Elf Power Grip Primer Review

I love that I don't have to spend a lot of money to get great quality beauty products these days. Take Elf's Power Grip Primer for example, it works as well as any high-end primers that I've tested out.

I've been using it for over a week and it does a great job of keeping my makeup on. Even when I wear some of my inexpensive cream makeup products that usually wear off my face quite quickly, last all day when I use Elf's Power Grip Primer.

It comes in a sleek tube with a convenient pump dispenser. It goes on clear and I only need a little bit. I just apply a little to my cheeks, chin, and forehead. It fills in my pores and helps my makeup last all day. 

 

About:

• SKIN-SMOOTHING & GRIPPING PRIMER: Your makeup? It’s not going anywhere. Prep skin with this gel-based face primer that has the power to grip your makeup while giving skin a soft-focus effect for a smoother complexion.
• FOR ALL SKIN TYPES: Our Power Grip Primer's formula goes on clear and colorless, making it the ideal makeup application base for all skin types and skin tones.
• MOISTURIZES WHILE PRIMING: Infused with powerhouse ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid to retain moisture for a plump complexion, this makeup primer moisturizes, preps, and smoothes to perfection, improving the look and feel of your skin.
• HOW TO USE: Apply evenly to face before makeup using your fingertips to pat into skin. The warmth of your fingers will help the product melt into skin for even application. Allow 30 seconds to set before applying makeup.

I'm so happy that I got the opportunity to try this primer out. It works great at keeping my makeup on all day, it is so affordable, and I love the convenient tube with built-in pump. It is perfect for travel or to throw in your handbag with its sleek and minimal packaging. 

I've had no irritation or breakouts and I love that it is full of skin-loving ingredients like Hyaluronic acid plus Elf is a Cruelty-free brand. 🐰

Purchase Elf's Power Grip Primer in Canada $13 (Current price).

Purchase Elf's Power Grip Primer in USA $8 (Current price).

                                                            

Sample sent for review consideration. #trywithtopbox #elf #freeproduct

Some links are affiliate. Thank you for the support <3

Milani Berry Amore Baked Blush VS. Luminoso with Swatches!

Featured Product: 
Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore 3.5 g / prices vary (Usually under $10)

I recently picked up @milanicosmetics Baked Blush in Berry Amore. 🍓 It had been on my wishlist for a while but it wasn't the easiest to track down. 

I love the formula of Milani's baked blushes. They are smooth, not powdery at all and blend well. Although the shade Berry Amore appears pink with some brown, and gold shimmers in the pan, it swatches more peachy bronze. It's a very warm shade and I don't see the pink once it's swatched.

Berry Amore definitely gives my skin that healthy glow I was looking for, especially in certain lighting. 🌟 I also find that it gives my cheeks a bit of a lifted look. When I wear this shade, I forgo highlighter and bronzer.. It's kind of an all-in-one for me.

My favourite way to wear it (besides as a blush) is to add a bit of the blush above whatever eyeshadows I'm wearing with a fluffy blush to make the blush and eye look blend seamlessly. Try this if you haven't already, the look may surprise you!

Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore

Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore

Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore

If anyone was curious about how my new @milanicosmetics blush in Berry Amore compares to Milani's blush in Luminoso, I snapped a pic of them swatched side by side in natural light before the sun went down. Berry Amore is almost like a darker version of Luminoso. 😍  Both shades contain micro-glitter that can only be detected in certain lighting. 

I find that Berry Amore is a tad dark for my fair skin and therefore I must take the time to blend it before leaving the house or else I run the risk of looking like that crazy blush lady! Most days, I don't have the time to blend, I want to just slap something on and go. Although, the look once blended is quite gorgeous and side note: blending always makes makeup look better, whether it's face or eye makeup etc. I definitely need to take the time to blend more often! 

I think this shade is best suited to medium to darker skin tones unless you don't mind blending. If you have very fair skin, I'd recommend Luminoso.

I find that Berry Amore provides a beautiful colour + flush + healthy glow 🙆 

You can purchase Milani's Berry Amore here 

and Luminoso here.

Milani is #crueltyfree too! 🐰

This post is not sponsored. Contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support if you choose to use them.

