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Let's Talk: E.L.F. Matte Lip Colors

I sure haven't been keeping my promise with two posts a week, have I? At least once a week is going well, and hopefully I'll be able to stick with my promise soon! To make up for it, I've got a pretty long post here about these E.L.F. Matte Lip Colors. So, get some iced tea (sweet, of course!) and sit a spell!

E.L.F. stands for Eyes Lips Face, but most people just say "elf". It's a company who is trying to provide high quality yet low cost makeup, skin care and beauty tools. They have their hits and misses, as do all cosmetic companies, but I've been quite impressed by some of their items.

The Matte Lip Colors are a cult classic among makeup enthusiasts. They're a crayon (or pencil) shape, are retractable and even have sharpeners at the opposite end. They normally sell for $3.00 on E.L.F.'s website, and if you catch a sale, you may get them for even less! So, they are quite affordable. I have most of the colors (14) and do enjoy them quite a bit. Of course, I have my favorites and not so favorites, but we'll get into that soon enough.

Sharpener

E.L.F. states the following about these Lip Colors:

• The convenient jumbo sized lip pencil creates exact color application.
• The pigment rich color glides on effortlessly and provides long-lasting matte color
•  The enriched Vitamin A, C & E formula moisturizes and hydrates lips for all day comfort.

There is no major smell and most of them have no taste. I have noticed a few that have a sweet taste to them, but not an overwhelming sweet taste. One thing to note is that for some of these colors, you will need to exfoliate your lips (as you may notice in some of my pictures my failure to do so before taking the pictures!). And, some of these are more matte than others, but none of them seem to dry out my lips. So, I wouldn't expect the same kind of matte you can get from a liquid matte lipstick.

On to the colors!!!!

The first color is Berry Sorbet. It's a pretty, light berry color that actually looks a bit like you're wearing two different colors depending on the light. This is an easy-to-wear color for most skin colors in my opinion. As you can see with this color as with some other colors below, it is not as matte as you may expect.

Berry Sorbet

The next color is Coral. This is much more of an orange...like a milky orange, than what I think of in a coral. This color doesn't look good on my fair skin, so without help from lip liners or other lipsticks, I don't think I'll use this one as much. I could see this looking good on darker skin, though. And, why do I always think of Rick Grimes from the Walking Dead calling for his son when I see or hear the word coral? 😆

Coral

The next color is Cranberry. First of all, pardon my sloppy application! I must have been getting tired when I put this one on, but it is one of my favorites! It does appear to have a nice, true cranberry color, although the outside packaging does not match the actual color. This color would probably look good on most skin colors.

Cranberry

The next color, Dash of Pink, is a true, warm pink. It's definitely wearable, unlike some of those "Barbie" pinks you may find. It's more of a subtle pink...one that won't grab everyone's attention when you walk in the room. The warmth in it does make your teeth look a bit yellow, but not a lot. I think most any skin color could wear this.

Dash of Pink

The following color, Hot Commodity, is definitely orange. It's not a really bright orange, but orange enough to have no doubts about the color. I don't care for this color much at all for my skin color, but this would definitely look good on darker skin tones. As you can see, it's not matte at all, so I'm not sure how it came to be known as a Matte Lip Color.

Hot Commodity

The next color is Mulberry Maven. Now this one's packaging definitely does not match the actual color! The actual color is a medium purple (the outside packaging looks more red). I hated this the first time I tried it on, but it grew on me. I'm not opposed to wearing "non-traditional" colors, so you may want to take that into consideration before buying this color. But, if you want to wear a purple that isn't too much of an "in your face" color, this may be the one for you! (P.S. Sorry for the frown...must have been toward the end of my picture taking session!)

Mulberry Maven

OK, so this next color took me by surprise. It's called Natural, but the outside packaging looks a lot more orange (kind of like Coral's outside packaging). And, where on earth is this a matte? This is one of my favorites, though. It has a slight mauve to it. It's a "my lips but better" color that will go with a smoky eye perfectly. I don't think this would look good on everyone...probably just us fair and light skinned ladies and possibly mid-toned ladies.

Natural

Nearly Nude is the least favorite for me. It shows every dry patch you may have and has a slight orange tone. I don't know why E.L.F. loves putting orange in everything, but not many people I know can pull off wearing an orange. When I wear it, it blends a bit into my fair skin, but just looks weird for the most part. I guess it could be used mixed with a dark warm color to lighten the color, but other than that, I don't see many people being able to wear this shade. But you do you, Boo!

Nearly Nude

The next color, Praline, is one of my most favorite colors. It's a brown color. but more on the milk chocolate color. This is an extremely wearable brown that I think most skin tones can wear. It does remind me of the browns from the 90's but one that is wearable even for the office.

Praline

The color Rich Red is not at all what most people would think of in an actual rich red. The outside packaging looks like a rich red, but when this is applied to the lips, it's much more of a bright red. I was really disappointed when I got this one because the name Rich Red lead me to believe that the color would be a blue toned darker red. I think most anyone can wear this color, but it is bright.

Rich Red

Rowdy Rouge is another one that I think is totally misnamed. Perhaps the person naming them is color blind but this is ORANGE, and a bright one at that! Am I the only one that thinks of a red when the name "rouge" is used? I'm telling ya... E.L.F. loves orange apparently since we've seen so many in this line! This one might be salvageable by using a lip liner or mixed with another color. Or I just might be adventurous wear it. Who knows? Maybe it will change my mind wearing it for a day!

