Update: Super DUPEr- Essence of Beauty Precision Blender Sponge

     So, the Beauty Blender has been a fairly hot item so far this year. It's a reusable, egg-shaped sponge, designed as such to offer a versatile range of makeup application.  The wider end and base is used for overall coverage, while the narrower end is intended to reach crannies of the face. The end result is a fully blended face. While the Beauty Blender runs for a little over $15 or more, I was able to find its sibling for only $4.99 at CVS! Essence of Beauty's is a very similar makeup tool, and while much more affordable, I found it to be highly effective and even more sensible in shape in terms of use.  Did I mention it's infused with Vitamin E?

                                                              Essence of Beauty Precision Blender Sponge

Beauty Blender
Image Courtesy of Sephora.com

     The main sell for me is the highly narrowed tip- I'm able to reach into the tiny crannies around my nose and blend concealer underneath my eyes seamlessly. While I really like the concealer that I'm currently using, it is a bit on the thicker side and the Precision Blender Sponge has drastically reduced any unfinished appearance.  It is the only thing I'm going to be using to blend my concealer from now on.

     While the larger base on the other end is recommended for overall foundation application, I much prefer to just use my fingers or a brush since I do like to use more product and I feel the sponge sucks up to much of the product. It took me a few tries to get this correctly, but I ended up really liking the finish and using less foundation than I normally do using my fingers. The trick is to get the sponge wet enough, and squeeze excess water out. For this type of application, what I've found to work best it to hold the sponge by the grooves and completely disregard the rest of the blender- i.e. pretend that you are working with a tiny circular sponge. I found that I had much more control this way.

     If you're looking for a nice, inexpensive blending tool, or would like to test out this unique product before committing to spending a little more money, consider giving Essence of Beauty Precision Blender Sponge a whirl.

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Valentine's Series: Golden Dew

     Hi everyone! So, I'm thinking of doing a small series of looks for Valentine's Day.  I want to do a few different looks that can hopefully cater to different preferences.  Today I'm starting off with a "Golden Dew" look.  This is a soft, feminine look that would be great for any time of the year.

     I'll include a complete list of products used at the end of this post, but I'll mention the main items used as I went. For this look, I intentionally wanted the main products to be budget-friendly and easily accessible for anyone to use.  I started off by applying a bronzer onto the hollows of my cheek and along my chin for contouring.  I blended the bronzer in and then applied a foundation over my entire face, including my eye lids and crease (I chose not to use an eye primer for this look).  Then I applied Maybelline New York Color Tattoo By Eyestudio in Bold Gold along the lid, into the crease of the eye, and along my lower lash line.  I used Maybelline New York Color Tattoo By Eyestudio in Too Cool on my brow brown and blended along where it met Bold Gold. and also applied a dab of Too Cool into the corner of the eye to brighten them.  As far as eye color goes, you can stop here, but I wanted to add a little more dimension.  I took a few colors from the elf 24 K 100-Piece Eyeshadow Palette.  The colors do not have names, but I photographed the colors for you to refer to. (Sidenote: This 100-piece set cost $8.00 on clearance and is highly versatile! Unfortunately, the 24K edition is discontinued, but 100-piece palettes are still on sale on elf's site for $10.00, which will work fine!  Always keep your eyes peeled for clearances when you're out at the store)  

     I applied this color over Too Cool on my brow bone for added shimmer:

This is a shimmery, iridescent light yellow.

     I simply dabbed this color in the center of my lid:

This darker gold color has just a little bronze to it, to bring out some dimension to the gold.

     I blended this color into the outer "v."

This shimmery, hazelnut brown is just dark enough to add depth to the eye without overpowering the look.

     I actually applied Bold Gold once more onto the entire lid, crease, and outer "v" to unify the look.  I then applied retractable liner on my upper lash line and lower water line, added mascara, and liquid eyeliner onto the upper lash line.  I used a little Vaseline keep my brow hairs in place, and colored them in with liner. I used a cream concealer on my face,  under my eyes and blended on an angle along the outer edge of my eye for a clean look. I finished off the look with a soft blush color on the apple of my cheeks and a matching pink/coral gloss to work with the gold.

Without flash.

With flash.

Without flash.

With flash.

     Products Used:

     Face:

elf Glow Bronzing Powder in Sun Kissed 

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation in Light

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer in Light

elf Blush in Candid Coral 

    Eyes: 

Maybelline New York Color Tattoo By Eyestudio in Bold Gold

Maybelline New York Color Tattoo By Eyestudio in  Too Cool

elf 24 K 100-Piece Eyeshadow Palette 

Tarte Amazonion Clay Smart Mascara in Gifted

Nyx Waterproof Retractable Eye Liner in Black 

elf Liquid Eyeliner in Black

Travel-sized jar of Vaseline in Original (for setting brows)

Wet n Wild Color Icon Brow & Eye Liner in Taupe

    Lips:

Essence of Beauty Mini Lipgloss Set "London Calling" in the light pink/coral

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