Freeman Beauty Haul

Hi everyone!

So I have been pretty obsessed with Freeman Beauty masks for quite a few years now; they are super affordable and work magnificently. They sell some Freeman Beauty products at drugstores, but recently I have been wanting to try a couple new masks and I couldn't find them anywhere... so I looked to see if they had an online store. Sure enough, they do.

That's how I ended up with this:

I had a 40% coupon, and they do free shipping on orders $25 or more...and since most of their products are between $2.99 and $3.99.... I just found all sorts of stuff I wanted to try. I had no idea they did more than masks!

Like I said I have been using their masks for years, but I found these 3 that are newer and that I had never tried before. I have used all of these a couple of times since I bought them, and I have to say I love all of them! I will definitely be doing in depth reviews on all of them soon.

I recently bought a pink grapefruit scrub from the "Say yes to..." line, which I love... but it was almost $10 for a tube half the size of these. When I saw this I knew I had to try it, since it is only $3.99. I decided to go ahead and pick up the other face wash too... why not?

 

I always find myself looking for a great shampoo and conditioner. It just seems that after a while my hair gets used to them and they just don't work as good anymore. I got one shampoo and conditioner set and then the deep conditioner in the middle. You can't beat a deep conditioner for under $4.

Next I got a couple of body scrubs. I have been making my own sugar and Epsom salt scrub for a while now, which I love, but I just haven't gotten around to making any recently. I have never really used a body scrub from the story, so I thought I would give these two a try.

 

Finally I got a foot balm a hand cream. I wear high heels for work almost every day, and that has resulted in some pretty tough callouses, so  hopefully this balm helps. I have also been looking for a good hand cream that isn't greasy like most lotions... because frankly I have most lotions.

So that's the end of it.... I plan on having reviews for each of these products up as soon as I have used them enough times to feel comfortable giving a well formed opinion on them.... stay tuned :)

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day!

**Note: This review is solely my own personal opinion. This item was purchased by me and I was in no way asked to write this review.
**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

Acrylic Nail Supply Haul

Hi everyone!

Today I wanted to share with you a haul of sorts. Here's a little back story:

Several weeks ago I had my nails done for a special occasion and got a full set of acrylics. When I've had acrylics in the past, it usually took about 6 weeks before they needed filling because my nails grew so slowly. Well, it's been a few years since the last time and evidently my nails go super quickly now. This is good and bad because well, it is just way too expensive to get them refilled every couple of weeks. So, I decided I would just refill them myself to save money and then use the kit I bought to do my own full acrylic set the next time I want some.

I did a little research and tried to figure out everything I needed, stood at the drugstore for probably a little too long, and this is what I came up with.

 

The two main items I got were the Kiss Complete Salon Acrylic Kit and the Kiss Power File Deluxe. 

Both of these items will have full reviews up soon.

 

I then got a few smaller items to try and make the who process easier:

The Onyx Professional acetone remover is for when I decide to take off the nails. I have never used this product, but I know you have to use 100% acetone to dissolve acrylic, which I didn't have because I usually buy a milder polish remover because it isn't as damaging.

The second product is the Sally Hansen Super Acrylic Protection top coat. I have other top coats, but I figured I would try this one out since it is supposed to harden way more than most.

Then I got the Sally Hansen Vitamin E Nail and Cuticle Oil. The whole process of putting acrylic nails on can be very damaging to the cuticles and such. If you have ever had your nails done at the salon, you will have noticed they put an oil on after the finish - this is it.

The Nailene artificial nail clippers were just so I could keep the shape of the nails more easily and to be able to cut the whole nail at once.

Finally I got a buffing block. I love these things, they make nails so shiny. I have used them before, I just figured I would pick up a new one.

I will have reviews on some of these products up later on too.


If you are interested in any of these products for yourself, I bought the acrylic kit and the electronic file at Walgreens and the rest of the products at Walmart.

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day!



**Note: This review is solely my own personal opinion. This item was purchased by me and I was in no way asked to write this review.
**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

Review: elf Nail Polish

Hi everyone!

