Eyebrow Kit: Etude House vs ELF

Fixing my eyebrow is an essential part of my make-up.I have only tried 2 eyebrow kits & i think that it would be nice to make a comparison between the two.

So today it will be a showdown between the Etude House Eyebrow Kit & ELF Eyebrow Kit.

I purchased Etude House Eyebrow Kit on a whim even though i still have the ELF one & im satisfied with it. I originally wanted a pencil eyebrow because i find it more convenient compare to the kit. I asked the SA if they have the same color with the 1 in the ELF kit, but he gave me the kit.

So i hesitantly took it...i was actually still debating if i'll buy it since i haven't finished the ELF one, but he said "Ay naku,ma'am, wag ka na magdalawang isip dyan kasi maganda talaga yan" (Ma'am, don't hesitate, because it is a good product). For some reason, i felt embarrassed about it so i just decided to buy it... Let's see if it really is a good product.

Let's compare the packaging & brushes first before the formula.

This is how the Etude House kit looks like.

It has 2 brushes with synthetic bristles that are too thin to be able to grip it. Or maybe my fingers are just too fat & this is designed only for those anorexic people that can easily grip small things?!

I think the brushes are not good because it's too thin! The angled brush would be good for gel lining but not in brow filling because you would want a brush that it's a bit dense to hold the powder/wax so that you won't have to continue dipping it over & over. The other brush with the round bristles are too thin to be able to grab the product.. Hate it! I can't seem to understand what is the use of that freakin' brush!

I have to say that it does have a lot of product in it because the pan is deeper than the ELF one. Major drawback is that it doesn't even have a mirror so packaging is not good for me. What if i'm in a hurry & have no time to dig into my duffel bag for a separate mirror?

Then this is the ELF eyebrow kit in Dark & it has a double-ended brush with  slanted bristles at the other end & also a tapered bristles at the other. I have only been using the wax & not the brow powder though.

Even though the brush is small, at least it's thick enough to be able to grip it way better the EH one. The bristles are packed densely so to be able to pick the product & deposit it on the areas that you would need to. Plus factor is that it has a mirror so it's good for touch ups!

This is the swatch of the wax from both kits. Now let's talk about the product itself...

The one on the right is the powder while the left is the wax. If you notice, it looks almost the same.

No big difference at all, but then one thing that makes the ELF kit stands out compare to the Etude House is that the ELF is buildable. You can go from a sheer brown to a darker brown by applying more wax (just the wax only), whereas i notice that in the Etude House one, the texture is too waxy that you have to use the powder instead if you wanted a more prominent brows. I don't know about how others use their eyebrow kit, but personally i don't like applying powder to finish it off.

I'd rather use the wax for i find it easier to blend. I find that if you set it with a powder, my brows look too strong already. I just want to define my brows not really call attention to it. So i only have to use the wax & i prefer waxes that are pigmented enough to be used alone.

brow Powder are used to just fill in the brow area for that 'natural' look, but since i perspire a lot so i just don't see the need of using the brow powder alone. But then i still use the powder, not for my brows but i use it on my lower eye area when i do the Gyaru look. So the eyebrow kit is really a must for my kit!

Now, I know that here in the Philippines, ELF Studio doesn't have the dark shade, mostly i only see the light shade. I haven't really tried it, but even if the dark shade is not available here, i'd still go for the ELF one because i rather like the staying power. The ELF kit stays for a long time while the Etude House, with its not-so-pigmented shade, will be gone for a mere 1 hour on me. I so regret buying this! (-__-")

There are just some times when the price doesn't really show how good a product is.. ELF is cheaper than Etude House but the staying power & pigmentation is what i would have expected for the price that i paid for in the Etude House kit.

I know i have been saying that the other is more expensive but i can't remember the price. I bought the ELF kit for $3 (i bought it online straight from US), while i know that the eyebrow kit is priced for more or less than Php400 (more or less $9).

I'll definitely buy ELF over & over again compare to Etude House. Anyway, i have said before that i am not really a fan of Etude House, but i still shop there because the store is so cute. Now, i'm not saying the products are not good, ok? I know that there are a lot of EH products that are good, but most of the items that i've tried are just mediocre. Not something that would actually WOW! me... But that won't stop me from buying again & again...

Let's do a summary:
                                        ETUDE HOUSE                                               ELF
mirror                                    none                                                         yes
brushes         2 brushes that doesn't work for me              short but does the job
sleek                                        yes                                                         yes
staying power        almost non-existent for me                          stays long
price                           Php 400 (more or less)                                  $3
pigmentation                         bad                                                     good

As what i said, i regret buying the Etude House kit... Hontoni daikirai! I really hate it! Well,  it's my fault for buying it impulsively anyway...so i can only blame myself with that.

Now, i would be buying the ELF kit again & again... it seems to work for me & i can't find any reason not buy it.

What's your favorite eyebrow kit?
Care to share?

