Lesley on Wishes do come true

I've been a very very naughty girl... oospie haha! Since completing my P10P I've gone a bit gaga and bought some new makeup I've been lusting over for ages (See wish list HERE.) The Bentall Center were having an exclusive 20% off sale on most their items so i took the plunge and bought Laura Mericer Tinted Moisturiser (full review on that later) and MAC "Blue Brown" (I love this sooo much and have been wearing it constantly since purchasing!) Saving myself around £12.00. Then there was a 25% off for students on ASOS so i bought another item on my wish list. Then onto ELF... i bought my cream base eyeshadows and eye primer (not shown) because... well just because! haha! Brace yourself this is going to be a long post! Now onto the beautiful products...

Elf Duo Eye Shadow Cream - 3g, £1.50 each (yes you read right!)

Ive heard some good reviews about this cream base so at £1.50 a pop i was desperate to get my hands on one! I initially wanted the 'Black Liquorice' duo but saw the 'Olive' duo and as i use a lot of brown eyeshadows i decided to get this too. I haven't tried these out yet but i will do a full review of these soon. I won't use these as a single eyeshadow but more as a base. From my swatches they seem highly pigmented so i can't wait to try these out with different looks. I'll be posting a full review soon.

In natural sunlight and with flash

Mac Blue Brown Pigment - £15.50, 4.5g

Introducing the b.e.a.uuuutiful first MAC pigment I own... 

This is the new love of my makeup life, blue brown! Blue brown is such an intriguing, i first laid eyes on it when someone swatched it and said it was an exact dupe for Wet'N'Wild Comfort Zone palette, i tried to find it online but couldn't find it so i went and bought this, and I'm so happy i did! At first glance it really looks like purple/reddy brown with green sparkles and i can't see the blue until i really pack it on. It really brings out the green in my hazel eyes but i can imagine it looking gorgeous on blue eyes too. Today i wore it in the day, although i think this is a daring day time look but I've worn it for a night out a few times pairing it with burgundy or mustard yellow (sounds gross) outfits and it looked really nice... if i say so myself!

Onto the swatches...

Yes, it was necessary to take five pictures! (Although i had more than ten because its so pretty) i wanted to capture the duo chrome and the fine small blue-green sparkles. As you can see, in flash the duo chrome is more pronounced but in natural sunlight it looks more purple/brown. Also when i rubbed it in a bit (last picture) you can see the effect of the different colours despite the glitter which i really like for daytime looks. I love how in certain lights the sparkles are captured... its just so pretty

i can't believe i forgot to put on mascara grr!

These are swatches taken in natural sunlight and with flash. In natural sunlight it looks like a dark brown but with flash it looks more like a rusty/brick brown. I pack it on with a firm eye shadow brush, add some Nehru or Twinks to the outer crease and then pack some more pigment in the middle. I haven't tried it with my ELF cream base yet but when ill do i'll make sure to post a FOTD/N. From purchasing this i know what the hypes about with MAC pigments and i'm tempted to buy a little collection.

With Jess sporting my Blue Brown Pigment and mustard yellow skirt!

NARS Strada Eyeshadow 2.2g, £16.50

Strada is such a beautiful lilac purple with fine gold sparkles. When i first swatched this in SPACE NK i wanted it straight away but resisted my urge to get it, which I'm so glad as i could never justify spending £16.50 on a single eyeshadow! I haven't had a chance to play around with it yet but I'm looking forward to doing so many FOTD/N so watch this space!

with flash and natural sunlight

Lesley on Elf makeup haul!

I just received my first ELF package in the post and i am very excited to review the products! Facebook has just promoted a 50% off sale, so i bought 8 "studio" products for only £17.45 (inc £2.95 P&P)... amazing!!

box of goodies!!!

(I apologise for the bad/blurry images - i am in the process of getting a new camera)

Complexion Brush

elf complexion brush

Elf in a nutshell states:

"-This Taklon Brush can be used with wet and dry products.

