CRUELTY FREE DRUGSTORE MAKEUP // REVIEWS

Hello hello! So today I thought it would be a good idea to compile the recent cruelty-free drugstore makeup I've purchased and review it. In this tiny makeup haul I have: 

• NYX soft matte lip creme in the color Prague ($6)
• elf long lasting lustrous eyeshadow in "Festivity" ($3)
• elf contouring blush & bronzing powder in "St. Lucia" ($4)
• elf expert liquid eyeliner ($2)
• elf contour palette ($6)
• NYX dream catcher palette in "Dusk til Dawn" ($15)
• wet n wild Under The Sheets makeup remover towelettes ($2.99)

***Small little disclaimer***

Now, before I go into each product and my personal review on them, every single product in this haul is cruelty free and vegan, as far as I can tell by reading the ingredients and checking their individual websites. However, NYX cosmetics is owned by the company L'Oreal, which is notorious for testing their products on animals. Although NYX themselves do not, they are owned by a company that does and in fact sells in China, where it is required by law to test on animals. There are some pros and cons to using NYX products now that they are owned by L'Oreal. An obvious con is using a product that will financially trickle upwards to benefit a company that does test on animals, but a definite pro is that if more and more customers begin purchasing specifically NYX products from L'Oreal, that could motivate them to turn more of their own products cruelty-free/vegan to follow the cause/movement. 

In the end, it really depends on the buyers own opinion and knowledge on products. In my personal opinion, I think purchasing cruelty-free products is important, especially because animals are completely innocent creatures and do not deserve the pain and suffering they go through for items humans don't necessarily need. I find that more and more CF/Vegan companies are becoming increasingly popular because of their stance on animal testing (like colourpop/elf cosmetics). Once I became knowledgeable on the cruelties of animal testing, I decided to switch my makeup to things like elf, wet n' wild, too faced, colourpop, NARS, etc. I do still own certain products from MAC, Smashbox, clinique just so that I can finish them/give them away before replacing them with CF products. 

That all being said, I think it's each person's own values that determine whether or not they decide to use cruelty-free makeup. I don't judge others for not doing so, but I do want to help out as much as I can with the animal community, which is why I myself am against it. 

Now that that awkward disclaimer is out of the way, on to the reviews!

***End of small little disclaimer***

The first review will be for the NYX soft matte lip creme:

I actually saw somebody on Instagram commenting this lip color and I immediately imagined it to be this beautifully vibrant shade of reddish pink. I picked it up that day and totally marveled at all of the other colors they had. I was tempted to pick them all up (they have the cutest names: Paris for a bold hot pink color, Tokyo for a pink nude, San Paulo for a rust like red) but decided to try out Prague before going all out.

I'm not going to lie, I did photoshop my acne out of this picture - partly to keep the attention on the lip color, and partly because I'm an insecure little kid. But, the color is absolutely beautiful. It does rub off a little sooner than Colourpop's lippies, but it's such a beautiful pigment that applies super easily. A little bit of chapstick on top prevents the color from drying out your lips like most matte lipsticks do. I'm super excited to pick up more of these when I go back to my drugstore.

4.5 / 5

elf long lasting eyeshadow

This is actually the oldest product out of the bunch. I picked this up from Target a while back ago, but included it in this haul to add a little more dimension. I picked up this creamy eyeshadow to accentuate my brown eyes. (I read somewhere purple eyeshadows do that??) It doesn't exactly come off as purple as it looks. In fact, it comes off like more of a brownish bruise.

It's super pigmented though - a little bit of the eyeshadow goes a long way. I only rubbed the product a little to get that dark pigment on my arm. Although the color didn't come off exactly the way it looked like it would, the pigmentation alone on something that isn't high-end is awesome.

4 / 5

elf contour & blush

(I want to apologize for this dramatic vignette looking lighting. I completely forgot to take a photo of this one separately during the day when the lighting makes everything look all angelic. I hope this photo I took late at night suffices!)

When I was looking online for the best elf products, I found this contour/blush compact that was listed as a dupe for the NARS duo (Orgasm/Laguna). I own the NARS orgasm blush, so I was mostly into this compact to see if it really lived up to the name. (It didn't)

The left color is the bronzer and the right is the blush. You can honestly barely tell there's color there, and I maddeningly swatched these over and over and over again on my wrist. 

