Battle of the $1 Liquid Liners!

Miss A recently released some new liquid liners, so- since they're just $1 apiece- I decided to give them a try.








I'll be using the following scoring system:
Value= Up to 5 points
Brush= +1, 0, or -1 point (I know this is subjective, but I prefer a firm felt tip)
Opacity= +1, 0, or -1 point
Finish = +1, 0, or -1 point (also subjective; but for me, the matter, the better!)
Wear= +1, 0, or -1 point
Longevity= +1, 0, or -1 point





Pictured, top to bottom: products in their packaging, product swatches (lined up with their packaging), swatches after washing my hands with soap and water.

In green: the Amuse Super Fine Liquid Eyeliner (.2 oz). The tip is a firm felt material that helps with precise application. It has a slight sweet scent that's subtle and pleasant- it seems organic, and not the result of added fragrance. Love it, but FYI, it doesn't dry down to completely matte. It's solidly satin, with the potential to go fully glossy with added coats.  A good option if you're looking for a longer-lasting option and aren't married to a matte finish. 
Value=5, Brush=+1, Opacity=+1, Longevity=+.5. Overall score: 7.5/10.
 

In yellow: Cutie Bear Precise Liquid Eyeliner. This has the same firm felt tip as the Amuse liner above, but with a slightly shorter profile and longer, tapered handle. This also doesn't dry down to matte, and has about half the product (.14 oz) of the Amuse liner. A little bit more fragrant than the first product, but still a nice sweet scent.  A nice, cute option for your vanity, but not especially long-lasting, and not matte. 
Value=5, Brush=+1, Opacity=+.5. Overall score: 6.5/10.

In sepia: Starry Intense Black Waterproof Eyeliner. Same firm felt liner as the first two and with a tapered handle similar to the Cutie Bear liner, but with double the product (.2 oz). Actually dries down to matte, but didn't hang in there quite as long as the others. It has a very slight chemical scent with a hint of something like... bergamot? I've been sniffing these pretty hard, please don't mind me. 😁 I much prefer matte to long-lasting (if I have to choose), so I'm putting my money on this one. 
Value=5, Brush=+1, Opacity=+1, Finish=+1. Overall score: 8/10






$1 each at www.ShopMissA.com




Have you tried these?  What do you think of them?

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.  :)