Is it worth buying? E.l.f 56 piece Makeup Artist Collection

 Hello, I wanted to share my thoughts about this E.l.f collection.  You can find this set on E.l.f's website for $20. It comes with 40 eyeshadows, 5 blushes, 5 bronzes, 1 blush and bronzer brush,  1 eyeshadow brush, 1 Brightening eyeliner pencil, 1 mascara, 1 liquid eyeliner and 1 Eyelid primer. It is a limited edition piece. 

How much is the collection? $20 

Can I buy everything separately? Yes, the palette comes in black when sold alone.

What all comes with this collection? 40 eyeshadows, 5 blushes, 5 bronzes, 1 blush and bronzer brush,  1 eyeshadow brush, 1 Brightening eyeliner pencil, 1 mascara, 1 liquid eyeliner and 1 Eyelid primer

Do the blushes cause breakouts? No

Is it limited edition? Yes

Is the packaging sturdy? Yes

What is the rating of this product? 4.8 out of 5 stars

Where can I buy it? On eyeslipsface.com

What are the ingredients? BLUSH & BRONZER: Mica, Talc, Magnesium Myristate, Zinc Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, Octyldodecanol, Dimethicone, Silica, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Boron Nitride MAY CONTAIN: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Red No.40 Lake (CI 16035) 

LIQUID EYELINER:Aqua (Water), Styrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Xathan Gum, Sodium Laureth-12 Sulfate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben May Contain: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Chromium Hydroxide Green (CI 77289), Yellow No. 5 Lake (CI 19140), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Blue No.1 Lake (CI 42090)
Brightening Eyeliner Pencil:Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Ceresine Wax, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Synthetic Beeswax, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Rhus Succedanea Cera (Rhus Succedanea Fruit Wax), Stearic Acid, Petrolatum, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Isopropyl Myristate, Butylene/Ethylene/Propylene Copolymer May Contain: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow No.5 Lake (CI 19140), Red No.40 Lake (CI 16035), Ultramarine Violet (CI 77007), Blue No.1 Lake (CI 42090)
Eyelid Primer: Cyclopentasiloxane, Octyl Palmitate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Dimethicone, Kaolin, Triacontanyl PVP, Propylene Carbonate, Titanium Dioxide, Barium Sulfate , Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Mica (CI 77019)
Mascara: Aqua(Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Cera Carnauba (Carnauba) Wax, Synthetic Beeswax, Styrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate SE, PVP, Triethanolamine, Triacontanyl PVP, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Benzyl Alcohol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone May Contain: Iron Oxides(CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)

Taylor's rating: 4 out of 5 stars

      

       

 The case that holds the blush and eyeshadows is a huge case! You get a lot of product with this set. It's a white hard plastic case that snaps shut. On the inside you have a large mirror that stays put without falling back. 

The top row holds blushes and the bottom row holds bronzers.

                         Here are the eyeshadows (40)

 Both of the trays come out of the palette. This way you can choose which goes on top. I typically keep the blush and bronzer on top. 

 

                                Blush and bronzer tray 

 Here is a close look at the cheek tray and some swatches below. I love these, the blushes are so pigmented and soft. The selection of the bronzers is nice ,too. I have a silky bronzer for each season. They are all easy to blend and I can get almost a whole days wear from them. They are all easy to get your brush into, so you don't have to deal with limited room like most palettes. The blush tray is my favorite part of the kit. 

                                           Eyeshadow tray

  Here are all 40 eyeshadows. The swatches are below. There is a mixture of shimmery and matte shades. This tray is more of a hit or miss for me. Not all of the eyeshadows are pigmented. Some are kind of chalky, while other are buttery soft. I think the mattes tend to lean toward the chalky side and the shimmers are softer. These eyeshadows are build able but I think they have a lot of fallout. They don't crease if you use primer(this kit comes with primer).  I'm not really a fan of the top two rows( right picture), most of those eyeshadows are chalky and hard to work with. I do like a few of the green and blue shades, though. The bottom two rows are a lot better. Not the best pigmentation from E.l.f but still decent. I love all the purple and gold shades. With this palette you can create a lot of eyeshadow looks. I will try to post a few turorials with the palette. So keep an eye on my blog.

       

                       Brightening eyeliner and liquid eyeliner

  The brightening eyeliner is not my favorite. I can make a dark swatch on my hand(bottom line in picture) but I would have to push on my eye way too hard for a line that pigmented. When I'm applying the eyeliner it looks more like the middle line in the picture. It's not pigmented at all. The pencil also tugs at my eye and it hurts during the application. The only thing a like about it is the sharpener on the lid. The liquid eyeliner is really nice ,though. It's easy to use for precise application and stays put all day. The pigmentation is great( top line in picture)! I will repurchase the liquid liner when I run out.

                              Mascara, primer and brushes

  The mascara that comes with this set is pretty good. It gives me length and looks natural. The brush is small compared to some mascaras. I think it's perfect for the bottom eyelashes. It doesn't flake or make your lashes stick together. The eye primer is great. It keeps my eyeshadows in place and it's easy to apply. The blush brush is a miss. It's really scratchy and it sheds everywhere. The eyeshadow brush is a hit. Its nicely tampered and easy to pick product up with. 

Overall, I think this is a nice kit. I love the blushes and bronzers. The eyeshadows are decent. I like the liquid eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow brush and primer. That's a really good deal for $20. I know the palette alone is $15 on their website. If you don't really want the kit, it would make a great gift for a friend. I would purchase this again just for the blush alone. Everything else would just be a bonus! I might get two more during their next 50% off sale for Christmas gifts later this year. I do recommend this kit for all ages. Thank you for reading, TaylorPie.

