ELF Haul

The company Eyes Lips Face a.k.a. ELF has been around since 2004 and I'm ashamed to say that until Thursday last week I didn't own anything from this wonderful company. In deciding what products to purchase from ELF I took a lot of time and effort to read reviews from blogs and watch youtube videos as I decided to spend £30 in order to get the free shipping discount so I wanted to make sure I would be happy with my purchases ... and after all of that this is what I bought:

 Make Up

From left to right: Nail Polish in Smoky Brown, Nail Polish in Nude, Daily Brush Cleanser, Studio Makeup Mist & Set, Studio Mascara Primer, Wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara

I've had these products for a week now and already I've tried both of these nail polishes! They are both beautiful and last for about four days. The formula is pretty good, I find three coats is best to create an opaque look. Next time I wear them I will upload a picture to show you.

On the left is Makeup Mist & Set which you just spray on your face after you've finished appling all your makeup and it's great! It contains Aloe, Green Tea, Cucumber, and Vitamins A, C and E and helps to improve makeup wearability and prevents colour from running or fading. On the right is Daily Brush Cleanser which is an "anti-bacterial daily brush cleanser for quick cleaning inbetween makeup applications". It says to spray directly onto the brush but I prefer to spray it onto a tissue and clean my brushes on that (if you would like a post explaining how I clean my makeup brushes then let me know).

I've never used mascara primer before but I decided to give this a go and I love it! What I do is curl my eyelashes first, then apply a coat of mascara primer, let it dry and then apply my mascara. It's AMAZING!

Before mascara and primer

After mascara and primer

 

So this is for both lashes and brows but I don't tend to use clear mascara for my lashes so I've been using it solely on my brows and it's brilliant. It helps to keep them in place the whole day - can't fault it.

Brushes

From left to right: Eye Shadow Brush, Studio Stipple Brush, Studio Complexion Brush, Studio Powder Brush

This is my new favourite foundation brush! As with any brush I use for foundation I always dampen it before I apply my foundation which helps to spread and buff it on to my face. This is ideal for applying any foundation because it's so dense which helps with the buffing process. LOVE IT. 

This is also my new favourite bronzer brush! Its light and soft and is quite thin so is perfect for applying bronzer.

Really happy with this brush too, not quite as dense as my stipple brush from Sigma but it's really good for applying powder as it helps to give a light coverage.

 Considering this brush was £1.50 you can't really go wrong! I don't wear eyeshadow every day but when I've used this it's been great for just packing the product straight onto my eye, great buy.

Do you have any products from elf? What are you favourites?

My 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty

So one of the YouTubers I follow did this for one of their videos and I thought it would be really cool to do on my blog, so here goes ...!

My 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty

1. Greed.

What is your most inexpensive beauty item and what is your most expensive?

My most inexpensive would be my £1.99 clear mascara from Collection 2000 which I use on my eyebrows every single day (without fail) to hold them in place.

My most expensive beauty item would be my YSL Perfect Touch Radiance Brush Foundation which is £34.00 .... but it is pretty darn good!!!

2. Wrath

What beauty product do you have a love/hate relationship with? And what product has been the hardest to get?

Mascara has to be the one. I absolutely adore mascara, especially my YSL Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils Shocking (it's amazing) but I hate hate hate with a passion removing it. IT'S SUCH A PAIN!!! But it would never put me off wearing it.

  The hardest product to find would be my Make Up Forever Mat Velvet Plus foundation. It isn't sold in the UK so to find it anywhere apart from the States (which means expensive shipping) has been a nightmare. Luckily I recently found a couple of websites which stock Make Up For Ever so I've finally got it!

3. Gluttony

What are your most delicious beauty products?

One of my favourite delicious products is my Diesel Fuel for Life Unlimited Body Lotion - it just smells incredible! My favourite perfume is Diesel Fuel for Life Unlimited so when I got the body lotion for Christmas last year I was extremely happy! It smells really similar to the perfume, and just makes your skin smell so good!

 My other delicious product is my Raspberry Milkshake Body Scrub. It smells just like raspberries and honestly leaves your skin smelling fabulous! (It even says on the back of the bottle "DO NOT EAT, THIS IS NOT A FOOD PRODUCT" it's that good!!)

4. Sloth

What beauty product do you neglect due to laziness?

