All the Colours of the Rainbow | e.l.f Palette Review

"When I die press my ashes into a smoky eyeshadow palette." 

If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you'll know that my ride or die eyeshadow has always been the Smashbox Full Exposure palette. It was the first palette I ever bought and I used it (conservatively) 90% of the time over the last three years. 

About a week before Christmas I was walking through Wal-Mart when I spotted this e.l.f. palette and immediately had to have it. It was only $19.99 for 64 amazing shades. I had heard so many positive things about e.l.f. as a brand that there wasn't a doubt in my mind that I would be going home with a new palette. 

This has become my new go-to palette, sorry Smashbox. 

I'm obsessed with the shade selection to start- there is every colour I could ever want and then some. Beyond that I love how many options there are when it comes to shimmer vs. matte. 

The colour payoff is pretty good for such a modestly priced eyeshadow palette. The shimmers tend to be more pigmented than the mattes but both are easily build able. Fallout definitely occurs with the majority of the colours in this palette (tapping off the brush helps significantly) so I would recommend waiting to do face makeup until your eyes are finished. 

The rose gold shade (with the deep indent in it) is probably my favourite out of the whole palette. It does a great job of making my blue eyes look extra blue!

If you can get your hands on this palette I would highly recommend it! It's a drugstore standout for sure. If you have any other drugstore palettes to recommend please do let me know!

Back to Beauty | October Beauty Favs!

Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the World 
-Marilyn Monroe 

A one month hiatus from this blog was far too long, but much needed. I was (obviously) in a really bad place toward the end of September and I needed the time to myself to press pause and reset. 

During that time I got back into makeup, hair & all things beauty which is a joy of mine that I had forgotten. Making the time to do my hair and makeup in the morning has become my norm again. I find it calming, enjoyable, fun, and it helps me to feel a little more confident in my own skin stepping out in to the world. 

Since taking this hiatus from beauty, I have jumped in head first and have some lovely products to share with you all today! 

Starting with skin care, I've been really enjoying the Garnier Pure Active 3in1 face wash. I use it every morning and the scent really wakes me up. I tend to shy away from products containing salicylic acid despite my acne prone skin because I find it to be really drying. However, this face wash also includes eucalyptus oil and aloe vera which make it a really hydrating and effective cleanser. Not to mention it's super affordable!

I'm not sure if deodorant really fits into a beauty product but I'm going to include it anyways! The Lady Speed Stick Unstoppable deodorant in the scent Charismatic smells absolutely amazing to start! It also keeps my underarms sweat free all day keeping me from having wet patches under my arms. What I like most about this deodorant is that it has aloe vera in it which keeps my underarms from being irritated or dry. 

Please ignore the slight chip on the tip of my index finger. I've actually been wearing this Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polish on my nails for eight days in a row now and that's the only chip I have! I think that speaks for itself on why I've been loving this polish. The whole line is fantastic but this shade, Wine Stock, has been my go to recently. Make sure you buy the top coat and use it together with the colour coat or else the polish doesn't really work how it's supposed to! The top coat is what makes the real difference. 

Anytime I've worn foundation in the past two months it has been the Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless foundation. I've recently had to drop a shade from 120 to 112 as my tan slowly disappears (tear). I love this foundation! It's super affordable, covers well, lasts for ages, and doesn't break me out. It's a winner all around in my books! This is a great foundation and I'd recommend it to anyone who has normal, combination, or oily skin (may want to avoid if your skin is quite dry). There is a wide selection of shades for lighter skin tones, some with pink undertones, some with more yellow undertones, and some with neutral undertones. If you are a darker skinned person looking to use this foundation, however, you may find the shade selection to be seriously lacking.

I've been really enjoying using different lip colours to change up my everyday makeup look lately. My choice is the NYX mechanical lip liner; not just to line my lips but as an overall colour! I think they're so smooth and buttery and glide onto the lip like an absolute dream. They last all day and don't smudge or wear away while I'm eating or drinking. The five above have been my favourite shades coming into fall; 12 Dark Red, 06 Nude Pink, 02 Nectar, 08 Sand Beige, and 10 Nude. I'm sure now that November is here and continuing on into December, I will be reaching more toward the darker colours and berry tones. 

I've always stuck by my eyebrow pencils and tended to shy away from waxes as it seemed so daunting! However, I am obsessed with the e.l.f. Gel & Powder Eyebrow Kit. I got mine in the shade medium. I also picked up the dual ended brow brush. This has become my new favourite method of filling in my brows! I think it looks so natural and the colour match is perfect for my hair colour. I start by using the spoolie end of the brush to comb out my brows. I then used the angled end of the brush with the gel to shape and fill my brows, followed by the lighter powder to set the gel using the fluffy end of the brush the duo came with. This product has been a game changer!

I've been on the hunt for a good drugstore liquid eyeliner for ages. I've tried endless products by many brands and all were falling short of my expectations. In a liquid eyeliner I look for it to be a deep, opaque black, easy to use, not irritating to my eyes, waterproof, and precise. All of my boxes were finally ticked by the NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker in Carbon Black. I have fallen in love with this eyeliner pen!

Which brings me to my next favourite; winged liner! If you want a tutorial on this look do let me know as it's been my everyday makeup for about a month now!

