e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Cream Review

This cream blush and bronzer duo from elf comes in one color, St. Lucia, and is $3. On their website, it is described as:

"Ideal for all skin types, this dual cream bronzer and blush creates a sheer, natural wash of color on the skin. The lightweight cream-to-powder formula provides extended wear and allows you to layer for desired intensity. Sculpt eyes, cheeks, lips, body and anywhere you wish to highlight and contour with the rich cream formula."

When I applied these with my fingers, they were very smooth and easy to blend out. They are really nice and pigmented as well. I like this for days when I'm wearing minimal makeup. Since my skin is pretty dry, this stays on my skin much better than powder blush and bronzer would without anything underneath. I was impressed by how natural it looked on. If you have dry skin, this is a great drugstore cream blush and bronzer duo.

e.l.f. Studio Shimmer Palette Review and Swatches

The e.l.f. Studio Shimmer Palette is a highlighting palette currently only available on the elf website. On the site, it's described as weightless and creamy, and is supposed to give your skin a healthy and natural glow. It's $3 and comes with four shades- white, peach. bronze, and pink.

Swatched, no flash.

With flash.

Here, I swatched them on pretty thickly to better show the different colors, but I noticed that when I was applying them lightly to my face that they all ended up looking fairly similar in color. As for the formula, the first thing I noticed when applying them with my fingers was that it feels like they literally melt when touched. They don't feel heavy at all on and a thin layer gives plenty of shimmer. They apply very smoothly and were easy to blend out.

Something I'd also like to mention is that when I was looking at reviews on the website, a lot of people thought this was an eyeshadow palette or that it was powder. I wouldn't recommend using this as anything other than what it seems to be meant for, which is a cream highlighting palette.

For $3, this is a pretty nice cream highlighter palette. The only con is really that the colors end up looking so similar if applied thinly. If you like shimmery highlights, I'd say give this a go.

e.l.f. Smudge Pots Review and Swatches

I picked up a bunch of the elf smudge pots during a 50% off sale they were having earlier this month. These are, according to their website, a smooth gel formula, can be used as an eyeshadow or eyeliner, and are enriched with vitamin E. They are similar to the Maybelline Color Tattoos, which themselves are dupes for the MAC Paint Pots. For $3 each, it's definitely a much cheaper option.

Swatched onto arm, no flash.

With flash.

As you can probably tell, the darker colors seem more pigmented when swatched, but when applied to the eyes, the lighter colors still have pretty good color payoff. They set fairly quickly and lasted throughout the day and removal is easy. I like using them as a base and then applying powder shadows around or over it.

Overall, these are great, especially for the price. They're pigmented and long-lasting, great if you want to quickly swipe something on your eyelids and come in eleven different shades. I would definitely recommend giving these a go.