Tag: Eyes

ELF Makeup Remover Pen

Product:  ELF Makeup Remover Pen.  If your makeup is always perfect and you never make mistakes, you don’t need this.  If you are among the other 99% of people (including me), this little pen is a stroke of genius.

Overall Rating = 4.25 Stars – Excellent

Cost:  $3.00 each (.12 fl. oz.) ($25 per fluid ounce)  Price Category: Dirt Cheap

Sold By:  Elf Cosmetics; Ulta; Walgreen’s; Walmart; Retailers everywhere.

Container:  Plastic pen with snap-on cap, outer carton.

Description:  ELF Makeup Remover Pen is exactly what it sounds like.  This is a pen that looks like a marker only instead of containing ink, it contains makeup remover.

Sensitivity:  ELF Makeup Remover Pen is fragrance-free and neither I, nor my clients/testers, have experienced any sensitivities.  I have used this for several years without any problems.

Company Claims:  “Mascara smears? Uneven eyeliner? Quickly remove or correct small makeup smudges, smears and mistakes without having to take off the rest of your makeup! The gentle and non-greasy formula erases even long wearing and waterproof makeup for flawless touch ups, perfect for throwing in your purse or gym bag when you’re on-the-go! Infused with Vitamin E, Cucumber and Chamomile to moisturize and condition skin.”

Discussion:  ELF, also known as e.l.f. (which stands for eyes, lips, face), is a readily-available, very inexpensive makeup brand.  Some of their products rival much higher-end brands at surprisingly affordable prices.

What do you do when you have a makeup slip?  Grab a cotton swab with some makeup remover?  That will work, but it may remove too much makeup, leave cotton fibers on your face, or make matters worse.  ELF Makeup Remover Pen with its pointed tip will take off a tiny error without disturbing the rest of your makeup, which is a much better solution.

As a makeup professional, I don’t make a lot of blatant errors, but I occasionally have a line that I would like to be more precise, or a client blinks at the wrong time and this pen solves a myriad of issues.

Colors:  ELF Makeup Remover Pen  comes in one color, clear.

Daily Review:  If there is an area on your makeup that needs a precision fix such as a mascara dot, winged eyeliner edge or lipliner mistake, just swipe the tip and clean your mistake.  It dries quickly, doesn’t leave an oily residue, and you can go over it with makeup if you need to.

Helpful Tips:

  • ELF Makeup Remover Pen only works when the tip is clean, so be sure and wipe off the tip with an alcohol pad and clean it after each use.
  • If you don’t clean the tip and use it dirty, instead of removing a makeup error, it will smudge.
  • Once the tip can no longer be cleaned, pull it out and flip it to the other side to get double use out of it.

Overall Review:  ELF Makeup Remover Pen is a handy little tool that is effective and is very easy to use.

Pros:

  • Offers quick fixes
  • Small size for handbag or beauty kit
  • Good for travel with no potential leaking issues
  • Great value

Cons:

  • None

Suitability:  ELF Makeup Remover Pen is suitable for the following users:

  • All users

RATINGS REPORT:

Morning Rating = 4 stars4 Stars;

Evening Rating = 4 stars4 Stars;

Average from Other Testers = 4 stars4 Stars;

Value Rating = 5 stars5 Stars;

Overall Rating = 4.25 Stars = Excellent.

(Please review the About 365 Cosmetic Reviews page for the rating info.)

ELF Makeup Remover PenELF Makeup Remover Pen BoxELF Makeup Remover Pen Box Reverse

ELF Makpeup Remover Pen Ti

ELF Makeup Remover Pen Tip

ELF Makeup Remover Pen Tip Removed

ELF Makeup Remover Pen Tip Removed

Ingredients:  Isododecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cyclohexasiloxane, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate (Ve), Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract,Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Propylparaben.

Important:  Please read our full Disclaimer before using this or any product.

Sudden Change 3 Minute Under-Eye Firming Serum

11 Comments

Product:  Today’s product is a little unusual and it has some strange properties.  It is Sudden Change 3 Minute Under-Eye Firming Serum.

Overall Rating =  2.25 Stars – Just okay

Cost:  $13.95 for .23 oz. ($58.7 per ounce)  Price Category:  Mid-range

Sold By:  Sudden Change and retailers everywhere (Walgreen’s, Wal-mart, etc.)

Container:  Glass bottle with glass-tipped dropper and outer paper/plastic carton

Description:   Sudden Change 3 Minute Under-Eye Firming Serum is a temporary-fix, fragrance-free tightening product.  It is intended for use under the eyes to smooth and tighten bags or lax skin.  It can also be used on other parts of the face for temporary tightening.  This is a difficult product to rate, as people have a love/hate relationship with it and I agree for many reasons.  I even considered not reviewing it due to the difficulty.

