E.L.F. tinted moisturizer and volumizing mascara

There is seriously something in my walls... it may be birds. Kinda freaky.

Moving on.

I got a sample of Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer from Sephora a few weeks ago but still can't make myself bite the bullet and straight up buy it. Mainly because it's just, so... whelming. It isn't amazing, it isn't wretched. It just is.  So I went to stalk the makeup department at Target. Now, I have a few E.L.F. products that are also marginal, but for $1-3, I have less difficulties if I buy something and don't like it.

Previous visits to the E.L.F. section of Target has been rather slim but it's apparently gaining popularity since more products were there. Including a tinted moisturizer.

Not only is it a tinted moisturizer, it practically is fool proof with choosing the correct shade since it has a description on the bottom of the box. "For light to medium skin tones with yellow undertones." THAT'S ME! Sold.

I've also felt that my lashes have been a wee bit sad looking so I wanted to check out a volumizing mascara. I had originally picked up a different version of my current mascara (Maybelline Great Lash) Maybelline's Lots of Lashes. I put them back after discovering E.L.F.'s Volume Plumping Mascara.

So the next day I got ready for work and slapped on my new finds; only to be really disappointed. The moisturizer is fairly runny and quiet orange.  I put it on anyways. The places on my face where I had blended it in, I couldn't even tell I was really wearing anything and the places it wasn't so blended, I looked like I was a quarter Oompa Loompa.

Mascara was also a sad face. My lashes (which are pretty long, just thin) looked less full with this than my regular mascara and it smudged quite a bit by 2pm (I put it on about 6:30am).  I mean I can handle some smudge, I seem to have this place under the corner of my right eye that is ALWAYS getting smudges, but this was under both eyes. I looked five days into a fight and really worn out. 

I didn't think the tinted moisturizer held up very well either. I have pretty dry skin but this just didn't seem to stay put. Even with powder. I don't think it oxidized on me though and the directions recommend using a brush to apply. So perhaps I'll try that. I used it again today and still don't have positive feelings about it. Neutral at best.

Moral of the story: maybe splurge on the nice tinted moisturizer. The sample was fairly small and I still have some, several weeks later so it will last.