Full Face: ELF Cosmetics

ELF cosmetics can be a bit of a pain to get a hold of in Ireland, but I managed to order mine through Iherb.com

Shipping is calculated by weight & mine ended up being around €5 so it didn't break the bank. 

It was a mixed bag of results- some great products that I will continue to use & some products that will go straight in the bin...

Moisturising Foundation Stick €5.43
I tried the colour "Natural". To try & gauge the correct shade for me I googled swatches of the shades & luckily "Natural" was a perfect match. I am delighted with this foundation & would definitely re-purchase. As it is in Stick form it is slightly more cakey than liquid formulas, but that is to be expected. I will use this mainly for travelling as it can be taken in carry on luggage without counting as a liquid.

The formula was perfect for my skin type, nice & creamy, without high-lighting any dry patches. To apply I swiped over my forehead, down my nose, across my cheeks & a dab on my chin (you can use more or less depending on the coverage you want) I then blended out with a buffing brush.

Bronzer Palette €5.43
I ordered the shade "Bronze Beauty" . Unfortunately one of the pans in my palette was smashed when it arrived, but I emailed Iherb & they gave me a full refund on the product. I emptied out the smashed pan & just used the other three (I wasn't going to go to the trouble of trying to re-press it as it was very similar to the other three shades anyway). I think the shade of this palette is slightly too dark & red-toned for my skin, but in terms of formula I really liked it. Will keep for when I have a darker tan.

Blending Brush €2.72
This Brush was actually smaller than I was expecting & I would describe it more as a contour brush due to the narrow shape of the bristles. Would'nt use it for setting powders etc, but seems to work ok with contour/bronzer etc.

Blush €2.72
I got the shade "Candid Coral" as I heard this was supposed to a dupe for Nars' "Orgasm"- my favourite all-time blush. It turned out that this wasn't really a dupe as the colour was much more peach toned than "Orgasm" but still really pretty. Will definitely keep using & think I will order more colours to try as well.

Eyeshadow Trio €2.72
I decided to try "Bronze Bonanza" as it seemed to be the most neutral choice. It's super cute & dinky. I used the lightest shade in the trio to highlight my cheekbones, browbone & inner corners of the eye. Then used the bronze shade in my crease & under my lash line. The let down in this little trio is the dark brown shade unfortunately. It was so hard to get any pigment on my brush- I really had to dig into it & then spend ages building the colour up on the outer corners of my eye.

Intense Ink Eyeliner €2.72
I thought I ordered the black colour, but it was the navy one that arrived. So not sure if it was their mistake or mine! Because this is a felt pen doing a winged liner is a bit tricky- the pen can tend to skip on the skin due to the nib being so rigid, also the nib is very long making more detailed work that bit harder. When I managed to get my wings as even as I could I was fairly happy with the result. Until I used a setting spray. This eyeliner is not one bit water resistant- I LIGHTLY sprayed my face after I had finished my makeup like I usually would, but the eyeliner smudged up the eyelid & even on to the brow bone. Even after I did a tidy up, 10 minutes later it had smudged again. Despite not being water resistant this eyeliner stained my lash line after I removed it. So I would give this pen a miss if there is any possibility you are going somewhere it might rain or you might sweat. Otherwise for the price it's ok, but it's not something I'll be using on a regular basis.

Lash Extending Mascara €2.72
I saved the worst for last... This mascara is terrible. There is no product in the tube! Even when swiping the wand on the back of my hand nothing came off, so this is going straight in the bin. Pretty happy with most of the other products & it was so cheap I'm not going to cry about it, but I won't be trying anymore mascaras from ELF. Had to use a mascara from a different brand to finish off this look.

All in all, this was a natural day time look for me. My favourite products which I tried from ELF was the foundation stick & the blusher. The worst was without a doubt the mascara! I will definitely be trying more products from the brand as the price point makes it easier to justify if a product doesn't perform very well.

