Mini ELF Review!

Hey guys, the other day I went to Target and I picked up a couple items from ELF cosmetics. So I thought I'd do a little review for you!

First we have the ELF flat topped Powder Brush. This is a second of these brushes I've purchased, and my previous one lasted a while before it met it's demise. (Wet paint) This brush is advertised as a powder brush, but I actually love this for blending in cream and liquid foundations. I generally put a bit of foundation on my face, and then use this to buff it in to the skin. It gives a great finish, and gives you a lot of control with the product. This has been my preferred foundation application technique for awhile, and definitely recommend you give it a shot.

Sorry, other brush is dirty. XD

Next we have the small stippling brush. I already have the regular size stippling brush from ELF, and while it's good for applying cream brush lightly, it's not my favorite. The regular stippling brush is very loose and sort of flimsy, so I was pleased to see that the small stippling brush is much denser. I love using this for cream highlighter, its the perfect size for on top of your cheek bones.

And finally we have ELF Studio Makeup Remover Wipes. I hadn't tried these before, but I thought for three dollars, it was worth a shot. These did not disappoint. They take off makeup effectively (including eye makeup), don't dry out the skin, and don't have an annoying scent. I don't believe in spending good money on makeup wipes, so these were a good find.

Have you guys tried any of ELF's products? Let me know in the comments below!

NYX Lip Pencils

Hey guys, sorry I've been so MIA lately. In fact the whole month of November's gone by without a peep from my end. I suck, sorry. But anyway, back today with a review and swatches of some of NYX's slim lip pencils. I love NYX they're such a great affordable brand, these lip liners are under $4 USD. Before I start this review I have a confession: of my numerous lip products I hardly have any lip liners. Previously I only really used lipliners for a red lip. But I've been meaning to expand my collection, and here we are.

I got four colors, two light shades and two deep. I chose Nude Pink, Peek a Boo Natural, Plum, and Prune. Sorry for the photo quality btw, getting good pictures of my lips is really hard. As for the formula, these meet most of my criteria. These are soft but not slippery, the color payoff is great, and they definitely help lipstick to stay in place. However unlike my MAC lip pencils these will not last through a meal, which might be a problem for some people. For me... it's not a huge deal. Anyway let's move on to the colors!

L: Bare Lips R: Nude Pink. I think this is a super wareable shade on many skin tones. Its a slightly warm light pink. It has enough color to not have that 'dead' nude lip look while staying neutral and light. This is about half a shade lighter than my natural lip color. I definitely see myself reaching for this color when I'm doing a darker eye look.

L: Bare Lips R: Peek a Boo Natural. This shade is darker than Nude pink. This one is about half a shade darker then my natural lip. It leans a little brown, I think it wouldn't be the most flattering shade on cooler complexions. On me it's a good MLBB type shade, and is quite similar to one of my favorite neutral lipsticks MAC Mocha.

L: Bare Lips R: Plum. Now we're getting deeper! This is more a plum/berry in my opinion. It's pretty balanced between red a purple tones. I think is sort of classic deep berry that's great for winter, must have for me.

L: Bare Lips R: Prune. Prune is the darkest shade in this bunch. NYX describes it as a violet-plum, which I find pretty accurate. It's definitely purple and not a berry. It's quite cool toned, but has enough red in it to make it still very wearable. I'm in lurveeee with this shade, it's delightfully vampy without pulling too goth or vampy on me. I've been pairing it with Illamasqua Hermetic Intense lipgloss (a dark bronze burgundy) and it's stunning. The perfect dark statement lip.


I'm really enjoying all of these, NYX has done it again! You can get these online or at Ulta for $3.50USD

What do you think? Let me know in the comments or on twitter @SpiceDropBlog!

Review: Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain

So I have a review for you guys today one of Jordana's relatively new products, the Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain. I got it in the shade Cranberry Crush. I picked this up at Walgreens for just few dollars, and as per usual with Jordana it turned out to be surprisingly great! Lets go check it out!

The product goes on glossy and smooth with quite a lot of pigmentation for this type of product! The color is a super pretty raspberry, that I think would look pretty on many different skintones. After the glossy finish fades, you're left with a cute matte stain. Yes this actually is a stain! Not just a tinted lip balm. In fact while this product goes on smooth and doesn't dry out my lips, I don't find it to be that moisturizing. A little goes a long way, but something I should mention, start in the center of your lips with this stuff, then move it out a little. Otherwise it can look a tad lip line-y. It doesn't have any taste, but it has a yummy fruit smell that reminds me of my Plum Korres Lip Butter.

Lets talk about packaging! It comes presharpened in a plastic twist up tube. The the tube and the cap feel pretty substantial, so I'm not overly concerned about it cracking (I'm lookin at you NYX Jumbo Pencils!) and the twist up works well. It doesn't stick or go up too fast, and yes it does allow you to twist back down. With 0.095 oz of product, it doesn't come with a lot, but considering the amount you need and price, it doesn't bother me.

Jordana Twist & Shine Pencils retail for $2.99 USD at Walgreens. You can also find them online pretty easily.

What do you guys think? Tell me in the comments below!

Review: September '13 Ipsy!

Yay Ipsy! The beginning of every month has gotten a little more exciting since I started getting this service. It's a monthly subscription service that sends you a few (usually 5) full size or deluxe sample sized personalized products every month. the theme this month was Classic Beauty, as usual I've got a quick review for you guys and a look with the products.

 So first we have Cailyn 'Tinted Lip Balm'. Alright first things first, this in no sense a tinted lip balm. What it is, is a very pigmented near matte red lipstick. I love the packaging! It comes with a little brush that pops out of the top.

Nest is a Single Eyeshadow from Nyx in Charcoal. I love NYX, and I'm always happy to get stuff from them. This is no exception! This shadow is smooth, easy to blend, and has great pigmentation. I used it on my lids, with greater concentration in the outer corners. Very pretty.

Elizabeth Mott It's So Big! Mascara. Can we all take a to snicker about the name like middle schoolers? Good? Okay. I liked this mascara fairly well. It's volume and length are reasonable if not spectacular, but it separates super well!

Starlooks Kohl Eye Pencil in Obsidian. At first I wasn't thrilled, I already have a lot of black pencil liners. But this one is actually pretty nice! It's very black, creamy, and doesn't transfer. I used this in my waterline, and smudged along was lash line and outer V with a pencil brush. I also put the the extra product on the brush under my eyes a bit.

And finally Freeman Beauty Facial Paper masks. I got sent three to try: Purifying Star Fruit, Brighting Rose, and Hydrating Blue Agave. I tried out the starfruit one, it was only okay. The scent was really strong and fake which I didn't enjoy. I'll be trying the rose one soon, I hope I like it I've always been interested in paper masks!

So thats it for this months Ipsy Bag! You can get it for $10 USD per month here. What you think? Let me know in the comments! :)

My Top 10 Skincare Products!

Hey guys I have a fun (and hopefully helpful) post for you guys today! I've complied a list of my absolute favorite products for my skin. Just some quick info about my skin first so you get an idea of why these work for me, and if they'll work for you. I have oily/acne prone skin with no real wrinkles. I'd say I was a pretty average sensitivity level, I will mention if I think something would bother sensitive skin. These are in no particular order, I thought numbering them would be pointless because they all have different uses. Also all of these are tried and true products for me, not new faves. I've had time to judge my skins reaction properly  Alright let's see 'em!

1.) Lush Ocean Salt Scrub. This is hands down my favorite hard core exfoliant! This scrub has sea salt (duh) to get rid of dead skin and dirt while avocado, lime, and seaweed soften and clear your skin. I generally have some results after just one use. This is a great weekly scrub and fantastic right before a purifying mask. Big big fan! $21.95 USD for 4.2 oz at Lush.

2.) Yesto Tomatoes Daily Balancing Moisturizer. This was a toss up between this product and Lush Vanishing Cream my other favorite. (I chose this one because they work the same on me and this one is less expensive!) This moisturizer is made to keep sebum in check to help oily skin stay healthy instead of greasy. This moisturizer is high in skin boosting antioxidants like tomatoes, and red tea which is great. My skin much smoother and healthier when I use this, but there are a couple other nice things about this product that are more cosmetic. First, it has a pump! Pumps are always the preferred, because they stay sanitary. This is key when you have acne prone skin! Also the yes to tomatoes line has the most amazing scent (expect for the scrub) it smells a little like vanilla spice cake to me. I love it! $14.99 USD Yes to Carrots.

3.) Boots Expert Anti-Blemish Cleansing Foam. I've been using this cleanser for awhile, and I really like it. It's very gentle and fragrance free but takes my makeup off and helps prevent acne with the help of willow bark extract. This one I would definitely recommend for people with sensitive skin. This also works great with my clarisonic, which I'll be mentioning in a little bit. $5.69 USD from Boots

4.) Best Face Forward Daily Foaming Cleanser by Formula 10.0.6. Okay so this cleanser is not for sensitive skin. In fact I need to moisturize after using this stuff. However it is a very effective acne cleanser, for a low cost. The passionfruit green tea scent is really nice too! From Formula 10.0.6 buy for $5.99 USD from walgreens.

5.) The Clarisonic Mia. So this is a tool rather than a product, but I needed to include this on the list! This product has definitely improved my skin, and makes my breakouts heal faster. However my favorite part is that it takes ALL my makeup off. I can put my makeup on at six in the morning, and when I take my makeup off at eleven at night and the brush will be orange with product. It's amazing, but I'm not going to oversell this product. Its a great tool, but it's not life changing super product like a lot of people say it is. So if you're broke, this might not be worth it for you. $125 USD from Clarisonic. 

6.) Lush Fresh Face Masks. I couldn't choose just one! I love lush's fresh face masks, and the good news is that they have one to suit every skin type. My favorite is Cupcake, it controls oil and smells AMAZING. Like chocolate, vanilla, and mint. But I also really like Cosmetic Warrior which is fantastic for controlling acne. There are several others I like too. $6.95 at Lush stores (N/A online)

7.) Lush Dark Angels Scrub. This charcoal scrub is straight up addictive! Dark angels is a much gentler scrub. I use it 2-3 times a week, and I used to use it daily. It makes your skin super soft and the smell becomes an addiction. $12.95 USD for 3.5 oz at Lush.

8.) Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. Okay fellow acne sufferers, this is the hands down the best spot treatment I've ever used. It's a calamine based over night treatment, you dip a clean cotton swab into the pink sediment at the bottom of the bottle, and dad it over your zit. You go to sleep and it reduces or removes the zit. It is the best, no joke. The bottle is small, but it'll last you years. $17.00 USD for 1 oz from Mario Badescu. (P.S if you're at Ulta or at the counter get it in the plastic bottle, trust me.)

9.) Mario Badescu Silver Powder. This powder mask is great for blackheads, and excess oil. Its a little tricky to apply, and leaves a white cast so its definitely a night time mask. This also will last you forever. I've had the same tub for two years and am only half way through it. $12.00 USD for 1 oz from Mario Badescu. 

10.) Finally, I know some of you guys don't have the patience for a whole face routine. While I definitely encourage you to slowly build up a regime, I have the perfect product for you. Formula 10.0.6 Keep Me Clean Wipes. They remove makeup and help fight acne. $5.99 USD at Walgreens.

I hope you liked the post! What are your skincare favorites? Let me know in the comments!

Review: Rocks Box

Okay so I'm big on beauty subscription services. I mean ipsy practically keeps me alive while I'm broke. So when I heard about Rocks Box, my interest was piqued. It's a jewelry rental subscription where you fill out a survey and they send you a box with three items of jewelry. Don't like the the items? Send the box back as many times as you like for one monthly fee. Love the item so much you can't part with it? You can buy them for a discounted price. Otherwise you have 60 days to wear it and send it back. I really liked my first box, so I want to share it with you!

 

So it comes on this super cute box

And then your jewelry is inside!

Loot!

So the first piece is a pair of dangly earrings with colorful 'gem' stones. I've gotta say, at first I wasn't sure if these were really me. But I've been rocking them with some really bright pink lipstick and loving it! 

They we have a taupe and gold bangle bracelet. I don't think this is that interesting, but it is very cute regardless. I think this would be cute layered with some other bracelets. 

Finally we have this awesome necklace! This is dead on for what I like. I love that boho/sexy gypsy style of necklace, and have been wearing this all the time.

I think this program is a really fun idea. I really like the concept, and the product they sent me. I love all the new subscription services that are popping up these days, and I definitely recommend trying this one out!

It's $20 dollars per month or less monthly per year, at RocksBox.

Interested? Let me know in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

Review: Conair Infiniti Curl Secret Pro!

Hey guys I have a super exciting review for you today.  I got to test out the new Conair Infiniti curl secret pro hair curler. It uses some crazy new technology like something out of the Jetsons. So if you're interested in some space age hair tech, keep reading!

The coolest part of this curling iron is clearly how it works. You simply place the hair into the shaft and it's scoops it up it's really hard to explain said actually taking a short video to show you guys. (I know it's my first video, crazy!)

It's amazing I was so freaked out even though I've seen the commercial. It has several different settings he can control the heat of the curl which in turn control how tight the curl is. The video is of my sister because she has much shorter hair than I do, so it's a lot easier to show you that. But here's some pictures of my hair before and after curling.

I didn't on the highest setting beginning nice long tendrils however due to the length of my hair. It's around 26 inches. I wasn't able to get it all into the shaft. I tried but it malfunctioned and made it really hard to pull my hair out. It was kind of a nightmare, so beware of that if you long hair.  I figure the way around this was to start in the center of making so the entire length of the hair wasn't curled however it gave the ends of my hair a very nice curl. This is just one of the realities of having long hair. 

This curler takes a little getting used to but after you do it's really easy to use. Every kernel is going just be exactly the same and perfect which if you're bad a curling your hair perfectly or if you wish to get rid of those 'creases' this might be a huge plus for you. It's also super fast you do it in fairly small sections at a time sure (1 inch) however every single section, even at the highest setting, only takes 12 seconds. Granted I have fine hair but I was able to curl my entire head in about 10 minutes. 

Alright now on to the cons, and this has a few. Besides the length problem which I already told you, this curler have a few if it's own kinks it needs to sort out. My biggest issue with it is I felt that my curls felt really fast. My hair isn't  prone to curling easily. But over the years I found lots of methods to make it work. The right hairspray and having ceramic curler are the solution. And don't get me wrong I love Conair ceramic curling irons I have two of them use 'em all the time,weekly basis, big fan. So I really don't know what caused the issue. Just make sure it wasn't just me I did tester it on my sister. I found that she pretty much the same results as I even with a different length. It's possible it could be my hair take however fine here is not the hardest kind of hair to curl.

All and all I think this is a super cool hair tool, with crazy new technology. I think this would be great at parties, and that's it's super easy to use for perfect curls every time. Will it become part of my everyday hair routine? Nah, I'm sticking with my Conair You Curl for that. But this is a very fun product.

The Conair Curl Infiniti Curl Secret Pro retails for $99.00 USD and is for sure available at Ulta and online at http://www.curlsecret.com/.

Intrigued? Let me know in the comments, I love hearing from you guys!

August 13 Ipsy Glam Bag

Hello there! Today I'm gonna review the August 2013 Ipsy Glam Bag. I haven't done these reviews in a while, even though I've continued to get the service. But this month was so much fun that I wanted to give them a shout out! Lets go and see!

In this months bag I got a Michael Todd true organics jojoba and charcoal facial scrub (deluxe), an Urban Decay mini revolution lipstick in anarchy, a Pixi beauty lash booster mascara (deluxe size), a Mica beauty cosmetics bronze loose eyeshadow (full size), and a Nailtini nail polish in Mai Tai (full size). Ermahgerd. 

I did this quick look with the makeup items in this bag! :3

Let's start out with the Michael Todd True organics. I'm a big fan of charcoal scrubs in general and was really excited to try a Michael Todd product. I've heard nothing but good things, and this one is no exception. I love the lush dark angels charcoal scrub but this one is different in many ways. It comes out in a dark smooth paste with small particles for scrubbing. I think this product would be perfect for sensitive skin because it's a scrub, but it's not very abrasive. After using this product my face felt really smooth and moisturized but not oily at all. Also it smells fantastic! I always love the smell of charcoal scrubs they have a very earthy pretty sent.

