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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For the love of lipstick!: Summer edition

Everyone girl knows the old saying "Can't leave the house without your lipstick" or has heard a women proclaim, "I feel naked without lipstick!" Either way, lipstick is like a woman's best friend. A little dose of awesome to slightly brighten your day. I don't know exactly what it is about those dainty little tubes but I do know they are so pretty and cute... and of course fun to collect! This brings me to Summer, even during summer when you have scaled back your fall and winter makeup routine, lipstick can be the perfect pick me up to dress up your look or just make you feel more put together!

I want to share with you guys lipsticks I love and reach for regularly and some decent shade ranges when it comes to color, and summer is a great season to do so! Let's get to it.

stay tuned for swatches (which show the real color more accurately!) :)

1. Rimmel lasting finish by Kate lipstick in color 109
2. Wet n' Wild matte lipstick in l 903c Just Peachy
3. ELF essential lipstick in 7710 Flirtatious
4. Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in 415 Pink in the afternoon
5. Rimmel lasting finish by Kate lipstick in 101

1. Rimmel's Kate # 109: I wanted to take an individual shot of this shade because it's showing up more red in most of the pictures and it really is a great hot, darken coral... I've never seen any lipstick like it, including anything high end.

this shows the color a lot more accurate!

If you are a coral/peach fan you have to have this lipstick in your life! It's a gorgeous matte finish but it isn't drying or uncomfortable on your lips and like I said I haven't seen anything like it before so it's definitely worth picking up! Cost: around 5 dollars

2. Wet n' Wild's Just Peachy:  This is a great, creamy light peach shade! It's amazingly pigmented and one of the only true peach shades I own! It's also a matte finish but if you're not a huge fan of matte lipsticks, you could always put a nude/coral gloss over it, that would be beautiful! Cost: 2.99

3. Elf's Flirtatious: This color reminds me of a "barbie doll pink" without being frosty (ew.) or too "bubble gum". Its a creamy vibrant, hot pink and it's PERFECT for summer! It's got a nice scent and great color pay off! Cost: 1 dollar (!!!)

4. Revlon's Pink in the afternoon: This is one of my all time favorite lip colors its the perfect blend between mauvey pink and vibrant pink, it meets in the middle to make a wearable, everyday pink for any season! It's very comfortable on the lips & pretty long wearing. So flattering color and I believe it would be great for most skin tones! Cost: $5-8 Find out more of my favorite Revlon lip colors & the cheapest place to buy them!

5. Rimmel's Kate in 101: This is my go to cool toned pink, it's also got a hint of mauve that makes it very wearable and not too light for my complexion (nudes and really light pinks tend to wash me out) This is a staple pink to have in your collection {it is also a suppose dupe for Mac's please me, score!}

If you're not completely sold, here are the swatches in natural light!

Hope you ladies in enjoyed this post! I hope I have inspired you to run out and get one or a few of these shades for the season! Please let me know in the comments below what your Summertime lipstick staples are? I'm always interested in buying more! haha

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

xo Leah

Perfect Mascara Combination: length and volume!

Are you in a mascara slump? Can't find one that does what it claims to do?  Believe me, I've been there and I believe I've finally found the perfect combination of 2 mascaras, that together (drum roll please...) give both length and volume, maintain curl AND doesn't clump. I know what you're thinking...AND yes, it is possible.

And I think I've got it down to a science.

The mascara lineup and their claims:

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara: L'oreal states:  "enhances your lashes with intense length and unique lash by lash separation. Precision Brush lengthens lashes up to 60%" (via. website) Cost: $ 8-10

breakdown: this mascara is a wetter formula (if you prefer a drier formula ...stick with me!), with a smaller comb-like brush. It is extremely good at lengthen but can fall short when it comes to holding a curl or creating volume, but it really does make your eyelashes a million miles long.

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara: L'oreal states: "soften and build lashes up to 5X their natural thickness, quickly thickens and builds lashes in a single application for a full and dramatic look." (via website) Cost: $ 5-7

breakdown: this is a drier formula (told yah, to stick with me) with your classic bristle-type brush [Dupe alert: also suppose to be a good cheaper alternative to Dior's Diorshow mascara] this brush is good at getting to the root of your lashes to create volume and hold curl. This is why...

TOGETHER they are the ultimate combination of awesome; even for my -mediocre at best- lashes!

Application: (attention: extreme close ups of my eyeball ahead! haha)

to start, my eye without any eye makeup on! As you can see, I have stumpy, barely there lashes!

Before applying mascara remember to CURL YOUR LASHES, this is will make a big difference in the way your lashes turn out!

1st step:

1st step: Applying voluminous and wiggling at the base of lashes!

Apply your first coat using the voluminous mascara, make sure to concentrate on slightly wiggling the brush at the base of the lashes then sweeping upwards, apply a generous coat. (maybe two if you like to apply a lot of coats of mascara, I ain't judgin')


2nd step:

2nd step: 1st coat of telescopic.

Wait until the first coat is tacky (or almost dry) then apply your first coat of the telescopic mascara, again slightly wiggling the brush through your lashes. Make sure to get the sparse hairs on the inner and outer corners of your lash line. This brush is very good at coating all your lashes, no matter how small.

results of 2nd step!

3rd step:

3rd step: applying telescopic again, focusing more on the tips my lashes.

Wait until your second coat is tacky or completely dry (if you find that works better for you) and apply the telescopic mascara again, focusing more on the ends or tips of your lashes. This will add even more length, almost like little false tips to your lashes... it's kind of crazy amazing haha

That's it! Not too hard or complicated, I know it may seem a little time consuming but it should only take a few minutes of your morning routine and it WILL make a difference, I promise!


Results!:

 

Thank you so much for reading beauties, I really hope you found this post helpful and will try this mascara combination for yourself! Please share, comment and subscribe! 

xo Leah

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara

L'Oreal Telescopic Intense Looking Lengthening Mascara