Today I want to share with you my thoughts on the elf nail polish.

A couple of the bottles look a little larger than the others, but they aren't; it was just something that happened when I was cropping and stitching.... so sorry about that :)

Anyway, here are the colors that I got from left to right (top row and then second):

Desert Haze, Nude, Dragon Fruit, Bubble Gum Pink, Teal Blue, High Tide, Misty Haze, Twinkle Twilight

I love these polishes! They are so creamy, and give such wonderful coverage! I have some swatches below, I am aware some of them look streaky, but that's because I did just one coat of polish so that you could see how much coverage they give with just one pass. In real life, I always put two coats, which gives 100% coverage.

I have had a couple of elf mini polishes in the past, but I have never tried the full-sized regular polishes before now, but I'm glad I did. These are soooooo long lasting. I have had my current color on for about a week and a half now, and they are not chipped one bit. I do have a top-coat on, which I know makes a difference, but most of my polish usually starts showing some wear by now.

The only complaints I do have, which aren't even about the polish themselves is the packaging oddity. I love the bottles, and the shape, and the look, but....

 

some of the tops of the bottles don't line up perfectly if you screw them on all the way. That's just a minor annoyance. Also, I didn't like that there were stickers on the front of the caps of all the bottoms and I had to scrub them with baby oil and alcohol forever to get them off. Again, minor annoyances that have nothing to do with the product itself.

Pricing:

These polishes currently retail at $2 a piece. I ordered mine off of elf's website.  I have seen some pf the polish sets in Target, but I have not seen individual shades in the store yet.

The Bottom Line:

I love these polishes! At $2 a bottle, these are super affordable and really good quality. I would dare to compare them to everyone's beloved Essie polish. They currently have 50 different colors, so there is plenty to choose from to please everyone's preferences. If you love doing your nails and haven't tried these yet, I highly recommend them!

What shades have you tried if any?

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day!



**Note: This review is solely my own personal opinion. This item was purchased by me and I was in no way asked to write this review.
**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

Review: elf Smudge Pots

Hi everyone!

Today I wanted to talk about a new elf product that I purchased recently (as seen in my elf haul) that I have been trying out a while now, and believe I have a good feel for: the elf smudge pots.

I got six shades - from left to right (top row and then bottom row):

Pearls of Wisdom, Ain't That Sweet, Gotta Glow, Back to Basics, Crusin Chick, and Hit the Town.

I think the packaging on these is very nice and sleek. The only thing I would change is to maybe make the top black so they would look a little higher end, but it's not a big deal.

The formula of these smudge pots is really creamy... almost gel like. What I like about that is that you can either put on a really sheer amount of product, but you can also build it up to have a more intense color.

I have used these as a stand-alone product as a cream shadow, as an eyeshadow base under a powdered shadow, and as a gel eyeliner. I have found them all to last really well throughout the day without wearing too much.

Pricing:

These smudge pots retail for $2 each and come in 9 different colors (I wish now I would have bought them all). I bought these off of the elf website, and I have not seen these in the store yet. Since they are new, it might take a while for that.

The Bottom Line:

I really really love these smudge pots! They are so versatile and affordable, they are totally a great buy in my opinion. If you are ordering some elf in the future, I would recommend trying a couple of these.

Anyone else try these yet? Let me know!

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day!



**Note: This review is solely my own personal opinion. This item was purchased by me and I was in no way asked to write this review.
**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

Review: elf Eyelid Primer

Hey everyone!

Today I wanted to share with you my favorite eyeshadow primer: the elf Eyelid Primer.

I have been using this primer everyday for a couple of years now, and I absolutely love it! This is coming from someone who used Urban Decay Primer Potion for years (another product I love).

They have a few different shades, this one is nude. It goes on  kind of peachy colored, but dries pretty much clear. They also have a pearly white, a gold, and I think a champagne color (mimicking UDPP). I have tried the other ones, but I really just don't think they do much to change the color of the shadow, so I stick to the original.

The tube comes with a doe-foot applicator for easy application; which is especially good for this primer because it is pretty lightweight and thin, so I think it would be too runny to be in a squeeze tube.