  -Creates an even and natural finish

  -Use with pressed, loose or translucent powders, blush or bronzer"

When i opened the package the first thing i noticed was how SOFT the brush is. I used the brush to apply the tinted moisturiser and the high definition powder, it worked wonderfully on both.

 With Benefit You Rebel i noticed that it was a much lighter coverage than using my Foundation brush, plus i had to use double of the pea size amount i normally use. However, i have quite red cheeks so i used my foundation brush for a better coverage.

 Tinted Moisturiser SPF15 - 12g

  

L-R: Apricot  Beige and Honey

I bought the moisturisers for my sister as a birthday present, i couldn't decide which shade to get her, so i got her both as with the 50% off it was 75p each! Bargain!

When i first opened the moisturisers and swatched them on my sister's hand i noticed they were quite similar in colour. Then I applied the light colour to the left side of her face and the darker one to the right, first with my fingers and then with the complexion brush. I noticed how light the coverage was, and to be honest although they were completely different shades, they looked exactly the same on her face! It only gave her a little bit of coverage and has she has quite a shiny face, so after i used High definition powder. I tried again using quite a lot of tinted moisturiser then using the brush to stipple, the results were a little bit better although yet again they both looked the same on her face!

Verdict: I would not buy this again, as it didn't really make a difference, and there are better coverages out there.  I would prefer something that is thicker and less shiny. Also the tube is quite small especially if you have to apply a lot. However, i really like the fruity scent of oranges.

High definition powder - 8g

I've never tried anything like this before, although using You Rebel, i found that it was time to give it a go as i realised i was using my bronzer as a finishing powder to keep my face looking less shiny. The powder is white as snow but doesn't look like that on your face at all, in fact it is invisible. It comes with a sponge applicator which i threw away straight away after buying my complexion brush, as i thought the puff would carry too much.

I've used it for a couple days and realised less is definitely more with this product. I thought that i would love a completely shine free face - i don't! I found myself applying more liquid bronzer to get my natural healthy glow back.

Verdict: The package is quite bulky and the powder seems to go everywhere when I want more powder. I would only use a tiny bit at a time so it is value for money. I might shop around to find others.

Cool Bronzer - 13g

cute elf logo on bottom right

with flash

natural light

I am a bit of a collector when it comes to bronzers, but i don't have any matte bronzers, and at £1.75, i was eager to try this! The packaging looks so slick and professional, and contains a big mirror. I love that is has four different shades, and they are so highly pigmented, especially the browns. You only have to use a little bit otherwise you will look "dirty" (my mother's words haha!) The blocks are big enough to use only one shade if you want to. Also, the pinky shade also doubles up as a blusher and the white as a highlighter for below the eyebrows.  The only negative thing i have to say is that the white is not as highly pigmented and you have to build it up, but i always find that with any white matte, perhaps they shouldn't have put this in as it the brown's override it.

Verdict: Definitely will buy this again, but in other shades (elf states this is ideal for winter) - well worth the £1.75!

Eyebrow Kit in dark - 2g

L-R: Gel and eyeshadow 

The Eyebrow kit was the product i was most looking forward to getting. I am so terrible at filling in my eyebrows (you can see my eyebrow review HERE) and i only use eyeshadow to fill my brows in.

The kit comes with a double sided brush, one side has an angled brush for the gel, to define and shape the brows, the other side is a blending brush for the powder to... you know, blend! It is supposed to give a natural finished look. I don't really like the brush much, i found myself using the angled brush for both the gel and eyeshadow, as the blending brush wasn't compact enough.

So for the first time ever!!!... I took the angled brush and took a tiny bit of the gel and put it on my brows. I wasn't sure how much i should use and i don't think it made much of a difference to my brows to be honest. I wasn't really impressed with the gel. I thought it would be more waxy but its more like lipgloss. I will stick to my brow gel. Next, i used the blending brush and dabbed a tiny bit of eyeshadow onto the brush, as I've seen Sophia do. I started applying, not sure if the powder was too light for my really dark nearly black eyebrows. But i soon realised after i had applied so much and suddenly had thick eyebrows! As you can see from the pictures for my first time i don't think it was that bad, but i need practice.