 I would have to say it would be primer and the eyeshadow I use to fill in my eyebrows. I used to be obssessed with using primer every single day but now I just can't be bothered. The moisturiser I'm using at the minute (Origins VitaZing SPF15 Energy-Boosting Moisturiser) has a slight tint and pretty much smooths over any imperfections I have on my face so I can just about get away without using one. I only use primer now if I am going for a night out or if there is a special occassion where I need my make-up to stay on as long as possible. I also a bit lazy when it comes to filling in my eyebrows. They're not too bad but for an every day look I just can't be bothered to fill them in! Again I'll only do it for nights out or special occassions.

5. Pride

What beauty products give you the most self confidence?

Has to be both foundation and mascara.  I wouldn't say my skin is awful but I just prefer the look I acheive with foundation. It makes me feel like my skin is just amazing and flawless, and I hate leaving the house without it. Mascara's just as bad because my natural eyelashes aren't particularly dark and so when I have no mascara on I feel like my eyes aren't as defined or look as big and I hate that look. I love big lashes so when I know I've got tons of mascara on I feel so much better and just much prefer the way I look.

6. Lust

What attributes do you find the most attractive in the opposite sex?

This is a bit difficult because I've been with the same boyfriend for just over three years now so I wouldn't say there are certain attibutes or qualities I find most attractive in a man, but I love my boyfriend's dark hair, blue eyes and sense of humour.

7. Envy

What items would you most like to receive as a gift? 

I'd love to purchase some more make-up brushes from either Mac or Sigma first (I only have 6 or 7 at the minute) but I mean to receive any sort of beauty items would be amazing. I love experimenting and trying out new products, especially foundations, mascaras, and lipsticks so a variety of those would be lush!

Hope you enjoyed this!

Hate Removing Make Up? Here's A Quick And Easy Solution

I absolutely love applying my make-up every single day, but I hate hate hate with a passion removing it all! It can seem like so much effort, especially when I'm really tired and just want to go to sleep! Most nights I tend to use some form of make up wipe to remove my make up, and then wash my face with my Clean & Clear Blackhead Clearing Daily Scrub, and these can seem like a long and boring process. BUT I have recently discovered (thanks to my Mother) a little gem of a product which combines these two steps together: Olay Daily Facials Cleansing Cloths. They are absolutely amazing and so simple to use. They are so effective at removing my make up (especially my mascara) and any dirt or oil on my face. They leave my skin feeling, fresh and clean and ready for moisturising!

These lovely little cloths come in a little box like this:

And when you take them out of the box they look like this:

All you need to do is rinse the cloth under warm water and scrunch it together in your hand to release the lather:

These little cloths are ideal for travelling as you don't need to take hundreds of bottles or if you just can't be bothered with your usual routine after a night out and just want a simple solution. Not only are these super effective at removing make up and cleansing your face, but they come at a bargain of a price at only £2.95 from tesco (that's less than 10p a cloth!)

Enjoy!

Top 5 Favourite Lipsticks

As we all know lipstick is a key part to a girls make up - it can make or break a look. Now I don't wear lipstick that often as I'm quite picky with colours, but nonethelessI thought I would share with you my top five favourite lipsticks and tell you why I love them so much!

From Left to right: Mac in Pretty Please, YSL in Peach Passion, Rimmel London in Pink Blush, Bourjois in Rouge sure Mesure and Mac in Saint Germain.

Mac in Pretty Please

I absolutely adore this lipstick, definitely my favourite. It's just so creamy and easy to put on, and just goes with anything! As you can tell from the picture it's not very pigmented but I think that's why I love it so much. It stays on all day and has a lovely shimmer to it ... it also smells really nice! I purchased this from the Mac counter in Debenhams, but you can also get it from their website and it will cost you £13.50 - trust me it's worth the price! (http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/)

YSL in Peach Passion

I've only had this lipstick for about a month now but it's such a lovely product.  It's from the Rouge Volupte range and is creamy, smooth, pigmented, everything you look for in a lipstick! I have to apply every four hours or so but you don't need  much. It's a brilliant colour, perfect for summer time and I would highly recommend this to anyone. I always put a layer of vaseline on my lips before applying this and I find it helps to give it a bit more of a shimmery look. The only downfall is the price ... £23.50 (ouch!). I bought it from the YSL counter in Debenhams but you can also get it from their website. (http://www.yslbeauty.co.uk/)

Rimmel London in Pink Blush

Oh my god, this acually smells AMAZING! If you could eat a lipstick, this would be the one!!!! Anyway moving on ... this is just one of those lipsticks that can go with anything. Its quite a bright pink but if you apply a lib balm underneath it has a bit of a shine which I think is really nice. If you're not into super bright pinks then what I sometimes do is apply a thin layer of concealer on my lips before I apply the lipstick as this helps to tone down the brightness - this works really well with this product.  It's really smooth to put on and lasts for about three hours. It's also a bargain as it onl costs £4.99 and I got mine from Boots.