Even though this product does not work 100% by itself, it is perfect for layering colors. When applied to the face, the blush comes off very very lightly and actually has a lot of shimmer in it that doubles as a highlighter. When combined with a more pigmented blush, the elf one accentuates the color with a shimmery highlight. This can be done with the bronzer as well, because it also has some shimmer in it. I recommend using these products to build up other ones, but I do have to say I was a little disappointed about the color pay off. 

3.5 / 5

elf expert liquid eyeliner

This product. That's honestly all I need to say.

Please ignore my wobbly hands (I have terrible handwriting). This eyeliner has honestly saved my mcfreaking life. I was too lazy and broke to repurchase the MAC liquid eyeliner I had been using so I was basically living without eyeliner for weeks. (1st worl probs :///) I never even really liked the MAC eyeliner, but it did the job for me. 

This elf eyeliner has completely changed the game for me though! It applies so cleanly and effortlessly, something that the MAC eyeliner did not do. There's no awkward parts where it ran out of liner halfway through my cat eye; it completely maintains itself. It's super versatile too. The farthest left line is what it looks like smudged, so creating a more messy, sexy look is totally doable with it. The classic cat eye can also be accomplished easily with this liner and a little bit of black eyeshadow to pat on top to keep the color in place.

5/5

elf contour palette

When I first got this, I was so excited to finally have an actual highlighter. I don't know know why but when highlighters started getting really big, I thought they were the most unnecessary things you could ever put on your face. I have naturally oily skin so I thought it was kind of gross to want this sloppy sheen on your cheeks. 

I WAS SO WRONG.

After watching a bunch of Jeffree Star makeup tutorials, girl, I fell in love. And in all honesty, this elf palette really does do the trick...for it's price.

I think this palette is perfect for people that either don't wear that much makeup or are barely starting to wear it. The highlight (1) comes off very nicely on the skin and does have a nice shimmer to it, but it is not very very visible once you blend it.

You do have to layer on the product to get a semi dewy finish, but I tend to combine that color with the St. Lucia blush to really add that little bit of sparkle.

I've tried using the second nude color (2) as a finishing powder, and that didn't work. It sort of sat on my face very cakily, so I'm not sure what I should do with that powder. I have tried contouring my actual face with the darker colors (just making my nose/forehead smaller) and it did work, but the product was a little messy and didn't blend as well as I hoped it would. I think this palette works a lot better for younger girls/boys to use when they first start using makeup or just people in general that don't use makeup that often.

The only color I really liked from this palette was the highlighter (1). But I do think I'm going to try some other highlighters before I really commit to this one.

2 / 5

NYX dream catcher palette

When I was in my grocery store, examining makeup products, this eyeshadow palette actually struck my eye right away. The packaging is so freaking cute and the colors are all super pretty nudes and smokey eye basics. I picked up the palette, excited to try every single shade out. 

Once I got home, I started playing with it, and I realized it was kind of loose. Like the palette kind of shook. I kept playing around with it, completely scared that I was going to break this $15 palette, and I managed to find this secret compartment!

I thought that was so cute and clever. It's very rare for drugstore products to really go above and beyond with their packaging, but with this palette, the hidden mirror was a really nice surprise.

As far as the colors go, I think the colors are hit or miss. The pigmentation isn't awful on this palette, but if you press down enough the shadow does tend to clump and break a little.

That being said, once the colors are on your eyelid, they are super stunning.

The colors are perfect for creating a nice smokey eye. I would honestly say that it's a good dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palette, probably not the best one, but as far as actual color distribution goes, it's really good. Once the colors are on, they stay on your skin as well: they don't move around like some other drugstore shadows and they also don't lose their color over time. #3 doesn't show up very well because it's a very light color and I'm a very light person, but the actual pigmentation is pretty good.

4 / 5

wet n' wild under the sheets makeup remover

I, like everyone else probably, used to use the Neutrogena makeup remover towelettes, but I decided to try these ones from wet n' wild instead - just to change it up. 

I always always recommend still washing your face after you remove your makeup, but I do get that some people are blessed with baby smooth perfect poreless complexions that maintain their baby strength through anything, so I know that washing your face seems totally unnecessary for some. For me, I break out the next day if I don't completely wash my face. But there are still those nights where I just do not care at all and I go to sleep after using only a makeup wipe.