Have  great day, y'all!
Jaa~
^_^

strawberry.net & blogsale haul

As i said on my last post, i have a package waiting to be picked up. I went to the PO a while ago & to my surprise, i have 2.

Hurray!

One is from Strawberry.net & the other one is from ECT of e.motion of motion's blog sale.
I'm actually glad that my strawberry.net haul had already arrived, i know that now is a peak season & there's a high chance that packages would be received later than late (yeah, i use late because it's always late here).

Let's start first with the blogsale haul. I bought random items.

• ELF Studio Corrective Concealer Palette
• ELF Candy Lip Gloss in Candy Fix, Frosting Fanatic & Mocha Maniac
  
• ELF Mineral 2 in 1 Conditioning Gloss in Supermodel
  
• Everyday Minerals Start to Finish Bronzer
• NYX Lip Pencil in Pink Nude
  

Her items are so cheap! I was actually not expecting that it would be able to receive it already since i just bought it a couple of weeks ago. But hey, im not complaining! i love early packages!

Now on to the Strawberry.net haul. I'm so excited about this because the box is huge!


It's because the curled styros are all over the box to make sure that the items are safe & sound...


These are what's inside!

I was seriously debating if im going to open it up already since it's gonna be christmas. Just so that i'll have something to open & enjoy on that day

But then i know that it's silly if i'll do that because i already know what's inside..LOL about that..

Anyway, on we go to the content

• Benefit B-Spot Fragrance coffret
  
• Benefit She Laq Sealer
  
• Silver Necklace with a snowflake pendant

The necklace is so cute!

Perfect for the winter, don't you think?
Im not exactly a necklace person but i think this looks really cute! I'm not sure if i'm going to use this though....

One thing that i'm very curious about is the sealant. I know how it works, but i want to see for myself if it does work! So i got myself this!

As always, Benefit has that cute packaging! It looks so mysteriously magical.


This is the back carton


These are what's inside

I don't think the brushes are actually good enough, but hey it's still a freebie!
I'll let you know what i think about it as soon as i have tried it.

Lastly is the Benefit B Spot coffret


I already had my first experience of B Spot thanks to Sarah, when she included a sample of it on her love package. I like it then & was actually surprise to realize that this lasted on me for like a whole day!

I sprayed it in the morning..i thought that the scent disappeared right around afternoon, but it seems like i just got immune to it. Bf told me later on that i still smell good. I think this is the only Eau de Toilette that lasted on me..to think that this is not a Eau de Parfum! great staying power~

I'm actually glad that the scent is not wrong for me...

I did not realize that the packaging got silhouettes of women. I only realize it when i looked at the back.

Not wanting to sound a nymphomaniac but after seeing this from a far, i thought it was G spot plus the silhouette of the woman


Going back, these are what's inside.

• B Spot EDT full size
• B Spot EDT sample size
• handy mirror

I like how 'cool' it looks. The Pastel green is very nice to look at!

As for the bottle, it's just round, nothing interesting.

I'm really very happy with my haul. Looks like i've been a good girl because Santa delivered it earlier!


Now what has been keeping me busy?
Gift wrapping!

I decided that i want to have a red & blue gifts this christmas so i have to buy a lot of metallic foils & double sided tape just for that...plus the ribbons too.

Actually, i changed the color of the ribbons today compare to this pic. Blue gifts got red ribbons & red gifts got blue ribbons.

I'm not yet even halfway done with all the wrapping.

But it's ok since i'm mostly done with christmas shopping. Though i still have 2 more people on my list that i don't really have an idea what to get....I guess i'll be finish with my list this weekend!

I like looking at a color coordinated gifts..though not quite yet because again, i haven't changed the ribbons on my gifts when i took this pic, but now they are already color coordinated. yay!

The white holographic gift is actually the gift for bf. Just so that it would stand out to signify that it is special..LOL

How about you?
Do you have a theme for your gifts?

Hope you are enjoying your day/evening,ladies!

Jaa ne~!
^_~

a visit to the post office

I went to the Post Office today to pick up a package. Actually i'm only expecting one, but 'Kuya Rey' is such an angel he gave me the other two & we had to hide from the CO! weeehhhh!
^_^
*putting kuya rey on my christmas list*

Anyway, these are my packages...I was grinning like the cheshire cat when i went home~

What with my bag bulging like Santa's bag, who wouldn't be?!

One is from The Make-up Mix shop, then from Sarah & Vanessa.
I was waiting for like forever for these! Good thing that i already got them. Yipee!

Let's take a look at the contents...
First off, from Sarah... I won her giveaway & boy, i was in for a treat!

Look at the pink bag..it's so roomy & big..& so pink! i love pink! but most of all, i love the card that she sent me...messages always makes me happy!


These are what's inside:

• OPI Nail Lacquer in Mediterranean Moonlight
• Benefit Gilded highlighter
• Benefit B-Spot EDT mini size
• The Body Shop Black Velvet Apricot Lip Balm
• Frizz no frizz styling spray
• Clear gloss in watermelon
• Priori Eye Serum - sample
• Talika Lash Conditioning Cleanser - sample
  
• Philosophy The Present Clear Make-up - sample
  

It's my first OPI nail polish! I won't be using it yet, i'll just save it when i need a color like this. I love everything! I'm fascinated with the gloss because there's a cute pink flower-like things inside it! so cute!