Even though it does on on thinner than some other primers that are really thick and creamy, it does just as good of a job. I usually swipe some on and wait about 30 seconds until it gets tacky before I spread it out; that way there is a good amount of coverage without much waste.

Pricing:

This primer is just $1!!!!!! How can you beat that?? You can find this primer at the elf website, Target, and some Walmarts.

The Bottom Line:

This is an amazing eye primer. I believe it works just as well as many high end products out there.... so if you can spend $1 and get the same results as paying $20 + why wouldn't you. It's definitely worth a try if nothing else.  

Have any of you ever used this? If so tell me how you feel down below!

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day!


**Note: This review is solely my own personal opinion. This item was purchased by me and I was in no way asked to write this review.
**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

Spring Cleaning

Hi everyone!

I've been doing a little spring cleaning with my makeup collection. I've gotten a few new products recently, as you could probably tell from my haul posts lol. Before my couple of purchases recently I hadn't bought much besides replacing things like foundation and mascara in... dang... so long I can't really remember... I think close to a year.

Anyhoo.... if you want to see how I turn this:

Which is only about have of my collection into an actual organized and comprehensive system for an affordable price, then stay tuned! I plan on posting the pics by next week.

I hope everyone is having a beautiful day!


**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

elf HD Undereye Setting Powder

Hi everyone!

If you saw my elf haul post I made last week, which you can find here, you know I bought a lot of new products to try when they were having their new products sale. One of those products was the new HD Under-eye setting powder.

 

I have really dark under-eye circles, so I am always looking for something new to make my life covering them up a little bit easier. When I saw this, I got super excited because it is supposed to be one of those blurring powders and I believe it is also supposed to help brighten as well. 

 

So... after trying this powder... I can't say that I love it like I hoped I would.  

The powder is really fine in texture as you can probably tell from the picture above, and it does blend out very nicely and give that blur effect HD powders are supposed to (like in person Photoshop). I tried to get a pic, but you couldn't really tell :/

The thing I don't like about it is... it has glitter in it. You can kind of see little glitter flecks in the pic above, but at the time I thought it was just glitter from previous swatches. I have used this a couple of times under my eye and it does in deed have glitter in the actual powder. Is that supposed to be the brightening part? To me it just makes it look you have fall out from eyeshadow on your face.

Pricing:

This powder is $3 for a pretty small jar (about the size of a gel liner). The size didn't bother me too much, because even though it's a powder, if you only use it under the eye, it would last quite a while... but on the other hand, I can get other much larger HD powders for the whole face that is more worth the price for the size.

The Bottom Line:

 I personally did not like this product. It did blur out my skin like it was supposed to, but I just can't get over the glitter. I also didn't notice that it brightened anything... so really no point in using a special powder when I can just use my face powder.

I love most elf products, but this one was really a miss for me. Maybe I'll find some use for it so it doesn't just sit in my "products I don't use but can't bring myself to throw away" drawer. Eyeshadow possibly? 

Any of you ever tried this? What do you think?

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day!

**Note: This review is solely my own personal opinion. This item was purchased by me and I was in no way asked to write this review.

**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

$1 Nail Glitter

Hi everyone!

Just thought I'd share a little something I picked up at the Dollar Tree the other day:

Normally I wouldn't recommend buying many beauty products from a dollar store... most of the time they don't work or they have too many chemicals in them, but this time I found a score. Here is an 8 pack of jars of nail glitter. You can't really make glitter in too many different ways. I saw a pack almost just like this, but with just 4 jars at Walmart the other day for like $4. So if you like doing your nails and want to add a little something extra with your own glitter, go see if you can find one of these packs at your local Dollar Tree!

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day!


**Note: This review is solely my own personal opinion. This item was purchased by me and I was in no way asked to write this review.
**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

Fila Memory Sprynt 2

Hi everyone!

Who says athletic shoes can't be pretty while be functional!

  

Look at these crazy awesome rainbow shoes I picked up the other day! My boyfriend and I have made the decision to buckle down and finally lose weight together instead of just complaining about it and hoping it falls off. lol. 