Here's the thing: these towelettes don't completely remove all your makeup. You kind of have to use more than one, because they dry out fast. I used one towelette to clean up the nyx eyeshadows, and it dried after I cleaned my whole arm.

It does completely take off the shadows when they're on my arm, but my face not so much. I think that's probably because I'm a caked up biotch though. I can say that after all of the makeup that I applied on my arms and lips, it did only take me three towelettes to get all of it off. I'm honestly not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing though. 

These do a good job for me because I'll still be washing my face after. For others, maybe not.

3/5

So those are all the products I included in this haul! I will try to review some high-end cruelty-free makeup as well, once I get my hands on some of it. I wish I could have ended with a more upbeat product that I loved, but I honestly believe that each product I really liked (like the matte lipstick and elf eyeliner) is worth having purchased the ones I didn't.

I hope to continue my Freshman Year of College review and possibly do a clothing haul from items I recently picked up! I will also be doing a tea detox (the same one Kendall Jenner recommends???) so we'll see if I become a supermodel.

Thanks for reading!!

xx

Liz

AUSTIN TIPS + COLLEGE // FRESHMAN YEAR //

Hiiii!

So, the day before yesterday, I officially finished my last final, meaning I officially ended my first year of college. Even after I'm done, it still feels like I'm on some weird, long summer camp because I haven't gone back to an 8 hour school day (which I never want to go back to). I filled this past school year with a lot of stuff, from getting my own apartment to interning to maintaining what I hope are good grades to sightseeing around ATX!

This photo was taken on the riverside in between South Austin and downtown. This was taken my first week that I was in Austin. The view is amazing, probably one of my favorite parts of Austin. It was so hot outside, I remember constantly having my hair in a ponytail. That's one thing about Austin that surprised me a lot: the changing weather. It can start off nice and cool and get to this humid hellhole by noon. I'm used to Texas weather, so I knew this was going to happen, but when you're commuting to and from places, waiting for that bus to come sucks so much in the disgusting heat. 

Things that you should definitely have when walking around Austin:

-A small wallet: as opposed to a huge wallet ESPECIALLY if you're commuting. My first month I was using this huge wallet I got from ASOS as my main card holder. I realized soon after that it was a complete hassle to carry around when I constantly had to open the whole thing to pull out my Metro Card. I now use a much smaller wallet that easily fits my Metro pass, debit card, drivers license, school ID, and keys. Having all those things in one place makes it so much easier to carry and I never get that panicky feeling when I'm searching for my bus pass anymore because it's always right there.

-Sunscreen: This is essential for the hot summer months where the sun's beating down on you and you can basically feel your skin begin to peel. 

-Good walking shoes: I don't mean like some Nike running shoes or anything, just a good pair of walking shoes. I wore these black Zara flats for the majority of my first month here, and they became completely rattled by the time fall came around. You don't have to get uber durable shoes or anything, just a good, reliable pair that you can wear with any outfit. I wear some loafers some days and a pair of Keds the next. I also have a pair of cute ASOS rain chelsea boots that help when it gets wet.

-An umbrella or hooded rain jacket: This is really only necessary if you really feel like it might rain. I mean like if there's clouds kind of passing over or you hear even one bit of thunder. When it rains in Austin, it really rains. There's puddles everywhere and the dirt gets even muddier. It also tends to surprise rain a lot, so it might take all day to finally start pouring.

-Cash: This is only really necessary if you're walking around SOCO or Downtown, especially if you want to go clubbing or take a pedi cab or anything. They really only take cash at these places, but on a normal day to day basis you really can get by without having cash on you.

This was at nighttime, during the Blood Moon that happened lasts fall. My boyfriend and I were wandering around Zilker Park to find a good spot to see the Blood Moon. Unfortunately, because it was the week before ACL, the park was closed down. We snuck around a little though and saw some of the stage set ups that night.

EVENT TIPS:

-Plan your route(walking, driving, commuting, etc) ahead of time. This isn't always necessary but whenever there's anything going on (i.e. a marathon, ACL, festivals, SXSW, literally anything) traffic gets super jammed and it's nearly impossible to get anywhere. Trust your google maps, but also trust your instincts. I've found so many shortcuts to places that weren't even on google maps but could have been. Sometimes you know better than Google. Usually no one does, but sometimes you do.

