e.l.f Shimmer Pencils

Released today on the elf Cosmetics websites (UK and Italian), 9 gorgeous shades of shimmer pencil.


I've been busily reviewing these but first some important swatches! Click on the image for a larger version.









And on my skin tone this is how they appear, again in natural light and no flash.







I found these pencils incredibly soft and very blendable, even when at room temperature. Perfect for smudgy and smoky looks. I wouldn't use these as an every day liner as they are a bit too smudgy, actually may be I would, they are just so attractive.

If you lock them down with a light layer of eye shadow then they don't budge. My favourites have to be Twinkle Teal and Plum Passion. I didn't expect Iconic Ivory to show up at all on my skin but it is pigmented, it will make an awesome base for vibrant eye shadows that don't normally show up on my skin.


If you'd like to see me using three of these pencils with the e.l.f eye transformer palette, see the video below!




These pencils were sent for review purposes and I am affiliated with elfcosmeticsUK.

Urban Decay Naked Palette LOTD

The box is brown velvet and to me looks like a large bar of chocolate, that just makes the 12 nude shades even more irresistable!

Swatches and my review will follow but here is a little look at the shades and a look of the day! Click in the images for larger versions.

New e.l.f nail polishes

These are the two new colours, just released on the UK and Italian e.l.f websites. For £1.50 it's hard to find a cheaper nail polish with such a huge range of colours. I got my mitts on these two and had to swatch them. Here I have used a clear base coat and two coats to get an even colour which is smooth and glossy.

Click on the images for a larger version. The photos were taken in natural day light and without a flash.

Passion pink is a light hot pink with gold shimmer running through it which makes it kind of special to other hot pinks I have in my collection. I found it smooth to apply and it dried quickly. I think bold colours like this are really nice if your nails are on the shorter side like mine.

Passion Pink

Mango Madness

Mango madness is a bold bright coral with no shimmer. It is the colour of carrot and orange juice which I favour highly! Again I found this colour easy to apply, a high glossy shine and bold colour.

As with all non-toluene nail polishes they need to be shaken very well before use as they tend to separate. After a good shake they are fine to use.

Disclaimer: these were provided for review.

Varama Camouflage Make Up

A Man's Eye View

I asked my brother to review some products for me as they weren't suitable for my skin type. It's a common caveat when I give away products I don't use, so he's used to it!

I gave my brother two products to try. He has quite sensitive skin so I was concerned that something as powerful as the Vitamin C Facial Scrub by the Body Shop and Moisturiser might upset his skin. Men on the whole have oilier skin than women. Combined with beards/shaving can make the skin prone to blackheads and ingrown hairs. A facial scrub is a perfect treatment for keeping them at bay. Every man needs a moisturiser, shaving is very drying for the skin and my brother is a cyclist so often being out in the elements dries out the skin too.

My brother is in his 30s and ladies he's a bit of a catch! He never used to use skin products but I recently have introduced him to some man friendly items that won't break the bank or make him feel foolish if one falls out of his bag at the gym! So I have taken his feedback and worked it in to a form of review! I guess it's harder for a man to talk about cosmetics in the same sort of depth as women like me seem very able to do.

I asked my bro what his expectations of the products were, he said that he hoped they would not bring him out in a rash or spots after using them. Also that the moisturiser wouldn't leave his face shiny. He also said that he compared it to Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub which he has used before, he didn't say whether he liked it or not and I haven't tried it so can't say! He felt that the products delivered what they promised which was a good scrub and a light moisturiser.

I also asked him why he thought the products worked for him, he said that the Vitamin C scrub had fine particles, it was not over perfumed and left no residue. It didn't sting or bring him out in spots. The Vitamin C moisturiser was light, pleasantly textured and had a nice smell. It was easily absorbed and didn't leave him shiny.

My brother felt that both products used as he used them, his regime was once daily for the moisturiser and every other day for the scrub, both products would last about 6 weeks for relatively small tubes. He would definitely repurchase (and has asked if I have any more from the line!), the product offers value for money (at £10 each), he would buy more from the range and would recommend it to others. All high praise indeed, it's so nice when a product I recommend turns out to be something special!

I asked him to rate the products out of five stars, he gave them a generous four stars, always room for improvement eh?

So thanks Bro for that great review.

Removing icky stuff from brushes!

Mineral Foundation Tutorial

Getting the right finish using a mineral used to elude me until I started to use Boosters and Veils. I scoffed at these at first, thinking it was all just gumpf and nonsense. I preferred to use a normal pressed powder or silica powder.

I then received the new tinted mineral booster from e.l.f. One of the many parts of my work is to get all new items to familiarise myself with :)

I dutifully used it over a mineral foundation, grabbed my stuff and left the house. I was very impressed with the results. My skin did look smoother and there were no "blooms" or cling-ons - you know when you get product clinging on to dry bits you didn't even know you had... So I advise people who have issues with cling and dry bits to try a booster, there are three shades - shimmer (which is more of a pearl), tinted (suitable for more tanned, olive, asian and african-carribbean skin tones) and sheer which is suitable for caucasian skin tones. I use the shimmer as a highlight for day wear as it is very subtle and tinted around the nose and forehead where I need the smoothing as I have some open pores. For £3.50, I will buy these for friends and family with dry skin to use over foundation or alone to even out skin tone.

Spot the difference - colour correction

I've finally nailed colour corrective concealing. For the longest time I was fearful of using highly pigmented colour correctors, I used to use powder correctors.

I swallowed my fear and vowed to practice until I felt comfortable about blending concealers over colour corrective ones. It's tricky stuff and not something we were really taught at college, we were taught the theory but it wasn't until I left and tried it that I realised that it's actually really difficult to nail and I wish we had practised it more. So which dark circle has been colour corrected, right or left?

LeftRight

So I'll put you out of your misery, the one on the left is the one which looks better concealed under the eye. There is a much reduced shadow unlike the right hand side where I have not used any colour correction and just applied a fairly thick and creamy concealer by Alva Coleur* I didn't think this concealer would suit my skin tone as the foundations were a bit too light, however I am very pleased with the creamy consistency. When using this concealer, it is very creamy so use a finely milled powder to set it and do it quickly before it bleeds in to fine lines.

If you'd like a video tutorial about colour correction for dark circles, let me know by leaving a comment below... I am happy to make a video about it as if you suffer from very dark circles and want a good method of concealing, this might be for you.

*sent for review.

Quick Tips - Mascara

Some exciting swaps from Malaysia!

I recently swapped a few goodies with a new friend in Malaysia. I had no idea about the brands and products available so she kindly sent me a personal selection of lovely items. All of which are wonderful, but I thought I'd show you the two I got quite excited to try!

There are probably lots of dual ended lip products on the market but this one by SimplySiti is pretty good if you're on the go and just want to grab a reliable product! The lipstick is soft and pigmented and smells fresh (3.5g). The lip gloss is shiny and not too thick or sticky (5ml). In terms of size, the tube is about the length of a full size lip gloss and a bit thicker. I would say that the product sizes were roughly two thirds full sized products, still pretty generous though. The colour is called Cocoa Delight and is a perfect day combo. I would wear a light layer of the lipstick and gloss for day time and then amplify the lipstick with a few more layers and lots more gloss. It is a perfect handbag staple as is feels sturdy and easy to find! It is light feeling and moisturising, the colour is fairly neutral to my lips so it's a nice easy colour to wear every day.

The next exciting item is a Canmake eye brow liquid. This is essentially a liquid felt tipped pen. I was sceptical at first as applying it seemed to be too easy! But it works really well if your eye brows are really having a bad and desperately in need of threading day. There is no need to set with a powder as it dries very quickly. I use it as if I were drawing in individual hairs rather than like a pencil where you normally just draw an eyebrow shape. I don't think I'll be reaching for it every day but certainly something I'd use in between threadings!

Do you have any make up from Asia that you like and can recommend ?

Make up for glasses wearers

I wrote this blog entry for the e.l.f cosmetics website about make up and glasses. Hope you find it useful! If you leave a comment on the e.l.f cosmetics blog website (not here) you can also get a £1.50 off voucher towards your next purchase.

Click here for the entry! elfblog!

Feeling Feline Tutorial

A little bit of fun, too early for Halloween perhaps!?