Spring Makeup Palettes That You Need Right Now

Ok y'all, I am not feeling spring at the moment. It's exactly 3 am and I'm coming to you live from underneath a blanket, my home for all of this weekend. Dang pollen! But the idea of spring--the colors and the newness, I am most certainly all about.

Since I'm sick, I'm keeping this short and sweet. So today I've got a few new spring palettes that have popped up on my radar--I am resisting the urge to use spring and flower puns, y'all--that you need to check out:

Too Faced Natural Love Eye Shadow Collection

$59, which is ridiculous, but look how many shades you get and how pretty it is!!

Tarte Make Believe in Yourself 

Eye & Cheek Palette

$40--Tarte, you get me with that packaging every time. The middle shade is a highlight for cheeks or ryes.

Pony Effect Master Eye Palette #Pastel Master

$35, I included this one for the K-beauty fans out there!

Huda Beauty 3D Highlighter Palette

$45, Now y'all know it's not an ElleSees post without a highlighter in it!! And because I want a glow pretty much any time of year. I can't wait to swatch these next month when it hits stores.

Nars Narsissist Loaded Eyeshadow Palette

$59--a gorgeous mix of shimmer neutrals and the pigmentation is so good. I don't think I own any NARS shadows, just blushes, but this makes me want to see what the fuss is about.

Maybelline The 24K Nudes Palette

$12--FINALLY an affordable palette on here, right? Now we're talking. Each of these shades has golden shimmer built right in, so I this as a complement to any regular neutral palette.

NYX Lid Lingerie Shadow Palette

$10--Remember the NYX Lip Lingerie line that came out last year? Here's the lid version--I think it's clever and for $10, you can't bear it! The top middle shade could be used for a contour maybe?

Which of these caught your eye?

Extra Elle:

Pretty much slept all weekend with this cold(?) that I picked up from the kids at work. I didn't do much of anything. I hope you had a great one!

Best No Makeup-Makeup Brands

"I don't really wear a lot of makeup.
I'm looking for more of a no makeup-makeup look, like a natural look. 

What do you suggest?"

--via Facebook message

I get asked this so often I thought it might help some of y'all out there! While I can definitely find you beauty products from here and there to complete your request, I thought it would be easier to share some of my favorite no makeup-makeup brands. These give you a natural look, are great for beginners and those who don't want to wear a lot of makeup. Plus, I think many of you will fall for what a lot of these brands stand for.

See also: Natural-Looking Makeup in 5 Minutes

Glossier

I lovingly call this my Model's Day Off brand. This brand features skincare, which I love for glowy skin, but they feature makeup as well. You can grab the basics, like their perfecting skin tint, boy brow, and generation g lip product. See my Glossier review and video here.

Nudestix

What drew me to this brand was the genius idea of everything being in stick form--how easy is that? Makeup crayons for your eyes, lips, and face...and it was started by two sisters and their mom! You can easily find shades that will work for you that look natural. My faves: lip+cheek pencil, magnetic eye color, and their concealer pencil. Find them at Sephora and read one of my many mentions of Nudestix here.

via ellesees Instagram

Ilia

I love Ilia because each product is filled with up to 85% bioactive organic ingredients. They want to create the purest products possible. Even the containers are made from recycled aluminum. And their line is lovely. I want pretty much everything. Above is what I've tried from them. Find them here and get your list ready.

Aveda

I had heard of this brand for years, but mostly for hair care. Then I started getting packages from them with skincare that I loved. But their makeup line is what really got my interest. I had no idea they did makeup! While there are pigmented products for a more dramatic look, they offer plenty of no makeup-makeup options.

Wearing Aveda shadows, eyeliner, lip liner, lipstick, and gloss as seen in the pic prior to this one

More Suggestions:

Paula's Choice--Another skincare brand that features makeup

It Cosmetics--They have some very natural-looking products. Their CC Cream works on just about anyone.

Neutrogena--Grab a lip crayon, eye shadow stick and foundation to keep it looking natural.

Almay--Whenever I get asked for a really natural-looking mascara, this is at the top of the list.

Mineral Fusion--Find this brand online and at Whole Foods

100% Pure--A great organic beauty brand

Burt's Bees--Another skincare brand but this one has really stepped up the lip products! Here's a new favorite of mine from Burt's Bees.

Do you like the no makeup-makeup look?

Which brands would you try/like?

GLOSSIER: Haul + Demo + Review

Have y'all heard of the brand GLOSSIER? It was created by blogger Emily Weiss of Into the Gloss plus beauty editors, with the philosophy of Skin first, Makeup second. This high-end brand features skincare with a few makeup items.

