Drugstore.com Haul

Drugstore.com is, without a doubt, my favorite website to purchase drugstore beauty products. It is usually cheaper than actual drugstores, runs many offers, and is a great place to read reviews before buying something.

Here is what I bought:

1. ELF Waterproof Eyeliner in Black, $2

I needed a new felt tip eyeliner but didn't want to splurge on one, so I settled for a cheaper brand. I've never tried this particular product from ELF, but most of their other products don't disappoint, so I'm excited to try it out.

2. Zapzyt Maximum Strength 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Treatment Gel, $4.09

This acne treatment gel is a favorite on Drugstore.com and has received many favorable reviews, so I decided to give it a try.

3. GNC Vitamins A, E, and D Moisturizing Cream, $1.72

I was quite disappointed when I saw how small this product is, but for the price, I guess that should've been expected. I'm still excited to try it out, though!

4. ELF Studio High Definition Powder, $6 (Repurchase)

I don't think I've ever reviewed this product on here, but this is by far the best loose setting powder I have ever tried!

5. ELF Studio Small Angled Brush, $3 (Repurchase)

I use this brush to fill in my eyebrows, and the previous one served its purpose well for more than a year, but the bristles started going rogue, and the paint is peeling, so I got a replacement!

6. Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner, $4.19 (Repurchase)

My sensitive skin really appreciates this toner and how gentle and soothing it is. My main expectation of a toner is actually just to remove any excess dirt that my cleanser didn't get, so I don't need a fancy toner. This one does the job perfectly!

Have you tried any of these products?

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Best Liquid Eyeliners

I wear a cat eye look on a daily basis be it a dramatic thick line or a simple thin line. Because of that, people tend to ask me about the eyeliners that I buy. Since I usually use three different brands at one go to create my desired look, and since different people have different preferences when it comes to eyeliner, I have compiled a list of what bloggers think are the best liquid eyeliners.

At the end of the list, I will rank the two liquid eyeliners that I always use to do my daily cat eye.

{ Marc Jacobs Beauty }

Marc Jacobs Beauty Magic Marc'er Precision Pen Waterproof Eyeliner | $30

Gaia of The Non-Blonde says that this product is "incredibly black and lacquered."

{ Lorac }

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The Best Drugstore Beauty Products and a Giveaway (Closed)

Expensive, high-end beauty products aren't necessarily the best, and they don't always work. Along the same lines, cheaper beauty products from drugstores aren't necessarily worse or less effective. Here's a list of beauty products you can find at Target at affordable prices. Then, at the end of the post, you'll get a chance at winning a $100 to spend at Target as well as $30 to Starbucks for your annual PSL fix.

{ Maybelline Great Lash Mascara }

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara | $3.99

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Are You Guilty of These Common Makeup Mistakes?

We have all been guilty of these common makeup mistakes at one point in our lives. I can confidently say that I used to do at least three items on this list. When I found out that I did them and learned how to fix them, it made my makeup look more natural and last longer. Hopefully this post can help you discover the same thing.

Do you skip skin prep?

It makes sense to want to skip skin prep. It shaves some time off your makeup routine. However this is an essential step. If you cleanse and tone your face, your makeup will go on easier and look better; a clean canvas is always easier to work with. Applying primer is also an important part of this step. Primers not only help your makeup stay on longer, they do other things too. There are primers that keep your makeup matte all day. There are primers that help with discoloration. There are primers that hydrate your skin. There are basically primers for everything.

My favorite primer is the Smashbox Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer.

 Smashbox Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer | $36

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FOTD + Tutorial: My Cousins Wedding

Hello, world.

I attended the wedding of my cousin a couple of days ago.

I was debating between a neutral eye and a black smokey eye (Yes, I know that they are on the opposite ends of a spectrum, lol), and I couldnt make up my mind so I decided to go with the middle ground: a soft pink eye.

I started with my usual foundation routine.

First, I primed my face with the MAC Prep + Prime Skin Primer. Then, I buffed on the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Sunscreen Makeup Foundation in Ivory. Then, I contoured and bronzed with the Benefit Hoola Bronzer. Then, I added some color to my cheeks with the Benefit Dandelion Blush. I blended the bronzer and blush with the Lunasol Skin Fusing Powder Foundation to get rid of any harsh lines. Last, I highlighted my chin, the bridge of my nose, on the highest part of the apples of my cheeks, and my forehead with the Benefit High Beam Luminescent Complexion Enhancer.