The Best of Liquid Lipsticks Part 2: Kat Von D Everlasting Lipsticks

Kat Von D Beauty has only recently become available to us in Ireland (via Debenhams online). It is a cosmetic range from famed tattoo artist Kan Von D of Miami & LA Ink (Who designs all the art work for her products) & one of the products in her range is the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick. I've picked two shades up so far:

Lolita

Bow & Arrow

The packaging is my favourite out of all the Liquid Lipsticks I've tried. Black ornate tops with a gothic/floral theme.

The lipsticks are €20 for a full size & €15 for a mini set which also includes a mini Tattoo Liner in Trooper.

I exfoliated my lips as usual when wearing liquid lipsticks & allowed a lip balm to soak in before wiping away the excess. I found the best way to apply this formula is to tap it on with my finger & go around the lips with a lip liner to tidy it up (I used Colourpop's Skimpy)

Once it had dried down I could barely feel it during the day, with only a slight tacky feeling. There was slight wearing away on the inner rim, but this is typical of most liquid lipsticks on me.

This lipstick is definite winner for me. I got around 5 hours wear from one application, but I do feel like this was helped by using a thinner layer by tapping it on with the fingers.

My Favourite Brushes

 If I'm applying a full face of make-up these are the Brushes I use every single time. I know these brushes are going to do exactly what I need them to do.

Nima Foundation Brush €18

Available from Nimabrush.com This Brush is suitable for liquid & powder foundation. I tend to use it with my heavier coverage foundations if I need a flawless finish e.g Estée Lauder Double Wear.

Real Techniques Powder Brush 1401 €18.99

Available from Boots.ie I use this Brush for blending my contour as the bristles are quite tightly packed. I also use it for applying loose face powder if I need to set my foundation.

Inglot 4SS €22

Available from Inglot.ie I use this Brush to set my under eye concealer & eye shadow primer.ive a,so heard of people using this as a foundation Brush, so seems to work well with liquid & powder products.

Real Techniques Blusher Brush 1407 €14.99

Available from Boots.ie A standard tapered blusher brush. The tapered shape means it blends the blusher without much work from you.

Anastasia Eyebrow Brush 12 £17

Available from anastasiabeverlyhills.co.uk This brush is double ended with an angled eyebrow brow brush on one end & a spoolie on the other. This Brush is perfect as the Brush is so small & skinny it can create really precise lines. Works perfectly in conjunction with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade. 

Blank Canvas F28 Contour Brush €8.99

Available from blankcanvascosmetics.com This brush has long thin bristles which I like as it gives a nice precise & sharp contour line. This brush isn't suitable for blending the contour, but great for laying down the initial line. For blending I use the Real Techniques Powder Brush above. This Brush is also great for applying highlighter, especially if you just want to apply it to a very specific area e.g side of the eye contour or the very top of the cheek bones.

Inglot 37R Fan Brush €40

Available from inglot.ie €40 might seem a bit steep for a fan brush, but this one is worth every penny in my opinion. This one is quite dense for a fan brush meaning that it can pick up more product than the average fan brush & gently lays down highlighter without disturbing the foundation & underlying products.

Avon Shader Brush (As part of a set) 

I got this as part of a set from Avon.co.uk a few years ago, so not sure if it's still available, but the shape of this brush is perfect for applying a nude base colour. The flat but fluffy shape means it can lay down a good amount of product & blend it at the same time.

Inglot 6SS x2 €20

Available from inglot.ie This is my absolute must have eye brush. I always use two of them when doing my make-up, the first one for my transition shade & the second one for the lightest shade of my eye look. The shape & size of the bristles means that it can lay down a lot of product with less movement so it's gentler on the delicate skin of the eye. This isn't suitable for the more intricate work nearer the lash line as it's a fuller brush, but it's perfect for crease work.