Think of Glossier as easy-to-use basics. Since I know many of you want a simple routine made with good ingredients, I thought I would give Glossier a try.

Um...blogger confession, I purchased the products in November, but wasn't able to try them out until almost the new year. But I think it was worth the wait. I've got a Glossier haul, with a demo in the video at the end! Please watch :)

Glossier Coconut Balm DotCom--$12--Skin salve that comes in 4 scents. Very thick and perfect for a nighttime treatment on lips, chapped skin.

Glossier Priming Moisturizer--$25--A light moisturizer that is great to apply before makeup. It didn't blur any pores or hide redness as described, but it definitely left my skin hydrated.

Glossier Stretch Concealer--$18--This has elastic micro waxes that move with your face instead of caking on top of it, and nourishing oils that give a dewy, glowing finish. The buildable formula covers everything from dark circles to redness and zits. I did not have this experience at all--you've got to check out the video to see--and found this really slippery and it settled into fine lines.

Glossier Moisturizing Moon Mask--$22--Sweet almond oil, plant-based squalane, and hyaluronic acid do a deep dive beneath the surface to instantly plump skin up with hydration, helping to smooth fine lines and restore elasticity. Licorice root and lemon fruit extract work quietly behind the scenes to gently brighten and even out your complexion, while honey and aloe act as soothing agents. It takes a lot to impress this DIY mask-maker, but I really, really liked this mask. It's so soothing and a great way to wake you up in the morning.

Glossier Generation G--$18--Gives the look and finish of just-blotted lipstick, without the blot. I got Cake, which really, just looked like my lips already, so I'd want to try another shade, as they have 6.

Glossier Boy Brow--$16--3 shades. The creamy wax formula is inspired by traditional hair pomade for soft, flexible hold that doesn’t stiffen or flake. A sheer pigment load gives a natural oomph of color so brows look fuller and more even, and the tiny tapered brush allows for precise application. I love the formula and the small wand on this brow mascara.

I created this look using the products mentioned above, plus a few extras.

Would I recommend Glossier? If you're looking for high-end, quality, skincare with basics in makeup, then YES! There are also masks and cleansers for oily skin, plus serums that I hear good things about.

Here's Charlie helping me out (he's in the video too) with pics. I cannot say he is the best assistant, but he is the cutest. 

Have you tried Glossier?

Which items caught your eye?


or try here: https://youtu.be/sbJMP7VJrN0

Best ELF Holiday Gift Sets

I swear it was just October 1st, I blinked, and now Christmas is popping up everywhere. I have almost all of my shopping done, but not a thing wrapped! #typical. If you still have gifts to give, then this post is for you! Instead of doing a regular gift guide roundup, I'd share some beauty holiday gift sets from different places and different price points.

First up is e.l.f. (eyes lips face)--an affordable brand I've featured many times on here. You've heard of them, right? You can get this brand online, Target, and some drugstores. I tested out 15 of their holiday sets, and here are my faves (as well as ones to skip). These range from $5-$20.

$5

e.l.f. lip parade kit--3 lip kiss balms for $5--these give a hint of shine and make great Secret Santa gifts or stocking stuffers (or you can give each one separately)
e.l.f. matte about shimmer kit--Love the primer and shadow duo in this one. I say keep it for yourself!

Radiant Eyes Kit--For the girl that loves sparkle, these are fun to play around with.

Defined eyes--Nice beginner brushes for yourself or others

Prep & Play Kit--Great lip exfoliator and matte lip crayon

Maybe:

Desk to Dinner--3 shadow sets and a brush to go from everyday eyes to dramatic. I didn't really like these, but again, fun to play with.

I say skip:

Lined & Lovely Glowing Star--both of these were quality issues.

Order everything here.

$10-$20

Get Glowing--Worth it for the highlighting kit and brush--the whipped highlighter isn't that great

Pout Out Loud--Lip exfoliator, moisturizing lip color, lipstick remover, and liner with sharpener. Great deal.

Mad for Matte Lip Kit--4 matte lip crayons in fall/winter colors

All About Eyes Kit--For $10 you get a pigmented clay shadows palette, liner (it's okay), and eyelid primer.

Maybe:

Luxe Brush Kit--some of the brushes are hit and miss

Brush It Up Kit--I liked this set of brushes much better

Little Brow Book Kit--Not sure I'd want this as a gift (like girl, you trying to tell me something about my brows?), but great for yourself or if requested.

48 Color beauty Clutch Kit--Again, the quality is okay here, but the two brushes are worth it. Nice beginner or travel set.