In case you were wondering, yes, I do love Benefit.

For my eyes, I started with the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. Then, I applied the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Too Cool to the center of my eyelids.

Then, I take the shade marked "1" above from the BH Cosmetics 120 Color Eyeshadow Palette 2nd Edition, and sweep it all over my lids. With the shade marked "2," I pat it on the edges of the pink to blend it out.

I did all of the above eye steps with my ring finger.

For my signature thick eyeliner, I start with the NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker, then draw out the wings with the ELF Liquid Eyeliner. With the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Zero, I tightlined. For mascara, I swiped on one coat of the Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara.

On my lips, I just dabbed on a little of the Peripera Peris Tint Jelly.

If you would like me to make a video tutorial for this look, please let me know! I'll gladly do it!

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Review: ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer

Hello, world.

I want to remind you to participate in the huge collaborative giveaway with BeautyNerdByNight.com. The giveaway grants you the chance to win one of two gigantic prize packs. For more information, please click here to be redirected to the post where you can enter the giveaway.

For this post, I will be writing a review on the ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer.

My usual face primer is the Porefessional by Benefit.

First Impressions

My very first thought when I dabbed a little of the product on my face was, "Oh, no!" Looking at the swatch above, you probably think that the reason for that is that the shade does not match my skin at all, but in actuality, it is because the product is super shimmery! The more I patted the product across the entirety of my face, the more I regretted buying this product in this shade. The shade that I bought is Radiant Glow which probably explains the shimmer. I shouldve bought it in Clear or Tone Adjusting Green because the powder finish of the product is great, but I cant get over the shimmer!

ELF vs Benefit

There actually isnt as big of a difference as youd think between these two products. They both apply easily, and adjust to a powder finish, but the shimmer in the Mineral Infused Primer is super off-putting! It is also greasier to the touch than the Porefessional, which does a great job of keeping your face looking matte for hours and hours. There is a part of me that wants to buy the Mineral Infused Primer in a different shade.

Final Verdict

♥♥♥♥♥

Sad face. Boo shimmer. Follow me to see if I do end up buying a different shade!

Have you tried the ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer?

What is your favorite face primer?

I want to hear your thoughts in the Comments section!

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Giveaway: ExtraExtravagant Grand Opening (Closed)

Hello, world.

I have great news!

At ExtraExtravagant, I have finally covered all of the bases that need to be covered so I can now have a sort of grand opening. In lieu of this celebration, I will be hosting a huge giveaway in collaboration with my sister who is the blogger at BeautyNerdByNight.com.

We have two prize packs up for grabs!

Prize Pack One

The first prize pack includes ten items.

You will have the chance to win a Pearl Powder Mask by My Beauty Diary, a blush in Angel by NYX, a Souffle Touch Blush in Frozen Strawberry by Essence, and a liquid eyeliner in Black by ELF.

You will have the chance to win a Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder in Antigua by ELF, an Eyebrow Kit in Medium by ELF, a 1714 Dramatic Lash Kit by ELF, and a pair of falsies by Voce Moda.

You will have the chance to win a Freedom System pan by Inglot and a Freedom System Rainbow 127 Eyeshadow by Inglot.

Prize Pack Two

The second prize pack also includes ten items.

You will have the chance to win a Pearl Powder Mask by My Beauty Diary, a liquid concealer in Deep Nature by GeoGirl, a Souffle Touch Blush in Cold Wildberry by Essence, and a blush in Mauve by NYX.

You will have the chance to win an Eyebrow Kit in Medium by ELF, a Translucent Matifying Powder by ELF, a pair of F1 falsies by Voce Moda, and a pair of 335 falsies by Voce Moda.

You will have the chance to win a Freedom System pan by Inglot and a Freedom System Rainbow 112 Eyeshadow by Inglot.

My sister and I have been planning this giveaway for quite some time now, and we have finally found the ideal time to host one. This is why this is such a huge giveaway. She wants to thank her subscribers and to welcome me into the beauty blogosphere.

These items were purchased by us with our own hard earned cash so we really do hope that you appreciate it.