New! ELF Beautifully Bare Liquid Highlighter Illuminating Dewy Drops

ELF Highlighting Dewy Drops in Illuminating

Featured Product: 
Elf Highlighting Dewy Drops/ 0.5 oz/ Retail approx. $6 

ELF Highlighting Dewy Drops in Illuminating

I was on a mission to find an affordable non-powder face highlighter, either cream or liquid that would be subtle but give me a dewy look without accentuating texture or dryness. I went with this new ELF product as it was just under $6.00

Looks beautiful swatched here on my arm.

ELF Highlighting Dewy Drops in Illuminating

At first, nothing but oil oozed out of the little squeeze tube. Once I got past the oil to the actual highlight, it was a pretty champagne colour that looked pretty universal. 

The swatch of the product looks beautiful once blended out. In some lighting, as shown in the photo below, it has some tiny glitter particles. You cannot feel the glitter at all, the product feels smooth to the touch. That's a plus!

Unfortunately, it swatches better than it performs on my face. And, that clear, greasy oil oozed out every time I went to use this product, not just the first time.

As far as face application is concerned, that's a whole other story. The issues that I encountered when using this product on my face was a lack of control in applying it; I tried my fingers, small brushes, cosmetic wedges, you name it. It always ended up in places where I didn't want it and I would have to spend time trying to clean up.

The other big issue for me was that it looked and felt greasy on my face and it wouldn't dry down. I wanted my face to have a glow, not look greasy! For some reason, the swatch on my arm dried down much more than on my face where it remained greasy looking and feeling.

A little goes a really long way with this product but I was still left greasy looking even with a small amount. 😢

In the lighting below, you can see the fine glitter particles, pretty!

ELF Highlighting Dewy Drops in Illuminating

Conclusion:
This product is not for me. The constant separation of the product where it would ooze out oil was a little annoying- How much product am I wasting!? The lack of control in applying this product and the greasy look and feel is the final deal-breakers for me. I have to pass on this product. Maybe this product will work for someone with a different skin type than mine, and someone who has the patience to work with this product.

I have ELF's Illuminating palette with the 4 powder highlights which I have reviewed here, and I highly recommend it! Now that's a 5-star product!!

Alas, my search for the perfect, affordable cream or liquid highlight continues. I think I will be better off with a cream highlight as I think it will give me more control. Stay tuned for an update, as I happened to find an affordable cream highlight at the store tonight which I will be testing out and reviewing very soon!

You can purchase this product here.

ELF is a cruelty-free and mostly vegan company!

Let me know if you've tried this product? Did it work for you?

*not sponsored. purchased by me. all opinions are mine. some links are affiliate.

Save or Splurge | Benefit Gimme Brow vs. Essence Make Me Brow 01 - Dupe!?

H & M Eyeshadows: Sahara Caravan (left), Candied Almond (right)

I popped into H & M to have a quick look at their makeup and these 2 eyeshadows caught my eye right away; Sahara Caravan & Candied Almond, They are so similar to each other and without trying them on my eyes it was really hard to decide which one to get. They are both mid-tone matte brown shades and they swatched so beautifully!

I was so impressed by the feel of these eyeshadows when I swatched the testers, I wanted to buy them all! They had a great selection of mattes, shimmers, and metallics.

I have been trying to be good about not purchasing things I don't need, so I actually left the store and decided to see if I had dupes at home (I left the swatches on my hand).

Once I got home, I pulled out all my eyeshadows to see if I had any dupes. I only found one shadow that was similar to the colour Sahara Caravan (shared in this post), but as I went through my makeup, I was so impressed with the quality of the H & M shadows that they made most of my eyeshadows seem like junk in comparison!

I find it difficult to find good quality matte shadows and these were the best I have come across, so it only made sense to go back to the store and get both!

I'm not sure why one eyeshadow package says "Infinite Impact" and the other says "High Impact." I'm guessing one is older packaging.

