E.L.F. Studio HD Blush

Have you ever wondered why women are obsessed with rosy cheeks? What has made that flushed look so appealing to us? Rosy cheeks are actually a cue to youth and fertility- a cue that men use to find an attractive mate. If a woman has rosy cheeks, she is probably fertile, and young enough to be child-bearing. (Sorry I just had to put this in, I'm a social psychologist writing a blog about blush and rosy cheeks!)

This is why we apply blush to our cheekbones. It makes us look younger, awake, and healthy. There was actually one point in my duration of makeup collecting when I was OBSESSED with blushes. I wanted to find the perfect coral/pink shade that was long lasting, easy to apply, and made me look like I was alive and not half-dead from the lack of sleep the night before. While shopping on my favourite bargain makeup website (eyeslipsface.com), I stumbled across this. And quite honestly, I may never go back to traditional blushes again.

Introducing: the only blush you'll ever need.

Today, we're going to look at a product that has quickly become one of my FAVOURITES from the E.L.F. Studio Line. E.L.F.'s HD (High-Definition) Studio Blush is a new addition to their makeup line, I think it was released in early 2013. I've had these babies sitting in my makeup drawer for quite some time now, the only reason I hadn't touched it was because I realized one day that I had accumulated 5 different, full-sized blushes, and hadn't even touched the pan in the blush that I was using at the time (E.L.F. Studio Blush in Candid Coral). Once I could see the pan and manage to make a sizable hole in the product, I gave it to my mom and immediately opened these up, as I had literally been dying to try them since I first ordered them online.

The E.L.F. HD Blush is thinner than a cream and almost has the consistency of a foundation. Because it is SUPER pigmented, a little bit goes a long way. You can apply this like a cream blush and blend it in with your fingertips, or you can use a small stippling brush. I personally, use E.L.F.'s Studio Small Stipple Brush.

This is a synthetic, duo-fibred brush that picks up minimal product, but can blend to an airbrush finish. It has the diameter of about 1.5cm or 3/4", which makes it perfect for getting into small delicate areas like the contours of the face and high end of the cheeckbone. This brush is perfect for applying and blending cream blushes, highliters, concealer, foundation in those hard to reach areas (Though I would most definitely recomend using a separate brush for each of those functions haha). At only $3 USD (available at eyeslipsface.com), having 3-4 of these brushes for different products is no issue at all.


I really love this product's packaging.  It comes in a small, 0.34oz. (10mL) bottle, which really isn't very much volume-wise, but you certainly get bang for your buck- considering that you can probably get more than 60 applications with one bottle. The pump is easy to use and super easy to control- which is crucial because you literally only need a quarter of a pea-sized amount for both of your cheeks (and maybe even a friend's), anymore than that and I promise you, you will look like a clown. That is how pigmented it is. It also lasts a VERY long time, I came home one day after 12 hours of wear and I still had blush on my cheeks! :)


I find that the easiest way to apply this is to squeeze a tiny bit onto the back of my hand, swirling it into a small circle, dipping my stippling brush into the circle and applying the product to my face, blending in small stippling motions.



The blush comes in 5 colours, Superstar (a peachy pink with a slight gold sparkle), Headliner (a mauve-based pink), Diva (hot pink), Encore (a purple-pink) and Showstopper (deep purple). I own Headliner and Superstar. The slight, gold sparkle is actually really nice, it adds a lovely blow to the tip of your cheek bones.

Superstar (peachy pink) and Headliner (mauve-pink).

Me wearing Headliner (Left) and Superstar (right). 

E.L.F.'s HD blush is a less expensive alternative to the most-sought after HD Blush by Make Up For Ever ($31 CAD, available at Sephora). E.L.F.'s blush costs $3USD, and has a little bit more product in the tube. E.L.F.'s comes in only 5 colours and MUFE's is available 14 shades, but regardless of your skin tone, I'm sure that at least one of the 5 shades E.L.F. offers will suit you. (I don't own MUFE's version, but if I ever get a hold of it, I'll certainly do a comparison.)

I love this blush so much, it's probably going to become a staple in my everyday makeup arsenal. Not only is it super pigmented and incredibly long lasting, it's only THREE BUCKS- and that's cheaper than my favourite coffee at Starbucks! Other long lasting blushes will easily put you at least $30 in the hole. You could buy 5 of these blushes and pay the E.L.F. shipping rate and it'd still be cheaper than one high end blush!

That's all from me folks! If you own the E.L.F. HD Blush, I'd love to hear your experiences with it. Or if you own MUFE's version, let me know how you're liking that one! Don't forget to subscribe and comment below!

xox,
ysobel

Clinique Butter Shine Lipstick in Pink Toffee vs. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Pink Toffee

Good morning everyone!

Today's topic is inspired by one of my recent lipstick purchases. I owned a tube of Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Pink Toffee, and it was honestly my most favourite thing ever. And it gave me a MLBB (My lips but better) kind of look. Unfortunately the product removed from the lipstick shaft one day and left me a with a giant mess of yuckiness. In a desperate search for the next best thing, I went around my local department store, swatching every single brownish pink lipstick I could find, and I came across this- Clinique Butter Shine Lipstick in Pink Toffee. Here are the comparisons.

Clinique on the left, Revlon on the right. I actually had to clean out the case of my Revlon lipstick before taking this because it was that gross.

 Both lipsticks come in your standard twist-controlled tube with a metallic shaft. I'm a fan of Clinique's packaging; the tube has some heavy weight, the twisting mechanism is very smooth, and it's bamboo shaped (I love bamboo anything). The Revlon packaging is a little lighter in weight, not as well constructed but still decent.

In terms of product, Revlon's is a little harder with a firm consistency, great for keeping smudges under control. Clinque's is softer, and though it feels soft enough that the lipstick will totally bend out of the tube on you, it actually doesn't, which is awesome (because that's exactly what happened to my Revlon lip butter).

Swatching Clinique's Pink Toffee vs. Revlon's Pink Truffle

 In terms of colour, Clinique's is much more rich in colour and has a nice sheen to it. It has great colour payoff and lasts a good 3-4 hours without reapplying. Revlon's is a little more sheer and with a cooler tinge with a similar sheen, but I find I have to reapply it every 2 hours or so. Pink Toffee seems to be more orange than it's Revlon counterpart.

Clinique and Revlon on the same pair of lips

Side by side on my lips, the two colours are almost undistinguishable (is that even a word? the spell check on this is flaring up on me). Here the colour pay off of Pink Toffee is very obvious, you can really see its melon undertones against the cooler tones of Pink Truffle.

The Verdict? I would say that these are suitable dupes of each other, not 100% identical but nearly there. Clinique's version will set you back $19CAD, Revlon I've seen anywhere from $7-10$CAD depending on where you buy it. If you must choose one to have in your lipstick collection, I'd reccommend Clinique's Pink Toffee. You won't have to reapply as often and it will definitely last almost twice as long as Revlon's lip butter. When comparing price and hours of wear, it makes Clinique's Butter Shine worth about the same as the Revlon counterpart. It does cost a little bit more, but you're paying for quality packaging that isn't going to muck up on you and a product with twice the lasting power. I'd say that's worth it!

xox,
ysobel

Have you tried any of these lipsticks? Do you own anything in the Butter Shine or Lip Butter family? I'd love to hear from you!