Thanks as always for reading & thank you even MORE for being so patient with me and my lack of blog posts. Hopefully I will be able to stick with once per week. 

What beauty products have you been loving this month? Do let me know in a comment!

Makeup Battle: e.l.f. vs. Revlon | Liquid Eyeliner

As wedding season comes around again, I find myself going hunting for all things makeup. I'm not one to wear makeup everyday, however I enjoy getting dolled up for events and nights out with friends!

The first makeup item that I went on the hunt for was a good liquid eyeliner. I went to the drugstore and picked up two that appealed to me. 

Here is the battle of the eyeliners: e.l.f. vs. Revlon.

Product:

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in 001 blackest black

"Glides on smoothly and wears for up to 16 hours. Easier to apply than traditional liquid liners. Flow-through pen provides controlled application. Ophthalmologist tested. For optimal results, store product horizontally" - back of packaging

Cost:

 $ 11.79

Ingredients:

Water, Acrylates Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Lignosulfonate, Sodium Laureth-11 Carboxylate, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 80, Alcohol Denat., Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Laureth-12 Sulfate, EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben; may contain Black 2, Red 40

Product:

e.l.f. Precision Liquid Eyeliner in black

"The long-lasting formula and pigment rich colour glides on smoothly for defined and precise lines" - back of packaging

Cost: 

$4.19 + tax

Ingredients:

Water, Acrylates Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben; may contain DC black 2, iron oxides

 The Revlon applicator is definitely easy to use; the product goes where you want it thanks to the pointed pen tip applicator. You can apply in a thin line with a light hand or use a little more pressure to get a thicker line.

I found the felt tip did tug a little bit on my skin and getting a very thin line isn't super easy to do.

 The e.l.f. applicator is a tube and wand as opposed to felt tip. It's still easy to get a thin, precise line as the brush is thin and well made. It's also very build-able if you want a thicker line or a flick. 

 The swatches are really the deciding factor for me. The e.l.f. eyeliner is above and the Revlon below on my hand in this photograph. 

As you can see the Revlon line is thicker and not really a true black. The e.l.f. is a thinner and more defined line. The pigmentation is amazing- super black!

In my opinion, the e.l.f. liquid eyeliner is the obvious winner here. From the price to the pigmentation, Revlon has been clearly outdone in this category. I can't wait to try more e.l.f. products now!

Stay tuned for a full review of the e.l.f. eyeliner!

If you have any other makeup/brand battles that you'd like to see do let me know in a comment!

Thanks for reading & check back again to see what KatieDidd, xo

19. Favourite Christmas Films | Blogmas

Something that really puts me into the Christmas spirit is a good holiday film! There are SO many holiday films that I absolutely love so I tried my best to narrow it down. Today I'm going to share with you (in no particular order) my five favourite holiday movies!

For me a good Christmas movie is one that leaves me with that warm feeling of holiday joy. I love a film that can make me laugh but also hit me right in them feels haha. Of course a happy ending is a must for a feel good Christmas film!

Holiday Inn

This is quite an old film- from the 1940s I do believe- but still so amazing! It's not exclusively Christmas, but a great one to watch this time of year none the less!

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas

An absolute classic, the Grinch is one of those movies I just have to watch at Christmas time! Unpopular opinion: the Warner Bros original twenty minute short is infinitely better than the newer Jim Carrey version... sorry not sorry haha.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

My mom is a huge peanuts lover and she's passed that down to me. We watch every Charlie brown special for each holiday but the Christmas one has got to be my favourite! It doesn't feel like Christmas until I get to watch Charlie Brown with my mom!

Love Actually

Nothing better than a good rom-com, am I right ladies? I really enjoy the multiple plot lines in this movie and just the feel good Christmas vibe that this film has! It's one that makes you laugh and cry and leaves you with a warm feeling that I just love, especially round Christmas time!

Elf

Is it really a complete list of holiday films if Elf isn't mentioned?? I'm a huge Will Ferrell fan and he definitely doesn't disappoint in Elf! It's a must watch.

I hope you enjoy these films and if you have any favourites that I haven't mentioned please do leave them in a comment below!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

12. Forcing That Festive Feeling | Blogmas

Yesterday marked the last day of school and the first day of full swing festivities! Up to this point I have definitely been looking forward to Christmas, but I haven't been Christmas crazy, like I usually am, by any means. I decided I would create a cozy, festive night in last night to help get me into the holiday spirit. I wanted to share what I did to force myself into feeling festive!

I started the evening by lighting some festive candles- I lit a peppermint candle and a cinnamon candle. Guys my place smelled amazing! Like a Christmas sweet shop. I threw on some festive PJ's, cooked my dinner and ate it whilst listening to my Spotify Christmas Playlist. 

Sugar cookies are my all time favourite Christmas dessert so I baked some oatmeal chocolate chip sugar cookies, made a cup of hot chocolate and snuggled myself into my cozy flannel blanket to binge watch some Christmas films! Some of the ones I watched are Holiday Inn, Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the original short of course), Charlie Brown's Christmas, Love Actually, and Elf!

I ended the evening with my Bible, reading a bit of Matthew from the New Testament. 

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my festive night in! I really do feel quite a bit more Christmas spirit- I'm super excited to head home and celebrate the holidays with my family! What sorts of things do you do that put you in the festive spirit? Do let me know in a comment!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn