Review | E.L.F. Studio Tapered Brush

A few months ago I placed an order on the E.L.F. cosmetics website...something I didn't do in ages but they had some new stuff I wanted to try out, amongst which is this new addition to their Studio line brushes, the Small Tapered Brush.

Packaging is the same as for all the other Studio line brushes...a plastic sleeve with a card including product information and a plastic brush guard is also included. The brush itself is all black and I think it looks much more expensive than the €4.51 I paid for it.

 

 

The bristles are made out of Taklon which E.L.F. claim to be antibacterial and they feel really soft against the skin. Their tapered shape and overall size of the brush make it ideal for contouring and I'm glad I finally found a brush that fits the hollows of my cheeks perfectly.

 

 

I also like to use this brush to set under-eye concealer with translucent powder. Due to it being so small, I wouldn't recommend using this brush to apply liquid foundation and I personally prefer to keep it for use with powder products but mostly for contouring. 

I have washed this brush multiple times and till now it has not shed a hair and the ferrule feels quite sturdy so all in all I think this is a very good addition to any brush collection.

You can get the E.L.F. Studio Small Tapered Brush from the E.L.F. Cosmetics website and right now they have a 50% off and Free Shipping promotion going on if you feel like treating yourself!

Best Of 2012: Face

For the penultimate post in this series, I will show you what my favourite face products have been throughout the year, starting with Catrice Ultimate Moisture Fresh Skin Make-up in 010 Light Beige*. Whenever I need a little extra coverage during the day, I opt for this foundation which has a light and very natural coverage. The colour is an exact match to my skin-tone and stays put all day. 

Another face product that I use everyday is E.L.F. Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder which I use both alone and to set foundation and the result is excellent each time! I cannot not mention my all time favourite concealer from Essence which is the Stay Natural Concealer in 01 Soft Beige. It conceals zits and dark circles beautifully even though it offers light coverage...perfect for both day and night! To make sure my make-up stays put all throughout the day/night, I have been loving E.L.F. Studio Make-Up Mist & Set* as a fixer.

This year I have become more acquainted with different shades of blush and consequently my favourites are E.L.F. Studio Blush in Candid Coral, Essence Marble Mania Trend Edition Blush in 01 Swirlpool* and Catrice Defining Blush in 060 Rosewood Forest*. They all offer excellent pigmentation and a healthy, flushed look to the cheeks :)

The last face product that will make this list is a recently discovered gem...Napoleon Perdis Ultimate Contour Palette*. It has three components, a highlight, a blush and a bronzer and I am especially fond of the matte bronzer that is not too dark for me; on the contrary, it is the perfect bronzer! All three components are very pigmented albeit a little powdery.

 

Check back tomorrow for the last instalment in the series, dealing with eye products.

Part 1: Nails

Part 2: Skin Care

Part 3: Lips

Products marked with * were either gifted to me or else sent by the respective companies' PR for review purposes.

Review: E.L.F. Studio Stipple Brush & Small Stipple Brush

I was requested to review the E.L.F. Studio Stipple Brush and the new Small Stipple Brush when I showed them in a haul post.  So, after testing them thoroughly, here is the much awaited review!

Being part of the studio line, the stipple brushes come in a plastic pouch with a silver carton bearing the brush name on the front and description as well as care instructions on the back.  The brushes have black handles and ferrules and their name is also engraved in white paint on the handles. The Small Stipple Brush is slightly longer and it is about half the diameter of the regular Stipple Brush. Only the larger brush comes with a bristle guard. The brushes are both flat-topped.

Speaking of bristles, both brushes have taklon bristles that can be used with both wet and dry and make-up formulas. There are two types of bristles, the short black ones and the longer white ones. Different sized bristles are what makes stipple brushes ideal for creating an airbrushed look and these two particular ones are also good at building up coverage as required.

I prefer to use these stipple brushes with liquid products for a more flawless application.  I reserve the bigger one for foundation and the smaller one for mousse blush as it gives a more natural finish to the make-up.

The brushes are very soft and even after washing, they retain their shape and softness. I have never noticed any shedding and the black bristles do not bleed. Moreover, the white bristles do not retain any colour from make-up products after washing.

I would recommend these brushes are a cheaper alternative to other brands' higher priced stipple brushes and you can get them from the E.L.F. Cosmetics websites at just £3.75 each.   

Monthly Favourites: November

This month I have a mix of old and new favourites and I will start with the new discoveries first.