This giveaway is open internationally.

Huge Collaborative Giveaway

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Drugstore.com Haul

Hello, world.

I stumbled across the best online drugstore in the known universe: drugstore.com, the uncommon drugstore. I have a haul to blog about.

The first product is the NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Black. If you read about my ELF haul, you would know that the eyebrow powder that I got is in too light of a shade for me. The NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Black is the perfect color for my black hair. Ive only tried it on, I havent really used it yet. The gray shade that comes with it is gorgeous! Ive never really used eyebrow powder so itll take me a while to get used to wearing it.

The second product is the GeoGirl EraseScreen Cream Concealer in Deep Nature. I swatched it on my arm and unfortunately, it is in too dark of a shade for me.

The third product is the Wet & Wild Eye Makeup Remover. Im still using the makeup remover that came in my February Birchbox, so I havent gotten around to using this one yet.

The fourth product is the Almay Makeup Eraser Sticks. My September 2012 Birchbox came with a Beauty Fixation Makeup Remover that is pretty much this product from a different brand. I absolutely loved it so I decided to get some while I was on Drugstore.com. These Almay ones have also gotten really good reviews so I thought Id try it out.

The fifth product is the ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer. I guess the name shouldve tipped me off that this is more on the shimmery side. I like my face to look matte, not dewy, so I didnt really like this primer.

The sixth product is the CoverGirl Queen Collection Jumbo Gloss Balm. This is my current favorite lip product. It is a tinted lipbalm. Its a pink thats in between sheer and opaque. If youre friends with me on Facebook (Which I encourage you to do so that you will be notified when I make a Facebook page for ExtraExtravagant), you would probably see a bunch of pictures with me wearing it.

The final product is the Maybelline EyeStudio Color Tattoo. I havent tried this out yet but I'll probably be using it as either an eyeshadow base or a white eyeliner.

The blue/green Bazaar thing is just a small makeup pouch complimentary of Harpers Bazaar magazine for Drugstore.com.

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ELF Haul

Hello, world.

I have a long overdue ELF haul to blog about.

The first product is the Eyebrow Kit in Dark. The only options available are Light, Medium, Dark, and Ash. Having black hair, I figured that I should go with Dark since lighter eyebrows arent very flattering. Little did I know, it isnt as dark as I thought itd be. I havent tried it yet, though. Im scared that itll turn out too light.

The second product is the Contouring Blush & Bronzer in Antigua. The blush is super pretty but the bronzer is too dark on me. I probably shouldve gone with a lighter shade of bronzer like the St. Lucia, but then the blush wouldve been too much like a highlighter.

The third product is the High Definition Powder. This is just a loose powder that I use to set my makeup. It fills fine lines and wrinkles really well, and it definitely does make you HD-ready. Even though Im never in HD, I love it! It makes your face look flawless.

The fourth product is one that they threw in there with my order. I never buy lipsticks so I obviously didnt purchase this one. It was just in my order for some reason. It is the Mineral Lipstick in Natural Nymph. Im never one to go with nude lip colors. Id rather just use untinted lipgloss and have my natural lip color instead. Obviously, I didnt really like this product mainly because of the color.

The fifth product is the Brush Shampoo. I already have a Daily Brush Cleaner that I use to clean out colored eyeshadow. I currently only have three eyeshadow brushes that I have out: one for blacks and silvers, one for my daily neutral look, one for all the other colors. Because of that, I like to wash out the colors right after I use them since I have palette after palette of different shades. I havent gotten into this brush shampoo yet but itll probably be a weekly thing where I give my brushes a thorough washing.

The sixth product is the Makeup Lock & Seal. Basically, this is a liquid that you mix with your makeup to make it last longer. I havent gotten into it yet either but I plan on using it on eyeshadow to turn it into eyeliner, which would give more uses for my color palettes.

The final product is the Makeup Remover Pen. I find this useful but it doesnt work too well. I use it to fix mistakes with eyeliner and stuff like that but the downside is that it smears instead of removes. I have a different product that I prefer to this, which will be coming up in my next haul post.

Yes, I have a couple of hauls left to blog about: the Forever 21 one and a Drugstore.com one. Stay tuned!

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think of them?

What is your favorite ELF product?

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Thank you for reading.

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