I'm using my bareMinerals for about a week now and it's definitely a rediscovered love. I bought a starter kit in 2006 (I believe) and I remember liking it back then. I didn't have any problems with the brushes in my old kit but this new one is seriously SUPER SCRATCHY and makes my face feel like it's swelled up! NOT GOOD. I think the bristles are made of natural hair and I heard those can be rough on sensitive skin. It's a good thing I kept my elf Mineral Powder Brush.


But I don't really like elf brushes in general. I know lots of people say they're good quality for the price (and I got sucked into believing that). I've bought a couple from the Studio line and also the cheaper Essential line. Out of all the brushes I tried, only three worked out: Studio Face Kabuki Brush, Studio Powder Brush and Studio Mineral Powder Brush. I wish I kept the other brushes to show you all the shedding, the uneven bristles that poke my eyelids, and handles getting unglued. (Oh yes, I love using the oxford comma.) But that's not what this entry is about.

I like using the Matte powder

The elf Mineral Powder brush is fabulous at picking up the product and is super soft on my face. It's made of synthetic taklon bristles so I can buff buff buff without feeling like I'm dragging some itchy material against my skin, which is what happens when I use the Full Flawless Face brush.



elf's is smaller in width but it's more round than wide. Eeeuhhh! Just looking at the bM's bristles makes my face feel all itchy!

When I first got this palette (cheapie for $5!), I was really excited. After playing with it, I found that most of the shadows are really chalky and powdery and not very pigmented so you lose color payoff once you start blending. You really get what you pay for.

This actually came out as a brownish purple shade on my lips, almost the same color as that on the bottom cap. But it's a nice smooth lipstick that glides effortlessly on the lips so I might pick up another shade to try. It has a faint sweet taste to it that I didn't mind at all and this lipstick can stay on for a few hours, so that was really nice.

I wish that elf's website reflects the right colors on their products. =(

I know a lot of bloggers mentioned this already... this product acts more like a highlighter instead of a blush because it's pretty pearlescent, as you can see from the pictures below:

I just want to let you guys know how disappointed I am with the elf brush I purchased a while back.

It sheds non-stop.


It's from their Essential line called Total Face brush. But hey, for $1, you get what you pay for. I'm throwing this out. I am done using it. Their Studio line is another story though.

I did some shopping yesterday but I have no time to actually blog about it right now. Hello! 10 hour shift at work! I did, however, take pictures of the e.l.f. gift set I got from Target.




I was actually looking to get some Sonia Kashuk brushes but I was too much of a cheapskate that time so I ended up not getting any! Maybe this weekend I'll go back and use the $20 gift card from last year that I always forget I have.