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Curiously Carmen

ELF Geometric Eyeshadow Book

December 11, 2014

I find that many ELF products are a hit and miss. At insanely cheap prices, I don’t blame them either. In high school, I bought their liquid liner and it reeked so bad of chemical smell that I threw it out. Sometimes, you’ll be able to find amazing, great quality products for under $5 (maybe even under $3!) but other times, you’ll find that the price you paid reflects the quality of the product. Last year, ELF was having a huge online sale and I went absolutely crazy. I can’t remember exactly what the sale was, but I think I only paid $20 for $45-65 worth of product. In fact, I bought so much that I didn’t even open some of the products until now. One of those products was the their 36 Piece Geometric Eyeshadow Book.
unnamed

Bear with the snowflakes, I’m sorry if you think it’s tacky but I love them! Once the holiday season is over, they will be gone so don’t worry :). Anyways, the packaging of this eyeshadow packaging is a bit flimsy, I wouldn’t carry this around openly in my bag. It would definitely be a product I leave at home because the book doesn’t have a clapse to close it. There is a magnetic piece to close, but I don’t think it would be that helpful in a purse with other items inside. It is also made out of a thicker cardboard material.
unnamed (1)Here are the colours of the palette. You can tell which ones are my favourite, and which ones I have yet to touch =P There are a total of 36 different shades, but some of the shades are a bit smaller in size. I love this palette because of how many champagne and shimmery gold shades there are! It also comes with a mirror which is a bit handy. It comes with the standard mini sponge brushes, which I haven’t used yet.

unnamed (2)Because I love golden/champagne tones so much, here is a close up on them! There are enough colours in here to create many looks! The colours on the palette were not edited, I just added some border effects. I found the colours to be pretty pigmented, and they were also very glittery and sparkly. The only thing I didn’t like was that there was a lot of fallout. I noticed after that my cheeks had a lot of sparkle on them after I applied this.
unnamed (3)

Anddd here is the finished look! 🙂 This look was my first time trying out this palette, and I was in a bit of a rush. Otherwise, I would have created a deeper smokey eye look!   For the price that I paid, the pigment was pretty rich and vivid! Personally, eyeshadow doesn’t last a long time on my eyelids so I have to use my Urban Decay primer potion beforehand. Because of this, I’m not sure how long it will last without primer.

I also used the Dollywink liquid liner (thinking of writing on this too!) Lancome Hynose Star marsacara, Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation, Bare Minerals matte powder foundation, and Makeup Forever lipstick. I wore this out for four hours at a holiday party and it did not smudge with my primer on. It came off easily with my makeup remover.

unnamed (4)

Last weekend, I decided to try it out again! I had a cold and wanted my eyes to seem brighter. This time, I used both the ELF palette and Naked 2 palette. Again, I was satisfied with the application and pigment, but there was a lot of fallout.

I would recommend ELF palettes to those who are just starting out with makeup, and are unsure if they would like to invest in an expensive eyeshadow palette. For under $10, it’s a decent palette with great shades, the eyeshadow looks are almost endless too with 36 different colours to choose from. The only annoying thing about it is the fall out.

Also, I mentioned above about the first ELF product I bought that reeked really badly of chemicals… it is the eyeliner here. The horror!

-Carmen


Filed Under: eyes, makeup Tagged: beautiful, beauty, beauty advice, beauty blogger, beauty community, beauty favourites, beauty guru, cheap makeup, ELF, eye makeup, eye routine, eyeshadow, eyeshadow palette, how to apply eyeshadow, makeup, makeup blogger, makeup looks, pretty, sale, sale makeup

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick

October 5, 2014

The beauty world has been abuzz with Too Faced’s Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick, which triples as a lipstick, lipgloss, and lipstain all in one. After reading and watching many reviews, I really wanted to find more info and try it out! Plus, I’ve been searching for a fall lipstick colour and I really loved the shades that Too Faced had on this line.

Unfortunately, this lipstick didn’t work out for me but I will give it a second chance. Really disappointing since I was almost in love with it- there was just a tiny problem that was driving me crazy!
unnamed (8)With tax, this tube came to $27 (Canadian) at Sephora when I bought it last week. Probably the most I have paid for a lip product, but I had really high hopes for this one and did not mind the investment! The packaging itself was pretty sturdy, it wasn’t flimsy at all.

