Full Face of First Impressions | Purple Makeup Tutorial

I'm as guilty as the next gal for getting stuck in a rut and reaching for the same products all the time, but I do love to try new things! My friend Gillian passed along a few bits and bobs over the weekend from her recent decuttering (I clearly have amazing friends) and I wanted to put them to the test! So here are some first impressions of the products used in my latest tutorial.

     I love purple; it's one of my favourite colours so I was excited to try the ELF baked shadows. I haven't tried new ELF products in AGES - other than the brow duo I bought a little while ago, I don't think I've purchased ELF since I started my blog! I know that ELF can be hit or miss for many but at such an affordable price I think it's always worth a shot. So I went for a purple eye to utilize a MAC pigment and then a more nude/brown lip. 

Products Used
NARS Sheer Glow Foundation - Santa Fe (Medium 2)
ColourPop Super Shock Cheek - Aphrodisiac (matte) 
NARS Blush - Orgasm
Benefit Watt's Up
NYX Wonder Stick - Light
ELF Baked Eyeshadow Trio - Lavender Love
MAC Pigment - Push the Edge
Revlon Mega Multiplier - Brown Black
NYX Liquid Suede - Sandstorm
Quo Lipgloss - Earth Balance 
* ELF brow kit isn't shown in the video as it's an older product*

First Impressions
     I will work through the list and as this is a first impression it won't be long, if you would like a more detailed review on any of the products just leave me a comment! 

NARS Foundation 
     I have to admit I didn't really look at the jar indications, I held the jar to my skin and said, "yeah I'll try it," even though I know it said medium and in NO world am I a "medium" skin tone.  It actually didn't look so bad on me in the long run; I thought it was beginning to oxidize in the video but I wore it for ~5 hours and it didn't look too bad. I will admit that I only noticed it was a sheer GLOW foundation after I noticed how I looked a little oily and the coverage was in fact on the more natural side as you could still see my freckles. So if you have dry skin with no problem areas this would be perfect!

ColourPop Cheek
     I obviously used it as a contour/bronzing colour because it is way too dark for me to use as a colour on my cheeks. I know that their products are fussier with brushes and this was my first time using a face product from them. I found the pigment noticeable on me and it seemed to be willing to build up a bit. So it served its purpose for this look though I will see how much it can be built up over a more full coverage foundation.

NARS Blush
     I now own the infamous Orgasm blush, I have an older blush from ELF called Glow that to me always seemed an affordable dupe. I was going light handed when I applied it so I didn't have a lot of payoff but it gave me the natural flush I was going for. I also think this blush would benefit from being used over a fuller coverage foundation. 

Benefit Watt's Up
     First product from Benefit that I've tried and I love it! It's a mini sample but applied smoothly and pigmented for a nice highlight. I will definitely be reaching for this one more often as I find the colour works well for my tones and doesn't come across as too gold. In most swatches I've seen it seems to pull gold but not too champagne-y (if that makes ANY sense aha) so pale girls can rock this without it looking too streaked on.  

NYX Wonder Stick - Light
     I only used the highlight end and didn't have to drag it too much to get colour payoff. It isn't overly thick but I don't feel it gave me much highlight on my face. I am quite light handed with this type of product, especially with a lighter finish foundation, as I don't want stripes of paler colour on my face. I am thinking of doing a comparison between this product and the two versions I have from Wet n Wild and Hard Candy and really giving them a run for their money. 

ELF Baked Eyeshadow Trio - Lavender Love
     I like it, but I'm not in love with it. I can't seem to find it on their website anymore but I'm going to venture a guess that it probably costs $3-4. I think the darkest shade was easily the most pigmented, then comes the lightest shade, the medium purple shade didn't have a lot of colour pay off. Perhaps if I dug into the pan a bit more I'd have got more pigmentation. I wonder if these would be more pigmented over a white base...

MAC Pigment - Push the Edge
     I've never worked with pigments before and I don't own Fix+ but working with this one wasn't too intimidating. I would be interesting in trying it with some sort of spray to give it more intensity as I found that blending it made it disappear quite easily. I also didn't have the stickiest base to apply it to so I shall give it a whirl under other conditions. The shade itself is quite pretty and doesn't come off quite as dark as it looks in the jar.

Revlon Mega Multiplier - Brown Black
     This item was sent to me by Influenster for consideration so I will have a full post on it coming up in a few days after I've tried it out a few times. 

NYX Liquid Suede - Sandstorm
     This is another product I've been eyeing for a while but just haven't made my way to the mall yet to grab it. I love brown tones that aren't too deep and make me look like paper and this one is a perfect shade. I can't wait to pair this with a bronzed/gold eye look. It applied smoothly with no patches and it's quite pigmented. It lasted well through the day as well (including lots of tea) which is always a good sign.  

Quo Lipgloss - Earth Balance ​
     I enjoy glosses but don't reach for them much on a daily basis but this is such a nice shade that I want to try it out over a wide range of lipstick colours. It is slightly thicker but didn't give me that stringy look when rubbing my lips together. It has a high shine which looks great on the centre of the lips. 

Tools
     These were both picked up at the Dollarstore for under $3 a piece. The brush was a complete fail...I know this shape brush was all the rage a short while ago and I thought I would try out a cheaper one to see if it was worth it but that backfired. Still not sold on the idea of purchasing a set but I'm still intrigued about why they are so special. The makeup sponge is worth while and worked well, I'm going to do a full comparison with my Real Techniques sponge which is also quite affordable. I know that some Dollarstore locations have more sponge shapes now as well, and it's hit or miss if you will find them because their stocking is different for each location. It also comes in a bunch of different colours. 

Overall Thoughts
     Most products worked pretty well, though some I need to work with more to figure out if I really do like them. The only complete fail was the brush, everything else has potential. Do you own any of these products? I'd love to know what you think about them. Also, if you have any tips on how to best use any of these products definitely leave me a comment below, I'm always down to try new methods for application!