Sahara Caravan (left), Candied Almond (right)

Sahara Caravan

Candied Almond

In-Store Swatches (this photo only)

In-Store Swatches: Candied Almond (top), Sahara Caravan (bottom)

Natural Daylight Swatches, No Primer

Candied Almond (top), Sahara Caravan (bottom)

Candied Almond (top), Sahara Caravan (bottom)

Closest Dupe

Above: H & M Sahara Caravan on top, Wet n Wild Vanity (middle, left shade) on bottom

Closest Dupe (in my collection): 
I only found one similar shade in my collection. The middle, left shade in Wet n Wild's Vanity palette was similar to Sahara Caravan by H & M. I found nothing close to Candied Almond. As you can see, Wet n Wild is lighter, warmer, and tanner in colour. H & M's Sahara Caravan is darker and has more red tones in it. I personally like the colour and the formula of the H & M shadow better.

Description from H & M's website:

"A silky eye colour that blends easily for a vivid, velvety finish that applies easily and stays put. Available in a vast range of curated colours and eye-catching effects. From soft mattes to rich shimmers to bold metallics, the possibilities are endless. 2 g. How to use: Apply on your eyelid, blending as desired. Wear on top of eye primer for even more intense and long-lasting results."

My Thoughts: 
The packaging is pretty but it's plastic and feels rather cheap and there is no mirror. It's not a deal breaker for me as the product is fantastic. Both are super smooth and creamy formulas with excellent pigmentation. A little powdery as are most mattes, make sure to tap off your brush before applying. They blend well and are not patchy at all!

I guess because many are dry, many matte eyeshadows accentuate the wrinkles on my eyes, these do not! These are excellent for aging eyes like mine.

I know I'll be getting a ton of use out of these as they will go with anything! They look great as a single shadow look, as contour colours for the crease, and as transition colours with other eyeshadows.

I can do a quick single shadow look with either one of these blended into the crease and it looks classy and put together as if I put some work into my look. I also love a no-makeup-makeup look and these are great for that. I also love wearing the two of these together, with the darker right in the crease and the lighter one in the upper part of my crease.

These colours make the perfect contour shades for the eyes which can help reduce the appearance of hooded eyes by using these colours in the crease and creating a shadow.

I found the wear time good with very minimal fading by the end of the day. I do wear an eye base underneath as I always do and I didn't have any creasing. I have oily eyelids, so I find that I do have to put an eyeshadow on my eyelids as well or I will get oily.

Although it's wonderful that H & M has testers, I don't like that their makeup is final sale. Swatching colours on your hand is not the same as trying something on your face.

I would love it if H & M would sell these eyeshadows just in the pan and sell some little magnetic palettes to put them in. For those of us with Z-palettes, we could just use those.

I highly recommend these eyeshadows. I'm so impressed that I really want to try more products from their makeup line now.

Have you tried anything from their beauty line that you love? Please let me know in the comments.

These retail for $7.99 CAD each for 2 grams

New! Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette #review Hot or Not!?

One of Real Techniques latest products is this Brush Cleansing Palette. I've wanted it since it came out. It kept going out of stock when I was shopping online so I signed up for in stock notifications and stalked iHerb's website until it was back in stock and quickly placed an order for it.

I paid $14.99 USD + $2.33 shipping (but I ordered several other items at the same time so the shipping was negligible).

It claims that it cleans brushes 55% better with the palette and their gel cleanser vs. hand cleaning with water. Well, I have no way to measure that- but it sure does work well!

The cleansing palette came with 2 sample packs of their brush cleanser.

The palette is a nice size and measure approximately 6" x 3.5" x  1.5"

Info from iHerb's website: 

• Performance-grade silicone: Lightweight and ergonomically designed to fit comfortably over your hand
• Exclusive multi-textured surfaces: Designed to gently work between the bristles for enhanced deep cleansing

Suggested Use

• Small Brushes
• Medium Brushes
• Large Brushes

Step 1: Slip hand into the palette and squeeze a dime size amount of our brush cleansing gel onto the tool. Add warm water to the palette.
Step 2: Swirl brush into the gel and water across the various surfaces until the brush is clean. Rinse bristles thoroughly, being careful to not fully immerse the base of the bristles. Squeeze out the excess water.
Step 3: Rest your brushes across the surface of the tool to air dry, or use the panoramic case from our sets (sold separately) to dry brushes upside down.

Above, I have added the Real Techniques brush cleanser from the sample pack that came with it. It's clear and has a gel like consistency that is fairly thick compared to what I am used to. I normally use liquid Castile soap to clean my brushes which is much thinner and you need only a small amount.

