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Favorites: Everyday Eyeshadows

I wanted to do a post on my favorite shadows that I use the most for everyday use. The two shadows that I reach for the most are these two that I got from the Elf Studio Single Eye shadow range called Butter Cream and Pebble. I love to use Butter Cream which is a sheer golden tone shadow as an all over the lid color as it brightens up my eyes and gives a little color without it being too much. On the other hand Pebble is a very versatile color which can be used for various looks. I love using it lightly in the crease to give a little more depth and definition to my eyes or as an all over the lid color for that muddy look that looks great through all the day. As you can see from the photos below both shadows have a little dent in them but I still have not hit pan on these even though I use them nearly every day.

You get quite a lot of product in these pans, 2.75g/0.097oz. for €4.00/£3.50 which is a good amount of product. I got mine from the Elf website HERE. They have various other colors to choose from and I am looking forward to try many more, I especially love the color Amethyst which is a gorgeous deep royal purple.

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Butter Cream

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Pebble

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Left Butter Cream, Right Pebble

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My Conclusions:

I love both these shadows and will definitely repurchase them once they finish although I don’t think that it will be any time soon. I love to try out various shades but most days in the mornings I am feeling lazy and just want a slap of color on the lids to look awake and these are perfect for this. Even more since I still go to University, I don’t want to apply too much color to my lids and these are very neutral and blend nicely.

What are your favorite eye shadow colors for everyday? Have you tried the Elf Single Eye Shadows?

Product Review: Elf Eyeliner and Shadow Stick

Some time ago I bought these eyeliner and shadow sticks from Elf and I have been using them quite a lot. I had been really looking forward to having some kind of cream shadows to use as a base for my eyeshadow and these were a good buy to start using these bases. I got them in these two shades, which are midnight/blue and plum/purple. There are other combinations to these two including some very neutral ones but I was really curious to try out these two as they are the latest addition to these sets. You can buy these from HERE which is Elf’s UK website. I have put some swatches of the products for you so you can see for yourself just how gorgeous these colors are.

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Shadow Stick in Purple

Liner side in Plum

Left Purple, Right Plum

Shadow Stick in Blue

Liner side in Midnight

Left Blue, Right Midnight

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My Conclusions:

As you can see from the swatches above the colors are super pigmented and they are so soft and easy to apply to your eyes without having to tug or press down hard. What I do is I apply the product from the shadow part directly to my eyelid and then use either a synthetic brush or my fingers to blend the product well. Be sure to apply a primer underneath as they will crease on their own. These are not cream shadows that will dry and not crease. They do dry and stay put for a long time as when I applied to my hands they wouldn’t budge but you have to apply a primer and shadow over to keep them from creasing over time especially if like me you have oily eyelids. I then use the liner part to line my eyes and these are also good for the water line.

The colors are really pretty and they give so much intensity to any color you apply on top. I really love these and will definitely try to get my hands on all the other combinations they have on the site. These retail for €4.00/£3.50 on the Elf website and you get .24g/.86g of the liner and shadow respectively.

Have you tried any of these liner and shadow sticks from Elf? What do you think?

DIY: Best Pore Strips

I have found the best pore strips there are, and they are not the ones shown above, which I bought on Ebay a little time ago and they turned out to be no good. The best pore strips are the one you can do yourself with just two products; milk and gelatin. Gelatin is a substance that is used a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic manufacturing. I have learned this simple recipe to create pore strips from a video by Michelle Phan on YouTube HERE.

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What you need:

♥ 1 tsp milk

♥ 1 tsp gelatin

What I do:

I put the milk and gelatin into a small container like the one you can see above and the heat them up, you can use the microwave for about 10 seconds or use hot water and put the container in it just until the gelatin dissolves. You are left with a gooey substance that you can apply to whichever part of your face you want to apply the pore strip. You can either make use of a cheap brush that you don’t care much for or you can use your fingers, which is what I do, since the last time I tried to use a brush I nearly ruined it as once the gelatin sets within the bristles it is very hard to remove. You can apply it to your nose or your chin depending where you have blackheads that you want to remove. Let it set for about 10 minutes and then gently peel off. Make sure to apply a nice even layer all over the area you want to remove the dirt.

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Hope you get a chance to try this out as it is a real easy and cheap way to make use of pore strips more frequently as they can get pricey and have clean and clear pores. I try to do it once a week or every two weeks, depends on the weather and on my skin. Remember to apply a nice moisturizer when you are done as the skin can get dry.

Do you make use of pore strips? Have you ever tried to do them yourself?

Product Review: Avon Blemish Treatment

I have acne prone skin, so I include a blemish treatment for my spots or any acne that appears on my skin, in my daily facial routine. I have tried several of these blemish treatments over time and the Avon Clear Skin Blemish Treatment is one of my favorites. This blemish treatment is in the form of a clear gel that dries to an invisible finish on the skin so it is very useful if you want to apply this and leave it on your face as it leaves no trace. This product contains 2% Salicylic Acid, which works to dry out the blemishes and the product comes in a tube with 15ml of product. This product can be found on their website HERE.