I have been using this product for many years and I keep several bottles in my makeup kit.  I use it for creating special effects, as a thick layer of it once dried, will cause the skin to have a cracked or peeling look.  It is very useful for horror or zombie makeups.  I also use it on stage performers where no one is close enough to scrutinize the makeup.  Okay, so you don’t want to look like a zombie and you’re not on stage; you want to look younger, rested and attractive, right?

As far as the effectiveness for removing lines, wrinkles, puffiness or dark circles under the eyes, let’s begin our review and discussion.  Depending upon your particular concern, this serum may or may not prove beneficial.  It will do nothing to improve or camouflage dark circles, so if that is your only eye issue, this is not going to help you.

Morning Review:  The  Sudden Change serum instructions state, “Apply to clean, dry skin.  Works with or without makeup.”  I disagree with those instructions.  The problem with this product is that if you use it by itself, or you use too much, it will dry with a white residue that will be obvious and will crack and flake as you move your facial muscles (i.e. speaking, eating, laughing, etc.).  You will feel a tightening wherever you apply the serum.  The second ingredient in this serum following water is “Serum Albumin”, more commonly known as egg white.  If you have never gotten egg white on your skin, crack one open, apply a small drop of egg white to your face, and you will experience the effects of this product.  (Don’t get it near your mouth or eat it; that can be dangerous.)

Since I have used this product for years, I have tried it every way there is to use it:  by itself; mixed with water; mixed with foundations; mixed with lotions; mixed with creams; mixed with serums; etc.  This is definitely a product that has a learning curve and requires some experimentation to achieve positive results.

If you use this serum by itself on clean, dry skin it will produce the most dramatic tightening results.  It will also produce the most obvious white residue, so what is the point?  The company claims that if you have white residue, tap a drop of water on that area, rub it in and let it dry again.  True, the water will remove the white residue; unfortunately the water will also reduce the tightening effect, which is the whole reason you used the product in the first place.

The company recommends two drops of product under each eye.  Two drops is way too much and you will be left with the unsightly white residue when it dries.  I find that one drop is sufficient for both eyes.  More is not better with this product.

Also, if you have dry, dead skin under your eyes, it may peel off when you apply this product.  The Sudden Change serum works best if you have recently exfoliated your skin.

In my experience, the only way to effectively use this product is to mix it with something.  If you have dry skin, it is best to mix a drop of under eye cream with the Sudden Change serum and apply it that way.  If you use another serum and/or moisturizer, those products need to be fully absorbed into your skin before you apply the Sudden Change serum.  If you try applying those on top of the Sudden Change serum, the tightening effect will be completely eliminated.

Also, mixing one drop with a liquid foundation will minimize the white residue issue and will produce a slight tightening effect.  This is how I typically use this product.  If you use a mineral powder foundation, the Sudden Change serum probably will not work for you.  Powders tend to crease on top of this product.

During my many trials, I also found that I have better results on the upper eyelids than I do under the eyes.  If you have hooded eyes, you might try a drop of this before you put on your eye makeup.  Eyeshadow will camouflage any residue and it should not be an issue for you above your eyes.

Morning Rating = 2 stars2 Stars

Evening Review:  At the end of the day my bags and wrinkles were back, just as they were before I applied the Sudden Change serum.   The company claims the effect lasts 8 hours.  I have not found that it lasts nearly that long.  If you just want to look better for a photograph or for a short time, this product can be useful.

The Sudden Change serum has a drying effect on the skin on its own as it does contain SD Alcohol 40.  If you have really dry skin, as I do, you will need to moisturize the application areas after removing this product.

Overall Review:  The Sudden Change 3 Minute Under-Eye Firming Serum does tighten skin.  The problem is that it is a difficult product to use to achieve positive results.  You’ll most likely have to experiment mixing it with different products to combat the unsightly white residue and flakiness.  Most of my clients got frustrated with it and gave up before they found a method that worked for them.

I’d like to hear your experience and results with this product.  If you have used this serum successfully, please share your results.

Sudden Change 3 Minute Under-Eye Firming Serum is suitable for the following skin types:

  • All ethnicities;
  • All ages;
  • All sexes;
  • Dry (will need to moisturize);
  • Sensitive;
  • Consistent;
  • Oily;
  • Combination.

RATINGS REPORT:

Morning Rating = 2 stars2 Stars;

Evening Rating = 2 stars2 Stars;

Average from Other Testers = 2 stars2 Stars;

Value Rating = 3 stars3 Stars;

Overall Rating =  2.25 Stars – Just okay.  (Please review the About 365 Cosmetic Reviews page for the rating info.)

Sudden Change 3 Minute Under-Eye Firming Serum BoxSudden Change 3 Minute Under-Eye Firming Serum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:  Water, Serum Albumin, SD Alcohol 40, Dimethicone Copolyol, Hyaluronic Acid, Dextran Sulfate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Quaternium-15, Methylparaben.

 Formulated Without:  Artificial fragrance, Artificial color, Dyes.

 Important:  Please read our full Disclaimer before using this or any product.