Thanks so much, hun! I'm in high cotton!

Next is my Make-up Mix Shop haul. They were on sale & i just purchased a couple of things...

• ELF Eyebrow Kit in Dark
• ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer
• ELF Nail Polish in Pearl Pink
• ELF Natural Radiance Blusher in Innocence
• Ecotools Retractable Brush
• LA Colors liquid liner in Black
  

ELF is beginning to be one of my favored brand. The Eyebrow Kit is sleek enough to be put on my cosmetic kit. I'll be comparing the ELF primer to UDPP since i heard that they are at par. *gasp*...do you think so? Just wait for my review,ok?

As for the retractable brush, since almost everybody who owns it says that it's good so i decided to give it a try. But i think there's nothing special about it. I guess i'll just have to thoroughly use it before saying anything,right?

Last one is the stuff that i bought from Vanessa's blog sale. She even put it on a box...

Love the cute lil' note! very girly ^_~

• Klean Color in 296 (pixie)
  
• Hard Candy (old version)
• Tarte in Samantha & Jake
• EDM lot: Beige Natural, Winged Butter, Medium Beige, Light Natural, Intensive light (c) light olive, pearl mint (c) & Neutrogena in Lightest to Natural
• Physicians Formula in Blushing Natural
• Revlon Merlot at Midnight
• Revlon Pinking of You
• Sally Hansen in Baby Doll
• She's such a darling for including Clinique Nail Enamel in Tutu Pink & Sunflowers Nail Color in Sun Gold as freebies!
  

Actually i can't remember what i bought from her at all, i was just surprised that i have a lot..hehe...goes to show how bad my memory is,huh? Too bad that the caps of the EDM lot was loose so it just spilled, but it's ok since she separated everything. ^_~

Well, i have a lot to review & swatch. i know i haven't been posting a lot lately. It's just because i am so caught up in my classes, plus the fact that it's december. Lot's of things to do before Christmas. I haven't even finish my shopping list!

I'll try to post every now & then. 3 down, 5 more to go! hope all my packages are safe & sound.. XD

Hope y'all have a great day,hunnies!
Jaa ne~!
^_~

ELF haul

I popped by the Post Office today to pick up one parcel & i know that its my ELF haul. Yay!
.......
.....
maybe you're waiting about my rant on the PO,huh?
hehehe....i'll pass up on that one. I know that y'all know how much i hate our PO,right?

I opened the package & these are what's inside


Lots of brushes...yay for these!i waited so much for these.

I just love ELF eye brushes! I am able to make good look using these. It's really worth my money...oh, & so much more! so I just have to buy more...

I heard a lot of good thing about the ELF face brushes so i decided to buy one for me too. Although i haven't used it yet, but i have to say that they're soft. To some degree i can say that they can be compared...take note, just compared...to Everyday Minerals, but they're not quite, almost.

For one, the Complexion brush is too flimsy for me. I rather like a brush that is a bit resilient. Something that kinda fights back because im able to control it better. I feel that i can control what part of my face i need to put color on, unlike flimsy ones that just tends to scatter all over. That's just my opinion though, but then i haven't tried it yet, so who knows?! Maybe i'll even like this than what my current preference.

I'll give my thoughts about the brushes once I have tested them all, but for now teh only thing i have to say is that they're soft...but it doesn't mean that i like it already because from where im sitting, I have seen a hair or two that sheds off on my brush... (-__-") uh oh! not good...

I already have the blush/bronzer palette before but i just sold it...So i decided to buy one again..hehe

Whoopee!
1 down 4 more to go!
\(^_^)/

Now on to the other news, I think im not gonna buy NARS ( i mean not yet). Maybe ill just buy the CS blush palette first & also the ELF Studio single blushes before i buy NARS. I want to know first what colors will work for me before i buy one. What cheap but quality blushes have you tried?

As what i said, I am NC20. Actually im getting pretty confused with my tone. When i buy mineral foundations, i look for the medium tone. But why is my MAC shade NC20?! Can someone please explain it to me? Im a noob when it comes to MAC.

Im already working on the Kojie-san posts...Maybe i'll be able to post it by the end of the week. Of course it takes time! I do full review & i try to give details as much as i can & provide pictures. I always imagine myself as the reader where i wanted to be able to really know everything about something in just one post than research over & over because the content of the last posts that i read were not enough.

Ok, im just ranting again. Maybe i'll have a birthday giveaway/contest soon. I'm still contemplating on the prizes because im not rich, but i will try to have a good one.

Well, that would be it.
Im just so busy with classes so im not able to update regularly, but i read all of your posts. If im not able to leave a comment it doesn't mean i didn't read it, Im just up to my neck with all the work.

Love y'all!

Jaa ne~!