Friday, 5 September 2014

The Best Of ELF Cosmetics.

ELF is one of my favourite makeup brands, the quality is amazing for the prices! Today I am sharing my favourite products from ELF. 

Eyes
My favorite eye product from ELF is the Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil in the shade Iconic Ivory. I use this to highlight the browbone and the centre of the lids. It also comes with a built in sharpener so It's very easy to use.
Shimmer Eyeliner: £1.95
Lips
My favourite lipstick formula from ELF is the silver label lipsticks. My favourite shades are Nostalgic and Flirtatious. I love Nostalgic because it's a pinky nude, I can't really get away with orange toned nudes so I love this one. I love Flirtatious because it's quite a bright pink but it's not too crazy. I love the formula to these, they last a fairly long time and the pigmentation is great. My favourite thing about these lipsticks is the smell though, it smells sort of like strawberries but it's not too overwhelming.
Left: Nostalgic, Right: Flirtatious
Top: Nostalgic, Bottom: Flirtatious
Lipsticks: £1.95 each

Face
My favourite face product from ELF is definitely the Tone Correcting Concealer. I love this so much because it's formula is very smooth and easy to blend. It's quite light coverage but is very buildable and doesn't look cakey and doesn't crease. 
Tone Correcting Concealer: £1.95

Cheeks
I am a big lover of ELF blushes, they are very pigmented and have a lovely colour range. My favorite is in the shade Tickled Pink. It is a very natural light pink that is very similar to Benefit's Dandelion. The packaging is very nice too, it's so similar to the NARS ones.
Tickled Pink Blush: £3.95

I also love the contour kit in Antigua, both the blush and the bronzer are so pigmented! It also has a full sized mirror inside so it's really good for on the go use.
The picture above is just one swipe of the blush/bronzer duo.

Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder in Antigua: £3.95

My Top Five Mascaras.

5. Rimmel Scandeleyes Retro Glam
This is definitely one of my favourite Mascaras because the end results are great. However, the application process is a little difficult (the formula is quite wet so you have to wait for it to dry for longer.

4. Maybelline The Falsies Flared
I love the wand to this mascara, it's curved so you can achieve different looks with each side of the wand. It lasts a very long time but can be a little clumpy if you try to apply more after it has dried.

3. Maybelline The Rocket Volum Express
This is one of the only waterproof mascaras that I own, I don't tend to buy the waterproof formulas because they tend to be less effective than the normal formula. However, I actually prefer the waterproof formula to the normal one with this mascara. It is a lot more volumising and holds a curl longer and better.

2. Rimmel Wonder'full 
This mascara is something special. First of all it lengthens my lashes and separates so they look very natural but if you keep building the layers up you can achieve a customisable volume effect. Secondly it contains argan oil which conditions your lashes to help them grow and stay healthy.

1. MAC Extended Play Lash
I love this one so much, I know it's more expensive than all the others but in my opinion it is definitely worth it! It's a nice formula that doesn't take ages to dry and it lasts all day. The wand seems to curl the lashes on its own without a lash curler which is awesome. The colour is very pigmented aswell, it's not grey it's definitely black.

Anna :)

Monday, 18 August 2014

August Glossybox Review.

I've been getting Glossyboxes for a few months now so I thought I'd do a review on one. For people who aren't familiar with Glossybox, it's basically a subscription service which allows you to find new products that you may not have found otherwise :)

The first product that was in the Glossybox was a limited edition highlighter from Kryolan.
It was a special edition for Glossybox in the shade 'Cashmere'. I think the packaging looks very sleek: a matte black twist lid with a clear glass container. The product itself is very pigmented and smooth when it goes on.

The next product is a mascara from Essence. Being called the 'I <3 Extreme' mascara I expected it to be very volumising. It's nice mascara but nothing special really.

A hand cream was next. It's nice but I hate rose scents so that ruined it for me but if you like rose scents this would be very good for you!

Before recieving this product I had never heard of anything like it, it's a shampoo primer. Mindblown 😂. Basically it's meant to add more volume to your hair. I haven't tried it yet but it seems like a nice concept!

The final product was a nail varnish for 'Yves Rocher'. I'd never heard of this company so I was very intrigued. This is now my new favourite nail varnish! It's in the prettiest shade: 14- Rose. It could easily be worn all year round.
 
Anna :)

Friday, 15 August 2014

Summer Sale Shopping.

I went shopping yesterday and picked up a few things. They are mainly beauty related but I also got some storagey items. 

