What's In My Purse?!

Outfits of the Week: Fall 2012!

Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit Review!

Before these lashes, I owned 2 pairs: one had a huge thick band of glitter on it and super-long, curly lashes at the outer corners, and the other pair was trimmed on a diagonal [okay, the 2nd pair I could fool people were natural in my Facebook picture, but never in real life]. As you can tell, I was in desperate need of some more natural-looking lashes, just for tutorials or nights out or future weddings/fancy events.

Some things I really like about these lashes in particular are:

-this doesn't really count but I was so impressed with Kiss' nail stickers that their brand is a new favorite of mine

-they were lush and full-looking, something that is hard to find in drugstore lashes (I'm looking at you, Ardell and NYX)

-the glue had a super strong hold- comparable if not better to Duo, which I own and use 

-in this starter kit, you get three things, and not just the lashes, so it's good value for your money (these are around $5 at drugstores)

Despite all of that, there were only a couple things I wasn't too crazy about:

-it might just be me, or the fact that I'm already clumsy about putting lashes on, but I thought the applicator was more confusing than helpful. I'll just stick to my tweezers to get them up on my lashline, which is what I usually use. If you're subscribed to my Youtube channel, elleoenigma, you can look up my "How to Apply False Lashes" tutorial, where I show how to use tweezers!

-the glue took a whole minute to dry, whereas the same amount of Duo lash glue would probably only take half of that time. I think the hold of this glue was a little stronger than Duo though, so it's a tradeoff

That's about all I have to contribute for now! Overall a great product, and if you have the need for some lashes I would definitely recommend these. Thanks for reading!

xox Elle

P.S. I was sent these for free from Influenster in one of my boxes, but that doesn't affect my opinion! I test out all products unbiased-ly. 

NYC Custom Eyes Individual Eye Compact!

This is just a quick little rundown of the pros and cons of this cute product I was sent for free from Influenster, since my experience with it so far has been limited but there are some things I really do like about it, and for $5 at any drugstore and with a color selection much wider than just the palette I checked out (mine was dark silvers and greys, my fave!), why not scope it out if you want to spice up your makeup collection?

Pros:
-plastic packaging feels sturdy, not cheap
-is cute and compact!
-color selection is perfect for me but also any eye color
-shimmer is gorgeous
-white highlight color is very functional and well-pigmented
-darkest shade showed up SO welll- use a light hand!

Cons:
-primer seemed goopy and thick to me
-the shadows are so pigmented they can get all over the place if you don't tap off your brush!
-middle two shades looked very similar on, but it wasn't too big of a deal

As always, thank you for reading and get in touch with me for any additional info or questions!
xox Elle

My "Genie in a Bottle" - Goody Spin Pin Review!

Not my picture, cause mine aren't in 'Blonde'!

So I've always adored the cute little commercials for these Spin Pins and always wanted a pair myself, but I didn't quite get the concept & thought they would be really hard to use, plus whenever I looked for them at CVS they were $10, which was a price I wasn't up to spending for something I wasn't sure would work. 

Then Influenster came along and sent me a free set in my Beauty Blogger Voxbox, and I was SO excited! [as you could probably tell from my video] Now, I've only used these once, and I plan on making a tutorial-style video in the future with a more in-depth review of these, but I wanted everyone to know that they're one of my favorites from this box! You literally put one against the bottom of your bun and twist it clockwise (spin counterclockwise to take them out!) and they just go in your hair and hold it in place. I have thin hair so I could probably get away with only using one, since these are powerful little spirals. Then you take the other pin, place it against the top of your bun, and twirl it down towards your scalp, and if you really want it to stay you can make sure the pin grabs some of the hair closer to your head.

My FAVORITE thing about these things is not only how versatile they are [you could do a messy bun, side bun, low bun, or I did a high ballerina bun], but you don't need a hair tie/elastic, AT ALL! So as long as you have two of these puppies in your backpack, but are all out of luck ponytail-holder-wise, you could just whip them out and do a two-second hairstyle just in time for gym, or a test, or whatever else you have going on where you don't want all that hair in your face. Know what that means? No bun bumps on the top of your head! That's my least favorite part about updos, but these don't leave any bumps or lines or weird markings on your hair, so you can just untwist the pins and move on to whatever hairstyle you want for the next day without having to straighten it or anything in between. How easy!

That's all for now, folks. Keep a lookout for my video that will be sorta like an extension on this blogpost!

xox Elle

Bath + Body Works Mini Candle Reviews!