Verdict: I cannot wait to practice with the eyebrow kit, this is definitely my new toy! I always want nice thick symmetrical eyebrows. Although i don't really have much to say about the gel as it doesn't really tame my quite thick eyebrows, but maybe i am using it wrong and will review it again later.

Mineral Infused Face Primer - 14g

I  really like the packaging of this product. Also the fact that it is a pump also is excellent as you can use a little or a lot as you like with little waste. I tried pumping it but after around twenty pumps when nothing came out, i opened it and was disappointed as it looked like it was snapped in half. However, i twisted it back on and tried pumping it again and it seems to work now.

The primer is sooo soft and smooth. I used my fingers to warm up the product, which glides on nicely on my face and doesn't smell of anything. I definitely put it to the test when i went on a night out recently and kept my makeup on all night (something I've only done about twice in my life!) I still had a good face of makeup on in the morning, so i would say this really works! As this is the first time I've used a primer i would try other primers.

The only bad thing i have to say is I'm not sure how much or how little to use, i guess this is just trial and error for me. Also, as its invisible i have to remember where i put it on my face!

Brush Shampoo - 120mls

The brushes in question - Before

After - little different!

This is a clear thick shampoo that smells very faintly like washing up liquid. I bought it for £1.75 with the 50% off sale. It is meant to be a weekly brush cleaner, not to get confused with the Daily Brush Cleaner. I wasn't very keen on trying it but i decided to give it a go. I washed all my brushes twice (sometimes three times) with a very small amount of shampoo mixed with water before rinsing the brushes twice. It was good because even though i used a fair amount, it still looked full to the top. However, the soap didn't lather and its left my hands feeling very dry, caused by the second most used ingredient Sodium l

Laurel Sulfate, which is a cheap ingredient used to make soaps/shampoos/toothpastes foam. If they made my hands dry after one application, what are they doing to my brushes if i use them every week?!?

The day after: I left them overnight to dry, and when i went to use my brushes this morning they didn't feel as conditioned as when i used shampoo. Also, they still smelt like they had product on, which is not very hygienic.

Verdict: I think i am going to stick to baby shampoo or perfume free soap, which, although still contains a small amount of Sodium Laurel Sulfate, it also contains many natural ingredients and doesn't dry out my hands. Also i don't have to wash my brushes twice/three times normally until they feel they are clean. The Daily Brush Cleaner contains no SLS but contains Methylparaben which is a natural and safe antibacterial preservation, which i wish i tried instead. I think i have to be aware of the more natural ingredients out there; so many ingredients in makeup enter the body as toxins.

 

Sophia on Elf make up haul!

Elf (eyeslipsface) is a super cheap makeup brand. The prices range from £1.50 to £6.50!!! AND they regularly do special offers, free shipping, 20% off or even 50%. That's 75p for a lipgloss?!

I've seen lot's of youtube reviews and other blogs reviewing the products, so when i saw it was 50% off I thought i'd try them out.

woooo!!

£3.30 E.l.f Conditioning Lip Balm SPF 15 (7.5g

Nice & Natural and Mellow Melon

This lip balm contains vitamin A and E plus spf 15( From the Studio range). It's very smooth and not that sticky when its on my lips. The pink shade is quite pigmented which i think is good for the price.  The beige shade is the perfect neutral lip shade, I really like them. My only problem is getting the product out of the pot!! Unless you have super short nails it will get stuck behind your nails = annoying. So a lip brush is needed! I would buy these again when they run out.

