NYC Single Eyeshadows! Love these!

Basic Instinct (Left) and Luxury Reborn (Right) from NYC

Some Background:
NYC (stands for New York Color) Cosmetics are available in most drugstores (Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc.) and usually run from $1-$8, about the same as e.l.f. and Wet'N'Wild products. I've always used their eyeliner pencils and I get great results with those so I thought I'd give their eyeshadows a try! I bought "Luxury Reborn" which is a rich, chocolate brown and "Basic Instinct" which is a white shade with brown undertones.

The Product:
I believe these are officially called "City Mono Eyeshadows." For some reason they are very hard to find online, but I'll post the link I found below (I think it's from the UK....) and you can check out the colors. There are several colors in store but the only ones listed online are very neutral shades with one vibrant purple. 

Basic Instinct (Left) and Luxury Reborn (Right) from NYC

How It's Supposed to Work:
It's an eyeshadow---I don't know how much I need to say here. Their website says they are "silky, long-lasting, ultra-vibrant shades stay flawless for hours and hours." I translate this to mean they are smooth instead of chalky, highly pigmented with great staying power.

How It Really Works:
I was pleasantly surprised with these! I don't think I was expecting them to be awful but they are way better than my expectations. They really are silky smooth and not chalky at all. They go on nicely and have great pigmentation! Obviously applying them over an eye primer will increase the color even more, but they are pretty good on their own too. The colors I bought have a light shimmer, but not crazy glitter. It gives your eyeshadow a sparkle without having chunks of glitter so they work great for everyday looks. I use mine for my everyday neutral look and I find that they last me the whole day! When I use a good eye primer they don't crease and these have little to no fallout!

Swatches without flash. Basic Instinct (Bottom) and Luxury Reborn (Top)

Swatches with flash. Basic Instinct (Bottom) and Luxury Reborn (Top)

The Bottom Line--Price:
These run for about $2 to $3! Also, NYC goes on sale from time to time so you may be able to find them even cheaper! You get 2.2g of product which is a pretty large amount. The shadows have great pigmentation and stay on all day. On the info bar of my YouTube review (linked below) I compare it to getting only 1.5g of eyeshadow for $15 from MAC. I only bought two, but I'm seriously considering going back for more! It's a great deal on a wonderful product!

Other Info:
Let me know which colors you've used and what you thought of these eyeshadows!
My YouTube Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWpH_wvGyqQ
NYC Website: http://newyorkcolor.com/
Page for this product (which is strangely European....): http://newyorkcolor.com/en-GB/products/eyes/eyeshadow/city-mono-eye-shadows

I made the leap to YouTube!

Yes, you heard correctly! I finally made the jump to making YouTube videos! I will still be posting on here regularly with reviews and swatches, but now I have videos to match!

I just uploaded my first video and it is my review of elf's Tone Correcting Powder. It is similar to the review I posted on here but there are some swatches and a couple of more comments and ideas since I posted.

Check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J97STrTJryM

I hope you like it! Let me know what you think! Request videos and product reviews!

They're Here! Monster Bundle Blenders Unboxing!

I finally got my Monster Bundle Blenders! I'm so excited to start using these! I ordered these from Amazon and the set comes with four blenders; two in the egg shape and two in a more hourglass/curved shape. You wet the sponge and use it to apply liquid makeup, and I've seen posts about applying different types of makeup as well.

The packaging is good-each sponge has it's own compartment. The sponges themselves are very cute and brightly colored! When I first took them out of the box, they felt a little stiff but after wetting one of them the difference was incredible. 

Dry sponge on the left. Wet sponge on the right.

The sponge doubled in size when wet and softened up a lot! I used the purple one to apply my foundation and I am very pleased with the results! I got a nice, even coverage and the product felt great on my face. I didn't feel like any product was wasted because it sits on the top of the sponge instead of soaking in. 

So far these are great! I'll try them out for a little while and hopefully do a review soon!

Other:
I ordered these from Amazon and the set cost $10.99, which comes out to less than $3 a sponge. The Beauty Blender from Sephora costs over $20!
Amazon website: www.amazon.com
Page for this product: http://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Monster-Flawless-Blender-Foundation/dp/B0092SVTGA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361295321&sr=8-1&keywords=monster+bundle+sponges

It's Official--I'm an elf Addict!

I love elf products! Obviously. That may explain why I just placed an order! This is only my second order to place with them, everything else I own, I picked up from Target. I spent under $50 and got a ton of stuff I've been needing. I'm pretty bad about putting things off so I usually go without a product for a long time until I just get a bunch of stuff at once. Don't think I place orders like this all the time! This is only my second order in two years! Their stuff really lasts and is good quality! (Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by elf. Although, free products would be nice!)

Here's what I ordered:

• Eyes Products
• Essential Custom Compact
• Eyes Pan in Aubergine
• Eyes Pan in Wheat
• Eyes Pan in Moondust
• Eyes Pan in Ivory
• Studio Cream Eyeshadow in Bronzed
• 5-Piece Duo Eyeshadow Collection in Night
• Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Black
• Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Plum
• Essentials Eyelid Primer in Pearl
• Face Products
• Cover Everything Concealer in Corrective Yellow
• Cover Everything Concealer in Light
• Contouring Blush and Bronzer in St. Lucia
• Lip Products
• Studio Lip Exfoliator
• Lip Stain in Pink Petal
• Essentials Lipstick in Sociable
• Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Summer Nights
• Nails Products
• 3-Piece Nail Polish Set in Glam Bam (This includes a deep purple/maroon color, a light nude peach, and a gold glitter polish)
• Brushes (All from the Essentials line except the Stipple & Kabuki brushes)
• Blending Eye
• Eye Crease
• Eye Shadow
• Eyeliner
• Smudge Eye Sponge
• Lip Defining
• Studio Stipple Brush
• Gem Kabuki brush in Blue

This is a total of 26 products. When you take things out of the sets and count the individual pieces it is 32 products. I currently only own a few elf brushes so I want to try these out. I've also never tried their nail polishes so it will be interesting to see how these work out!
I'm so excited to get these in and do some reviews, especially on their newer stuff! Hopefully there will be an unboxing post soon!

