e.l.f. H.A.U.L.!! Pics and prices inside! YAY!

The moment you've all been waiting for!

Whoooooo! HOLY COW that took aaaaages to put together! So much picture taking and editing and uploading oh my! But it was worth it, for you, my brokeass babes and cheap chicks. I love alla yall. <3

I got my latest haul from e.l.f. in the mail the other day, and I'm so excited to share it with you!

Everything after the jump because I don't want to cramp up the homepage! And because I love saying "after the jump"; it makes me feel like a real blogger!


I got 16 items for $40.95 (28 if you want to count the brushes plus case in that sexy set there) (because you're a cheater) (I'm a cheater. I'm going with 28.) That comes to $1.46 per item! (2.56 if you're some kind of goody-two-shoes.) That's freakin' crazy, no matter how you do the math!

You might notice that this haul is quite blush- and lip liner-themed. Well, that's the stuff I needed.

*****

HERE WE GO!

Note: You can click the pics to make them much bigger.

The full haul. What a lovely sight.

Dumping out the huge bag of makeup. THAT was FUN!

A quick look at each of the items.

NAILS
Nail Block
1. Nail Block - 1$. Love it, love it, LOVE IT! This thing is a four-sided block of foam covered in different grades of nail filing material. Each side tells you what it's for and the order in which you use it. This thing is sooo cool. 

You use the really coarse first side to file down your nails as you would any emery board, and if you REALLY, DESPERATELY need to, you can use it to lightly smooth out chipping or cracking, but I don't recommend doing that. The second side is for smoothing out the nails themselves, like the full nail... the big, flat, top part that you actually paint. I know it sounds crazy to the uninitiated, but the effect is gorgeous. I think you could possibly eventually file down through your nail, but it would probably take a solid week of nonstop filing, so don't be afraid of the thing. The third side kind of smooths out any roughness left over from side two and makes the nails feel smooth to the touch. The fourth side is just the awesomest buffer, like, ever. I have a really brief video of how to use the Nail Block here.

You'd be just fine using sides 1-3, and many of these things only come with 3 sides, but that fourth side adds a mirror sheen to your nails that can't be beat! If you're fixing to paint your nails, you can skip step four because your nail polish will cover up that lovely shine anyway, and I'd *guess* that leaving your nails a tiny bit more textured would probably give the polish something to hold onto. But if you're not painting your nails, definitely use the buffer side; it will totally look like you have a shiny clear coat on!

The Nail Block

I store mine in a plastic bag so that it doesn't get worn down in my nail bag.

Polishes
2. 3-piece Nail Polish Set: Vacation Trio - 3$

3. and 4. Essential Nail Polish in Copper and Liquid Metal- 2$ each

I LOVE THESE! They are all nice thick colors that have so far held up very nicely. I've had them (yes, all of them at once...) on for two days now, and each one still looks fresh! I've got a full review in the works that I'll probably post tomorrow. <Placeholder for link!>

Yeah, this is how I've been going around for a couple days now.

BLUSHES
Essential line blushes
5. Blushing - 2$
This is just a nice pale pink, almost bubblegum pink blush. I didn't have anything like it, and I wanted to see how e.l.f.s cheap blushes worked. I've tried it on, and while it seemed very thin and almost too subtle at first, in better lighting than my crappy bathroom, it turns out that it's actually very nice! It's a great color for going with vibrant colored eyeshadows and a bubblegum lipstick, or to use lightly with a natural or toned-down look. The color stays all day, so for 2$, it just cannot be beat!

6. Bronzed - 2$
This is a nice natural-dark color that goes on easily and stays on all day. Great with natural or earthtoned looks. It's a really versatile color for me that matches most of my day wear palettes. It can also double as a great eyeshadow color.

Studio Baked blush
7. Rich Rose - 3$
I've only tried this on, but so far I don't think I'm impressed. The lighting in my bathroom is bad, though, so I'm not ready to give up on it just yet. The main problem that I've had is getting it out of the compact and onto the brush! I have rubbed and poked my blush brush onto the surface, but I haven't seen a lot of color transfer over, and the surface of the blush itself does not really appear to be disturbed. Once I break through that (I may scratch it with something, but I'm afraid to utterly ruin it), I think it will be a lovely color. Given this issue, I think I'd recommend the cheaper Essential line blushes so far!

 You can see that I tried to use it but that the surface - unchanged - is impervious.

LIP LINERS
Essential line Feather Proof Moisturizing Lip Liners
These lip liner pencils go on smooth and make a good, clear line, and they're a great foundation for similar colors of lipstick and gloss! Some of the e.l.f. lipsticks can get clumpy and/or wear off too quickly, but layer the liner and a gloss over the top and you've got the perfect lipstick and gloss - bold color, long lasting - for less than five bucks!

8. Bark - 1$
Bark is a nice, natural color that matches but enhances my natural lip color. This one will be a daily color for me, to wear with my toned down day wear looks. It matches well with the Bronzed blush up there. 

9. Bitter - 1$
This one goes with my darker, more vampy colors! It will outline a real red nicely, but it also blends well with the dark maroons and such, too.

10. Natural Blush - 1$
I've been looking for a great lip liner to go with my pink pink lipstick and gloss, and I have found it. It looks perfect with bright eyeshadows and the Blushing blush. This one also mixes well with more natural colors that just aren't terribly dark or bold. This is a good versatile color!

