didn't apply quite as smoothly as the Maybelline stains (they were a bit patchy).  Still a great purchase, especially since they were discontinued and available for $20 for the set of 6.  Check around on eBay if you're dying to try these, but they're not worth spending a ton of money for. 

 

 

Final ratings:

1. Maybelline

2. Stila

3. KleanColor

4. TKO

 

 

Thank you for reading!  Please feel free to share your experiences with these stains below. 

 

See you next time!  :)

Swatch Sunday #1: Physician's Formula

SWATCH SUNDAY #1 | PHYSICIAN'S FORMULA

 I'm so excited to be bringing you these swatches this week, because everything I swatched is available at a deep discount at Dollar Tree and/or Burlington Coat Factory. 

SCORES AND SCALE:
When I mentally rate a cosmetics purchase, I tend to score against six criteria: formula, color payoff, fidelity, staying powder, packaging, and cost.  Of course, there are other issues that could factor in (i.e. if it smells like vomit, the other things won't matter), but those are hard to account for.  The first four criteria receive double weight. 
 
Formula (2x): 7/10  It blends well, and it sticks nicely to damp skin or a primer.  It does, however, tend to apply a bit powdery.

Color Payoff (2x): 7/10  Most shades are pigmented at first swatch and build in intensity with added product.  (Note: the Custom palettes rate 10/10)

Fidelity (2x): 10/10  Setting aside opacity, the colors are what they appear to be - there were some surpise duochromes, but those are always welcome in my collection.  ;)

Staying Powder (2x): Unknown.  I can say these removed easily with kiddie wipes (Dora The Explorer 80-pack wipes, available for $1 @ Dollar Tree)

Packaging (1x): 8/10 Some of the packaging is VERY attractive.  However, the items packaged in sets (or repackaged for sale at Dollar Tree) were in clear acrylic containers devoid of any branding.

Cost (1x): 5/10 The full price is outrageous.  These retail for $10 or more.  I'd say these are a hard PASS at full price. 


Google search: "Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips eye shadow"

If you can find these for $1-2, though, I'd recommend picking them up.  They're comparable to Profusion eyeshadows (which I'm a big fan of - more on that later), and those are sold for $1 a palette at Dollar Tree. So, at that price point, I'd rate these 10/10.


REVIEWS:




 Courtesy of Ulta.com

The general consensus among Ulta reviewers is that Physician's Formula shimmer strips palettes offer nice colors and blend well, but don't have great pigmentation and don't tend to last very long. Click the photo above to read additional details.

I also watched a pretty thorough brand review video by Emily Noel of YouTube.  Click on the screenshot below to be taken to her video.

COLLECTIONS:
After a great deal of web-surfing, I was able to identify all six of the palettes I own.  I added those names to the corresponding swatch photos below.

 

Based on the swatches and the collection names, I would rate the custom collections (the last two palettes) as the best of the bunch, followed by the Smoky Collection, and then the Pop Collection.  The Casual Collection has some shades that could double as fantastic bronzers (or highlights, depending on your complexion), so that's my first pick.  The Custom Collections also have better texture/consistency than the others. 


PACKAGING:
Here's a look at the original product packaging, as found on the web.  Credits are in the captions.

POP COLLECTION:

Photo courtesy of IAmNymphette.com

 

 

CUSTOM COLLECTION:

Photo courtesy of Physician's Formula

SMOKY COLLECTION:

Photo courtesy of Physician's Formula

ALLERGENS AND INTERACTIONS:
These products contain silicones, talc, and parabens.  If you have sensitivities to corn, you should also note the inclusion of corn starch in each of these palettes. 

INGREDIENTS: MICA, TALC, OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE, ZINC STEARATE, DIMETHICONE, ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2, CETYL DIMETHICONE, SORBITAN, SEQUIOLEATE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, DEHYDROACETIC ACID, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, SORBIC ACID. MAY CONTAIN: TITANIUM DIOXIDE, IRON OXIDES, ULTRAMARINES, YELLOW 5 LAKE, BLUE 1 LAKE, CARMINE, FERRIC FERROCYANIDE, CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS, CHROMIUM HYDROXIDE GREEN, MANGANESE VIOLET.


Bottom line: Give these a try if you find them on sale.  I find that certain collections (the Custom palettes) offer better opacity, and would recommend applying wet for more intensity.  If you can only get one, go for one of the four custom palettes, definitely!


Thanks for reading - please check out my Instagram and YouTube for more thrifty finds!  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share them below.