Beauty Bargain Review: ELF Mineral Infused Mascara

Hey beauties! I'm back with the second installment of "beauty bargain review" my review series on exactly that... bargain priced makeup! As of late I've kind of been on a mascara buying kick lately. I was getting slightly bored with my current mascaras, you know... when you just feel like mixing it up! So I started exploring the Makeup Alley website {which, if you don't know... is a makeup junkie's dream for reviews of products!} I searched mascaras that were top rated and I was surprised and immediately curious when I saw the e.l.f. Mineral Infused Mascara was one of the top drugstore options, with 80% of reviewers saying they would repurchase again. I thought for 3 dollars, it's gotta be worth a try!

The eyes, lips, face website describes this e.l.f. mineral infused mascara as: "The top rated Mineral Infused Mascara creates fuller, healthier looking lashes. Enhance lashes for a naturally thicker and more volumized look. The long-wear formula and unique silicone brush creates a clump free and defined application for gorgeous lashes all day." List of ingredients here if you're interested.

First Impressions: 
The brush is a rubberized, not your standard bristle-type brush. It has lots of little teeth for separating your lashes and to prevent clumps from forming. It is a pretty wet formula, those who prefer drier formulas, may not enjoy that. The tube opening is good at take away the extra product from the brush though, so there isn't too much mascara on the wand.

Application:

I thought I would start with a picture of my bare lashes, they are pretty short and hard to curl, definitely nothing to write home about!

Maximize to see details better!

The only "prep step" I did was curl my lashes with the amazing Lancome Eyelash Curler {I highly recommend this if you're looking for a good "upscale" eyelash curler}

1st coat: brush combs thoroughly through my lashes separating them, giving pretty good length and curl but not a lot of volume.
2nd coat: continues to length and gets some volume and curl, does a good job at not clumping {my eyelashes clump VERY easily!}
3rd coat: I probably could of done without the 3rd coat I got a few clumps, but for my lashes clumping as easily as they do, the clumping was VERY minimal and the length was pretty darn good. I doubt this mascara would clump at all on most people.

I found the lasting power to be perfectly fine, no flaking or running. I've worn it several times and had no problems.

The only thing I am slightly disappointed in is the lack of volume in this mascara, especially since elf advertises it as be voluminous. I've found if I use an eyelash primer before hand I can get a little more thickness out of my lashes, so that's a tip!

Value 5 out of 5 / Lasting Power: 4.5 out of 5 / Lengthening 4 out of 5 / Volume: 3 out of 5

I highly recommend checking out this mascara if you like in the market for any of the following: an inexpensive, lengthening, clump-free (pretty much), wetter formula, rubber brush mascara!

Thanks so much for reading ladies! If you have any additional questions about the mascara {or anything!} please comment below, until next time!

xo Leah

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Beauty Bargain Review: City Color Sunkissed trio

I spotted this beauty at a store called Five Below. {which is awesome, btw!} My hometown just got one so I stopped in to see what the fuss was all about and I must admit it's sooo right up my alley because I'm all about a bargain. Anyway, I've seen City Color products a various drugstores, but have never been too impressed with the looks of the product to purchase anything before. It was available in few other colors, but this trio in "bronzed peach", however, was calling my name. I'm obsessed with blush, especially anything peach or coral toned and for only 4 dollars... I can justify that!

Packaging:
This baby is huuuge, which could be a pro and a con depending on your lifestyle. Con: for travel Pro: for the amount of product you're getting! The compact itself is a little cheap and plasticy. That doesn't bother me though, it seems to be sturdy for the most part and that's whats important.

Compared to a Mac blush

Breakdown:
Sunkissed Trio in "Bronzed Peach" by City Color
Color: Bronzed Peach
Amount: 15.25 grams (compared to 6 grams for one mac blush)
And it is cruelty free! :)

Swatches:

maximize to see bigger & more detailed :)

The blush & highlighter come off slightly sheer, unless you really pack them on. The blush comes off almost completely matte and is sort of a cross between orange & peach. The bronzer is definitely the most pigmented of the group and is gorgeous! I'm not even big on bronzer, but this is so pretty and provides a great sheen without being chunky glitter. The glimmer is subtle enough that you could use the bronzer for contouring without looking too over done.

Performance:
Overall I believe this compact performs pretty great, especially for the price! I wore the trio to run some errands, then {for the true test} to the gym for a pretty sweaty workout and to my surprise the blush & bronzer seemed to last pretty well! The highlighter wasn't very noticeable towards the end, but I almost expected that. I am most disappointed with the highlight because it just has a top shimmery layer, after you get pass that it seems to be just a buttery shadow. But if you don't typically like shimmer this may be right up your alley. Overall performance I'd say is average/good depending how long your day is.

Rating:

Blush: 3.5 out of 5       /       Bronzer: 4 out of 5      /       Highlighter: 2 out of 5

If you're interested in purchasing this you can find it at your local Five Below OR it is also available on the City Color Website {for 2 dollars more} but I'd be willing to pay 6 dollars for it, on sheer size alone. ...my next challenge... not going back for the other colors! haha

Thanks so much for reading beauties! As always please subscribe, share and comment!

xo Leah

bronzer