Studio line Lip Liner and Blending Brush
11. Natural - 3$
I picked this up to see how their more expensive lip liners compare to the cheapo ones, and I would stick with the 1$ lip liners. Not because this one sucks or anything, but because the cheaper ones are just as great... and they're cheaper! You totally don't need to pay the additional two bucks for the brush that's on the end of this stick; you already have makeup brushes (don't you??), and this one doesn't really do much. Lip liners don't need brushes for anything, and, if they somehow do, there are other brushes - ones for a dollar - that can do the trick, along with other tricks too, and save you a buck!

That said, this is a nice color, and the material itself is a little thicker than the Essential line pencils. There is also major convenience factor to the twist-up release as opposed to sharpening a pencil. I think e.l.f. should have nixed the brush end and sold this great lip liner with the twist-up for two bucks.

 What's it for?!

Like M. Night Shyamalan movies, this one's got a twist!

EYESHADOW
12. Mineral Eyeshadow in Beachy - 3$
I wanted to see how the more expensive Mineral eyeshadows held up to not only the other e.l.f. products, but to their direct competitors, the Bare Minerals/Escentuals (which is it??) powdered eyeshadows. I must say: well. It goes on bold, even with no primer, and it stays on all day. I'm actually happier with the way the e.l.f. shadow wears that I am with the couple Bare Minerals pots that I have. These are available in 27 colors, and I will definitely be getting more of them. AND the Bare Minerals shadow is 14$ for a 0.02 oz pot, and e.l.f.'s is 3$ for 0.03 oz. Ridiculous!

Let me note that I ordered Beachy online by the picture/swatch posted - a little 1x1" square of color. On my monitor, it looked like a lightish lavender, but this came in a vibrant blue. It's gorgeous, and I am not disappointed, but let this be a word of caution! You always have to be cognizant of the fact that your monitor display, the lighting in the picture, the uploader's monitor display, and several other factors will affect how a color appears to your eye when shopping online. I don't think I'd ever buy a color-critical product (like foundation) online without having tried out the exact item in person or without it being a refill.

Flash picture to highlight the glitters!

Definitely not lavender! (Much awesomer!)

BRUSHES

13. Glitter Eyeshadow Applicator - 3$

Next, we have a crazy thing! It's a funny shaped bit of silicon on the end of a stick. You use it to apply glitter directly to your eyelids because doing so with a regular brush can be a difficult, messy nightmare. Basically, you lightly press the tip into your pot of glitter, then press that against your (prepped with a primer or some sort of glue) eyelid to apply with serious precision. This can also be used to apply glittery or other eyeshadows very thickly or even just with a bit more control than a brush. The tip is shaped in such a way as to offer a point, a wide flat side, and a thinner flat side, so you can get just about any shape you need.

14. Smudge Eye Sponge - 1$
Very cute and small! I haven't had very high praise for the Essential line of brushes, but this one can't really go wrong. It's a little sponge applicator and smudger. It's basically the same thing that came on the end of a couple of my eyeliners (they were a gift; I'd never spend that kind of money on one eyeliner - though I will say that I've had them for YEARS and they show no signs of slowing down yet...). I use the sponge end to smoosh around my eyeliner for a smoky look, then I take it up to my eyebrows to lightly fill them in. Works great, and I'll probably be switching to this brush.

16. Stipple Brush! - 3$
Oooh babes I've been waiting for this! This is a brush for applying liquid foundation yall. You can also use it to very lightly apply mineral powder foundation as a veil or shimmer...er, but I don't plan to use it for that.

I actually gave this a try today, and I'm a little disappointed. BUT! I don't think I'm using it correctly, so I'm going to watch some how-tos and practice more before I write it off - I've only tried it the one time, so that would be totally unfair. I have been applying my liquid foundation (less than 5$!) with just my fingers, and I'm quite happy with that, actually. When I used the stipple brush, I noticed that the foundation seemed to stick more to the little peach fuzz hairs than the skin itself, as opposed to when I use my fingers. Like I said, I'm going to try to figure it out before I give up!

16. - 28. OH SWEET MOTHER. THE STUDIO BRUSH SET. - 3$ (on sale from 30$!)
Guys. GUYS. This is fucking awesome. I cannot believe I got all these gorgeous, glorious, luxurious brushes for THREE DOLLARS. By the way, I will let you know immediately if I see this sale happening again. For the love of children everywhere, get this brush set. I don't know how I'd feel about them having paid full price - they are certainly worth it, but that's just a bit high for me for almost anything. There's no reason to pay full price for anything from e.l.f. though; they're always having some kind of sale.

They are all soooo soft, so sturdy and well-built, so sleek looking, so diverse... I can't say enough great things about them. I haven't yet put each one to hard work, but I've sampled them all and smacked them about and tugged on them, and they're freakin great, yall.

There is just no way that I can put up even a tidbit about each one here - this article is long enough as it is - but let me show you a couple pictures and promise that I'll post a full review and even a how-to/what-for on the set very soon. Oh, and with my new video capabilities... Well, it's coming, chicks. I promise. Meanwhile, there's info about each of the brushes in the set in MY POST ABOUT MAKEUP BRUSHES.

Full Set

Old and Busted / New Hotness

 Closeup of the Complexion Brush - soooo luxurious!

 12$ brush versus 27¢ brush

*****

OH MAN, I'm DONE! This post was a labor of love... Love for my brokeass babes and cheap chicks!

This is actually my second big haul from e.l.f, so I'll do a haul post on the first one one of these days. Even though it won't be a sweet unboxing or anything, I still know exactly what came in it and exactly how much it all was. There's even more stuff there, for even cheaper!

Until next time, babes, good night! <3