Make-Up Collection {Part 3 ~ Lip Products}

After quite a long break from my make-up collection posts, here is my lip product collection! I still have some more items on my wishlist that I need to purchase like some Catrice and Essence lipsticks as well as some other products from e.l.f. Cosmetics but for now, here is my current collection.

A word about lip product storage first; I keep my lipsticks either in the first drawer of my make-up cabinet or else, on the top of the cabinet along with other lip products depending on the frequency of use.  As for my high-end lipsticks, I keep them in their original packaging in the first drawer to avoid any disasters... and they never ever leave the house! In summer I like to keep my lipsticks in a container in the refrigerator to prevent them from melting.  

I'll leave you to the pictures now :) Click on a product name for the full review and if you would like me to review a product that is not yet reviewed, then just leave a comment :)

Lipsticks

Mac Milan Mode

e.l.f. Sociable

e.l.f. Mineral Lipsticks in Ripe Rose, Rosy Tan, Natural Nymph & Rich Raspberry

Max Factor Lipstick in 710 Midnight Plum

Deborah Rossetto 24 Ore in 13 Creamy 

Givenchy Rouge Interdit in 20 Illicit Raspberry

Maybelline Water Shine Lipstick in 02 Beige Glace

Chanel Rouge Allure in 66 Confidentielle

Max Factor Lipstick in 804 Hint of Red

e.l.f. Studio Matte Lip Colors in Natural, Coral & Tea Rose

Lip-liners

Estee Lauder Lip Defining Pencil in Spice

Technic Lip-liner pencil in Pink

The Body Shop Lip Pencil in Chestnut

NYX Long Lip Pencil in CLPL20 Plush Red

Revlon ColorStay Automatic Lip Liner in 02 Nude

Farmasi Lip Pencil in 210

e.l.f. Lip Liner and Blending Brush in Wine

Lip Glosses

e.l.f. Studio Glitter Gloss in Ruby Rasberry

essence Stay With Me long lasting lip gloss in I Like Cotton Candy

Napoleon Perdis Protege Lip Gloss

M&S Lip Gloss in Dark Pink

L'Oreal Glam Shine Crystals in Coral Strass

Rimmel Clear Gloss

H&M Lip Gloss in Queen of Peach

Caboodles Lip Tint in Yummy Swirl

e.l.f. Super Glossy Lip Shines in Goddess, Iced Latte, Malt Shake & Mauve Luxe

Nivea Care Gloss & Shine in Natural

Primark Beauty lip gloss

The Body Shop Hi-Shine lip treatment

Eyeko Lip Gloss in Knightsbridge

Barry M Limited Edition Glossy Tube in Bubble Gum Pink

Farmasi Extreme Gloss

Lip Balms and everything else

e.l.f. All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade & Persimmon

The Body Shop Born Lippy Lip Balm in Passionberry

Nivea Hydro Care Lip Balm

So that is my current lip product collection ladies! I am planning to do more collection posts such as new additions, nail polish collection, jewellery collection, etc so let me know what you want to see! In the mean time, check out my other two instalments of the make-up collection posts:

Part 1 ~ Storage & Face Products

Part 2 ~ Eye Products

Review: e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadows in Outdoorsy, Socialite & Caffeinated

Hello my lovelies! I have so many e.l.f. reviews to do I figured out I better get started! I'm going to start off with the Mineral Eyeshadows, of which I have three shades, Outdoorsy, Socialite & Caffeinated.  I got these eyeshadows a couple of months ago to give them a try as I have read a lot of good things about them.

At the time, e.l.f. cosmetics UK were running a promotion where with every £10/€12 order, they offered free shipping and a mystery gift with products worth up to £10.  I couldn't miss on the offer but since most of the items I needed were out of stock, I added two shades of mineral eyeshadows to my order to get the total amount to a little over €12.

I picked up Socialite because the colour intrigued me as it is quite unique and I also got Caffeinated as I love my neutrals!  I then ended up getting Outdoorsy for free in the mystery box, and I'm not at all regretting it as it is such a lovely colour!

