makeup – Page 9 – A Cosmetic Affair

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.

♥♥♥♥

Butter Cream

♥♥♥♥

Pebble

♥♥♥♥

Left Butter Cream, Right Pebble

♥♥♥♥

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.

♥♥♥♥

Shadow Stick in Purple

Liner side in Plum

Left Purple, Right Plum

Shadow Stick in Blue

Liner side in Midnight

Left Blue, Right Midnight

♥♥♥♥

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?

Product Review: Elf Studio Lip Balm

I have tried many lip balms as I have lips which tend to be dry and the Elf Studio Lip balm with SPF 15 is one of the best lip balm that I have. It has a minty taste to it and it makes my lips feel tingly when I apply it and it has a protection of SPF 15 added to it. The consistency is not too creamy and it is not too soft, so that when you apply it to your lips it stays on for a long time and it is also not sticky, so it is not annoying. I bought this from the Elf website here.

What they claim:

Relieves and soothes lips with a drench of moisture. SPF 15 helps to shield lips from harmful sun rays. Softens lips to prevent and temporarily protect against chapped, cracked or chafed lips.

This product is in the more pricier products of the website, but none the less it is still very affordable. It leaves a thin protective layer on my lips with no color to it, that lasts for a long time and it conditions my lips. This product retails for €4/£3.50 on the Elf UK website and it contains 2.1g.

What is your favorite lip balm? Have you tried this lip balm?

Haul: Essence

Essence Soft Touch Make-up in 02 Matt Beige, Essence Clear & Matt Foundation in 02 Honey and Essence Long lasting eye pencil in 02 Hot Chocolate

I have recently found this brand called Essence that can be found in drugstore or pharmacies where I live. They are really cheap and affordable products and so far I really like the quality. I had already tried out their concealer and I love it, it is one of my favorites. So I decided to try out some other products too. I picked up 3 items. I wanted to try the Clear & Matt foundation as it is oil free and I got it in the color Honey. Their color range is really limited but this color matches me pretty well. The product itself has a very light consistency and the coverage is light to medium but you can build it a little. It covers my uneven complexion and gives me a nice everyday natural look.

Next is the Soft touch make-up which I thought looked really similar to the Maybelline Dream Mousse foundation and I can confirm that it is really similar. It has that mousse feeling that we all adore and it is really light on the skin. I got in the color Matt Beige and it is a little too yellow for me but if I blend it down the neck it doesn’t show at all. It leaves my skin feeling non-greasy and my skin looks really flawless.

Last of all I picked up the long lasting eye pencil in their shade for brown which is called Hot Chocolate. I love these pencils, I also have it in black and they are really long lasting on the water line and once they dry they last a long time. I also did a review on the Essence Cover Stick.

Have you tried any products from Essence? What do you think?

Product Rave: Simple Kind to Eyes Eye Make-up Remover

The Simple Eye make-up remover has been a staple for me for over a year now and I think I have gone through about five bottles so far. It is supposedly used to remove eye make-up but usually what I do is to take a cotton pad and get it moist with the product and then I start by removing my eye makeup and then proceed to rub off all the other makeup from the rest of my face. After applying this product I still wash my face, but this is optional and it is only personal preference and because I have oily skin.

I have very sensitive skin and this product is ideal for me. It removes all the makeup, it has no oil in it, so it does not cause any breakouts and it has no perfume and color. The product has no weird smell to it and it is very gentle on the skin.

It claims to be packed with vitamins and it removes waterproof mascara (which I can confirm). This product is really affordable and it can be found in any of the local supermarkets. The bottle holds 125ml of product. I will definitely repurchase this product and so far this has been my most effective makeup remover.

Have you ever tried any Simple products?

Drugstore Haul: Revlon

Some weeks ago I got these items from a stationary near University which carries make up products too. There was an offer from Revlon to buy 3 products and you got a gift for Free, so obviously I went for it!

I got the Revlon Double Twist mascara, the Revlon Color Burst lipstick in Blush and the Revlon Super Lustrous Lip gloss in Nude Lustre. As a gift I got the Revlon Eye Glide in Lilac, which can be used as a base for your eyeshadow or you can use it on its own for a wash of color over the lid.

This is the Super Lustrous Lip gloss in 04 Nude Lustre and I got it for €10.95. The color payoff of these lip glosses is amazing. They are true to the color in the bottle and they last for a long time. They are not too sticky and they don’t have any weird smell to them.

This is the Color Burst Lipstick in 035 Blush and the color is nude with a peachy undertone to it. I got this for €12.50 and I love it for when I have dark eyeshadow on and want a natural lip to go with it.

Color Burst in Blush

Left Blush, Right Nude Lustre

I wanted to try out a new mascara and the girl at the shop recommended I try the New Revlon Double Twist mascara. I got this for €12.95 and this mascara claims to give massive volume and definition to your lashes. I find that the mascara wand for this brush is too big for me and that it holds too much product in it. I tend to wipe off a lot of the excess off on the side of the tube. Said that I adore the formulation of this mascara and it gives lots of volume and length that lots of people have commented that I seem to be wearing false lashes.

The mascara wand

This is the gift that I got with this purchase and it is an eyeshadow base in 09 Lilac. This has some shimmer to it and as you can see in the swatch below it is that nice vibrant lilac color which would look gorgeous in the Summer months. I look forward to use it for a variety of looks during the Summer.

Eye Glide in Lilac

What do you think of Revlon? Do you have any products you would recommend?

PUPA Gold Obsession Palette

This palette comes in sleek shiny black packaging with just PUPA written in red on the front. The name of the palette I picked out is called Gold Obsession and the number on the back is 15. I got this palette whilst I was in Italy for a family vacation and since I have always wanted to try some PUPA products I thought it was only appropriate to get it from Italy :). The palette comes with four shades, a big mirror on the inside and a double sided applicator.

The colors are all very soft and easy to apply, and they are very pigmented too. You can get a variety of different looks with this palette and I tend to use it a lot no matter if it is during the day or to get a more dark look for the night. I have been loving the lighter color from the top which has an orangey/peachy color too it. All the golden tones are very shimmery but the brown is matte, which complements the other colors brilliantly. I got this palette for about €16, (not so sure since it’s been a while) and I would love to purchase some other palettes from PUPA since I was very impressed with the quality of these shades.