Other:
EyesLipsFace Website: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/   
(Like you need me to give it to you again....)

The Lazy Person's Best Friend: elf Daily Brush Cleaner

We all know we should disinfect our makeup brushes everyday and give them a good scrub at least once a week, even more depending on usage. But do we really? If you're like me, you tend to forget every now and then or you remember and just don't feel like it. Do I let my brushes get nasty and out of control? Absolutely not, I don't want the breakouts, but sometimes it's a hassle to wash and dry all of your brushes. That's where elf comes in to save the day!
EyesLipsFace sells a Daily Brush Cleaner. It's super simple to use and very low maintenance! 

elf Daily Brush Cleaner (Sorry about the glare/pink line)

How to Use:
Spray your brush(es) several times and cover all of the bristles. Wipe on a clean towel or paper towel to remove leftover makeup. Leave to dry.

Pros:
Like I said, this is a really simple process and fairly foolproof. I've found it's best to spray multiple brushes at once so you don't waste the product. I usually spray my blush and powder brush at once and then my eyeshadow brushes together. This is easy to do at night when I'm getting ready for bed. I just spray the brushes, wipe them off, and they're nice and clean in the morning! It takes about 2 minutes and all you need is one product and a paper towel. It's pretty successful at getting the product off of your brush and disinfecting it for the next use.

Cons:
This product contains alcohol--it's the second ingredient, so make sure the brush is completely dry before you use it again. If it's still wet, you will get alcohol on your face which isn't good for your skin especially if you have acne or other blemishes. Also, I haven't had this product for long and I'm already halfway through the bottle. You run through it pretty fast because you have to spray it several times to completely cover the brushes.

The Bottom Line---Price:
I picked mine up at Target for $3. You get 2.02 fl oz/60 mL of product, which is a pretty good amount. The price is great for what you get and how effective the product is. Even if I run through it quickly, it doesn't cost that much to replace. Also, it is available in Target stores so you don't have to pay shipping and wait to receive it every time you run out. I would definitely recommend this product if you're looking for a simple, no hassle, brush cleaner!

Other:
I'm still waiting on my Amazon order with my blender sponges! They arrived at my post office on Saturday and are just sitting there because of the weekend and the holiday! Hopefully I'll get them tomorrow!
EyesLipsFace Website:http://www.eyeslipsface.com/
Page for this product: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/brushes/brush-accessories/daily_brush_cleaner

Unboxing! elf Powder Brush!

When I ordered my "beauty blenders" I also ordered the elf Powder Brush! It got here in 3 days from a private seller while I'm still waiting on the shipment from Amazon! I ordered from "GeeGolly" and I will link their seller page at the bottom.

Here's how the brush came packaged:

The brush was completely intact, very clean, and brand new! I was very happy with the shipping and packaging.

Overview of the brush

I haven't used this brush yet, but when I took it out of the packaging it started shedding! Hopefully, it will stop!
The brush is very soft and dense. It's a nice size and shape, and I think it will be easy to use....as long as it doesn't shed all over my face! 

Top of the brush

I'll use the brush for a while and let you know what I think! I've seen a lot of videos on different ways to use this brush, not just for powder. I'll try a few out and do a review on how those work! Let me know if you've used this brush and how!

Other Info:
"GeeGolly" Amazon Seller Page: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main?ie=UTF8&asin=&isAmazonFulfilled=0&isCBA=&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&orderID=109-2056063-4495408&seller=A3BNKUDUA7KAI2

Quick Tip: What Have I Been Doing All My Life?!

Maybe it's because I'm excited about ordering my blender sponges, but I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos on sponges. The recurring theme is WET YOUR SPONGE! I can't believe I've never thought of that before! 
Even if you're using the triangle or circle sponges this works wonders. I'm still waiting for my faux "Beauty Blenders" to come in so I've been trying this with a regular white triangle sponge, and the difference is VERY noticeable! This will give you a more dewy look--it's not that dramatic, but be warned if you hate a dewy makeup finish.
When wet, the sponge doubles in size and has a softer feel, making it easier to apply things like liquid foundation or concealer. 
When I get my blender sponges, I may do a comparison of those versus the traditional triangle sponges, so stay tuned!

Triangle Sponges

Instructions:
Run the sponge under water-about room temp.
Squeeze as you wet it.
Take it out of the water and squeeze it until it's not dripping water.
Squeeze it one final time in a paper towel or hand cloth. 
You want the sponge to be damp, not soaked.
Use this to apply liquid and cream makeup! It's amazing and prevents that "cakey" look that liquids and creams often give!
To clean, just rinse the sponge again until the water runs clear. Using this method you can reuse your sponge more times than before! You're saving product by getting a more even coverage and you're saving money by not having to throw out sponges all the time!

Hope this helps! Let me know your beauty tips!