Blank Canvas E42 Pointed Crease Blender €7.99

Available from blankCanvasCosmetics.com This is the brush that I use after my Inglot 6SS brushes. I use it for blending a deeper colour into the crease (not the deepest colour though) I then use it to blend the same deeper colour on the lower lash line, it has a slightly narrower brush head than the 6SS, so I can do a bit more detail in the crease.

Blank Canvas E23 Pencil Brush €7.99

Available from blankCanvasCosmetics.com This is the perfect multi use eye brush. It's great for applying inner corner highlight & brow bone high light. It can also be used for smudging deeper colours on the lower lash line.

Blank Canvas E24 Flat Shader Brush €7.99

Available from blankcanvascosmetics.com This a small shader brush with quite stiff bristles making it perfect for laying down glitter shadows to the eye lid for smokey or halo eye looks.

Inglot 10s Brush €18

Available from inglot.ie This is a very narrow brush which I use to apply my deepest crease shade & for blending under the eye. The very fine tip means it can right into the crease to create a lot of depth. I usually This brush with very dark brown or black shadows.

Real Techniques Bold Metals 201 Pointed Crease Brush €16.99

Available from boots.ie I use this Brush for applying a solid colour to the crease or dark shadows to the outer "v" of the eye lid. The short compacted bristles of the brush make it ideal for application of strong dark colours.

Milani Cosmetics

I recently discovered that US make-up range Milani Cosmetics was available in the UK from both their own UK website & also from Beauty Bay. So I ordered some of their "cult products" which featured prominently in a lot of US bloggers' "Best of 2016" Round-Ups to try out. I decided to order from Beauty Bay rather than their own website as Beauty Bay has free international shipping for orders over €18, also they seemed to have a better shade range in stock when I placed my orders (Beware though as Beauty Bay took aaaages to delivery, was waiting about three weeks for each order & tracking is not available with free delivery).

On my first order I purchased one bottle of the Conceal And Perfect 2 in 1 Foundation & Concealer in the shade 03 Light Beige (€13.10), two of the Baked Blushes in the shades Luminoso & Dolce Pink (€9.50 each) And one of the Powder Blushes in the shade Tea Rose (€10.70).

On My second order I purchased the Conceal And Perfect 2 in 1 Foundation & Concealer in the shade 01 Creamy Vanilla.

On my third order I purchased two Baked Blushes in the shades Rose D'oro & Berry Amore.

The foundation has quickly become my absolute favourite foundation, and is, in my opinion a close dupe for Estee Lauder Double Wear. It is a high coverage foundation when applied with a brush, but can be sheered out if applied with a Beauty Blender. This foundation does not settle into any of my fine lines & lasts throughout a full day's work, which would be about nine or ten hours. I don't set mine with a powder (except maybe my nose), I mist MAC's Fix+ over instead to keep it dewy looking, but those with oily complexions will probably need to powder. 

Be warned though, this foundation runs incredibly dark. From the description on the website I thought 03 Light Beige would be my perfect shade, but I could only wear this shade with a dark tan. The lightest shade 01 Creamy Vanilla is still very dark (and yellow toned) so I'd still need to have a bit of colour to match it. Milani Cosmetics has just announced that they have launched an even lighter shade 00, but this hasn't reached us yet.

Left: 01 Creamy Vanilla. Right: 03 Light Beige

The Powder Blush is beautiful to look at, almost too pretty to use! It offers a matte flush of colour. Very pigmented, so the brush definitely needs to be tapped off. Long lasting too. I probably won't order any more of these, as beautiful as they are, as I think they Baked Blushes give a much nicer & more luminous look, where as the matte finish can tend to look a bit flat on the skin

The Baked Blushes are fabulous! Although they swatch with chunks of glitter, this doesn't seem to translate when applied with a brush to the cheeks, instead you are left with this fabulous healthy sheen. Some of the brighter colours can be very pigmented, so a light hand is needed, but the glow you are left with is incredible. 