 

One useful tip, sad news and nail design of the day

 Hello, I hope your having a great day. For this post, I will be talking about Maybelline's instant Age Rewind concealer and Maybelline's Dream Matte powder. This isn't a review, seeing that these products have been on the market for a long time. I just want to share a tip and some sad news(sigh) with you. Thank you for reading my post, TaylorPie.

                            Makeup Tip

 If you're a fan of Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind concealers, then you will love this tip. Have you ever thought you used these bottles way too fast? If so, to extend the use of this concealer all you have to do is rip off the sponge. Just be aware of the mess this will make. It holds a lot of concealer and oozes out when squeezed. The picture below shows what it should look like after you remove the sponge.

 When the sponge is gone, you only have to click it a few times to get the amount of concealer you need. Not only does this extend the use of it but the product itself is more sanitary this way. The sponge is a breading ground for bacteria. For acne sufferers, like me,  this will prevent future breakouts. Below is a pricture of the concealer dispensing from the tube. 

       Sad news: Maybelline Dream Matte powder discontinued 

  I love this powder! Sometimes, I just don't understand why cosmetic company's discontinue great products. On their website they say if you love this product, then you will love its replacement, Dream Wonder powder. This product is available and I will do a review/comparison within the next week. 

       

   The color I have is light. It slides open to reveal a sponge and mirror.

This powder is finely milled and doesn't appear cake-y. So hurry and pick some up before they are gone!

                                         Nail design of the day        

             Unknown purple polish and China Glaze in Haute Metal on top

Lorac unzipped tutorial/ swatches and a quick comparison to Naked 3 palette

 This tutorial will be featuring the Lorac Unzipped palette. This stunning palette holds 10,matte and shimmer, nude shades. You can purchase this palette for $40 on Loraccosmetics.com and most department stores. I will have two different looks posted below for you to choose from. I used the same shades but I applied them a different way and used eyeliner for only one tutorial. I tried to do a look that most people would be comfortable to wear. I hope you enjoy this post!

  

 Here is a look at the Lorac Unzipped palette. For the design it has a zipper going along the edges and has the brand on the front. The packaging is cardboard with a magnetic closure. You get a mirror on the inside for a close look when applying eyeshadow. With this palette, you get 4 matte shadows and 6 shimmery shadows. 

                      Undercover                                                   Unbelievable 

                       Unattainable                                                  Unconditional

                Undiscovered                   Unreal 

                        Uncensored                                                     Unspoken

           Unbridled               Untamed

 Here are the swatches of the Lorac Unzipped palette

  A lot of people ask if the Unzipped palette is similar to the Urban Decay Naked 3. I don't think they are all that alike ( I see some similarities). Decide for yourself and look at the swatches I provided below of the Naked 3. If I had to choose between these two palettes, I would pick the Naked 3. It has better packaging, the shadows are softer and you get more eyeshadows.

            Urban Decay Naked 3 palette swatches

                  Here is the first look using the Lorac Unzipped palette.

  First, I started off the look with primer and followed with Undercover all over my eye. Next, I applied Undiscovered on the middle of my eyelid extending it to my outer lid. For the crease, I used Unbridled,I focused this shade on the outer part of the crease and worked my way towards the inner crease. Following Unbridled, I went back into my crease with Unconditional and blended that in all together using the windshield method. For my outer v, I used Uncensored and blended that in with a fluffy brush. When I was done I blended out all the harsh lines with a clean blending brush. For the bottom lash line, I used Unbridled on the outside and Pixi Endless Silky eye pen in OysterGlow on the inner part of my eye. For an extra glow I used a little bit of Unreal in my tear duct. For my highlight under my brow, I used White from the Lorac Pro palette. After everything is blended out( lower lash line included), I lined my eyes and applied mascara.

All over eye: Undercover

Middle and outer eyelid:Undiscovered

Crease: Unbridled and Unconditional

Outer v: Uncensored

Brow bone: White from Lorac Pro

Bottom outer lash line:Unbridled

Bottom inner lash line:Pixi Endless Silky Eye pen in OysterGlow( you can use Undiscovered)

Tear duct: Unreal

Eyeliner: E.l.f liquid eyeliner

Mascara: L'Oreal voluminous carbon black mascara

                   White from Lorac Pro palette

                       Here is my second tutorial for girls who don't wear eyeliner. 

 I started out with Unreal in my inner eyelid. Next, I applied Unbelievable on the middle of my eyelid extending to my outer lid. I used Unbridled on my outer crease and blended out the rest of my crease with Unconditional. I only wanted to focus Unbridled on my outer crease, so don't blend that into your inner crease as much. Use the windshield method for your crease to blend everything in this look ,too. For my over v, I used Uncensored and I blended that out with a fluffy brush. For the lower lash line, I blended Unbridled on my outer area and Unreal in the inner corner. I also used Unreal for my tear duct to highlight that area. Now make sure you use a clean blending brush to blend out any harsh lines. After I was done, I use my Rimmel eye liner in nude to line my lower waterline. Lastly, I used my L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara. All done! 

Inner eyelid:Unreal

Middle eyelid:Unbelievable

Outer crease: Unbridled 

Rest of the crease: Unconditional

Outer v:Uncensored 

Bottom outer lash line:Unbridled

Bottom inner las line and tear duct:Unreal

Brow bone: White from Lorac Pro

Lower water line: Rimmel Scandaleyes liner in Nude

Mascar: L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara

    Here are the brushes I used for this look.

      Sonia kashuk definition brush from tribe kit (outer v and tear duct)

        E.l.f crease and smudge brush( crease and lower lash line)

      Eco tools eyeshadow brush and E.l.f eyeliner brush( eyelid and lower lash line) 

      Sonia Kashuk blending brushes109 and tribe kit (blending) 

 

Thank you for reading, TaylorPie.