Bargain for a Buck (Or, More Accurately, $3)

I really like E.L.F because they're a super cheap brand that still has pretty good quality products, and their make up removing wipes are no exception. On an average day, I've got about two coats of mascara on, Milani waterproof liner, eye shadow, and some kind of primer, so taking it all off can sometimes be a bit of an adventure.

I think this is actually a pretty "light" day for make up.
And, OMG, ignore the untamed brow!

E.L.F's make up remover wipes take off all of my make up (gently!) and doesn't leave behind a greasy or tacky residue that other, more expensive brands do. There's also absolutely no stinging whenever I accidentally get it in my eye, which I cringe to admit, happens on a fairly regular basis.

For $3 you get a pack of 20 7x7 wipes, enough to get you through almost three full weeks, assuming you use them every day. These guys are perfect for on-the-go or to store in your car for last minute touch-ups or make up melt downs!

Also, I love that the package has a lid that actually clicks closed so that all the wipes don't dry out by the third time I use them!

Party of Five Glitters

I've had this polish floating around for several months and I bought it mostly because I'm not crazy enough to shell out $18 for a certain nail polish I'll only use a couple of times. I'm not gonna name names or anything, but I'm humming a pretty popular birthday tune that talks about happiness...

Now I'm not sayin' that it's the best dupe in the world, buuuuuuuuuut, looking at swatch pictures, it's pretty darn close.

"Party of Five Glitters" by Wet N' Wild is a much more manageable $2 and looks pretty swell over most solid colors. Instead of throwing it on over black, I just did it over my Essie "Trophy Wife" manicure and I'm pretty pleased with the results, especially since it hides the imperfections in my nails!

CoverGirl Disappointing Eyelights

As you can probably surmise from the title, I wasn't a fan of CoverGirl Exact Eyelights. I think it is overly hyped, messy, clumpy, and difficult to work with, without the benefit of full, pretty lashes.
I have loved coloured/tinted mascaras for as long as I can remember, because they do such pretty things to your eyes and are a nice way to change your usual day-to-day make up without being too drastic. Navy blues are great for a morning after not much sleep, as it brightens your eye area, browns and greys are a softer alternative to black, and plum is beautiful for gals with brown/hazel eyes, because it pulls the "muddyness" out.
After a long deliberation, I bought Exact Eyelights in the shade "black sapphire," and as far as I can tell, it's just a pale black with a bit of shimmer in it. The colour itself isn't anything special, I actually think it's very "ho-hum," and out of the corner of my eye, I can see the shimmer on my eyelashes, which I find extremely distracting.



Even at close range, you don't detect the "sapphire" that's supposed to be in it.

Now, I realise that in the pictures, my eyelashes don't look too clumpy- that's because I applied a coat of mascara, combed my eyelashes, applied another coat, and combed them again. To get my eyelashes to look moderately decent whilst using Exact Eyelights is too much work and impractical for every day use.



I particularly dislike the mascara wand, because I prefer the classic wands over the rubber, nubbly ones that are supposed to be better at preventing clumps. In my experience, the rubber, nubbly mascara wands cause more clumps than they prevent, and they're a bit difficult to work with.



Cost: $7.24 at Target.com
Grade: C

Eyes Lips Face for a buck?

I’ve been seeing the scant E.L.F display at my local Target for quite a while and I finally decided to give them a try today. I very carefully perused what little selection they had and was torn between a three pack of liquid liners for $3 or a five piece eye make up set for $5. That’s right, it breaks down to just $1 a piece. I really was not expecting much out of this set.

The eyelash curler that comes with it is very bulky and difficult to use, BUT once you get it positioned comfortably, it actually curls lashes very well.



The eye shadow quad is called Drama and I wish that it offered it. When I swatched the colours on my arm, they looked pretty nice, but when I actually applied them, they were pretty wimpy. The teeny little eye shadow applicator that came with it is particularly horrid- very scratchy and so small it barely picks up any of the little pigment that these eye shadows offer.



I hated the “brightening” eye liner in black (how is black “brightening”?), but that may be because I am much more comfortable with liquid liners or applying liners with a brush. Apart from that though, it seemed to tug at the eye lid a little, which is always bad, and didn’t apply very darkly. When I wear black liner I want it to be BLACK, not a pale imitation of it.



However, I LOVED the Lengthening and Defining mascara! It applied very well with no clumping, even after three very liberal coats and my eyelashes are still pretty soft.



And to round out the package, it came with a “professional” smudge eye sponge. I usually use cosmetic sponges (you know, the round or square one that come about twelve to a pack for under $5) and really love those, so I was hoping “Oh, a stick form of it would be fabulous!” It’s decent. Not good, not bad, just decent.









Cost: $5 at Target
Is It Worth It: Debatable