So, the Mineral Eyeshadows, as the name implies, are part of e.l.f. cosmetics Mineral range, and consequently, they are 100% natural and are paraben-free, and contain no chemical additives and dyes.  Your skin will thank you for using such products! Moreover, elf claim that these eyeshadows contain Vitamins A & B to hydrate and minimize the appearance of fine lines.

The eyeshadows come packaged in a small, clean white box and you get the shade names at the side and the ingredients on the backside of the box.  The actual eyeshadows are supplied in 0.85g transparent jars with a sifter and a screw-top black lid.  They come with a sticker over the sifter holes to prevent fall-out but I took that off as I find that piercing one or two holes doesn't bring out much product.  The eyeshadows come in powder form, just like pigments.

Since they are powdery, I like the apply them over a primer base to make sure they stay in place and they are really easy to blend.  They can also be used wet to intensify the colours and bring out the shimmer more.  They are all very pigmented, yet they are buildable if you use a light hand to apply them.  Here are swatches of the three eyeshadows:

Socialite: I would describe this is a very dark black/grey shimmery chrome colour with purple and brown undertones.  It is very unique and online swatches are what intrigued me to try it in the first place.  The first picture is taken in natural daylight while the other is taken with flash.  The pictures really do not do any justice to this beautiful shade but you get the idea, hopefully!

Caffeinated: This is a very nice shimmery gold eyeshadow, perfect to create a dramatic smokey eye with neutral tones. Again, the top picture is taken in natural light while the bottom one is taken with flash.

Outdoorsy: As I said, I got this one for free in the mystery box and I was really pleased because I love green eyeshadows as they suit me.  However, I have nothing like it my collection.  It is a deep, shimmery forest green that will come out a little blackened if used dry so I prefer to use it wet to bring out the intensity of the green.  Natural light swatches are the ones in the first picture.

The only downside I can find to these eyeshadows is that they can be very messy to take out in the tray and apply and also, expect some fallout so I recommend applying foundation and concealer after putting on the eye make-up when using these eyeshadows.  However, I really like the intensity of the shades and the quality and I like to use them wet over a primer to bring out the colours more.  At only €3.50 per pot, you can't really go wrong!

I want to get some more of these eyeshadows so if you have any recommendations feel free to leave them in the comments section below :) Do you own any of the elf mineral eyeshadows?

Mid-Week Beauty Masterclass: Concealer

Hey guys! Next make-up item that goes on our faces after foundation, is concealer. There are different types of formulations and colours to suit everyone no matter how dark or fair you are and what your problem areas are as you will find out if you keep on reading.  Concealers are an invaluable make-up product especially if like me, you have dark circles or blemishes you want to cover up.  As I said before, concealers do not only come in flesh-toned colours, but there are also those known as colour correctors which are usually either green, lavender or yellow.  These serve to neutralize redness, brighten up dark areas and neutralize blueish under-eye circles respectively.

Now let's see the different types of concealers available and what are the best uses for each one!

Stick Concealers really resemble lipsticks and they have quite a thick/dry consistency, making them a little bit hard to blend.  Due to the thick texture, they offer a medium - high coverage and are thus best for covering up blemishes. These concealers are best avoided under the eyes as they tend to sink in fine lines.  To make blending easier, the best way to apply such concealers is with your fingers as the warmth will soften the formula, enabling you to blend it better.  Small amounts are recommended when working with stick concealers as they look cakey very easily.  If you feel you need more coverage, build it up gradually.

Liquid Concealers are probably the most widely used type of concealer and they are usually presented in either a squeezy tube, or in a lipgloss-like tube or else in a twist-up format.  The consistency of liquid concealers is somewhat lightweight and blends easily.  Since they are neither oily nor heavy, they are suitable for all skin types.  It usually doesn't crease and it has good staying power, offering light to medium coverage, but you can layer it to achieve almost full coverage.  Liquid concealer is suitable for use on both the face and under eye area, but you have to work fast, because it dries pretty quickly and if you don't blend it in correctly it can look patchy. The best way to apply it is to dot it on the area you want to cover either with your finger or with the applicator and then blend it in with your finger using a gentle, patting motion until it looks nice and even!

