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

Everyday Hair Routine & NUME Tools | Product Review

I recently took the plunge and treated myself to a new straightener and curling wand- my goodness what a great decision! I didn't realize how bad my old hair tools were until I got new ones haha. I bought the twenty five millimetre titanium curling wand and the one inch ceramic straightener and I'm obsessed with them both!

This was my hair curled with the wand. I made the curls loose and soft on purpose- using the wand made it so easy to achieve these results. I found the wand super easy to use as well as super quick and efficient. I only had to hold my hair on the wand for about three seconds and the curl was already formed. I set the wand to three hundred seventy degrees Fahrenheit which worked really well for my hair despite how thick it is. With my old wand I'd have to crank it right up to four hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit to get the same curls.

The only gripe I have about this wand is that the temperature adjustment buttons are quite sensitive to touch which makes it really easy to accidentally bring the temperature up or down when using the wand. This definitely isn't enough for me to completely write this wand off- I LOVE IT. It was well worth the investment and I'd recommend it to absolutely anyone!

I tried using the straightener as well to curl my hair (I'm not much for straight hair but I do love the look I get when I curl with a straightener) and the above photo was the results I achieved. The straightener is amazing! I may even like it better than the wand thanks to it's versatility. I feel I can get more looks from the straightener than I can from the wand but I highly recommend both.

The downside to the straightener? I really only found one! That downside being that the temperature adjustment is done by a dial as opposed to a digital adjustment. This makes a precise temperature setting quite difficult. Beside that, the plates are ceramic which is amazing, the hand grip is the perfect size for my hands, and the one inch width is great for my hair length.

Over all I absolutely LOVE the NUME tools that I bought- great purchase for sure. I would highly recommend NUME hair tools if you're looking to upgrade from your current tools or you're in need of new ones!

I also did a video review of the wand if you want to check it out!

Have you tried any NUME tools? What'd you think?

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

Revlon Nail Enamel | Product Review

I'm one of those gals who can not stand having bare nails- I feel so naked without my nails painted! Finding a good quality nail polish that doesn't cost an arm and a leg is quite the task now a days! It seems like you can't have it all; quick drying, long lasting, good colour pay off. But alas, I have found my favourite nail enamel brand! Turns out it was right under my nose all this time. Coming in at roughly six dollars a bottle, my favourite nail polish lately has been Revlon. 

Left to Right: 905 Sophisticated, 705 Gray Suede, 471 Fashionista, 495 Sultry, 211 Charming, 161 Teak Rose, 580 Eclectic, 571 Post, 912 Pink Posh, 715 Privileged, 902 Craving Coral, 950 Top Coat.

The colour pay off of this brand is absolutely stunning- two coats and you're done! The wear power could use some improvement as it chips usually by the third day but I find that's typical even for more expensive brands like Essie, OPI, and China Glaze. The top coat is really great from Revlon. I even find myself using this top coat when I'm using colours from other brands as it has really become my go to. 

I really love this colour for this time of the year. It's a good transition colour from autumn to winter without being a holiday/Christmas colour. 

I really love a good grey around this time of the year and these two have definitely been my go-tos. I love that Gray Suede is almost a nude. It's a really great combination of taupe, gray, brown, and mauve. Sophisticated is a really beautiful slate grey colour with a slight blue undertone that is really flattering on the nails.

For this nail look, I used Fashionista as a base with Penny Talk by Essie overtop. I wanted to test the layer-ability of the Revlon polish with another brand and also how well it would stay on when I removed my guide line tape. As you can se it turned out great! The polish didn't peel off with the tape and the Essie colour layered on smoothly and beautifully.

The only downside I have found with the Revlon nail enamels is that they don't come in the wide variety of shades that you are able to find from other brands. That aside, it's an absolutely amazing budget nail brand and has definitely become my go-to nail polish line!

What is your favourite brand for nail enamel? Have you tried Revlon nail enamel? If so, what'd you think? Please do let me know!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Body Fantasies | Product Review

I'm usually quite fussy with scents, typically preferring ones that are more high end as opposed to cheaper perfumes and body mists. That being said, I'm also a massive bargain hunter so I'm quite adventurous with trying cheaper alternatives.

I came across the Body Fantasies line in Wal-Mart and was intrigued by the packaging, the array of scents, and the low low price tag of ONLY ONE DOLLAR!! I started sniffing through the range and picked up the two I enjoyed the most; Cotton Candy and Sweet Pea. 

I must say that my personal preference for perfumes is sweet scents, so if you're more of a fan of sexy, sultry, or spicy scents then you may not like these ones!

When I first smelled Cotton Candy, I was immediately transported to a carnival. It really does smell like cotton candy! What I love most about this scent is that I expected it to smell like pure sugar, which it doesn't. It has really sexy under tones to it that make it quite a sophisticated scent.

Sweet Pea is also quite a sweet scent, but instead of smelling like dessert sweets, it is a floral scent. It's a really beautiful, fresh garden scent with a touch of brown sugar (in my mind). I've been wearing it everyday!

As far as the quality of the products go, for $1.00, they can't be beat. The smells are gorgeous, and the stay power is really good as well! I spritzed Sweet Pea on this morning before class at 7:00am and I can still smell it on myself now at 3:40pm! I really didn't expect the scent to wear so long. Beyond that it wears well too; the scent doesn't get muddy throughout the day.

All in all, I think the Body Fantasy line is fantastic! The packaging is cute, the quality of the product is really impressive, and the price tag just can't be beat!

Have you tried any scents from the Body Fantasy line? If so, let me know how you got on with them! Are there any scents you think I should try out- I'm always up for a good perfume!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn