elf

elf Cosmetics Store Cardiff

- Vicki 5 Comments

I’m sure most of you are aware that e.l.f cosmetics opened their first European Store in the lovely city of Cardiff. It opened its doors on the 24th October and it sounds like it is going to be a huge success. I’m planning a road trip from Manchester to Cardiff so I can visit and stock up on all my favourite products.

In America e.l.f has been available in stores for a few years but in the UK we’ve had to get our e.l.f fix by ordering online & that has been a pain when wanting to see what the product colours are like as their online swatches have been known to be quite questionable. Now they have an amazing swanky new store so we can see what their products are like in the flesh.

I thought I would share with you a few of my favourite e.l.f products. It took me a while to narrow it down as they have so many products I enjoy using.

elf favourites

e.l.f’s Baked Blushes and Bronzers are amongst my all time favourites i have one of each in this post. They add a hint of glow and are also great as a highlighter. The two I like are pinktastic and maui I have a few more in my collection but I use those two most often. £3.75 for 6g

Their Baked Eyeshadows are also so pigmented and easy to blend, I have been using this beautiful dark brown shade called bark a lot and really want to buy a few more colours. They have 6 shades and are £3.75 each for 3.5g

Their Eyelid Primer in Sheer is a complete bargain and I have repurchased this so many times. It is a great base for shadow and just neutralises the colour on my eyelid and makes them look less red and evens out the colour. It helps keep my shadow on & my lids are alot less oily when I use this. This comes in 4 shades and is only £1.50 for 5ml.

e.l.f Contouring Blush and Bronzer Powder This is a great compact. I have used this when I go on holiday as yuou get both products in a good size compact and It has a great mirror. I have heard this be compared to NARS Laguna and Orgasm. I have never tried Laguna but I must say it is a quite a good dupe for Orgasm, the only difference is the elf blush isn’t as easy to blend. The blush in this is a lovely light peach with a hint of shimmer and the bronzer is a pigmented medium brown with a slight gold tint. I always recommend this dupe to people. £3.75 for 8g

These mineral eyeshadows from e.l.f are the only mineral makeup I have, I’ve used some in the past but find it messy and hard to keep in the pot. But these shadows are what I kept hold of as I really like the way they blend and they are pigmented and quite buildable. I have a few shades and like them all. The one in the photo is called Temptress. These come in 28 shades for only £3.00 each, such good value.

My beloved e.l.f Kabuki Brush is one of my most used brushes. I take it everywhere & use it for powder, blush, bronzer it is fab for travel and its so small & compact. It has never shed its bristles all over my face and washes really nicely. I should buy a second one of these as I use it every single day. £6.00

I seem to have an addiction to chubby lip crayons and this pretty pink one from e.l.f is a really good purse friendly one. It is in the shade Pink Umbrella’s and would say it’s a nice peach toned pink. It doesn’t have any shimmer and makes my lips look healthy and have a hint of colour. It is a twist up style so no sharpening needed. These lip gloss sticks aren’t long wearing but are fun and so easy to apply and nice to wear. £2.50 for 2.8g

e.l.f Cosmetics

What are your favourite products from e.l.f and do you plan on visiting their new Cardiff store

Feeling Flushed

- Vicki 3 Comments

I had a look through my makeup collection and picked out some blushes / highlighters that will be perfect for summer. So here are my picks.

Summer Blush

MUA Shimmer Kisses Blush £3.00 for 7.3g – this blush quad is really pretty and can be used as a blush or a highlight. I tend to swirl my brush around and pick up all four colours. It’s a really soft pink and very easy to wear, it isn’t too dusty and I find it wears about 5 / 6 hours on me before the colour starts to fade. It has a slight shimmer to all the colours but nothing too over powering. This is also a great product to travel with as you can get alot of great blush shades from it and the packaging is quite slim and compact.

Me Me Me Shimmer Stack in Bronze £9.99 for 12g – This is very versatile and for £9.99 you get alot of product for your money. It comes with 5 shades from a cream, bronze, gold and a rose gold. They can be used individually and make lovely eyeshadows too. As a blush it gives the same look as Mac MSF in Soft and Gentle. It is very pretty and gives a lovely metallic shimmer, all shades are very pigmented. I’ve loved using this and would highly recommend it.

Topshop Highlighter in Sunbeam £10 for 6.5g – Wow this is a big highlighter and the packaging is so cute although it doesn’t have a mirror. It is a little bulky to travel with but I really like using it, mostly as a night-time highlight. On the top of the cheeks it leaves a very pretty sheen. It is gold and very pigmented so a word of warning, use with a light hand otherwise you will end up with far too much shimmer. This will last you forever so is very good value for money. I can’t see me ever finishing it.