-There's going to be so many hipsters. Or like whatever hipsters even refer to themselves as now. Bearded man bun pastel hair ankle boot wearing #feelthebern tight pants people. After a while of seeing them, seeing even more of them gets a little tiresome. They're always super nice and they mean well, they're just everywhere.

-You can get away with a lot. People in Austin are naturally pretty nice and not as professional as they maybe should be. I know people that snuck into ACL because the security guard didn't care, my boyfriend and I snuck onto the stages a week before and no one noticed, some people I worked with even got into a dinner event for SXSW badge holders only just because they asked. Always ask and maybe sometimes beg. (Don't go too far tho)

This was taken at Graffiti Park at Castle HIll which is on Baylor St. It was honestly a mistake to go at night, especially when taking photos, because you can't actually see all of the graffiti when it's dark. It was still really cool...even the trash cans had graffiti on them.

TAKING PHOTOS IN ATX:

-Daylight is your best friend. This is true with any photos you take, especially if they're taken on your phone. If you're going sightseeing in outdoors Austin and you want to get a photo, try doing it when it's still light out. The weather might suck, but the photo quality is worth the aggravating sunburn and sweat stains you'll inevitably get everywhere.

-Asking people to take your photos: everyone you walk by will be willing to take your photo. And they're usually pretty good at it. The city is clustered with individuals that somehow always have that amazing Instagram photo that looks professionally taken. They'll do you good. (Just make sure not to ask the homeless people that sleep on the sidewalk...they're nice just kind of dirty and they won't stop talking to you afterwards)

-Better places to take pics than the "I love you so much" green wall. (If you're wondering this wall is located on South Congress. You honestly can't miss it, and there is actually always a group of people taking their photo there. Not as many as you'd think though): Graffiti Park, graffiti on The Drag, Lady Bird Lake, McKinney, Auditorium Shores, Uncommon Objects.

This was my and my boyfriend's duo costume for halloween. We were Billy and Mandy from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. We sort of just wandered around The Drag and Downtown from frat houses to a tree house co-op for all the halloween parties. I colored in my boyfriend's white shirt with some washable markers to make that huge stripe...I also diy'd the flower on my dress with paper and the same markers (It came out good enough...)

PARTY ADVICE:

-Go in a group. You'll find better places that way, because you'll all know someone or someone else at a different party.

-Know your limits. Don't go too hard...

-Have cash on you. There isn't always an ATM around and some parties are held at co-ops, where an ATM might be a couple streets away. Keep cash for the parties that charge. I'd say around $20 is playing it safe.

-Kerbey Lane: Everyone that parties goes to Kerbey Lane afterwards. It's like a right of passage. Just know you're going to wait in line for at least a half hour before getting seated. I recommend the Pesto Chicken Panini and the blueberry pancakes. Their root beer is also super good. (Trust me I used to work as a hostess here) Make sure that if you have a large party, that you guys all get there at once or that you'll all be there once they call your table. They can't seat you until you're all there. Don't try to squeeze eight people into a four person booth. It's do-able, trust me, but it's a hazard. There's just not enough space, especially if you guys are all hammered. You'll love your meal a lot more when you have elbow space.

This was at the Blanton Museum of Art. Just a couple tidbits about the Blanton: it's free for non UT students on Thursdays (the usual cost is about $5 for students I believe). If you are a UT student, I think it's entirely free all the other days. They always have really cool art shows going on there. If you check their website, they have their list of exhibitions right on the home page. It's right next to the Bullock history museum, so you can go right after if you're still feeling into the whole exhibition thing.

This was at the Garden Festival at the Zilker Botanical Gardens. (I actually had a whole post dedicated to the festival a couple of months ago!)

There was a lot more stuff that I also did in Austin, like seeing The Hateful Eight in 70mm at the Alamo Drafthouse (if you're planning on going to one of the Alamo's, definitely get the burger...it's sooo good), clubbing on Sixth Street, celebrity sight seeing at SXSW! 

I'll update this blog with a couple more posts about my freshman year from my roommate from HELL (seriously so so so bad), some studying tips in school, and hopefully more!

I hope to update soon and I hope these tips helped if you ever decide to come to Austin or even if you're already here! 

Have a great beginning to your summer!

xx

Liz