Beauty Product Reviews | Page 3

great for beginners/people on a budget.

i tested this primer against the UD primer potion. one on each eye. both made the shadows "pop" at the same degree. and they both lasted the whole day. the main difference is the texture of the product. while the ELF primer appears "oily" at first, that quickly fades. it also has a more...powdery? texture- yet it's slick making it easy to distribute on the lids- hard to describe. be careful to apply it ONLY to the places you will be covering in shadow, as it leaves a white cast on the skin. other than that, it's great for only $1-3- huge difference from UD price. i'll definitely repurchase this.

revolutionized eyeshadow application for me

a bit pricey $18-22. but a really great product. prevents creasing, lasts forever, easy application, and it lasts a long time. you only need one "dip" for both eyes. doesn't leave any color/cast on my skin (if i don't apply shadow over certain areas) design is so cool, but the <a href='http://most.annoying.thing.is' rel='nofollow' target='_blank'>most.annoying.thing.is</a> the chipping of the purple 'paint'. i keep it in my portable make up bag all the time. it chips easily and once it starts, it doesn't stop- it gets all over my fingers and sometimes falls on my face (once it's there, it's super hard to wipe/brush off- i have to peel the little shiny/purple flakes off) i tried to get as much of it off as possible with a dry paper towel- took off most of the purple, but there's still a bit left- looks ugly now -___-' so keep this primer protected/in a separate pouch.

great as eyeshadow bases

They usually run b/w $3-4 in stores, but you can find them even cheaper online. Really great price for such a useful product. The only downside is the packaging. Sharpening wastes a lot of product and the newer version is made of plastic instead of 'wood'? but still "sharpenable". Wish it was a twisty pencil. Also, the cap cracks easily. Many people melt the pencils into small pots. While that conserves product, you lose the easy application. I've purchased these products in various colors (milk, black bean, yogurt, oyster, french fries, and iced mocha) Yogurt works best as an eyebrow highlight (on its own)- hard to use as a base- takes a while to set/clumps. Milk- amazing base for both matte and shimmery shadows- don't use as everyday brow highlight...scary Black Bean- too thick to use as liner and if you want to smudge it out, make sure you set it with powder. it works really well as a base- if you're trying to create smokey eyes or noticeable gradients Iced Mocha/French Fries- great to use alone or as bases- i generally use them together b/c if they smudge together it still looks good Oyster- very, very pretty and subtle- great as a base for purple shadows.

i'll never stop buying it

So far I've tried the mint, lemon, honey dew/melon, and strawberry flavors. The mint is my favorite, by far. Mint smells/tastes the best with the waxy essence that accompanies these balms. The strawberry one smells/tastes really artificial though. which was disappointing b/c i was really expecting a yummy fruity smell. When I first used this product, I was bummed b/c it wasn't as smooth as the nivea balms i use, but the more you use it, the smoother it gets- so don't give up on it! One you apply, it lasts a while. It hydrates w/o being sticky. Also, the design of the product really makes it easy to apply w/o smearing too much on the outside of your lips. The twisted cap makes it impossible to pop open and get all over your stuff. People tend to stare when you take it out to use it b/c it's such an odd shape, but it's really fun. Be warned though, if you apply the balm with your mouth closed, over time it will look like a nipple.....:X *ahem*

wise investment

the only reason i took off half a star in rating is that the packaging is a bit disappointing for the price. don't get me wrong. the design is nice and it NEVER pops open, but gold lettering wears off pretty fast along with the fuzzy lining- i wish they'd start selling this palette in the same packaging as the NAKED 2. also, the brush that comes with it works really well, but it should've been dual ended so one end could be used for the darker shades and the other for the highlight/lighter shades. i should also mention that cleaning the brush with my MAC brush cleanser strips the fibers of their color. so now it's pale and washed out. but b/c i'm mostly into natural looks, i reach for this palette the most. i can create a variety of looks with it (from fresh faced to super dramatic) the quality of these shadows is amazing. at first, i was hesitant about spending almost $50 on what i thought was a small amount of shadow, but it lasts so long! i've had it for 6 months, use it on a regular basis, and still haven't come close to hitting the bottom on any of the shadows. something i'd definitely repurchase for life- if i ever run out!