Next up the urban decay revolution lipstick. Can we start by talking about how adorable the packaging is? It's so tiny! But not in a bad way. For a deluxe sample it contains quite a bit of lipstick and I think will last me a while. Also the shade, anarchy, is gorgeous. It's a hot pink that's super super bright, I'm in love! The formula is fantastic. It's creamy goes on smoothly and lasts very well.

Alrighty so on to the pixi lash booster mascara. This is the only product I wasn't wowed by in this bag. It's very natural looking mascara, that doesn't clump on the lashes which is nice. Also because this is a deluxe size the brush is really small so it's good for getting bottom lashes. A very comparable, but much cheaper mascara is the Maybelline Full n Soft mascara. It's one of my go to mascaras I'm tired because there's absolutely no way you can mess it up. It also leaves your lashes soft so you can always apply more later today if they need a little bit of a perk up. However the Full n Soft mascara doesn't smudge nearly as much as this (maybe because I use waterproof) so overall Pixi fell a little flat for me. 

On to the Mica beauty cosmetics loose eyeshadow in Bronze. This color I reminded me a lot of Mac woodwinked eyeshadow. When I compare them I noticed some differences. MAC woodwinked is darker bronze with strong gold shift.  Mica Bronze a lighter more coppery bronze with more red undertones. Also the Mica is more of a straight up metallic, where as the MAC is almost a duochrome. I really really like how metallic it is, even dry. (In fact it's actually better dry)

Lastly Nailtini Polish in Mai Tai. Ohhh I really like this nail polish! It's reddish true coral cream, with a fantastic formula! It was almost a one coater, but I added a second just in case. Excellent shade, and great for the summer-fall transition. (Not the color on my nails in the picture!)

And the bag this month was adorbs! It's a warm purple with a cute gold school crest pattern.

Ipsy is a subscription service that is $10 a month you can sign up here: 

So what did you guys think? Any of you already subscribers? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: Sleek Pout Paints! Review and OCC Comparison

Hey there darlings! Sorry it's been awhile, my life has been crazy! (Mostly in good ways thankfully!) But that's not a very good excuse, now is it? Anyway today I'm reviewing a couple of of Sleek's Pout Paints, a much talked about dupe for OCC's famous lip tars. I'll review and compare them, as well as showing you some fun colors I've mixed together. This post is probably going to be pretty pic heavy!

So just some quick background info for those of you who don't know, Sleek Pout Paints are an intensely pigmented liquid lipsticks that are applied in small amounts with a lip brush or mixed with other colors create custom shades. Sound familiar? That's because these are a cheaper alternative to Obsessive-compulsive cosmetics Lip Tars. I've been a fan of OCC Lip Tars for years, however even with my pro discount they are considerably more expensive than Sleek's version. But how do they stack up?

The first shade I got is called cloud nine. It's a straight up cool white, to lighten other colors. I took this picture to show you the color, but I must admit it's very hard to work with. Part of that is the nature of the color lighter shades in any form of lipstick can tend to get chalky, and a pure white pigment is not really  meant to be used on its own. It is however very pigmented, and when I to mixed it with other colors it lightened them easily.

The other shade I got is called Peek-a-Bloo. It's a rich medium blue shade. It's not quite neutral it leans a little to the warm side, but not too noticeable. That shade was much easier to work with than the white overall. The consistency was better, and it was easier to form clean lines. Once I got over how weird the shade was it's actually very beautiful lipstick. 

Now onto the fun part! I mixed these two shades with some my OCC Lip Tars create different shades. (I own the black and red)

I made a really dark vampy plum to start out with, just for fun. I used two parts  red, to half a part black, and one part blue.

I was a little too goth for me so I made a really cute grape shade, using only a little more red then blue and a tiny bit of white.

I also wanted to experiment with lavender shades à la Lime Crime. This one was more blue than red and lots of white. I also mixed a little more blue in the center. 

And if weird purple shades don't  suit your, fancy you can also use these to create more normal colors. These kinds of products are great for reproducing lost lipstick shades that you miss. I made this super cute pink! 

Now I need is to get OCC's yellow shade and I'll have the primary colors as well as black and white. I should be able to create what ever shade I want at thay point. :D

Overall I do think OCC's Lip are higher quality than the Sleek Paint Pouts. However is price is more important to you, definitely give these a shot!