Cream Concealer is usually supplied in little pots or pans. As the name suggests, it has a nice, creamy consistency, making it ideal for people with dry skin. It can be used both on the face and under eye area as it provides medium to full coverage and lasts pretty well even without any setting powder.  There are various ways of applying this type of concealer such as with your fingers, a sponge or concealer brush.  For hygienic reasons, I always recommend the use of a brush especially if you are covering zits to prevent the spread of infection and contaminating your concealer (this applies for all types). Also, make sure to sanitize your brush after each use.

Mineral Concealer is the latest formula to hit the market and it has gained quite a lot of popularity.  It comes in powder form and because it is mineral, it is free from parabens and preservatives and is therefore hypoallergenic.  It usually offers a light - medium coverage and stays on for quite some time.  It is suitable for most skin types but is especially good for people with oily skin as it absorbs oil.  On the other hand, if you have dry/mature skin, steer clear of it as it will make dry patches/fine lines/wrinkles more visible. The best way to apply it is by using a full and fluffy brush and tap the brush on the areas you want to cover until you achieve the coverage you want.

A tip to remember when using concealer is keep in mind what type of foundation you are using; if you are using a mineral foundation, the concealer goes on after the foundation because otherwise, the powder will stick to the concealer and look cakey.  If on the other hand, you are using liquid foundation, it doesn't matter when you apply concealer but I prefer applying it before foundation but you may apply it afterwards if you so desire.

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My Face Candy Couture Samples are here!

I just came home to a little envelope that has flown all the way from the USA containing 5 teeny tiny samples of mineral eyeshadows :) The colours were all chosen by the lovely Shantle Shipp and I am really pleased with all of them and am looking forward to use all of them :) Here are some pictures:

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Review: Rimmel Lasting Finish Loose Powder Foundation in 100 Ivory

I started using foundation only recently and I still don’t use it everyday. I only use foundation when I really need coverage, say I have a nasty pimple or my skin looks pale; but otherwise I skip it altogether.

Having oily skin, I use a mineral foundation since it absorbs the excess oil from my face and preventing it from looking and feeling like an oil-rig by midday. Today, I will review Rimmel Lasting Finish Loose Powder Foundation in 100 Ivory which is what I am currently using.

As always, let’s start by taking a look at the packaging. The foundation comes supplied in a round plastic twist-cap jar along with a small kabouki brush, all in an ordinary cardboard box.

The brush: myself having small hands, it isn’t much of a problem getting to grip the brush but it is still a bit difficult to manage. However, it does distribute the product evenly onto my face so I kept the brush just in case my larger and more ergonomic powder hasn’t dried yet after a wash. I don't really like the bristles though because they feel a bit harsh and take ages to dry after washing, not to mention the fact that they do shed quite a lot.

The foundation: on opening the foundation jar, there is a small rectangular piece of plastic with a flap. This is there to keep the foundation from spilling from the holes. Mine is no longer there as the flap got torn and it was difficult to remove the protective plastic by hand and in the morning’s rush, I don’t want to fiddle at it with the tweezers so I removed it.

All you do to get the product out is tap a little in the cap and the use a brush to apply it onto your face and neck. The foundation is very powdery but goes on seamlessly and gives my face an even-toned look without being obvious and this is why I like this foundation so much! Also, the colour Ivory matches my skin perfectly. It lasts me the whole day without the need of touching up and it comes off easily with some make-up remover.

On the outer pack, there is written that the product is:

~ Oil Free: makes sense as powdery make-up is suited for oily skins as it absorbs excess oils

~ Talc Free: makes the product hypoallergenic to sensitive skins

~ Preservative Free: most mineral make-up is preservative free and again, this makes it better for sensitive skins.

~ Fragrance Free: again, the product will be less bound to give skin an allergic reaction if it is fragrance free. In fact, the product carries no scent.

This foundation is available in the 5 shades shown in the next image:

I can't remember how much this foundation cost me exactly but I purchased it as I saw it was a reasonable price for 6.5g of product with a 30 month expiry period.