My absolute favourite this month was the E.L.F Studio Lip Exfoliator which keeps my lips soft and supple thanks to the exfoliating sugars and moisturising oils it is made of. I am a big fan of the sleek packaging too. Another new favourite from E.L.F. is the Studio Glitter Gloss in Sparkling Wine as it is a nice unique colour with gold flakes throughout and it complements many of my lipsticks. It also looks great alone thanks to the awesome pigmentation! Lastly from E.L.F I have two old favourites, namely the Studio Make-up Mist & Set and the Studio Mattifying Translucent Powder which have been the perfect companions to my oily skin this past month. I like how the Mist & Set removes the powdery feeling while setting make-up and thanks to the powder, my skin stays matte longer.

Moving on, this Born Pretty Store Retractable Kabuki Brush is the best brush I have to apply the powder with as it gives a nice, smooth application.  I have also found a new favourite perfume, namely, Zadig & Voltaire Tome 1 - For Her La Purete. It smells nice and clean, just like the name implies and it is good for both day and night.

Two more products from the lip department come from Chanel and Revlon. Chanel's Rouge Coco in 16 Taffetas Rose is my favourite lipstick this month and I like just how moisturising it feels. As for the Revlon ColorStay Lipliner in Nude, it is the perfect lip shaper for both nude and the darker lipstick hues.

Lastly, I have Catrice Eyeliner Pen in 030 Carbon Black. Although it doesn't have that skinny tip, I like the stiffness of the felt tip as it makes it perfect to create cat-eyes effortlessly. Pigmentation is a bonus.

What were your favourites this month?

Review: E.L.F. Studio Lip Exfoliator

Finally, it's here sitting on my vanity! As you can tell by the title of this post, I am talking about the E.L.F. Studio Lip Exfoliator for which I have been waiting ages to be available on the E.L.F. Cosmetics UK website.

My lips get chapped every so often and while a good lip balm helps restore moisture levels, it won't remove all the flakiness that usually accompanies chapped and wind-burnt lips.  Hence, when I saw this product on the US website for E.L.F. Cosmetics, I knew I needed it.  Such need continued to increase each time I read or saw a video review on this product, all of which give it a thumbs up.  Consequently, as soon as this product made its way to the UK website i.e. only last week, I placed a little order straight away for fear that the product might go out of stock overnight.

As usual, my order arrived just three days after shipping and I used the Lip Exfoliator straight away and since  I have been using it religiously every other day, I can already share my thoughts on it.

The packaging is typical of the Studio range with the product being supplied in a sleek, black carton box that bears the ingredients and product description on the sides and back respectively.  The Lip Exfoliator itself comes in the form of a lipstick in a sleek matte black case that I personally find really elegant.

I have read some reviews where people claimed that there was a very thick layer of waxes initially and they couldn't get to the exfoliating granules if they didn't remove this waxy layer. I think e.l.f. have taken this into consideration because mine only had a very thin layer and I could use the product as intended right away.  The texture is in fact very granular while the waxes are very moisturising on the lips. Furthermore, it smells (ad tastes!) divinely sweet.

What you do is dampen your lips with a little water and gently work your way around your lips with the exfoliator in circular motions to relieve the lips of any flakes and restore their smooth, supple feel.

Overall, I really like and totally recommend this product as part of my ultimate E.L.F. Cosmetics favourite products and I will definitely re-purchase!

You can buy yours from the e.l.f. cosmetics website for only €4.50.

Review: e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner in Metallic Olive

Hello my lovelies :) While I am waiting for some nail art designs I have been practicing to dry, I decided to do a product review (instead of doing an assignment as I ought to).  Today, the spotlight will be on e.l.f. Studio Metallic Olive cream eyeliner.  I am very fond of olive and army green shades so when elf got this eyeliner, I knew I had to have it.  It was one of the four new colours they introduced to their collection last year.  I already owned the one in Midnight (check out the review here) and seeing I liked it so much, I decided to get this as well.

The packaging is the same as for all the other eyeliners, a transparent plastic container in the form of a little box with a screw-top cap.  It arrives in a little box though with a small angled brush included (for my thoughts on the brush, please refer to the review on the Midnight eyeliner, so as to avoid repetition {link above}). You get a very good amount of product, 4.75g to be exact, and since this is a cream eyeliner, it will last a long time for sure!