What they claim:

Clears up acne pimples & helps prevent new blemishes. Attacks acne on the spot. See results in 24 hours!

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What I think:

This product is quite a mild treatment and if like me you have some bad acne on your skin, then this treatment is not enough. However, I find that if I’m having a good skin day but I still have some mild spots coming on, this treatment is quite helpful as it reduces the spots without drying out the skin around it which can happen with many other more aggressive blemish treatments. What I do, is apply a tiny amount on the spot and let it sit on my skin. I sometimes also use this product through the night, I apply it before going to bed and in the morning the blemish is visibly reduced.

I have bought this product with my own money from eBay, but I’don’t remember how much it cost exactly, but as with all products Avon, it is quite affordable. I also did a Neutrogena blemish treatment review HERE.

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Have you tried any blemish treatments? What do you think about this product?

Product Review: Karin Herzog Vita-A-Kombi 3

During the Christmas Season the lovely people at R8 Beauty where holding loads of Give Aways or Sweepstakes as they are called and I was lucky enough to win one of the Karin Herzog Face Creams. The product is called Vita-A-Kombi 3 and it is a face cream that you put over areas where you are having blemishes or break outs. I was thrilled at the idea of such a product as I have very acne prone skin and it is also very sensitive.

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I’d never tried any of the products from this brand and to tell you the truth had never even heard about the brand before I saw the products on the R8 Beauty Facebook page HERE. Therefore when I received the face cream in the first weeks of January I went onto the Karin Herzog website and looked at the description given for this product HERE.

What they say on their website:

A simple and extremely effective natural way to banish spots, cold sores, boils blisters, pigmentation etc. Using Vita-A-Kombi 3 directly on to the area to be treated allows the drawing effect of the oxygen will work like a vacuum to literally VAK the spot off. Acne cream containing 3% oxygen and vitamins A & E.

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My Thoughts:

This cream is not like any other blemish cream that I have. After reading through the leaflet that came with it, I found that you can either apply it to your blemishes and leave it there or wipe it off as the product is immediately absorbed into the skin. This contains hydrogen peroxide which is really good for clearing up acne from the skin and delivers oxygen that is required by the skin. The jar contains 16ml and on the site it retails for £21.50, which is quite pricey for me!

What I usually do is use it at night before I go to bed. I gently pat it onto blemishes on my face and let it to sit there. I have not seen any break outs because of this product which is always a good thing since my skin is so sensitive. The product itself is very thick but easily absorbed by the skin. A little goes a long way and once absorbed it leaves the skin a little dewy but not too much. However, I would not apply makeup on top of it and would not use it during the day if going out as I’m sure it would look too shiny for me.

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My Conclusions:

I have seen some results with this cream, that is my blemishes are still visible, however I must say that after applying this product regularly the amount of breakouts has diminished a lot and blemishes that were there are either slowly getting better or at least not getting any worst. I will keep using this product as I think it will help me to fight against the marks that acne leaves behind on my skin and that take so long to fade away.

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Have you tried any Karin Herzog products? What do you think?

Birthday Wishes!

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Just a quick and fast post about an inspiring person for me Ellen DeGeneres, who is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. Today is her 53rd person and I just wanted to dedicate a small post to Ellen who always tries to be positive and happy about her life and always tries to make a difference in other people’s lives and makes the world a better place. I recently also found her YouTube Channel HERE where they upload parts of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” that she hosts.

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Happy Birthday Ellen! Please check her YouTube Channel and be an inspiration to others!

Haul: Mail Package!

Today I had an exam and was again feeling super tired and sad! But when I got home this is what I found waiting for me. The lovely people from Montagne Jeunesse sent me this huge package filled with goodies to try out and review for you! There are so many different face masques to try out and two face tonics which I had been dying to try out. I have found some shops which sell these masques but the range they have is always very limited. I have tried some masques from this brand already and did a review HERE.

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(Left to Right) The Face Tonic and Cherry Tonic

It will take me some time to go through all of these masques but I will try to review them in batches so that you don’t have to read a super long post. I love this company as they never test on animals and always try to use natural ingredients in their products. I will also try to take pictures to show you the consistency of each of these masques, so that you have a good idea what they look like. 🙂 I am also looking forward to try these heating masques as they are supposed to make your skin really soft and smooth.

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(Left to Right) Passion Peel Off and Sauna Masque

I will as always share with you my honest opinion and give you my experience with the products tried whether this is good or bad! I value your trust a lot and will only do reviews and tell you what I really think about a product, no matter where I get it from.

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Have you tried any of the Montagne Jeunesse Masques? What do you think? Where do you get them from?