Well... I did not own a single pair of athletic shoes, so the hunt was on. When I saw these, I immediately fell in love.  I always thought of running shoes as bulky and ugly and just bleh, but I really think these are super cute, girly, and fun.

If you like these, I got them as Shoe Carnival, but other stores may carry them. They are the Fila Memory Sprynt 2.... and they are super comfortable. They have memory foam on the inside, and the outside is a really lightweight mesh. It doesn't hardly feel like I have anything on my feet.

Pricing:

These retail for $69.99 and I got them on sale for $39.98. Fila is a well known and durable brand, so even though these weren't the cheapest shoes ever, I think they will be well worth the investment in the long run. 

They are still currently on sale in the store and online at shoecarnival.com if there is not a store location near you.

Just thought I'd share a little something different to spice things up :)

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day!

**Note: This review is solely my own personal opinion. This item was purchased by me and I was in no way asked to write this review.
**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

Review: elf Daily Brush Cleaner

Hi everyone!

Today I wanted to talk elf Daily Brush Cleaner. This is another elf product that I absolutely love and have been using on a daily basis for years.

 

Every time I use a brush with a liquid or cream product, I make sure to clean to it off right after I am done with it. Liquid/cream products such foundation, concealer, cream shadow, etc. can really be damaging to your brush and your skin if left on. 

Damage to your brush: Liquid and cream products will dry up and get caked and crunchy in the bristles of your brushes. If you let this happen too much before you shampoo your brushes, you can ruin them for good; something I'm sure you don't want to happen.

Damage to your skin: Liquid and cream products breed bacteria very quickly. When you use your brush on your skin, you are picking up the oils and bacteria off your skin, which will mix with the cream product and multiply as they sit.

So, every day that I use my foundation, etc. on my brush, I just spray a couple of mists of this on the bristles and swirl it around on a wash cloth or paper towel. Just make sure you don't spray directly into the ferrule (metal part of brush) so you don't loosen the glue, otherwise your bristles can fall out.

Pricing:

You get a 2oz bottle of cleaner for $3; which lasts me probably about a month of almost daily use. This is a wonderful price compared to some of the other cleaners out there, like MACs, and it is one that can really save your brushes.

You can find this on elf's website, any Target, and some Walmarts. 

The Bottom Line:

This is a product I highly recommend. If you want to save your brushes and your skin for an affordable price, this a product you should definitely give a shot.

I hope everyone is having a beautiful day!


**Note: This review is solely my own personal opinion. This item was purchased by me and I was in no way asked to write this review.
**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

Review: elf Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths

Hi everyone! I haven't posted in several days, and I just wanted to apologize. I've been super busy with all of my end of the semester work for school.

Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite products ever, the elf Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths. These are my holy grail when it comes to taking off my makeup.

Taking off your makeup at the end of the day is one of the most important things you can do as the foundation of your skincare routine. If you just go straight to washing your face without taking off your makeup first, you are really just doing a disservice to your skin; all you're doing is pushing all of that gunk further into your pores. Your cleanser is working so hard to breakdown your makeup, it isn't really cleaning your face.

 This is kind of gross, but I just wanted to show you how much makeup one of these cloths actually removes. This is all of my eye makeup (heavy eyeshadow, liquid liner, and tons of mascara) and all of my face makeup (foundation, powder, bronzer, blush, and highlighter). I just use one side for my eyes and then flip it over and use the other side for my face.

You can even use it for a full face of costume makeup! Yes I have been there and done that.

The one thing I do have to say, is after you remove your makeup with these, you do have to wash your face; this isn't a substitute. No makeup remover is. Most makeup removers that are really effective leave your face feeling a little oily because most makeup needs to broken down with oil; water just won't work on quality makeup. 

Anyway, after all your makeup is removed, just wash your face as normal, and you should feel an amazing difference in the way your skin feels if you haven't been removing your makeup before washing.

 Pricing:

You get 20 wipes in each pack for $3. I have not seen any makeup remover that actually works come any more affordably than these cloths. That's 10 cents a day for 20 days!