Bourjois in Rouge sur Mesure

This is my absolute favourite red of all time! The colour is from the Super Kisses range by Bourjois and is really pigmented giving an amazing matte finish. It's also lovely to apply as it's really smooth and creamy and lasts for ages!!  - honestly on a night out I only have ever had to apply it once! You only need one layer and is best applied over a lip balm. The price is pretty reasonable too and I got mine from Boots which cost me £7.99.

Mac in Saint Germain

This is a very bold, statement lipstick and you have to be quite daring to give it a go. It's pretty similar to Pink Blush but is more of a light/barbie pink colour and is more pigmented. It's in beetween a matte and sheer lipstick which is really nice and just like every other lipstick I've mentioned it's smooth, creamy and easy to apply. I do find it can dry out my lips though, so I tend to either put a lip balm underneath it or apply a clear gloss on top. It's reasonably long wearing and again is the same price as Pretty Please £13.50 and is available from a Mac counter or their website.

Well there we have it guys, my top five favourite lipsticks! What are your favourite lipsticks and why?

Current Skincare Routine

CURRENT SKINCARE ROUTINE

So for many years I had the same skin care routine, day in day out. But after a while I felt like I wasn’t getting the same results as I did in the first place, and this is because your skin can eventually become tolerant to the effects of the product. Until a couple of months ago, I absolutely swore by the Simple range of skin products, however I now use a combination of different products from different brands and my skin feels amazing! Now there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Simple range, it’s just that my skin has changed as I’ve got older and I’ve found that they just aren’t as effective as they used to be for me. 

In fact I would recommend the simple range for any readers who don’t already have a skin care routine or if you are a teenager and want to keep your skin in good condition, then the Simple range is perfect as they are inexpensive, easy to purchase and contain no harsh chemicals so they’re ideal for youthful skin. Anyway, moving on, here is a list of what I do to look after my skin every day:

1) Either in the shower or at my sink in my room, I wash my face and neck with a facial wash. Any sort of facial wash is usually fine but at the minute I'm loving “Clean & Clear Blackhead Clearing Daily Scrub”. 

 This is amazing because it has lots of little blue beads which help to get rid of blackheads and almost help to exfoliate your skin. I concentrate on areas where I’m prone to spots so for me that’s my nose, forehead and chin. I then rinse off the wash with some warm water. 

     2)  Next I cleanse my face with “Olay Gentle Cleansers Conditioning Milk”. 

 I do this by pouring about a ten pence piece size of the product onto my hands and massage my face and neck in an upwards circular motion. If you prefer not to use your hands then you can just pour the product onto a cotton pad instead and use that to rub the product onto your face.

     3) Then I use “Olay Essentials Double Action Nourishing & Regenerating Night Sensitive” to moisturise my skin. 

 Now I know that it says “Night Sensitive” but I use it in the day time anyway because it makes my skin feel amazing! It comes in a little tub and I just dip my finger in and put a dab of the product on my forehead, cheeks, nose, chin and neck and just massage it into my skin.

      4) Lastly I use “Sudocrem” to put onto any spots or blemishes.

  You only need a small amount and just dab a bit on your spots and rub it in.

Once this is all done I apply my makeup! Before I go to bed I remove it all with “L’Oreal Paris Dermo-Expertise Triple Active Re-Nourishing Cleansing Wipes”

 and repeat steps 1-4 again.

Tip for healthy skin: WATER!! I can’t stress how important it is to drink your daily amount of water (eight glasses a day). Water is so good for your skin, hair, teeth, body etc and so if you’re not drinking enough, then these are going to suffer. Now it may seem slightly unrealistic to drink eight glasses of water a day, and so what I do is drink at least four – one when I wake up, two throughout the day and one before I go to bed. Why don’t you try it for two weeks, and if there are any improvements then let me know!