Halloween Clearance Find: Elf Beauty Books

November 2, 2014November 2, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

The only thing that cheers me up after Halloween ends is the clearance shopping. The candy, the cute kid things…I am all about it. Typically I go after candy and things to prepare for next year, but I stumbled on a few of the Elf Halloween Beauty Books on an end cap for 50% off. I already own the Vampire one, and I love it. I actually just used it for the first time on Halloween to give my mom a glamorous witch makeup look, and I was incredibly impressed by the pigmentation of the shadows. I tried to use the false lashes, but I have never been a huge fan of the elf brand false lashes. They seem flimsy and hard to work with for me, but I have read where they do work for many others. So, I just wanted to go over them and do swatches and give my insight in case anyone has a Target nearby (where I found them) and can possibly score these as well. There were not many left when I got to my closest Target at 5 pm, so if you want some I would run to Target.

First, these were normally $6 before Halloween. My local Target had all of their Halloween things for 50% off, making these $3 per book! I was able to snag Diva and Enchanted, but I am sad that I couldn’t find Wicked anywhere, because then I would have all 4 of them since I already have the Vampire book. I think these are sooo pretty. They are not thin and sleek at all, but pretty none the less.

This is the Diva book. This one is my favorite of the two I found. The colors in this book are so buttery and soft. The lighter shades are a bit chalky and didn’t come up very well in the swatches, but I am also super pale and I did not use primer to swatch them. The gloss this one comes with is a fuchsia colored gloss, but I am not a lip gloss fan at all so I will probably be passing that on to a friend.

This one is the Enchanted book, and while it is not my favorite, the colors are pretty. They’re just not colors that I use very often. Blues don’t typically work well with my eye color, but for $3 I will play around with them a bit. As you can probably tell by the swatches, some of the colors are kind of chalky and patchy. I don’t know how they will look with a primer though. The lip gloss color in this one is a very peachy-pink nude color.

Since I will probably be giving the lashes and gloss away, I am still very happy with these finds. The eyeshadows in both books are very pretty. I may try to go to another Target and find the Wicked book so I can have all of them. My personal favorite is the Diva book, and as mentioned earlier the Vampire book is so amazing. If you come across it, get it. Don’t even think about it…thank me later.

I just watched a video by KathleenLights on youtube saying that the little (usually useless) eyeshadow applicators can be used for ColourPop eyeshadows and work BETTER than your fingers! Mind. Blown.
If you have no idea what I am talking about, please check out ColourPop. I have a review on my blog on their eyeshadows.
Other things I found clearance shopping: a cupcake costume for Piper next year. Cheap costumes for Harmony’s dress up wardrobe, and candy for me.
Anyone else find some amazing Halloween clearance items? Tell me! I love hearing about bargains 😀

Face of the Day/Quick Halloween Idea

October 28, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

I know that not everyone procrastinates, but some people do. I am doing a “face of the day” post today that will double as a quick Halloween idea for anyone in a rush this Friday. It’s not exactly a “Halloween” look for me since I love pin up and rockabilly makeup and fashion. I will include products used, a quick hairstyle (hair is not exactly my forte) and a few outfit ideas. I hope you all enjoy ❤

I am doing a more Rockabilly type of styling today, but this look can easily be a vintage pin up look if you curl your hair and wear a vintage fitting (think cinched waist, flowers etc) dress or pencil skirt. I chose this look to do as a "last minute" look because typically many people have the items and makeup needed on hand or can find very quickly and for very cheap last minute.

Rockabilly makeup is typically very matte. The eyes, the face, and the lips…matte. So, you're going to want to possibly exfoliate and moisturize very well before starting this look. I also put on lip balm before starting on anything because matte lips can be super drying.
Products used to create my look today:
Anastasia Dip Brow in “Ebony”
Nyx Jumbo eye pencil in white- used as an eyeshadow base
Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette- Heaven all over the lid and Cashmere Bunny in the crease
Physicians Formula eye booster pen (holy grail product) in ultra black
Red Cherry Lashes in #605
Wet n Wild Mega Length Mascara on bottom lashes and to blend false lashes
Body Shop tea tree face primer
Elf acne fighting foundation in “porcelain” with 2 pumps white manic panic mixed in
La Girl HD pro concealer under the eyes
BH Cosmetics Studio Pro powder to set and further mattify look
Kat Von D blush in “Essex”
A little bit of Nyx matte blush in “light” to contour a little, but not too much
I wanted to give a little bit of dimension on my face, so I used the Mary Lou-Manizer highlight on the very tops of my cheeks
Nyx Matte finishing spray to set everything and make the look last
Nyx soft matte lip cream in “Monte Carlo”

There are so many different ways to style this look, which is why I love it so much.
If you’re in a hurry, you can do the “poof” thing with your hair and place a bandana in it. You could pull it back into flowers, curl it, do victory rolls if you’re daring. It’s honestly up to you and your preferences. Personally, if I am in a hurry I love how a cute bandana and earrings pulls the look together instantly.

Here are some more ideas. These are all things I already own. As you can tell, the possibilities are almost endless. If this is a look you want to recreate one day, or even for Halloween, be creative. Interpret it as you wish.

Face of the day: out of my comfort zone

October 8, 2014October 8, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

I’m typically pretty comfortable in the neutral zone in terms of eye makeup. I was getting bored, so I wanted to switch things up a bit and try a pop of color.
I did go for a neutral look on my lids because I wanted to focus on the pop of color and my lips today. So, I used a standard matte white color and a matte brown blended in the crease. I then used my bh cosmetics Hollywood palette and blended the two blue shades on my lower lash line. I took the Nyx liquid eyeliner in extreme blue and created a winged eyeliner and put on ardell lashes in 117.
For my face I kept it simple. Foundation, concealer and wet n wild’s blush in pearlescent pink. I put a little highlight at the very tops of my cheeks just so my face wouldn’t look too matte.
On my lips is manic panic’s glamnation lipstick in nosferatu. I love this formula. It’s matte and easy to work with. The name of the lipstick itself seemed appropriate for October as well ❤
I'm pretty happy with how my journey out of the neutral box went.

Fall face: rainy day vamp

October 7, 2014October 7, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

It’s a very dark and stormy day here in my city. One of those chili days where it’s taking 2 cups of coffee just to wake up and all I want to do is cuddle with my babies and sleep. So, I decided to play with my makeup a bit to keep me busy. I tried something new and used colourpop cosmetics eyeshadow in “cheeky” as a transition color, and I love it! It’s a really peachy color that I feel would work for most people as a transition color. Other than that for my eyes I used the coastal scents revealed 2 palette, which is probably my second favorite palette to use. I used the wine and matte brown colors on the outside and a shimmery bronze on my lid.
I also tried out my coastal scents contouring brush I got in the mail. It’s way smaller than I expected, but it does work. It’s not great at blending the contour, but it’s great at laying it down and creating the line itself. I have Nyx simply vamp in “enamored” on my lips, and I’m in love with this color. I’m more of a matte lip kind of gal, but there’s just something about the rusted look with this lipstick that draws me in.
I’m off to enjoy a lazy rainy day with my girls. What are some of your favorite rainy day activities?

Face of the day

October 2, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

I went with a “fall glam” look today using a copper eyeshadow stick I got in a beauty box and a wine color blended into it from the revealed 2 palette. On my lips is Gerard cosmetics gloss in cocoa bean, and wanderlust blush by elf on my cheeks. Loving this look for fall ❤

First Impression: Mini Elf Haul

September 21, 2014September 18, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

Elf (EyesLipsFace) has to be one of my all time favorite makeup brands. They are cruelty free and super affordable. They are so affordable that sometimes I look at their site and say, “I want to try that,” about things completely out of my comfort zone, and that’s fine because usually it’s $3.

Anyway, they’ve had some things on their website that I have wanted to try for a bit so I bought somethings with a $5 off coupon code that was active. Many of the things in this blog I have only tried once, with the exception of the foundation. I tend to try foundation a bit longer before I want to formerly review on it because they tend to change on the skin in some cases.

Matte blush and bronzer duo in “Fiji”- I was so excited when this came out. I love the blush and bronzer duos, but I am not a shimmer kind of girl. I like a mostly matte look, especially in the fall and winter. This duo is BEAUTIFUL to say the least. They work perfectly together, and even look great on my pale skin. I will say that using a light hand is essential if you have a pale complexion though.

Powder brush- I have heard several beauty bloggers rave about this brush so I needed to try it for myself. Now I understand why they rave about it. I use this brush to set my under eye concealer, and it makes it so easy. Just a quick swirl into my powder and this brush lightly sets my under eyes flawlessly. For $3 you can’t beat it. Ah-mazing.

Baked Highlighter in “Moonlight Pearls”- While browsing on elf’s website, I came across these (new to me) highlighters and thought, “Hello pretties, come live with me.” There are 3 colors, but I decided to try one for now to see how I like them since highlighters can be so hit or miss with my skin tone. I went with moonlight pearls since it seemed like the most subtle highlight on the website. It is truly a beautiful hightlighter. I have used it almost everyday since it came in the mail. I lightly tap my Sonia Kashuk fan brush in it and dust the tops of my cheeks and I always have the glow I want. I think I may end up getting the pink color as well.

Mascara Primer- I have been all about the primers lately? It seems like there are so many things to prime nowadays! Prime your face, prime your lips, prime your eyes, prime your brows, prime your hair. Okay, maybe not prime your hair, but you see my point. This was definitely a “I just wanna try this” purchase. Still not sure about how I feel about this exactly. I didn’t see much of a difference in my eyelashes. I curled my lashes before “priming” them, so I don’t know if I am even doing it right. I may give an update on my thoughts about this product in my next first impression post.

