Deals & Steals: E.l.f. Conceal + Beauty SOS Set Review

Conceal Set

Hey Girlies! As you may know from my recent posts, I have not always had the best of luck with the e.l.f. cosmetics line. I recently purchased their Holiday Natural Eyeshadow Palette (click for review!) and wasn't entirely thrilled! But, I decided to press on, determined to find something I like from the e.l.f. line! With that being said, I this was my next purchase, the Conceal +Beauty SOS kit.

1st Product - Tone Correcting Concealer

I picked up this kit at Zellers for $4.99, which is a pretty good price for 3 products! (Not as good as the US price, but still! haha) The first item this kit contains is the e.l.f. Tone Correcting Concealer. I hadn't tried any of e.l.f.'s concealers so I was really eager to test this out! 

Concealer Shade - Light Beige

Surprisingly, this kit only comes with one shade option. I've always been curious why companies do that, it doesn't seem like something that would increase sales! The shade it comes with is light beige, which is great for my light skin! I think it would be a good fit for anyone with light/light-medium skin tone as it is very forgiving and blendable!

Swatch

I find this concealer to have quite a yellow base, which is good for me because I have no pink undertones and hate when I get pink-based products! I'm quite impressed with how well this colour fits my skin tone, so that was a nice surprise!

Pros:

- Creamy, blendable

- Forgiving colour (will work on many skin tones light/light-medium)

- Not cakey

- Doe-foot applicator for precise application

- Dewy finish: good for undereyes

- Moisturizing

Cons:

- Sheer: not much coverage but good for under eyes

- Dewy Finish: not good for blemish coverage

- Contains ingredients known to potentially clog pores (mineral oil, microcrystalline wax)

- Again, so sheer, will not cover blemishes

Final Verdict

I'm confused about the marketing for the product. It is said to be a blemish covering concealer but no matter how much I built it up I couldn't get it to cover a blemish! That being said, I really like it as an under eye concealer or slight redness concealer! Its soft and blendable and gives a nice moisturizing finish to under the eyes! I wouldn't say "don't buy this" I would say, "don't buy this for covering blemishes" though! There are many other better concealers for blemish coverage (I'm sure some of e.l.f.'s other concealers work great for this!) But, I would recommend this as an inexpensive concealer option for light/sheer under eye coverage and moisturization!

Concealer Brush

The 2nd product in the kit is this cute little concealer brush! I was actually quite excited for this, I can never have too many concealer brushes! I also have had really great experiences with e.l.f.'s brush collections!

Synthetic hair

I think this is a great all around concealer brush to have! I really like the "smallness" of it for pinpoint application of concealer to blemishes! Its very easy to use, has great hairs and works well! I won't do a full list of pros & cons for this, its a good brush especially for a $1 USD! Another point, I'm not sure why they included this as the concealer has a doe-foot applicator but good for me because I like it and can use it with all my other concealers! :)

Zit Zapper

The 3rd product is the most exciting for me! I've been wanting to try e.l.f.'s Zit Zapper since I saw it on their website sooo long ago! I'm always on the look out for the "miracle cure" for my breakouts and am constantly trying new products! This is a really handy little stick you can take with you and apply throughout the day. I love that it is clear because that is rare for breakout busters!

Roller Ball top

It also has a super convenient roller-ball top! I love not having to touch the product, it makes it so easy to use! This contains some known breakout fighting ingredients and is great to use in the day time!

Pros:

- 1% Salicylic Acid - to fight breakouts and clogged pores

- Witch Hazel, Tea Tree oil - to further help with breakouts

- Clear: able to use during the day

- Non-Drying (Finally!)

- Price $1 USD!

Cons:

- Salicylic acid is a better preventer than treatment

- Roller-Ball (although I love it!) may not be very hygienic

- Contains Alcohol: not my favourite ingredient

Final Verdict

Honestly, this product isn't perfect. It does have a few cons but I really feel like in this case the pros outweigh the cons! Its a good option for people struggling with breakouts. I'm happy you can use it during the day with no signs that it is there! I will continue to use this, and I will recommend it for minor/rare breakouts. It probably won't help much with large breakouts or chronic breakouts! For the price, I would definitely recommend trying it out to see how well it works for you! It has worked for me (although I don't think the test was fair because it was "my time of the month" and nothing would help!) by decreasing the size of my breakouts. If you are curious at all, try this out! The price is definitely worth it! :)

e.l.f. Natural Eyeshadow Palette (Holiday Edition) Review

Hey Everyone! This post is going to help prove that this blog is 100% my opinion! Just to remind everyone everything I write is my opinion and will obviously differ from some peoples. Please know that this is only my experience and is based on my preference in eyeshadows that I am sharing with you all. :)

Natural Eye Palette 

6-pan Shadow Palette

Inside View

Swatches (Left to Right, Top to Bottom) NOTE: Red on my hand is a stamp I can't get off!

I don't own a lot of e.l.f. products because of the availability in Canada. I spotted this at Zellers along with most of the rest of their Holiday Collection. I decided I would purchase one piece to test the e.l.f. line (I only own products from their Studio line thus far.) I was really drawn to the colour of these shadows as I love a neutral brown eye! This set me back $4.99 CAD which is pretty fantastically priced! Here is what I thought of the product.

Pros:

- Price - $4.99 for 6 shadows!

- Colour Selection - all fairly different from each other (although it may not seem that way in the photo of the swatches, but they are!)

- Packaging - cute, simple and sturdy black case with an applicator and small mirror! Great for in your purse.

Cons:

- Consistency - the first shadow was actually gritty, and not sparkle gritty, but just gritty! They also come out chalky fairly chalky.

- Variety - all are shimmer or glitter shades.

- Light shades are low-pigmentation (need to pack them on which just leads to excessive glitter!)

- Not much staying power without a primer

Overall, I will not buy again. I'm not sure I will dabble in any of e.l.f.'s shadow products if they are all like this. There are better options for not that much more money. I haven't had great experiences with e.l.f. but I see that a lot of people love their products and wonder if I am just getting "a bad batch"? Let me know your thoughts on e.l.f. products and share your experiences and what you like about them or dislike about them! :)