NEW Covergirl Peacock Flare Mascara Review (+Life Update)

So how did that extra hour of sleep work out for you? I kept thinking it was time to go to bed...and it was only 8! This weekend was a low-key one for me--a good dinner out, a successful trip to the mall (speaking of, do you want a list of VIB Sale recommendations?), and I got some blog work done. I'm still having some issues staying asleep, still having occasional restless legs, but I'm the happiest I've been in a long time. I swear it's something about the fall.

I've also been reviewing beauty products, OF COURSE! Y'all know my weakness is mascara, right? I saw the new Covergirl Peacock Flare mascara at Target maybe a month ago, and I'm here to share what I think! Have you seen it around?

via Ulta

Let's talk packaging--can you see the shape of the tube? It's not a traditional round one--it's pinched. And the top is sort of rubberized--think kind of like NARS packaging. The shape and feel make this easy to hold. It advertises it as a "revolutionary" soft grip handle. I wouldn't go that far, but it's an easy hold.

Next, let's check out the wand: Feather-fan brush catches, coats, and separates each lash of this plastic wand.

Here's another view of the wand. Nothing really new here, but it's a pretty good one.

Here it is on your left. The formula is mousse-like and applies easily. It does give some length and volume. It says it's clump-free, but it was still a little clumpy. It didn't flake or smudge. I would say it's right in the middle of being too wet or too dry.

Here it is on your left again. I always say mascara really does make a difference. Don't you agree?

Here it is on both eyes. Overall, I liked this mascara and would give it 3.5 out of 5 mascara wands!

Covergirl peacock Flare Mascara comes in 5 shades and waterproof. It's around $8.

What did you think? 

Would you buy this mascara?

DUPE? Covergirl MELTING POUT LIQUID LIPSTICK Vs. Too Faced Melted LIQUIFIED LONG WEAR LIPSTICK

So y'all, today is one of those days where I feel like the week is dragging by, and then I look at the calendar and realize we are halfway through June. Slow down, 2017!

And just what does that have to do with liquid lipstick? Well, today I'm comparing the new Covergirl Melting Pout Liquid Lipstick vs. Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick. In my testing of those two products, I decided to try the former against some of my other liquid lipsticks, like Maybelline Color Jolt. I realized it was almost exactly a year ago that I tested that one! It doesn't seem like a year at all! And it makes me wonder, is Covergirl too late to get on the liquid lipstick train? L'Oreal released their version this past fall. Regardless, when I saw the new Covergirl Melting Pout last month, I had to pick it up and test it, since it reminded me of the Too Faced version--even the promos say it's comparable to a $20 liquid lipstick. But is it a dupe? Keep reading to find out.

Covergirl Melting Pout

$7.99

12 shades

What they say: "Stop the world and melt with COVERGIRL liquid lipstick! This all-new high-impact, opaque lip color is rich, creamy and compares to a $20 liquid lipstick. The soft touch precision applicator is cushiony and comfortable so lip color glides on smooth delivering a satin finish that's not sticky or tacky."

Unscented

I haven't really heard anything about these, and minus the day I purchased mine last month, I haven't seen them in any more stores. No displays, nothing!  But let's talk about the product--it has the applicator similar to Too Faced.

I felt like the packaging does not represent the color inside--I picked up 105 since most of the colors don't really appeal to me. Wearing it, it really looks just like my lips already.

It isn't as glossy as Too Faced or others that I've tried--those apply glossy and then dry down to a demi-matte finish. This seems to skip the glossy step and is already demi-matte. But it is not drying by any means. It's a nice feel on the lips.

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick

$21

15 shades

What they say: "Get the staying power of a stain, the intense color of a liquid lipstick and the high shine of a gloss in one long-wear formula. Using exclusive technology to keep cauldrons of molten lipsticks liquid and creamy, Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick comfortably coats lips in bursts of intense, high-impact, super rich, saturated color that lasts for hours."

Something interesting here--the Maybelline Color Jolt is .21 ounces and the Melting Pout is .24--look at the size difference in packaging! Too Faced is .4 oz.

Is it a dupe? Not really. I like the fact that it is unscented, but I prefer the finish (I like the gloss and the demi-matte) and staying power of Too Faced. However, it isn't a bad deal for $7.99, I just wish the shade range was better, since blue and purple lipsticks aren't my thing, but that's personal preference. If you have Color Jolt or L'Oreal Lip Paints already, there's no need to run out and get this. I did like it though!

Have you tried the Melting Pout liquid lipsticks yet?

Covergirl So Lashy! Blastpro Mascara Review

A new month, a new mascara release! I don't have to tell y'all that my beauty weakness is mascara and lipstick and highlighters.  When I first saw the new Covergirl SO LASHY! BLASTPRO MASCARA in a magazine, I made a note to find it. As luck would have it, I got a chance to try it out. So after quite a bit of testing, I am ready to share my thoughts.

Here's what the box looks like so you can find it in stores or online.

And this is what it looks like once unboxed. Notice the unique wand design, which I'll talk about more in a moment.

Features:

• $10.49 (some places will be cheaper--Walmart has it for $8.94)
• 3-in-1 brush shapes, molds and builds lashes regardless of your lash type
• specialized ball tip gets the corners and hard to reach lashes
• also in waterproof
• 5 shades

The first thing I noticed, and the big selling point here, is the wand. As mentioned above, this is supposed to shape, mold, and build lashes, with the ball getting those hard-to-reach spots.

I found the brush design to be awkward and hard to figure out for usage. I felt like there needed to be one line of bristles for this design, not 4 sides, since you can only use one side at a time. I really liked the ball and it was true to word about getting those hard-to-reach spots.

It's a buildable mascara. It reminds me a little of their Clump Crusher. It looks too natural with one coat on, but I was able to get the look I wanted with an additional coat. It can get clumpy, but that was after several coats.

The formula didn't flake, smudge, or irritate my eyes, and my eyes have been SUPER sensitive lately due to allergies. But this mascara didn't aggravate them.

On your left, I have on two coats. On the right, no mascara. I'm hoping you can see the difference. If not, click the pic to enlarge. This makes a nice every day mascara that is buildable. You don't get as much length as other mascaras, and it's definitely better the longer the you use it. If you try it once and don't like it, keep trying it. It might grow on you like it did for me.

Overall:

I give the Covergirl So Lashy! mascara 4 out of 5 stars. I'm taking away points for the brush design, although I did like the ball on the end. The formula is nice--not too dry or wet and can be worn as a more natural mascara or built up in intensity.

Have you tried this mascara yet?

Extra Elle:

Not into mascara? No worries--click here for a post on more product reviews you might have missed.

Dupe? Covergirl Contour Palette VS. MUFE Pro-Sculpting Palette

Contour palettes are still a huge draw in the makeup industry, and they've even hit the drugstore arena (see a post on that here). Most of the palettes are powder, so when this cream Covergirl Tru Blend Contour Palette was recently released, it had to be mine. In fact, I shared in on my Snapchat last week. Within seconds, I was asked via Snapchat (ellesees) if it was a dupe for the super pricey cream palette from MUFE.

Covergirl TruBlend Contour Palette

• $11.99
• ULTA, online, drugstores, box stores
• Comes in 2 shades: light (pictured) and medium
• Each palette has cream highlight (shimmer), contour, and bronze
• Designed by celeb makeup artist Pat McGrath

Here are swatches. I went with the light version since medium is usually too muddy on me. The contour is a nice cool-toned brown.

On your left is with the product swatched on my face. On your right, is after 10 hours of wear. I am using soft box lights so you can see it on my skin.

Behind the scenes: This was taken in the morning and at night after a full day of work. As most of you know, I'm a nanny. One of the girls I take care of is 6. She wrote a play and I was a potato. I only got 1 speaking line! ;) That's why I wearing a brown tee shirt and look so tired.

Makeup Forever Pro-Sculpting Face Palette

• $45
• Sephora, department stores, online
• Comes in 4 shades: light (pictured), medium, tan, dark
• Each palette has highlight, contour, shimmer, and blush

As you can see in the swatches, the shades are very pigmented and easily visible.

On your left is the palette swatched on my skin. On the right, after 10 hours of wear. 

• Overall, there is no way this a dupe. The Covergirl is barely seen on skin.
• Both have very creamy textures and are similar in that way. If you tried the NYX cream contour/highlight palette, you will remember how dry that one is compared to this. 
• If you have dry skin and want a very natural-looking c&h, try Covergirl.
• If you have $45, dry skin and want a cream c&h (and blush), try MUFE.

Extra Elle:

• Charlie and I headed to Lake Lanier this past Saturday for a bit. I can't believe this was my 2nd time going.
• I really love these palettes from Pur Minerals, if you're looking for a nice luxury version.
• Into the stick version of C&H? Here are two from Hard Candy and NYX to check out.
• Here are more Drugstore c&h palettes

COVERGIRL Katy Kat Matte Lipstick Review + Swatches

Lipstick is the icing on the cake. It's the finishing touch to a makeup look. It's one of my favorite beauty products. I told y'all last week lots of new lip product posts would be coming! Last week, I reviewed the Lancome Juicy Shakers (did you see it? click here). This week I'm focusing on drugstore lipsticks, the Covergirl Katy Kat Matte lipsticks.

I first heard about this collection a month ago, and a few weeks ago I was able to get my hands on a few lipsticks. I found these at Walmart, and actually found them at 3 Walmart stores in the Atlanta area.

What is it?

• Katy Perry's line with COVERGIRL – the Katy Kat Collection
• 13 highly-pigmented and moisturizing demi-matte lipsticks plus a new mascara – in blue and black (I did not pick purchase the mascara)

Where can I get it?

• 11 of the 13 Katy Kat Matte Lipsticks are exclusively available at Walmart, with launch in July for mass retailers. You can preorder at the link above, but I found mine in store.

How much?

• $6.94 at Walmart, up to $8.99 at other retailers in the future

I picked up 4 shades--coral, pinky-red (I think the red shade was sold out), a nude pink, and a nude.

I like the packaging, as it is similar to traditional Covergirl lipstick packaging but with the white cap, with two sides that have the logos printed above.

Here they are opened. I noticed immediately they looked shiny, like other Covergirl lipsticks I own. See here for an example.

Here are the names of the shades I picked up: Coral Cat, Cat Call, Pink Paws, Sphynx. How cute is the cat ears print on the bottom? And the cat names too.

Here are arm swatches of each, very true to the color in the tube. There is definitely pigmentation.

And here they are swatched on the lips.

Formula?

• Not matte. It feels like a regular Colorlicious Covergirl lipstick for the most part. These are not drying at all and feel nice on the lips.
• HOWEVER, I knew they wouldn't be matte going in, thanks to the press release in April. Covergirl calls these "demi-matte" and chose to go this route since, according to their research, only a small percentage of women want a true matte and they don't want dry-feeling lipsticks. Fair enough. 
• Wear time is about the same as with a Covergirl lipstick formula.

Overall:

• Similar feel and look-wise to many of the Colorlicious Covergirl lipsticks but for a dollar more. These are not matte, but are nice. 

Have you heard of these?

Extra Elle:

• I found the cutest Rebecca Minkoff mini bag in the prettiest blush shade. I shared it on my Instagram. Speaking of IG, if you follow me, are my pictures showing in your feed?

Skip These 7 Beauty Buys

First up, I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes! I had a great weekend full of love and celebration. In addition to birthday shenanigans, including a trip to Oktoberfest in Helen, GA, we hit up some drug stores for makeup. I swear drugstores in smaller towns have a better makeup selection. It's a must when I travel. While strolling up and down the aisles, I was giving my friends recommendations, when I got asked what I didn't recommend. And I thought I'd share 7 beauty buys that I skip after wasting lots of money and time:

1-Multicolor blush/bronzer/powder/highlighter

• These come in a different patterns, like triangles, mosaic, words, shapes, etc, and are swirled together with a brush to apply to the face.
• Unless each area is big enough for a brush (eye shadows are the exception, usually) I say skip these. It looks like you're getting 3 or more colors in 1 product, but most are impossible to use individually.

2-Covergirl Cheekers Blush

• I LOVE the CG brand, and these blushes win awards yearly for best drugstore blush. I can't figure out why.
• I say skip these because the product amount isn't big enough for a blush brush to fit in to grab product, and the colors aren't pigmented enough and/or chalky. 

3-Cream or Gel Blush for Oily Skin

• If you have oily skin, these products will disappear unless you set them with a matching blush, which kind of defeats the point of the ease and natural look of gel or cream blush.
• In terms of staying power, there are way more misses than hits for these. I do like Revlon's version (pricey, but it's good).

4-Lip Tints and Balms in Pots/Tins

• 100% all me here--I can't stand putting my fingers in these pots or tins or containers. This was the main reason why I came up with my DIY solid perfume idea. The germs, y'all. The germs. The stickiness. The fuzz and other stuff that dirties it. The extra product I have to wipe away and waste. I cannot deal. #weirdo

5-Double Ended Brushes

• Another product designed to save you money and space, right? While the brushes may be of excellent quality, I store my brushes upright, so I always forget what is on the other end. 

6-Travel Brushes

• Any sort of mini or travel-sized brush always ends up being a waste of money for me, no matter the quality. I always get frustrated and wish I had my full-sized brushes instead. I do find that they are great for kids and sometimes nail art.

7-Cheap Makeup Sponges

• When I hear the word "dupe" I tend to throw a side-eye, and have found that for most every makeup sponge bloggers swear is a "dupe" for the beauty blender, they're aren't even close. Most of these have latex, are really hard, and perform nothing like a beauty blender. I do like versions from Real Techniques and Soho Beauty.

Related: How to Clean Beauty Blenders Fast

Related: Beauty Blender Vs Real Techniques

Which beauty buys do you skip?

PS: I am slowly catching up on emails and visiting your blogs, so I'll be stopping by soon!

My Everyday Makeup Routine

In case you missed this post, I asked for blog feedback, and a couple of you wanted more makeup tutorials--you got it! This is my everyday makeup routine.  I shared this as a guest post last month, but thought you would like seeing it. This is great for daytime looks, natural looking-makeup, and beginners. Plus, I've got something for all budgets.