I instantly fell in love with the colour as soon as I removed the cap and I was even more pleased with the creaminess of this eyeliner! It is far more creamy than Midnight and a little goes a long way with this one.  Here's how it looks on me:

I like to apply this type of eyeliner with a long handled brush as I find it gives me more control to draw a perfect line all along. The colour pay-off is also excellent; however, even though it is a very creamy product, it lasts all the time until I take it off myself so it is definitely worth giving a shot.  A little tip to make yours last longer is to always store it upside down... I don't know how and why, but it works!

These cream liners retail for £3.50/€4 on the elf cosmetics website.

Have you tried any of these liners yet? Any colours you recommend? 

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Review: e.l.f. studio Warm Bronzer

When I came to order this bronzer, I was a bit confused which one to get. I settled on the Warm Bronzer after watching a video on youtube by my friend Martina where she reviews all three bronzers in the range. I suggest you see this video too so you don't go wrong. The other bronzers are Cool Bronzer and Golden Bronzer.

First, let's see how it looks:

Like all the other studio line products, the Warm Bronzer comes in a sleek black palette with a mirror (package is the same as for Complexion Perfection). The mirror is quite big so that's bonus points for this baby :)

There are four bronze shades inside so that you can mix them according to your skin-tone to achieve a more natural glow. I use all four of them and what I do is I swirl a big powder brush all over the four shades in a clockwise movement and then apply everything to my face and decollete and finish off by using a contouring brush to blend the colours on my skin. Here is a swatch of the four shades:

Elf classifies the bronzers in this order:

~ Warm Bronzer- The warm shimmer that will bring a glow to your face. Ideal for summer or year-round.

~ Cool Bronzer- The ideal selection of matte colors to achieve a natural looking tan. Ideal for winter or year-round.

~ Golden Bronzer- An illuminating shimmer that is subtle and radiant. Ideal for summer or year-round.

I really love the Warm Bronzer as it gives my skin a healthy sun-kissed glow without being too obvious. It has a soft shimmer to it which makes it perfect for day-to-night make up.

The Warm Bronzer along with the others retail at £3.50 (for 12.3g of product which lasts for 2 years) and you can get yours here.

Review: e.l.f. studio Daily Brush Cleaner

I bought this product in my last haul from e.l.f. cosmetics. I usually wash my brushes once a week (or more if they need it) with regular hair shampoo and conditioner... but being the beauty product junkie that I am, I wanted to give this a go and at £3.50 (€4) I was not going to break the bank was I?

The Daily Brush Cleaner comes in a black plastic spray bottle that holds 250ml of product. I like the fact it's a spray bottle because that way you are more economical. Also, despite the bottle being black, it is still see-through and that way you can see how much of the product you have left. Here's what it looks like:

The actual product is a clear brush cleaner with a strong floral scent. I love the scent but since it is a bit strong, I recommend you work with it in a well-ventilated area. The smell doesn't linger on the brushes though so you should be ok with that.

The Daily Brush Cleaner is supposed to clean, disinfect and condition the bristles of your brushes. I can say it definitely cleans and disinfects them, as you can see and feel that your brushes seem fresh and as good as new after using this product! As for the conditioning part, I it doesn't dry out the bristles of the brushes so it definitely checks all the boxes!

You can use the brush cleaner in either of two ways; either by spraying the product directly on to the bristles and wipe them in a towel or else spray the product on the towel and wipe the bristles in back and forth gentle circular motions. Repeat the process if needed until there's no colour coming out of the brush, reshape the brushes and leave to dry (preferably flat). Depending on how dense the brush is, it will take from 2-10 minutes to dry. The quick drying time is because this cleaner (like all brush cleaners) contains alcohol, and so the brushes dry quickly!

I also use this to disinfect my nail art/gel extensions brushes after use and also on my nail stamping plates!

Overall, I like the results this product gave me so far and I am considering buying e.l.f.'s Brush Shampoo as well. I think it is worth investing in this brush cleaner since clean make up brushes mean less bacteria on your face and therefore less break outs!

e.l.f. haul no.3 :D

Oh the joy today when the postman came with a little brown box in hand :D I 'forgot' I had to prepare for my nail extensions lesson and took some time to open up the box and take a look at my babies!!!

This time it was a rather shy order but I just love the feeling of getting a brown box with the e.l.f. cosmetics logo on my doorstep hehe :P

Here is what I got this time:

- Studio Daily Brush Cleaner

- Studio Warm Bronzer

- Nail polish in Blush

- Professional Shine Erasers

And here are the individual products and a swatch of the Warm Bronzer shades:

Lara xoxo