They come with a little portable brush in the little compact mirror underneath, but these are pretty useless, the wrong shape & they don't seem to pick up pigment. But you will not be disappointed with a proper blusher brush. 

Although most people's favourite shade seems to be Luminoso, mine is Berry Amore. It looks so good on the skin without leaning too pink or too orange.

What I Got For Christmas 2016

I was absolutely spoilt this Christmas, so I have just included my make-up items that I received. These are a mixture of gifts received from my parents, fiancé & sister. Most of the items are from Cult Beauty, Sephora or Brown Thomas.

Reviews & swatches to follow in separate review posts!

•  Luminizing Moisture Tint by Jouer Cosmetics 
•  Finishing Creme by Ouai Haircare
•  Hair Oil by Ouai Haircare
•  Skin Pencil - Blur by Nudestix
•  Glow Mist by Pixi
•  Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone by Becca
•  Pro Firm Blending Crease Brush (M441) by Morphe Brushes
•  Mac Loose Pigment in Tan
•  Tarlette in Bloom Palette by Tarte Cosmetics 
•  Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop by Becca x Jaclyn Hill
•  Shade & Light Eye Palette by Kat Von D Beauty

Sephora Favourites: Extravagant Eyes

I was lucky enough to receive one of these Sephora Favourites Boxes recently. I love these boxes as they are they perfect way to sample a number of products without committing to full size versions (although in this box there were quite a few full products!). It also works out so much cheaper as well if you tend to find that you don't always use up full sized products before they expire. The box costs $42/€39. You can't order direct from Sephora.com here in Ireland, but they do send to the U.K so set up a Parcel Motel account to get it delivered here.

This box contains eight products, five of which are full size & the remaining three are deluxe size. The general colour "theme" of this box appears to be burgundy/gold, which is huge this season. I love these colours & have been wearing similar tones since the summer. If you don't like burgundy tones this box may not be for you...

These products are also great for travelling due to the size, but also because of the formula of some of the products you don't need a whole bunch of brushes.

This Nars Dual Intensity Eye Shadow in the shade Himalia is a gorgeous bronze/gold shimmer shadow with incredible pigmentation.

I love using this colour as a lid colour for smokey brown burgundy eye or by itself for a natural shimmery look. Beautiful shine off it, with no chunks of glitter.

This Milk Make Up Eye Pigment in the shade Silent Disco can be a bit tricky to use. A little of this product goes a LONG way.

This pigment has a slight pink glitter going through it so I tend to use it on the lid rather than the crease. The best way that I found to apply it is to put a tiny, tiny bit on the back of my hand and use a fluffy synthetic brush to apply over an eye shadow primer. This lasts all day & does not crease or budge.

The Marc Jacobs O! Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara in Blacquer is a good all round mascara, not the best in the whole world, but still a good day to day mascara.

The Sephora Collection Eye Contour Crayon in Black Lace is the perfect eyeliner for the water line, nice & creamy so it doesn't drag the skin & lasts for hours.

Similar to the Milk Pigment,with this Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer a little bit goes a long way! This primer has a slightly silicone-like feel to it & blended nicely across the eye lid.

Apparently the Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Midnight Cowboy has been sold out all over the states (I've spotted it in Debenhams over here though). This is great used in conjunction with black liquid liner & was just made for the Christmas Party season.

This Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Shadow Stick in Plum shade is SUPER pigmented & does not budge, I had to use an oil based Eye make-up remover to take it off.

I found this the hardest product to apply, just because once you apply it to an area it's not moving! I used it as a crease colour as there is no shimmer, but had to spend ages blending it out. The final result was worth it, you just have to work for it! 

These Huda Beauty Lashes in "Samantha" are pretty dramatic! I haven't had an occasion to wear them yet, but soon...

I've heard great reviews about the Huda Beauty Lashes & they retail for around $20 so these are definitely luxury & hopefully I'll get a good few uses out of them.