Nice & Natural                                                   Mellow Melon    

£1.50 E.l.f Luscioud liquid Lipstick & E.l.f Hypershine Gloss (1.5g)

So cheap I was expecting them to be rubbish....I was wrong. They are a bit sticky but most cheap lipglosses are. The Lucious Lipstick I think should be re-named though, it's just not a lipstick!! If they called it a lipgloss I woudnt have any problems with it. I've got The hypershine Gloss in Vixen, its a lovely pinky red clear gloss. The Lucious "Lipstick" in Strawberry and Baby Lips. Strawberry has tiny flecks of pinky glitter and Baby Lips is pretty much a clear gloss with a pink tint, it's nice to wear alone or over any lipstick.

Strawberry                     Baby Lips                              Vixen    

 £3.50 El.f Complexion, Powder, Eyeshadow c and Stiple brush from the Studio line

Studio line Eyeshadow c, Powder, Complexion & Stiple

Im rubbish with brushes! Lesley bought some sephora brushes a few years ago and i've lost a few or my dog has chewed them.....! I'm also not good at using them, I always use my fingers for makeup. So i thought i'd try out these synthetic brushes as they have good reviews and they are damn cheap.

This Powder brush is soo soft (I like stroking my face with it...lol). The top is completely flat and smooth, its perfect for powder (duhh) and I also use it to buff my foundation around my jaw or if i've put too much blusher on. I know some people use it to apply liquid foundation but I havent tried this yet.

Not happy with my stipple brush. The brush isn't strong enough to correctly stipple foundation, unless im using it wrong? i had had hopes to achieve that airbrushed foundation look but it's not happening. Im going to                                                   try it with differnt foundations to see if that helps.

I love this complexion brush. It's sort of like a really big foundation brush. Like the powder brush it's really soft, even softer I think. I use it to apply my Mac Skin Finish powder and Blusher. Haven't tried it for foundation yet but I think it would be good for a lightweight foundation.

Lesley told me to buy an eyeshadow brush to try and improve my eye makeup technique. I just can't do it eyeshadow. So can't really review this yet until lesley give's me an Eyeshadow lesson....but the bristles are very compact and soft.

I would recommend these brushes to anyone. Even if your new to using brushes or your an expert. Next I want to try the Studio small angled brush and the Studio line kabuki.

 

£3.50 E.l.f Studio Blush & £1.50 Natural Radiance Blusher

Tickled pink, Peachy keen and Glow

The studio line packaging is really nice. Smooth black with the logo on the front and mirror inside. Tickled pink is a light pink blush without any glitter and a slight shimmer, it's quite sheer but a good baby pink blush. Peachy keen is not very pigmented. I'd actually call it more of a shimmer then a blush? The shimmer is very golden with a slight peach base, I like it! And finally the cheaper line of the make up is Glow. I actually think this is more pigemented than Peachy keen. The colour is peachy but with a bit of warm pink to it, the only downside is that it's fricking tiny, Only 2g! And as you can see the packaging is not attractive and its very flimsy (I already broke it twice) but considering there only £1.50 and the shimmer is very good I can't really complain!

 

£3.50 E.l.f Tinted Moisturizer Spf20 25ml

I chose this tinted moisturizer because I hate heavy foundation. I always mix my MAC studio fix fluid with moisturizer as I find it too heavy. Im NW20 in my studio fix so i couldnt decide between Porcelain or Nude. In the end I picked Nude from reading others people's reviews. But it is too orange for me and its very very sheer. It dosnt sink in well on my oily skin and hardly covers anything. So it's a thumbs down from me but maybe if your skin is dry it would be ok? It's a shame because it has a good spf and vitamins A,C & E.

£1.50 E.l.f Tone Correcting Concealer

Apricot Beige

This is only £1.50 so I feel bad complaining ...but it's very sticky and shiny for 5mins after I apply it. Other than that i like it! Randomly it smells like oranges but its nice. Its a lightweight concealer so if you want full coverage this is not for you. And again like the tinted moisturizer I think it better suited to dry skin. Overall I think its alright!

That was my first time buying E.l.f products and I would buy again. It's cheap but good quality = perfect combination!!