Summer blush

e.l.f Baked Blush in Pinktastic £3.75 for 6g – I have some really fantastic e.l.f products in my collection and their baked blush & bronzers are some of my favourite. Amazing value for money and you get 6g of product. They are a little chalky but if you tap off the excess product you will be OK. This Pinktastic blush is a very subtle pink, I’d say it was more of a highlight than a blush but either way it gives your skin a healthy glow. I plan on taking this with me on holiday as its is quite small and compact.

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Rose $11.95 for 7g – This came in a beauty swap I did last year & I admit I wanted it solely for the packaging and the love heart detail looks so pretty. But all that aside it is the perfect touch of pink, great for summer. It isn’t the most pigmented product but it leaves you looking healthy and fresh-faced & not like you have overdone it. The down side to this is the packaging is a little clumpy and not great for travel but I love the blush.

Cute Blush for Summer

Benefit High Beam £19.50 for 13ml – I have both high beam & moon beam and love them both but if I had to pick just one then high beam would win. It is on the pricey side and I have seen a few people blog about great dupes but this 13ml bottle lasts forever. I have mixed it in to my foundation for a radiant all over glow (Only a drop needed) and it looks great on the cheek bone for a real beach look. I am a huge fan of this and wouldn’t be without it in my collection. It can make quite a subtle highlight if you dab it on lightly and when the light hits you just looks radiant and glowing. Very summery.

Avon 24k Golden Glamour Duo 8g – I can’t find this for sale online, I paid £6. I have spoken about this Avon blush and highlight duo on my blog quite a few times & if you want to see a swatch you can here. I love the blush part of this duo so much it’s quite a frosty pink and looks really pretty for day or night. The highlight shade is a creamy peach shade and just adds the right amount of glow to the tops of your cheeks. I often travel with this as it is two products in one & again you get 8g of product which will last you a long time. Pixiwoo have done a video using this blush here.

Mac MSF in Soft and Gentle £21.50 for 10g – I only bought this in December and so was massively late to the party. How I lived without this I will never know (bit dramatic). Pretty isn’t a good enough word to describe this but it just gives your face a fantastic glow. I need to be careful that I don’t apply too much around my outer eye / top of cheek area as it does gather in my fine lines ( I am 35 this year). I have used this non stop for 5 months and it looks like new, like I haven’t used it. This is one product where a little goes a long way. I love having it in my collection.

So they are my 8 cheek products for the summer. Looking at them now I seem to have an obsession with baked products, I do love them and how they look. Let me know If I have mentioned any of your favourites or if I have mentioned something you have never tried before.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend

Vicki x

I’ve Hit Pan On

- Vicki 11 Comments

I saw Essie Button do a post on ‘Products that have hit pan’ – so I dug mine out and discovered that the’re mostly face powders. There were only 6 products in my collection that  have hit pan. This must mean I don’t wear much makeup or I’ve too many products. Hmmmm I wonder which is true.

1. Mac Select Sheer Pressed Powder in NW25 – This is my goto face powder. I use it on top of my foundation to give a little extra coverage and I love the finish it gives.

2. Pixi Eyeshadow Trio in Miranda – (gutted this is almost finished). I don’t think this is even sold anymore. It’s the old style packaging and I love it too. I’ve completely used up the lightest colour and am almost done with the other 2. It’s such a nice trio and I’ve enjoyed it a lot

3. e.l.f Clarifying Pressed Powder in Rosy Beige – This is just an easy alternative to using my Mac powder. I tend to pop this in my bag if I’m going out as I don’t mind if it gets damaged. It’s a nice powder and does the job.

4. Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque – This has been a great investment and I’ve gotten a lot of use out of it. I see such a difference in my under eyes when i have this on. It really makes them a lot brighter. I will be very sad when this runs out. I really recommend this if you suffer from dark or discolouration under the eyes.

5. Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealor Kit in Warm Beige – This is an OK product some days I like it and others it annoys me. I think when my under eyes are a little dehydrated then it really settled in the creases & looks bad but when my skin is OK it looks really good. I’m still undecided as to whether I’m  going to repurchase. What are your thoughts on it?

6. Benefit 10 bronzing and highlighting duo – I use this so much. It is also the only bronzer / highlighter i take on my hols. It’s an old faithful and it never lets me down. I’ve hit pan on the bronzer side but its only a matter of days until I see pan on the highlighter side too. This looks so lovely on the cheeks. I will be re purchasing this for sure.

 What products have you hit pan on?