Review -- e.l.f. Studio Hydrating Under Eye Primer

Over a year ago, I reviewed the Tarte Tight & Bright Eye Perfector, which I absolutely love.

It's a dual-ended wand with one product meant to prime the under eye area for concealer and another to brighten up the area after concealer.

Personally, it's really just the primer end that I love because the brightener isn't that unique a product in my book (I've got lots of concealer type things that can do that). The primer, though, does a great job hydrating and smoothing the under eye area so my concealer goes on easily and without creasing.

Now, it's not a miracle product -- some concealers still do crease by the end of the day -- but my under eye concealer never looks as good without the primer as it does with it.

I must have been one of the few people who enjoyed the Tight & Bright, though, because Tarte has discontinued it. I managed to snag a couple of tubes when Tarte was on HauteLook a while back, but I'm going to run out eventually.

So that's why I was really excited to try the e.l.f. Studio Hydrating Under Eye Primer.

Review: e.l.f. Studio Waterproof Eyeliner Crayon

I've been singing the praises of plenty of e.l.f. products lately, but we all know that the line is full of hits and misses.

And while I've been lucky enough to come across quite a few of their hits lately, I've also encountered a pretty huge miss.

In theory, the Studio Waterproof Eyeliner Crayons should be a great product.

It's versatile enough to use as an eyeliner or blended out as a shadow, and the formula is supposed waterproof and smudge-proof so it stays in place all day.

They're also twist-up pencils so you don't have to bother with sharpening them, and they come in seven shades that range from nude to black.

Review -- e.l.f. Moisturizing Foundation Stick

While I've been raving lately about e.l.f.'s products, I usually don't have much luck with their foundations and face products.

I've tried the Studio Flawless Finish Foundation and the Studio Tinted Moisturizer, and didn't really like either. The coverage wasn't quite what I wanted or the finish was a little too greasy, but really the main problem was the shade choices -- even the lightest options were too orange-y for my fair skin.

e.l.f. lured me in this time, though, by throwing around the word 'moisturizing.'

My dry skin just loved the sound of the Studio Moisturizing Foundation Stick.

Review -- e.l.f. Studio Blush Palettes

If you're sick of hearing me rave about e.l.f. products, I warn you -- I'm going to rave again.

I apologize, but I get really excited when I find great products that are affordable for pretty much everyone -- I mean, who doesn't want to get the most bang for their buck as humanly possible?

And it seems like lately, almost all of the e.l.f. products that I try are serious hits.

(I have tried one real clunker from the brand that stands out in my mind, which I will review shortly.)

I recently mentioned the Pressed Mineral Blushes, which are impressive products, but right after I bought those, e.l.f. came out with another cheek product, the Studio Blush Palettes.

Review -- e.l.f. Prism Eyeshadow Palettes in Sunset and Naked

I've had some seriously good luck with e.l.f. purchases lately.

The brand certainly has its fair share of misses, but when they get a product right, it's nearly impossible to beat the value.

Particularly if you're like me and do all your shopping when their website is having a sale.

One of my latest big hits from e.l.f. are the Prism Eyeshadow Palettes.

e.l.f.'s track record with shadow palettes is a little spotty in my experience -- I've tried a couple that were pretty nice, especially considering the price, and others that have been major disappointments regardless of how affordable they were.

The Prism Eyeshadow Palettes are from e.l.f.'s Studio line, where many of the brand's most successful products can be found, so it's hardly a surprise that they're some pretty impressive little palettes.

Review -- e.l.f. Matte Lip Colors in Nearly Nude, Tea Rose & Natural

I used to hate matte lip products.

It probably goes back to my teenage years in the mid-to-late '90s when matte lipstick was super trendy and so damn dry that wearing it felt like torture.

Since then, I've pretty much stayed away from matte lip products. Between the dry feel and dry look, they just weren't for me.

Still, for some reason when I was strolling through Target recently and came across the e.l.f. Matte Lip Colors in the makeup aisle, something made me stop and reconsider.

The $3 price tag probably had something to do it.

Well, that and Nearly Nude looked like just the kind of nude shade that I was in the market for.

So I decided to give it a try ... and I liked it so much that when I placed an order from the e.l.f. website a few weeks later, I picked up two more shades, Tea Rose and Natural.

Review -- e.l.f. 32 Piece Geometric Eyeshadow Palette

 I usually don't buy eye shadow palettes from e.l.f.

I find that their single eye shadows tend to be better quality than the palettes, so I mainly stick to those.

But I'm a sucker for any makeup product that looks cool/pretty/unique and since e.l.f's items are all pretty affordable, I was willing to take chance on the relatively new 32-piece Geometric Eyeshadow Palette.

The palette was originally $12, which is a pretty good deal for 30+ shadows, but I actually picked it up for only $6, making it an even better deal.

Sadly, though, I still wouldn't recommend it for even $6.

The quality just isn't there.

Review -- e.l.f. Studio Lip Balm SPF 15 in Pink, Plum, Nude and Peach

When Brownie wakes me up every morning at precisely 7:30 for her morning walk, I don't really have a lot of time to make myself presentable.

I usually have just enough time to throw on a tee shirt, yoga pants, flip flops and some sunscreen before she's dragging me out the door.

Before we get outside, though, I usually try to throw on a little lip balm, preferably tinted because I feel like that little bit of color makes me a look a little bit more alive and awake.

You know, not like I just crawled out of bed and still need another hour or two of sleep.

Several months back, I picked up one of the e.l.f. Studio Lip Balms SPF15 to use expressly for that purpose -- just a little something to throw on first thing in the morning.

Imagine my surprise when I liked it so much that I started using it as much as some of my lipsticks and glosses.

That's because these babies are lot more pigmented that I thought they would be.

Shopping Bag -- LORAC, e.lf. & bareMinerals

When I was cleaning up my makeup area this morning, I realized that I had gathered up enough products to do another "Shopping Bag" post (if you're not sure what these posts are about, there's an explanation here.) and figured today was as good a day as any -- especially since I want to put these items away so things look a little neater.

I'm not a neat freak by any stretch of the imagination, but when it comes to my makeup, I like everything to be organized and in its proper place.

So onto the goodies in question...

Review -- e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Eyeshadows (Heartbreaker, Disco DJ, Beauty Queen, & What's Your Name)

 Whenever e.l.f. has a big sale, I always take the opportunity to try a bunch of products.

Now, their prices are certainly reasonable to begin with, but when you're getting 30 percent off or more, they're practically steal.

I mean, the products are definitely hit and miss, but when you're spending $3 or less on them, you can feel free to experiment without worrying about wasting much money.

A while back, I decided to give the Pressed Mineral Eyeshadows a try, mainly because the colors seemed to call to me.

Yep, you guessed it -- they're mostly natural shades.

e.l.f. Maximum Coverage Concealer

For the most part, I believe that you get what you pay for.

Of course, that might just be my way of justifying spending freely on makeup, skincare, clothing, shoes, etc. but in most cases, I really feel like it's true.  

That's why I get so excited when I find really inexpensive products that deliver the goods like their more costly counterparts -- and I am woman enough to admit when I'm wrong.

I bought the e.l.f. Maximum Coverage Concealer without any real expectations.  

As a whole, the brand is pretty hit or miss -- there are quite a few gems in the line, but there are also quite a few lemons.  I never feel bad about trying an e.l.f. product, though, because they're nice and cheap.