You can either order these off of the elf website or you can buy them at any Target and some Walmarts. Target has had a contract with elf for years, but I have noticed Walmart has only recently started carrying a few of their products, so they might not have them everywhere yet. 

The Bottom Line:

This is one of my most favorite products ever. They are super effective at removing an entire face of makeup with ease for a price that you really can't beat.

Little Tip:

If you get these, you will notice they are kind of packaged like baby wipes. Some of the liquid can sink to the bottom of the pack, so when you get a new one, they top few might not be as moist as the bottom ones. Just give the package a few good squeezes before you open it to redistribute the liquid.

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day!



**Note: This review is solely my own personal opinion. This item was purchased by me and I was in no way asked to write this review.
**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

elf Haul

Hi everyone!

A couple of weeks ago elf was having a 50% sale on all new items as well as their "best loved" items, so I decided to pick up some new items to try out as well as grab a couple of my most used faves.

I plan on getting around to reviewing all of these items in some manner as I use them and get familiar with the new products, so if you see anything you're interested in knowing more about, just stay tuned.

Here's the box everything came in. I was too excited to takes pics before I unwrapped everything lol. One thing of the many things I love about elf is how well they package their shipments... but obviously you can't tell from my picture.

Here are two of their "best loved" products, which happen to be two of my favorite and most loved items. On the left are their makeup removing wipes and on the right their daily brush cleaner. I literally use both of these products almost everyday.
 

 Here are two new products I decided to try out. On the left are smudge pots and on the right are some metallic cream eyeshadows. The packages on both said they could be used as shadows or as liners.

On the left here is elf's eyeshadow primer and on the right is their glitter primer. I have been using the regular eyeshadow primer everyday for years now, so I can tell you now that I love it. I have never used a glitter primer of any sort... I actually had to buy some cosmetic glitter to test this out, so I'm pretty excited,

Here are three new face products for the under eye area that I have not tried before. On the left is the "Cover Everything" concealer in the shade yellow, in the middle is an "HD Lifting" concealer, and on the right it an HD setting powder marketed for specifically under the eye.

Now here are two jumbo sticks; the one on the left is a lip gloss stick and the one on the right is an eyeshadow stick. I have not tried the lip gloss stick before, but I have tried some of the other colors of the eyeshadow sticks. So far, I do enjoy the shadow sticks.

I also picked up a couple of brushes: the kabuki on the left is a new one to my collection and the eyeshadow brush on the right is a replacement for one I have had for a few years now.

Next I picked up the VIP eyelash kit. I don't wear false lashes often because I find them so hard to put on, but this kit came with an applicator tool, so I mainly got it to see if that tool would make life any easier. 

And finally I have some nail polishes! I own a few elf polishes already, but these are colors I don't really have in any other brand. elf also claims that their polish formula is "new and improved," so we'll see about that.

I have really enjoyed sharing this haul with all of you and I can't wait to start trying out the new items and giving you all feedback :)

Has anyone tried any of these products or want to try any of these products? If so, comment below and let me know what you think!

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day!



**Note: This review is solely my own personal opinion. This item was purchased by me and I was in no way asked to write this review.
**All images are my own (c)bargainbeaute

Quick Tip Tuesday - Foundation Blending

Hi everyone!

I have declared today to be Quick Tip Tuesday! Today's quick tip will focus on blending out your foundation. 

Now, we have all probably seen someone who looks like they are wearing a mask of foundation. Why does this happen? Not blending out all the way.

The top of the neck is usually lighter than the face because it doesn't get as much sun. Even if your foundation perfectly matches your face skin, it might not match your neck. Many foundations also oxidize throughout the day (get darker as the day goes on), which means if it matched in the morning, it might not match as well by the evening.

So... remember when you are applying your foundation, don't stop at the jawline! You don't have to cover your neck with a lot of extra product, just swipe and feather it out below the jawline and down a little onto your neck. Also buff into your hairline around your forehead and feather towards your ears.

Voila! No more foundation mask! No one will even know you're wearing any ;)

What's your favorite foundation tip?


Hope everyone is having a beautiful day!