The first place I went to was Boots, they had an offer on where if you bought the new Rimmel mascara you got a free Baby Lips. I love a good deal so how could I say no! The mascara is the Wonder'full mascara. It's very volumising and stays for quite a long time.
Mascara
Boots- £5.99 (originally £7.99)- 11ml

The Baby Lips that I got was the Cherry Velvet. It's basically just a lip balm that smells of cherry so nothing too exciting but it is very moisturising so definitely go and check those two out!
Baby Lips Lipbalm
Boots- Free (originally 2.99)

Next I went to Topshop were they are coming to the end of a sale. This is always good as everything is so cheap. I picked up three eyeshadows and a new kabuki brush.
The eyeshadows are so gorgeous and pigmented! I got the shades 'Midnight Hour' - a grape colour marbled with a khaki green/ gold eyeshadow, 'Solstice' - a baby blue colour marbled with a light silver shimmer eyeshadow and 'Backstage Whisper' - a dark navy with a dark grey shimmer eyeshadow. The best part is that they were only £1 each. WHAT?!
'Midnight Hour' 
Topshop- £1 (originally £6)- 2.5g
'Solstice'
Topshop- £1 (originally £6)- 2.5g
'Backstage Whisper'
Topshop- £1 (originally £6)- 2.5g

I needed a new kabuki brush and this one looked quite nice and it was very cheap in the sale so I picked it up. The brush itself is also really nice. It's good for loose and pressed powders and blushes. 
Kabuki Brush
Topshop- £4 (originally £8)

The last place I went to was a homeware shop. I got some lanterns which I thought would be nice to keep makeup brushes in. They are the perfect size and shape and all my brushes fit nicely. 
Lanterns
Home Sense- £1.50 each

That was all I got, I hope this was helpful! 

Anna :)

Thursday, 31 July 2014

Mac Makeover and Haul.

For my birthday this year, one of my presents was a makeover (and a skincare chat) at a MAC store and then the opportunity to buy some products that they used during the makeover. This was the finished look!


The first things that I chose to buy were two eyeshadows (I bought the refill versions to go in my palettes). I chose the shades 'Twinks' and 'All That Glitters'. I use 'All That Glitters' all over my lids for a flush of golden colour and 'Twinks' in my outer corner and in the crease. 

http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/154/907/Products/Eyes/Shadow/Eye-Shadow-Pro-Palette-Refill-Pan/index.tmpl?tab=finish


The next thing I bought was a 'Pro Palette' with two slots. I bought this so if I'm travelling and I want to bring a few eyeshadows but I don't want to bring a full palette.

http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/1556/17373/Products/Kit-Essentials/Pro-Palette/Pro-Palette-Eye-Shadow-x-2/index.tmpl



The next thing I bought was the 'Extended Play Lash' mascara. I tried this out in store and loved it so I decided to buy it. It has a wire wand so it separates the lashes, lengthens and volumises.

http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/152/21069/Products/Eyes/Mascara/Extended-Play-Lash/index.tmpl


The final thing I bought was the 'Prep And Prime BB'. I have it in the shade 'Light Plus' which is about the equivalent of NW15. The coverage is much better than any other one that I've tried and the staying power is quite good.

http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/160/17377/Products/Face/Primer/Prep-Prime-BB-Beauty-Balm-SPF-35/index.tmpl


Anna :)

Tuesday, 29 July 2014

Review: Benefit's Boi-ing Concealer.

Today I wanted to review my new favourite concealer, Benefit's 'Boi-ing'. As you can see in the picture above, the packing for the product is very pretty and girly. I think it really suits the product.

The plastic packaging (above) is also very secure and sturdy so it won't open or break in your makeup bag. 

I think that the coverage and staying power is unreal. I have been trying it for a few days now and I have been vey impressed. Not once have I had to touch it up or start over with it. It is called an 'Industrial Concealer' for a reason. It is so high coverage that you only have to use a tiny bit (see picture below) and it will cover any readness/dark circles that you want to cover. Below there is a swatch of the concealer, my camera didn't pick up on it too well but that's probably because it matches my skin tone perfectly! 

It is perfect for completely concealing dark circles and any blemishes and redness on the face. If you wanted to go for a lighter look I wouldn't use any foundation/tinted moisturiser/BB cream and just cover imperfections with this.

I was matched at a makeup counter so I have the perfect shade for me. I'm in shade number 2 and it blends seamlessly into my skin. There is a wide range of shades so one will definitely suit you. Another thing, the blending process is so easy because the product is so smooth and creamy. It is also very moisturising and refreshing to put on.

This product also looks like it will last a long time too (probably because you only use such a tiny bit!). So overall I would really recommend this product to anyone really, it is the perfect all round product!

Anna :)

Mini Primark Haul.

Recently I went to my local Primark to hopefully pick up some last minute things for my summer holiday and a few things for the Autumn time. Unfortunately I didn't find many things either in my size or the style that I wanted. So these are the few things that I picked up.

The first thing was a grey vest top with black umbrellas on it. I thought this would be good either during this summer it in the Autumn/Winter if there is a warmer day. There were loads there in my size so it was ok.


Primark- £3.00

The next thing was another vest top but in a simple black lace design. There wasn't one in my size but in the size above there was one so I would wear it underneath something or as a more slouchy top.


Primark- £2.50

Lastly I bought two pack of socks (interesting I know). The first pack has a grey, a white and a black pair and the second pack has a pink, a dark grey and a white. I bought these because they are useful and they had plenty in my size.

Primark- £2.00 (per pack)

I'm really enjoying these purchases so far. I hope you found this helpful!

Anna :)