Under Eye Primer- Another primer! Surprise! This one was not so much of a random purchase. I have HORRIBLE under eye circles due to asthma. They are permanent. They make me look dead most days if I don’t cover them up. This primer promised to hydrate the under eyes and prevent concealer from creasing (a huge problem for me) and help concealer to stay all day. I put this primer on at about 9 am the morning I tried it and did my normal housework and kid-friendly activities, and when I checked my makeup at about 1 pm my concealer was still intact! I was fairly blown away and extremely excited! Probably my favorite purchase from them in awhile. Apparently, this is the dupe for a Smashbox under eye concealer, but I don’t own the Smashbox one so I wouldn’t know.

Acne Fighting Foundation in Ivory- Oh man, I love this foundation. I truly love it. Does it actually fight my acne? I have no idea, but based on coverage and quality alone this is the best affordable foundation I have ever tried. I even like it more than some of my higher end foundations. The coverage is flawless and full. It covers up all of my blemishes and leaves a very satin matte finish. It’s not tacky. Elf nailed this foundation. This will now be a staple in my makeup routine, especially since the weather is cooling down and I can wear fuller coverage foundation on an everyday basis.

Blending Brush- I had seen a couple of bloggers talk about this brush and compared to the Mac blending brush, so I decided that for $3 I would give it a try. It’s pretty nice. My only complaint is that it is not “fluffy” and if I blend for a bit it can feel a bit scratchy. It’s a nice affordable blending blush to add to your collection though if you’re in the market for a new one.

First Impression: ColourPop Cosmetics

September 14, 2014September 14, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / 3 Comments

While catching up on a few beauty blogs, one that I follow mentioned a brand that really intrigued me. It was Colour Pop Cosmetics, and they do seem fairly new. I’m just basing that off of the fact that there’s not many reviews on them, but that didn’t stop me from being super curious. I went to their site (will be linked down below) and noticed that every shadow they sell is incredibly affordable at $5 per color! Plus, if you spend $30 you don’t have to pay shipping in the United States. These are also American made and cruelty free. So, I jumped right in and started picking out what colors I wanted to try. I limited myself to 6 (for now) but it was extremely hard to choose only 6. If you visit the site, you will understand why. Their colors and descriptions are all so unique and beautiful!
First off, the packaging these shadows come in are completely life proof. There’s no way these shadows will randomly shatter in the mail (it’s a tragedy when it happens, yes?). When I received these in the mail they were in a giant box, with a smaller box inside, and each shadow was bubble wrapped and surrounded by more bubble wrap. Life proof, guys. Life proof.

Second, there was an adorable handwritten note included in my package. I’ve never personally had a makeup brand hand write anything to me, so this was exciting! It also includes a separate card filled with how to use and care for these shadows. Once I get into the review of the actual product you will see why they include this card.

Now for the actual product review. I am SO impressed all around with these eye shadows. Of course, I had to open and play with every color immediately and they are all buttery smooth and extremely pigmented. The texture is very hard to describe. They are soft and creamy, but not really. That’s why they say to store these air tight. They are a texture that can dry out if left out for too long. I don’t even know how I will ever use a full pot of any of them. Yes, they are that pigmented. I tried using the shadows with both my fingers (as they suggest) and with a brush, and they do indeed produce different results. Of course, using your fingers (clean, hopefully!) gives the best and brightest result. Truthfully, you probably wouldn’t need a primer if applying with your fingers. With a brush the results were still amazing, but definitely softer. All of the colors were still easy to blend out using either method.

colors from left to right:
Friskie- a very sparkly black color with a hint of purple. I love this color. I feel this color may be my go to this fall and winter for creating a glamorous smoky eye.

Bae- A sparkly neutral color with an egglplant color to it. That’s really the only way I can describe it. They describe it better on their site, of course. It’s beautiful! Unlike any color that I already own and I can’t wait to use this one.

Mittens- a less sparkly dark brown shade. I was drawn to both the name and color of this shadow. I love dark browns. I am a neutral kind of girl, and browns just always catch my eye. I’m very exciting in that sense 😉

Meow- Meow was one that I bought mostly for the name. On top of being very colorful, I am a little bit in love with everything cats. This shadow comes in almost a tie-dye polka dot form that when blended together it creates a very beautiful grayish-violet color.

Cheeky- This color is unlike anything that I typically go for. I do not wear many pinks, but this peachy apricot color caught my eye. It just seemed very girly and dainty, and I want to see if I can try it with a color like Mittens to create an eye look outside of my comfort zone.

Girly- Sorry that this swatch doesn’t show up that well on my pale skin. It is a very pale and very shimmery pearl color. I love it! I use pearl variations of shades often for everyday looks to brighten my eyes up a bit. I will definitely reach for this one very often.

In all, I love these shadows so far. From the packaging to the texture of the shadows themselves, it’s a brand that I would recommend anyone trying. At $5 a color, these are very affordable, and even more adorable.

http://colourpop.com/

I was not endorsed in any way to review this product. These products were purchased with my own money and I have done this review on my own time. All opinions are my own.