Here, you can see the handy little strap that is built in for easy holding. It's very comfortable to hold. 

You can see the size in comparison to my hand, it's quite large. I think it's a perfect size for cleaning all sorts of makeup brushes.

The instructions say to add the cleanser and water to the dish. I prefer to add the cleanser to the dish and then wet the brush under the tap and begin swirling the brush into the cleanser and palette. Just a personal preference.

As you can see above, it really gets all the dirt out of my makeup brush. This was after cleaning just one brush. 

I rinse the palette after I clean each brush and add more cleanser for the next brush, and so on..

Squeaky clean brush after a nice bath in its new palette.

You can even use your palette to rest your brushes on top (as shown) and let them dry. But, as you can see it only holds 3 brushes here.

Here is the RT Brush Cleansing Palette in comparison to the little egg brush cleaner. 

I really feel that I don't even need the little egg brush cleaner anymore. The RT palette works much better. It's much easier to use and does a better job at getting my brushes clean.

Here's a short video of the palette in action. I had to use one hand to hold the camera and the other to hold the brush so I was only able to demo with an eyeshadow brush for the video, but you'll get the point.

I'm so glad that I got this palette. I give it 5 stars! It makes cleaning my brushes so much easier and my brushes are much cleaner. It's really worth the price as it's not something I feel I'll ever have to replace.

Because it makes cleaning my brushes so much easier, I'm certain that I'll end up cleaning my brushes more often. I can hear my skin thanking me now! lol

I probably wont purchase the Real Techniques brush cleanser as I use castile soap. It's cheap, does a great job, and will last for a very long time (you only need a small amount).

I purchased my palette here.

Have you tried this palette yet? Are you loving it as much as I am?

Ps. Come and join the blogger fun over at The Best of Blogosphere!

Ebay Beauty Sponge vs. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. Dupe or Dud?!

Hi everyone! You all know how I love a great deal and there's plenty to be found on eBay. I previously purchased some fabulous $1 makeup brushes from eBay that are supposed to be Mac dupes (linked here). So I figured why not give this sponge a shot. For only $2 with free shipping, I didn't have much to lose.

I'm sure many of you love a good bargain too, so today I wanted to compare this beauty sponge from eBay with the Real Techniques Complexion Sponge.  I had heard they were dupes. 

Let's find out

(above: eBay sponge)

Unfortunately, I no longer have my Real Techniques sponge, so I can't do a side by side comparison. But I can tell you that the eBay one is slightly larger in size.

Here is the Real Techniques Sponge (Stock photo)

Here is the ebay beauty sponge

Compared to my hand (sponge expanded with water here)

The foundation does stain both sponges and even with a good cleaning the stains are not fully removed.

Cost:

• ebay sponge: $2
• RT sponge: $6

Similarities: 

• Both sponges are the same colour and shape
• Both have a flat edge and a pointed tip on the other end
• Both sponges expand with water 
• Approximately the same size

This is where the similarities end.

Differences: 

1. The Real techniques sponge is much softer and a pleasure to use (no comparison here)
2. Even when wet, the eBay sponge is very hard against my face. It doesn't soften.
3. The Real techniques sponge blends my foundation effortlessly into my skin, leaving no streaks
4. The eBay sponge doesn't blend my foundation or BB cream into my skin. I am left with streaks and swirls of makeup on my face. I don't think any of us are going for that look! 

Final verdict: This was a dud! I find the Real Techniques sponge is far superior and worth every penny more than the eBay one. Again, no comparison!

As much as I love a good deal, this is one I will pass on and spend more for better quality and performance. Unless of course, I discover another cheaper "dupe" that works just as well as the Real Techniques one.

And by the way, I do highly recommend the $1 eBay brushes that I mentioned earlier in this post. If you didn't go check that post out I'll link it again here in case you'd like to go check it out.

I purchased my Real Techniques Complexion sponge for $5.99 here. I think next time I may go with the 2 pack for $10.99. Why not save a buck!  (Note: Using either of these links will get you $5 off your order if you have never shopped with iHerb before).

Maybe there are some better "dupes" out there than what I tried. If you know of any, please leave a comment and share! I just love saving money and finding great products at the same time!

Amy

xoxo