Summer Lip Care for Under $10

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Ah, summer. That time of the year everyone looks forward to until you remember the scorching heat and bodily damage from all that blasted sunshine. There's a lot you should be doing for your body as the thermometer creeps higher and higher, like staying hydrated, wearing sunnies, and protecting yourself from the sun, but if there is one thing I can't live without during 3 months of hell on earth the warmer months it's lip care. There is nothing worse than being hot AND thirsty AND feeling like  your lips have turned into a landing strip for dessicants and hot sauce, which is why, dear readers, I wish to share some of my favorite lip products to keep your kissers plump, protected, and properly hydrated while you wait for fall. Oh, and they're pretty inexpensive.

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2 comments Drugstore, elf, High End, Jack Black, Makeup, Sephora, Skin Care

e.l.f Golden Bronzer Review + Swatch

I picked this up along with a few other goodies during a moment of weakness at CVS the other day. One of my best friends, Sami, used to gush about the e.l.f bronzer back in the day and I decided to pick up both at the little kiosk to see what the hype was about. Keep in mind that Sam is whiter than white, and I brown up pretty nicely in the sun, so my experience with this product doesn't exactly match her glowing review.

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1 comment Drugstore, elf, Makeup, Review

Product Review: e.l.f Lip Exfoliator

First of all, I don't really know how much I can write about a lip exfoliator. Secondly, this is probably the best three bucks I've spent in a while. There. I said it.

I've honestly wanted to try this out since it first launched a few years ago, but never found it in stores and didn't want to go through the hassle of spending more for shipping than I would for the product, so this cheap little thing has been on my covet list until last week when I found a ton at CVS. Score. The thing itself is a little weird because normally I see lip scrubs in little pots, a la LUSH lip scrubs, so the lipstick bullet design had me curious for years.

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Leave a Comment Drugstore, elf, Makeup, Review

e.l.f HD Blush in Superstar Review + Swatch

I know, I know... I'm incredibly behind on the times when it comes to these absolute gems from e.l.f. In my defense, up until recently, my little valley town was devoid of most mass-retailers (because grumpy, middle aged white folk like to keep "trashy" places like malls and WalMart out of their little safehaven). I've gotta say that holding off on this $3 little ditty was worth the wait!

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2 comments Drugstore, elf, Makeup, Review

Buy This, Not That: MAC 188 and e.l.f Small Stipple Brush

It is pretty obvious that these brushes aren't dupes, but they're still a similar concept that warrants some comparison since buying one over the other could save you THIRTY-TWO FREAKING DOLLARS.

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2 comments Drugstore, Dupe, elf, High End, MAC, Makeup

Dupe Debunk: NARS Laguna/Orgasm Duo vs e.l.f Contouring Blush & Bronzer duo

Here is a misguided dupe that kinda frustrates me. I’m one of those finicky people that believes that dupes need to be >97% the same to be considered true dupes, so hearing that these two products are dupes from multiple sources is something that I want to put to rest.

Let's get on with it, shall we? 

NARS Orgasm and Laguna in separate pans. 

What the actual NARS Duo looks like (photo from Sephora.com), $41

e.l.f Contouring Blush & Bronzer Duo, $3

As you can see, the packaging for the two products in question are quite similar. Both are black clamshell compacts with large mirrors and similar pans. However, the NARS compact (and the rest of the NARS products) has a rubberized texture. The elf compact is significantly less weighted and isn’t as high quality. Even though the packaging isn't really important when it comes to dupes, I thought I should mention it.  

On to the swatches and product comparisons!

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2 comments Drugstore, Dupe, elf, High End, Makeup, NARS