Rowdy Rouge

This next color...all I can say is "YAAAASSSS"! Scarlet Night has to be my favorite. It's a beautiful plum color that I would imagine most anyone can wear. And, again with the packaging...it looks so dark on the packaging that I was afraid it might be just too dark, Well, the packaging lied! I love this plum berry color!

Scarlet Night

Oh, the color Tea Rose. What a beautiful color. It has to be right up there with Scarlet Night. My picture is not doing it justice! It's a light mauve color that I could see paired with a smoky eye or an elaborate eye makeup. It's also possible to use another lip color with this to make an ombre lip. Oh, I've got plans for you, my little lip color! And, this is another that you can see is not matte.

Tea Rose

Again, I got reckless with the swatch on our next and final color, Wine. Yet another one whose name and outer packaging don't fit. The packaging is more of what a wine color should look like, but it actually reminds me of a deeper rose color. It's not bad at all, but I have many colors in my collection that are the same if not close to this color, so I was disappointed that it wasn't actually a wine color. I think this can be worn by all skin colors in my opinion.

Wine

So, my final thoughts are that I like most of them. They are easy to use, and it's a wonderful bonus to have a sharpener built right into the packaging. You can really get a precision application when using the sharpener. Also, like I said before, some are closer to matte than others. So, if you really want a matte lip color, I wouldn't recommend these. However, the vitamin-packed formula does make these feel good on your lips all day. And, for $3.00, they are definitely worth a try!

Have you tried these before? What are your opinions? Are there any other brands that are similar that you prefer over these? Also, do you like swatches like this or full face swatches like I did for my Buxom review? I'd love to hear from you!

Let's Talk: BeautyCounter Facial Oil

Recently, I had a request to review facial oil. I have to admit that I didn't know much about facial oils, and the thought of them took me back to my teen days when my whole face seemed to gush oil! 😆 But, now that I'm older, I'm no longer an oil slick. I seem to have combination to normal skin, although my skin is frequently dehydrated (naughty me for not drinking enough water!). So, I decided to give facial oil a try.

A friend of mine (Christine) sells BeautyCounter products, and I bought the "favorites" box which includes a facial oil. BeautyCounter was founded by a woman who wanted safer and healthier skin care and beauty products. The company has consultants, like my friends, as well as pop up shops, direct sales, and throw socials occasionally according to their website. Safer and healthier products? Sign me up!

Anyway, the facial oil I bought is called "Hydrating Face Oil". Yes, pretty simple name, but there are terrific ingredients in this stuff! Here is a breakdown of their ingredient list using the common (and more recognizable for English speakers) names:

• Grape See Oil
• Rose Hip Fruit Oil
• Marula Oil
• Organic Argan Kernal Oil
• Meadowfoam Seed Oil
• Sea Buckthorn Oil
• Rose Flower Oil
• Orange Peel Oil
• Grapefruit Peel Oil
• Jasmine Flower Oil

Pretty simple stuff, huh? Each one of these oils has its own benefits when applied to the skin. For example, www.livestrong.com says:

  "...(grape seed) oil is extremely rich in beta-carotene and vitamins D, C, E. It also happens to have a concentration of essential fatty acids like palmitic, stearic, and linoleic acid. These fatty acids have performed well in clinical anti-wrinkle trials. They have also proven to be effective at minimizing the prominence and size of scars."

And, www.livestrong.com also says about rose hip oil the following:

 "For facial skin care, rose hip oil offers several benefits when applied externally due to its primary constituents: essential fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin C and B-carotene, a form of vitamin A."

 "(Rose Hip) oil can penetrate due to the vitamin A, which has small enough molecules to go deeper into the skin. Vitamin A improves the skin's moisture levels and reduces wrinkles and fine lines"

 "(Rose Hip oil's) antioxidants, which combat free radicals that cause damage, and vitamin A, combined with the oil's essential fatty acids, help improve skin tone, texture and pigmentation. Sun exposure plays a role in decreased collagen, which vitamin C can help counteract. The oil is deeply moisturizing and aids in removing redness and irritation. These properties also make rose hip oil a possible treatment for facial rosacea."

So, there's no doubt about it that these oils are good for your skin, right? If I can get a little bit of these benefits, I'll be happier than a sow in mud!

The bottle comes with a dropper, and I typically use a whole dropper full at night. I put a little on my hand for each part of my face. But I have to admit, at first it felt weird putting oil on my face. I guess it's because I was brought up to avoid oil on your face, but it also felt pretty good. Typically, I use this as a night moisturizer so it has the most time to sink into my skin. Not gonna lie...you will feel and look pretty greasy at first, but give it some time to sink into your skin. The next morning I could not believe how soft my face felt! I'm dead serious when I tell you that I truly felt like I had new skin. The dehydration wasn't even a factor that morning. Any dry areas I had were not as easily felt as the night before and the oily parts were not more oily. It does have a funny smell at first, but the smell seems to disappear pretty fast. I really like it and would recommend this facial oil to anyone. If you'd like to order some, here is my friend's link (I am not affiliated with anyone nor do I get payment of any type for my review):  www.beautycounter.com/christinemcgee

So, this oil has really sold me on the benefits of facial oils. Do you feel the same? Have you had any facial oils blow your mind? I'm looking forward to trying more! Do you have any suggestions? Please leave me a comment!