It's FAAAAALL, which means beautiful fall scents are filling my bedroom! With Influenster sending me a free mini B & BW mini candle of Black Pepper Bergamot, and the website giving away mini candles for free w/ a $25 purchase (I was stocking up on hand sanitizers and gifts for friends!), I have lots to talk about!

Not my picture. Thanks Google!

BPB- This is the one I got from Influenster, and let me say- if my future husband wore this scent as a cologne, I would never be unhappy! It smells like a manly, musky scent- my favorite kind (remember how I buy all the B & BW men's scents as hand sanitizers? and how Yankee Candle's Mountain Lodge, another manly musky scent, is my YC favorite?). The color really throws you off but once you ignore it and the strange title that left me a little confused as to what to expect, then you will be thrown into a magical scent-tastic wonderland. I really will love this for fall AND winter- that deep comforting scent doesn't only scream fall to me. The mini size is adorable, and even though the plastic lid makes me a little nervous, the glass container has been holding up well for me.

Not my picture.

Leaves- Okay, okay, I crossed over to the dark side and bought the ever so popular and over-discussed Leaves scent. This is the one I got for free off the website (let me just say that B & BW takes FOREVER in the mail! Granted there was a hurricane going on at the time, but I ordered from Urban Decay.com on the same day and that box came about a week earlier), but I think you can buy them a la carte for about $3, or 2/$5. Well worth it, in my opinion. I burnt this for about half an hour before I went to bed one night, and I was in such a happy place with this smell in my nose. 30 minutes and there was barely a dent in the wax, which shows how long this candle will truly be able to burn for! Even if you just leave the plastic lid off and put it on a dresser somewhere, the scent will fill the room. I've had mine open for at least two weeks now and my whole room still smells like it! 

Don't be misled by the title- I was expecting an earthy scent that would actually smell like, you know, leaves!? Psssst, that would be a great idea for a future scent, B & BW. Anyways, it's actually a sweet smell- kind of a mix of pumpkins and cloves and cinnamon and other seasonal spices, so a more appropriate name in my opinion would be "Autumnal Spice." It's really sweet and will make you feel like a little kid in a log cabin drinking clove spice tea- talk about the ultimate comfort!

Thanks for reading my review. Be sure to get in touch with me with any questions or comment below to join the conversation!

xox Elle

Kinky Moves that Aren't Your Mother's?! (A Review)

From Not Your Mother's brand, I will be reviewing Kinky Moves, a hair cream for curly/wavy girls!

Not my picture. 

If you watched my Beauty Blogger Voxbox Unboxing (a free box of goodies I got from Influenster) video, which you can watch HERE if you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you saw this little travel-sized cutie.  I'm planning on doing a favorites video of my favorites & least favorites from this box shortly, but in the meantime I wanted to shine the spotlight on one of my favorites from this program that has become a necessity!

Normally after I get out of the shower, I use a leave-in conditioner, comb out the rat's nest that my hair turns into when wet, pop on my Paul Mitchell Super Skinny serum, and I'm done. Instead of the pricey PM serum, you could easily use this new product to get a similar effect, and both smell delicious in more ways than one! 

To avoid boring you to death, I'll just list the pros and cons [not many!] of this product~

Pros:

-smells DELICIOUS; I am ALL OVER the Jasmine & grapeseed oil that makes your hair smell like a grape vineyard in the middle of summer. The only perfume I'll ever need!

-the consistency is nice and thin and doesn't make your hair sticky like a mousse, but gives you similar effects

-makes your hair so stinking shiny, people might start using your head as a mirror

-did I mention it smells really really good? Even the day after your shower?

-you don't need a whole lot to put on your palms and eliminate frizz

-when you scrunch your wet hair with this a lot like you're supposed to, you will definitely get a different look than what you're used to; my hair got wavy on the ends, but CON: didn't look much different higher up on my head

-it does a great job of defining layers, if you have them. I know that my hair looks more piecy, but in a good way, and makes the texture of your locks look more interesting and gorgeous

-it might just be my imagination, but my hair color seems to be enhanced when I use this (it gets brighter and my brown dye tends to look less faded and more bright when I have this on!)

Yes my picture. Did the chipped nail polish give it away!?

Who DOESN'T want a floral-scented head of hair that gives shine enough for days and eliminates frizz and undefined waves? Yes, this will work if you have tight little ringlets or if you just have borderline straight-and-wavy hair (like me!) It smooths down your hair and gives you definition that looks pretty on everyone. Plus, it makes you look like you spent way more time on your hair then you actually did- can you say effortless?

If you have any questions or want to know any more about this product, Google it or get in touch with me! Thanks for reading, 

xox Elle 

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