Check Out: Beginner Eye Shadow Tutorial

First, I prime and prep my skin with the Smashbox Pore Minimizer Primer. I like this one because it helps hide pores. Next I apply foundation--my skin is on the drier side--so I love the glow this Giorgio Armani Silk Foundation gives me. Then it's time for concealing my dark circles, and I suggest Bobbi Brown. It's a great corrector and comes in many shades.

Drugstore Options: 

• NYX Pore Filler
• Covergirl Stay Luminous Foundation
• Wet N Wild Fergie Come Correct Concealer

For an everyday look, I keep the eye shadow to a minimum. I love this Too Faced Natural Matte Palette because it offers so many looks. I pat the lightest shade (Silk Teddy) on the lid. Then, I sweep some of the shade Strapless into the crease and blend. I smudge a little of the shade Risque under the lower lash line.

Drugstore Options:

• Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral Matte Palette (this one is pricey for drugstore, but I don't own many drugstore matte palettes I like. I would also suggest L'Oreal Nude Palettes)

I then curl lashes, add a Lancome mascara and a Sonia Kashuk liner to my upper lashes. My brows are naturally full so I use Loreal Stylist Brow Plumper to put them in place. I add a little Becca highlighter, a sweep of MAC peach blush, and a peachy gloss from Japonesque.

Drugstore Options:

• L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara
• Jordana liner (Sonia Kashuk is at Target and still considered drugstore)
• Wet N Wild Reserve Your Cabana Highlighter
• Jordana Blush Peach Blossom
• NYG Gloss in Napoleon

And if you want to see this effortless look in action from start to finish, then check out my video below:

What's your everyday makeup routine?

Extra Elle:

• This is my third year of getting invited to NYFW and not going. I like watching the streams of them online instead. Maybe next year! #introvertsuniteseparately
• After seeing it everyone's blog, I decided to get The Royal We, after Kate said it was $3.99 on Kindle. It was a quick, lovely read!
• Charlie and I had an al fresco dinner at an Italian restaurant near my house yesterday. He is a "people person", er, dog, and I'm very quiet. I swear he gets recognized everywhere we go.

How To: Orange Creamsicle Nails

What are your favorite summer treats? I have a few, and creamsicles are right up there. I have fond memories of getting them from the ice cream truck. And the orange sunny color makes me think of summer too. Today I'm using that treat as my inspiration for my nails.

You'll Need-

• clear base coat (to protect natural nail)
• white polish
• orange polish
• cosmetic sponge
• matte top coat
• paper plate, toothpick, optional polishes for color match, optional peel off base coat
• polish remover

You'll Do--

• After letting the base coat dry, paint nails white. Allow to dry fully.
• TIP: Try 2 coats
• Optional TIP, but it makes clean up SO MUCH easier, is to apply a peel-off base coat AROUND the nail. Once you have finished the tutorial, just peel away the dried peel-off polish. It works!! You can use eyelash glue or watered down Elmer's Glue, but I suggest Sally Hansen, as pictured.
• On the paper plate, dip out some of the orange polish.
• TIP: If you're crazy dedicated to matching the creamsicle exactly, mix in a little yellow and white. Use a toothpick to mix.
• Using a cosmetic sponge (you can find these at any drugstore or beauty store) dip the corner into the orange polish. Press onto the top of the nail and lift up. Repeat this dabbing motion to near bottom of the nail. The bottom should be left white. The nail should be darkest at the top and fade towards the bottom.
• TIP: No one ever mentions this in nail tutorials, but dampening the sponge before dipping into polish really helps.
• Once dried, apply a matte top coat to closer mimic the matte look of the creamsicle. It helps with the ombe effect as well. If you applied the peel-off around the nails, peel it off.
• TIP: If you went too far with the orange, simply use another corner and dip into white polish and fix any mistakes.

Repeat for all nails or use as an accent nail. TIP: Do not hold the creamsicle for a picture. They say not to work with children and animals. I'm adding popsicles to this list! ;)

More Nail Ideas:

• Donut Sprinkle Nails
• Flash Tattoo Nails
• Glitter Heart Nails
• Zodiac Constellation Nails
• Candy Nails
• and more! 

Extra Elle:

• Oven is fixed! I tried baking cookies and...well...after 20 min they were still not cooked through. Still ate a few though!
• Saw the documentary on Amy Winehouse--so heartbreaking! Like many of us, addiction runs in my family, so I wanted to understand why and how it happens. 
• Y'ALL! I have so many giveaways--these are just a small way to thank YOU for stopping by.
• $100 JCPenney Gift Card
• Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette
• IT Cosmetics Palette
• $100 Jockey Gift Card