I also loved how the packaging of each shade matched the box and tube, there are products out there where you are unable to tell unless you open it up. Since I was looking for a deep and rich shade for fall, I chose melted berry.
unnamed (9)Almost all the reviews I watched and read noted the different application tip, and I really do think it’s worth mentioning! This product features a soft velvet precision tip applicator, which felt very nice on my lip. Since the applicator has a fabric, velvety material on it, the lip product comes out slower as it absorbs through the material first.

There is a small hole in the center of the velvet applicator where the product comes out of, and then spreads out as you apply it on your lip. It reminded me of those mini sponge-y eyeshadow brushes  that are seen at the Sephora makeup testing stations, but thicker.

unnamed (12)

Funny story, when I first applied the product, I completely under estimated how much I would need. Seriously, a little goes a longggg way with this product, which is good considering it cost $27 🙂 I ended up accidentally smudging it all over my chin as I tried to get the excess off, except that it wouldn’t come off and ended up spreading even more!

That was a sign at how long lasting this product is, but it was definitely embarrassing as my boyfriend just stared confusingly at me and said “you have lipstick all over your chin….” Sigh… I finally ended up using makeup remover to get rid of it on my chin.

Anyways, I was in love with the shade at first glance and Too Faced lived up to its words, describing this lip product as “intensely saturated colour”. It was extremely vibrant, noticeable, and will definitely make your lips PoP! It glided really easy too, and the precision tip was very helpful for lining my lips.
I originally wasn’t planning on doing a before and after, but I remembered that I took pictures on my phone on the way to Sephora (I was not the one driving and we were stuck in traffic, also this was the second time I wore my coloured contacts so I wanted to see how they turned out in pictures okay, don’t judge me).

Side note, I did a review on these coloured contacts if you would like to read it! 🙂
Too-Faced-Melted-SwatcheslBUT THIS LIPSTICK IS PERFECT – SHADE, INTENSITY, LONG LASTING. WHAT COULD BE WRONG WITH IT? (Warning- mini angry rant ahead)

I applied this right after I purchased it. When I got back in the car, I noticed that I got some of it on my phone. I thought it was weird since I used makeup remover at Sephora on my chin and hands, but shrugged it off. I’ve read reviews that this has stayed on through drinking and eating, so I decided to eat dinner with this on and test it out.

Then, I noticed that it got on my utensils, which is fair. As I was happily munching on my noodles, I noticed a glop of the product in my noodle soup and on the noodles. It was pretty gross as I’ve never seen product fall off into a glop onto my noodles, and lost a bit of my appetite. I understand if it’s on your utensils and straws, but I’ve never experienced it in my actual food.

In addition, I had also bought some new novels, and was reading one of them as I ate. I noticed that there was lip stain smudge on my page… How did it get there?! My hands were definitely clean and wiped. (You can see it on the top right hand corner, and also on the first line, on “of my”)
unnamed (13)After eating, I went to the washroom, and noticed again that the product was on the toliet lid (Sorry for TMI). ?!?!?!How did it get there too?! I didn’t even touch the lid… At this point, I was getting a tiny bit annoyed as the lipstick had transferred to my phone, noodle soup, my book, and the toliet seat in less than 40 minutes.

THEN, after wiping off the seat, I went to the sink AND THE COLOUR WAS IN THE SINK TOO. I didn’t use the washroom sink prior to this, I’m not even remotely sure how the colour got there! At this point, I gave up and didn’t want this product on my face anymore (Well, not like it was staying on my face to begin with…).  I used a cotton pad to wipe it off, but it would not come off.

Frustrated, I ended up using makeup remover on my lip (well, that’s a first!) and of course, it smudged to my face and took a long time to scrub off. I decided that this product was not worth the hassle. I wouldn’t be as frustrated as I was, but I was 105% certain that my hands were free from any leftover product residue so I’m not sure what kind of lipstick-magic-wizard-sorcery was going on here. Also, why was it so easy to get everywhere but so hard to remove?! =( 
0777

Phew! So, in conclusion, the beautiful shades, precision, and vibrancy of this product is unarguable. So is the long lasting part, as I was having trouble wiping it off without makeup remover. I’m just not sure how it managed to get into my noodle soup in glops, on my novel, the toilet seat, and sink when my hands were 100% wiped and free of any residue. I’m also still technically a student (although I have an internship right now, that money is going straight to my student loans), and can’t justify paying $27 right now for such a confusingly messy product. I guess there’s always that one person who doesn’t have a great experience with it, unfortunately, that was moi 🙁 I’ll probably give this product a second chance before exchanging since everyone loves it.