I'd Say Skip:

Most of the shadow sets--the quality of these was hit and miss. If you have a tween/teen in your life, they're fun, but I found many of the shadows too powdery for $15 for a gift...maybe if they were $10? Might be fun to keep for Halloween looks, where you'd want a lot of shades or fun for yourself.

Blended Beauty: 3 makeup sponges for $15--I say go for Real Techniques or ULTA sponges instead.

Order everything here.

Do you use e.l.f. products?

What are your faves?

NEW Maybelline BROW PRECISE® FIBER VOLUMIZER Review

I hope you had a good weekend! Mine was a short, sweet weekend because I got to visit back home and see my family for my nephew's birthday. I can't believe he's 7! It was HOT, y'all--heat index of 109 and humidity of 90 thousand %, give or take a few. ;)

I mention this because I brought a new brow product with me that I've been testing that I got from Maybelline. It's the new Maybelline Brow Precise Fiber Volumizer. If you follow my Insta or Snapchat (ellesees on both) you saw a preview of it! Here's the packaging.

What is it?
Via Maybelline: Brows get a three-dimensional WOW effect. Maybelline’s fiber-infused gel formula adds volume and color for an instant brow boost. The tapered spoon brush delivers precise application from corner to corner.

Where?

Drugstores/Ulta/online

How much?

$8.99-$9.99

Pictured: soft brown, blond, deep brown

How many shades?

5 (there's an auburn and a medium brown in addition to what's pictured above)

Let's talk about the wand--it is flat with a bit of an indention in the middle, for holding product, like a lip gloss wand. It has small teeth for helping dispense the product.

extreme closeup pic via Maybelline

I'm wearing soft brown, but would rather use the medium brown, which I need to get!

The formula is a little thick with fibers--similar to brow products from Benefit and Essence, but the fibers aren't as evident as with Benefit.

It is easy to use and I like it better than the Maybelline brow mascara.

Remember the 109 heat index I mentioned earlier? It lasted through that and the humidity easily.

So did it work? Yes. On your left are my brows with no product. On your right, you can tell they look more filled in. I really brushed them up here to show the product, but normally I wouldn't them look as untamed as they do in the pic on the right.

What didn't I like? I'm not a fan of the wand size. It's a little larger than I'd like, but I find it easier and smaller to use than the other Maybelline brow mascara though.

Overall, I really liked it and plan on purchasing another one. 

Have you heard of this new brow product?

DUPE? Benefit Gimme Brow Vs. Essence Make Me Brow

This is one of those posts I have sworn up and down that I've already done. I was looking it up for a commenter via email a couple of months ago, and couldn't find it. I realized I took the pics LAST YEAR and never uploaded them. Luckily, Benefit recently revamped their brow line a couple of months ago, so I was able to compare the new vs the old Gimme Brow and see if Essence Make Me Brow is a dupe for it.

What is a brow gel?

• Also called a brow mascara
• Used to set brows
• Great for tinting brows (lighter brow hair or for greys)
• Sets powder or pencil
• For full/natural brows
• For no-fuss brows (me!)

First, the old Gimme Brow packaging next to Essence.

And now the new! Much cuter, right?

To test these, I tried 2 shades of each and wore them in different climates/situations. I used it on brows set with powder, with pencil, and just using the gel mascara. I compared brand new tubes and used ones. I compared the new Benefit packaging and the old to see if there was a difference.

Let's get into info on each:

Essence Make Me Brow
$2.99
ULTA, Target, online
.01 oz
3 shades (med-deep is pictured)

Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel
$24
.013oz
ULTA, Sephora, online
3 shades (deep is pictured)

 Wand size
-Wand-wise these are not a dupe
-Benefit is smaller, which I like. My fave brow brush of any brand.
-Essence is slightly larger, but still a nice size. Not too big.

Swatches:
-Shade-wise, these are not a dupe.
-Benefit is on your left, Essence on your right
-Both are very pigmented and don't melt away easily.
-The both hold well, aren't too crunchy, or hard to work with.
-Both remove easily and last through hot and humid temps.

Surprise! For the past couple of months, I've been wearing Essence on your left and Benefit on your right in every pic I've posted, including this one. Can you tell a difference?

To me, Benefit looks a little more natural, and not as thick as Essence. But to everyone else I've asked, they can never tell a difference, so I'm calling this one pretty much a dupe.

To see a demo and more, I made a REALLY quick video (3 minutes) below--watch and let me know what you think!

https://youtu.be/1_t_J0tXp5I

Do you think it's a dupe?

What would you like to see duped next?

Extra Elle:

I was featured on the Apartment Therapy website yesterday! I'm a huge fan of their site, so it made my day!!
Happy National Lipstick Day! and Have a great weekend!