Product Review: E.L.F. Cream Eyeliner in Coffee

Hmmmm... coffee.... snap! Now back to this review. :D

I'd be honest with you. I've never own a brown eyeliner of any kind before. Guess, you could say that I am a brown eyeliner virgin. I've always stayed true to the old skool principle of matching your liner color with your natural hair color, thus, making it appear more natural. Black was the color I've ever used. I loved my Maybelline lasting drama gel liner for the longest of time ever since I was introduced to it. Lately though, lining my eyes with this color, even tight lining, seems a bit harsh for me. So, I experimented and tried to line my upper lid with a brown eyebrow powder. There, my love affair with brown eyeliners had blossomed! My eyes were a bit bigger but did not look like I had anything on. But then of course, this one immediately transferred on my crease. I had to get a proper brown eyeliner gel. I was not ready to shell out major bucks for one as I still have yet a pot to finish (the black one). So, I finally tried the one thing I've been meaning to try ever since it came out (and probably around the same time I've already bought my Maybelline gel liner. Boo!).  This has gotten raves from fellow bloggers and it was indeed about time to stamp my verdict on this product.

E.L.F. Cream Eyeliner (Coffee)

Price: P249.75 (approx. $6)

Place bought: E.L.F. counter SM Bacoor

Sorry but the O.C. in me first noticed this little typographical error on the box. I don't know if this is just from a bad packaging batch but I think maybe people from E.L.F. could be a bit more meticulous about things like this.

Now on to the actual product. E.L.F. claims this as Smudge-proof, budge-proof, and water-resistant. When the SA put a swatch of the black one on the back of her hand, I seriously tried to rub it off her but once it dries, it definitely is hard to remove. But then the back of one's hand is not similar to that of one's eyelids. Mine specifically is an oil-secreting machine so the real test begins. There's a free brush that came with the product. Small and compact enough to bring anywhere though I had difficulty using this brush. It is not thin enough for me. So I just used one of my own eyeliner brushes.

The consistency is indeed creamy and very pigmented. I did not have to go over the same line again as one swipe was enough for me. The pot is made of lightweight plastic material to save on costs making this product affordable to the public. Some may find it cheap looking but this does not bother me at all as I am a cheap person..(kiddin'! No, seriously. hhahaha...) The thing that bothered me was the lock on the pot. It snaps in place, yes, but if you do not screw it on correctly, the ridge may chip and it would not lock anymore so be careful with that.

See? No glitters of any kind.

I then lined my upper lid without using any primer underneath and found it smudged on my crease after just an hour. No powder nor primer on my face so it was pretty much one oily mess :D

 I tried it again. This time with my Etude House Proof 10 eye primer underneath. I went out at 4:00 PM and came back later at 10:00 PM then took this photo.

Sorry, the primer wasn't properly blended out. The flash from the camera made it more obvious teehee. :D But as you can see, after 6 hours, the liner is still intact and did not smudge onto my crease. Goes to show that I could not live without my eye primer. I did, however, liked that it did not look so obvious that I had eyeliner on. It blended very well with my eyes. The finish also being matte is also a plus. Overall:

Pros

• Affordable.
• Pigmented.
• Comes with a free brush.
• Creamy and glides smoothly without tugging.
• For not so oily lids, it does live up to its claim as budge-proof, smudge-proof, and water-resistant.
• Still effective even if it dries out in the pot.

Cons

• Cheap plastic packaging is prone to chipping.
• Wish the free brush came with a cap for hygienic purposes.

That's about it. For a small price, you get a product that truly delivers. Online I found out they have more colors available such as plum, copper, gunmetal, etc. You could go crazy with these and not have to drill a hole in your wallet. Will I repurchase? Yes! after I finish this pot or maybe try the other colors. :D

Oh, this is also my birthday post so, Yey! Another year younger. Enjoy your day ladies..and gentlemen ( if I have guy readers..) Ciao! :D

E.L.F. Eyebrow Stencil

I'm no eyebrow-shaping expert. Heck, I even overplucked mine thinking back in college that it would give me softer features (Still paying for my mistakes...). Just this year, I realized how much thicker eyebrows, my natural eyebrow by the way, suits me better. Well, I couldn't turn back time wishing I had never overplucked. So, while waiting for someone to discover a miracle formulation to restore eyebrow hair growth, my best bet is to fill them in and shape them using eyebrow powders. My favorite as of the moment is the Wet n' Wild Ultimate Brow kit which I have reviewed here before. As of now, i have been accustomed to shaping them freehand. Before, I had no idea how to make both brows symmetrical to one another or as to where my arch should be so I wanted my hands on some eyebrow stencils to help me out. As I searched through the Internet, I was surprised to see that a mere plastic stencil could cost so much!!! Until I discovered that E.L.F makes one that is so much more affordable. I checked out the E.L.F. counters hoping to purchase one but it's not available locally, darn it! :D My last resort was ebay. I searched through ebay.ph for the stencil and luckily, I found one! (an answered prayer!haha!). I immediately clicked the "buy now" button. A day after payment confirmation, I finally got it in my hands.