Am I the only one with this problem? Have you tried this product out as well? 

Thanks for reading! Would love to hear back from you, leave me a comment! 🙂

-Carmen


Filed Under: lips, makeup Tagged: beauty, beauty advice, beauty blog, beauty community, beauty favourites, beauty guru, beauty product, disappointing, face, fotd, lipgloss, lips, lipstain, lipstick, makeup, makeup review, makeup routine, product, regret, sephora, too faced

Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara Review

September 8, 2014

The Lancome Hypnose Star mascara came with my Sephora glitz and glam makeup sampler kit last Christmas. To be honest, I haven’t really used it much until now because I have waaayy too many mascaras and I don’t normally wear mascara.

My lashes seem to have a problem with mascara, because no matter how popular, expensive, or fantastic a mascara is, my lashes just won’t behave! No matter the formula, they will almost always clump up and not lengthen or volumize like it’s supposed to.

On a rare occasion however, my lashes DO cooperate with me and my mascara looks wonderful! If you have any idea how to fix this, PLEASE let me know! I’ve tried switching multiple mascaras, trying different eyelash curlers, heating my eyelash curlers… etc. It’s just too much hassle to put on mascara daily when it fails 70% of the time. Anyways, I’ll let the picture of my lashes before and after speak for itself. Keep reading!
photo 3My love for this mascara came suddenly and unexpectedly. I was getting ready to go out, and mindlessly grabbed the first mascara that was within arms reach. To be honest, I had no idea where I got this mascara from until I searched it on the internet, and found out that it was featured in the Sephora glitz and glam set. Oops 🙂
photo 4The mascara wand features a cone tip, which I haven’t seen before. This tip made it easier to reach the shorter lashes.
lancomeThis was after two coats, I’ll let the picture speak for itself! I noticed that my eyelashes looked a lot longer, really well separated, and still natural! Amazing. Compared to the Benefit- They’re real! mascara, I would say they both have similar effects in that it makes your lashes look really natural and long.

I’ve tried to search online what ingredients are in this mascara, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere! Lancome seems to have different variations of their Hynose mascara, but this one was not listed on their site or on Sephora. I’ve come to realize that makeup sampler sets are really the way to go. It’s a lower cost way to discover many new products at once! Plus, they usually come in sample sizes so even if you don’t agree with the product, it’s a small size anyways. I also discovered the Too Faced 3 Way Lashlining Tool in this same bag too. Sephora normally sells their sample sets during the holiday season, so I definitely will be keeping my eyes peeled! It’s so exciting because the products in the sets change every year!
lancome 2Pros:

  • Really great at lengthening lashes
  • Does not clump
  • Cone tip makes it easy to reach the shorter lashes on the side
  • Ideal for dramatic makeup looks or a substitute for falsies (Yep, it’s that good)

Cons

  • Pricey compared to drug store products
  • This exact one is not waterproof, however other mascaras in that line may be

I wish I could tell you guys how much this retails for, but since I got it in a sample kit AND I can’t seem to find the same product online anywhere, I can’t 🙁 The other mascaras in the Hypnose line range from $30-35, so I assume it will be around there. The sample kit was $50, so you’re already getting a great deal. The Too Faced Lash Liner tool was already almost $30 too. See, more reason to purchase sample sets from Sephora! 😉

I hope you guys enjoyed this review and thanks so much for reading! What are your favourite mascaras?

-Carmen


Filed Under: eyes, makeup Tagged: beauty advice, beauty blog, beauty guru, beauty review, before and after, benefit, estee lauder, eyelashes, eyeliner, lancome, long eyelashes, makeup review, mascara, revlon, sephora, smashbox, too faced

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Hi and welcome to Curiously Carmen! I am Carmen, the girl behind the blog. You can read more about me here!

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