E.L.F. Eyebrow Stencil

Price: P130 ($1 thru the official E.L.F. website)

Place bought: Ebay.ph

According to the E.L.F. website: Achieve perfectly shaped brows to accentuate your face. The reusable stencil is easy to use and with 4 stencils: Curved Arch, Soft Arch, Structured Arch and Full Arch to choose from, it makes these brow stencils suitable for all brow shapes. Now your brows can look picture perfect everyday!

The stencils are not made of the usual acetate-type of plastic as I imagined it would be. It is actually made of a plasticky and rubbery material that would ensure you it won't tear when bended. The Kit includes enough eyebrow styles for me to choose from, I mean, do you really expect to buy a stencil that would exactly match your eyebrow shape? You don't. Stencils are just guides that could help you fill or shape your own eyebrows. You can either use the stencil's tail end, the front, or the arch, but not literally the whole stencil shape because it would come out unnatural and too structured. But it also depends if you chanced upon a stencil that fits perfectly onto your natural eyebrow hair growth, then that's fine. Stencil's are also great for those people who's shaping and plucking their eyebrows for the first time (the lucky ones :D). It could guide them on which hairs to pluck just simply put their desired stencil over their eyebrows and fill the shape in with white eyeliner pencil. Afterwards, anything that was not covered by the eyeliner can be removed. As for me, I may not have the need for this one at the moment but I would certainly lend this to my nieces when it's time for them to shape theirs. :D

Product Review: EYEBROW KITS --> Part 1 : E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit (Light)

Hey there!! Another week has passed and I've been obsessing about my eyebrows just these past few weeks. I remember way back in college I used to fill in my eyebrows with black eyeliner pencil thinking that the color you should use has to be the same color as your hair which is black for most Filipinas. Only then when it was time to have our yearbook photo taken that the MUA (Make Up Artist) told me that the eyebrow color should be 2 shades lighter than the natural hair color (for dark hair, for lighter haired people it works the opposite way). So this information has been stored at the back of my mind for the longest time but never have gotten to follow it. I tried filling them in with brown color but the natural hairs would always be evident and I hated my eyebrow shape on my right eye basically because I have overplucked that area and it never grew back the same way..(though still hoping I could find a great eyebrow grower!). So, the late bloomer that I am, finally gave the brows some attention. I've been reading on blogs lately about these new eyebrow kits wherein everything you need for shaping and grooming your eyebrows are compacted into one small package-Cool! But of course, it's not wise to spend so much on branded kits so, I searched for the more budget-friendly versions of these babies.

I've been browsing the E.L.F. kiosk for the longest time and have seen the studio line eyebrow kit but never thought of trying it out because I was not obsessed about my brows a little way back. So when I started this mission, I decided to finally try it out.

E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit

Price: P 249.75 (approx. $5)
Place bought: E.L.F. kiosk at SM Bacoor

(L-R) Tinted Brow Gel, Eyebrow Powder


Here's a swatch on my backhand:

(L-R) Gel, Gel w/ powder, Powder

For comparison, here's a shot of my bare eyebrows

So I start off by outlining my eyebrows using the tinted gel using the slanted brush. Be careful though because it's so subtle, you may go outside your desired brow shape.

And then, to set the tinted brow gel, dip the other end of the brush into the powder and gently dust over the brows. Now, you'll notice the color becoming a bit darker. The more powder you put in there the more it will get darker.

Likes:

• It's very affordable.
• Easy and not complicated to use.
• The pigment is not that strong, it's buildable.

Dislikes:

• The packaging is made of cheap plastic so it can easy chip or break if you drop it.
• the slanted brush is a bit too soft to my liking. I prefer a slightly stiffer brush when doing my eyebrows for better control.

The verdict: It's a great find! E.L.F. is the brand known for offering quality products at a very affordable price, so this one lived up to the brand name. It's got enough quantity to last you a long time and you don't have to break the piggy bank to get it either so it's a deal!