Wednesday 19 October 2011

Been gone a while..but now I'm back!

Hey my seven loyal followers *awkward laugh* I've been gone a while! But I haven't been sitting around doing nothing. I have actually been job hunting! Yes that's right! I think I may have just found what I want to get into *drumroll* Social Media! with a bit of fashion and make up thrown in of course! It's what I'm best at so I might as well give it a shot. Anyway, today I will be writing reviews and MAYBE swatching (if your lucky) My top 10 beauty products. This will range from drug store to high end products. I am also going to write step by step guide on how I keep my skin looking soft, radiant, fresh and glowing! I really want to start writing about my large clothes/shoe collection too. I realized I've been concentrating a lot of Elf products. (All my posts have been on ELF!) It's time I cater to others as well! Watch this space in a few hours I should have hopefully added some useful information for you all. Until then; it's back to my CV & Cover Letter to hopefully blow the socks off a few amazing companies. Wish me Luck

Hugs & Lipgloss Air kisses! Chandni x

Monday 3 October 2011

ELF - Studio Blushes - Review & Swatches

I have 8/9 of these blushes and I will probably use about three of them, at the most!

                                                  Top row L2R: Candid Coral, Peachy Keen, Gotta Glow, Fuchsia Fusion
                                                          Bottom Row L2K: Blushing Rose, Berry Merry, Mellow Mauve, Tickled pink


I would describe each one as:

Candid Coral: My first purchase to see what it was like, a pinky-corally colour with a gold sheen. I was impressed. It didn't powder up in the pan and the colour was pretty and stayed on quite well. 

Peachy Keen: This did nothing for me. It didn't show up very much at all. I would describe it as a golden deep light pink.

Gotta Glow: I heard that this is a dupe for Nars Albatross. Whilst I can't judge this as I haven't seen the Nars Albatross, I will say this is my least favourite. Its very chalky with large bits of gold glitter and its completely destroyed in the pan. Its just a bunch of dust and I most times scared to open it incase it spills all over me. I've used it once. It doesn't do much for my warm complexion and barely shows up, very disappointed with this. I would stick to my Benefit High Beam if I wanted a glow to my face and probably bin this. I was looking forward to testing this one the most! :(

Fushia Fusion: Wow. Barbie much? The only way I can truly describe this is a barbie pink with chunks of glitter in it. This is not for the faint hearted! This is by no means a "everyday" kind of blush even for those with a paler complexion. I wouldn't be using this on my NC40 skin tone. Looks terrible on me, this is also a tad bit on the powdery side.

Blushing Rose: I feel that this is a silky colour I would describe it as a maroony/golden sheen sort of blush. I quite like this and could also see it being used as a eyeshadow. It is quite full on but keep in mind it is buildable. I wouldn't use this for day-time but I do like it!

Berry Merry: True to its name it is a very berry-ish colour with a more silver sheen to it, next to Blushing Rose it is quite similar its just the sheen's are differing colours. I quite like this in the pan but on my face not so much. Again I would'nt dare wear this in broad day light! It is quite a strong colour, as is Blushing Rose.
Mellow Mauve: A flat non-glittery colour. Doesn't seem to really show up on my skin it seems more pigmented in the pan than on me. Not really a fan of it anyway, don't let the name fool you its not Mauve its more of a pink.

Tickled Pink: This would never show up on me, it looks like a wash of white across my face. Its a very very very pale pink which would look really pretty on the paler girls out there! Its a flat colour, no shimmer and would make a great day-time colour. Unfortunately I won't be using this.

So there's my review, let me show you the swatches.

  From the wrist up:Candid Coral, Peachy Keen, Gotta Glow, Fuchsia Fusion, Blushing Rose, Berry Merry, Mellow Mauve, Tickled pink - WITH FLASH

     From the wrist up:Candid Coral, Peachy Keen, Gotta Glow, Fuchsia Fusion, Blushing Rose, Berry Merry, Mellow Mauve, Tickled pink W/O FLASH


So what do you guys think? Does anyone have different views or own any of these? Let me know!

Price: 3/5 (Price is OKAY 3.50 is really pretty good for budget make up but then the quality lacks...)
Quality: 3/5 (Some are not very pigmented, some are, glitter particles too big, rather chunky and crumbly)
Packaging: 4/5 (Nice packaging that won't get finger prints with a cute mirror inside, however the blush crumbles and ruins everything inside)
Staying power 4/5 (Managed to stay on for about 4-5 hours in the heat)

I've been gone too long :(

Sorry I just disappeared after my first day of blogging! I've been caught up in a busy world! My brother is getting married this Sunday so all the celebrations are in full swing! - I won't neglect this blog once the wedding is over! I have lots more to review and share with everyone!

Thursday 29 September 2011

ELF - Studio Matte Lip Color - RANT

I have only got two of these in Coral and Praline (very similar to bare brown) and I dislike both. I have also tried the Natural and Tea Rose but they also don't suit my skin colour. *sad face* The products kind of remind me of crayons, in their texture and smell.
                                                         Left is Praline and right is Coral


I don't know if there is much more I can say about this product. It seems to look fab on others but its not really a product that I would be reaching for in the future.

ELF - Studio Conditioning Lip Balm SPF 15 - Swatches & Review

Everyone was having a rave about these huge plastic squares of gooey lip balm so I thought I just had to check them out!! Loved the swatches online..Wasn't too sure I felt the same once I received them.

                                           L2R Mellow Melon, Peaceful Pink, Nice & Natural - With Flash

                                    L2R Mellow Melon, Peaceful Pink, Nice & Natural - Without Flash


So I won't be bitter about these colours. Its just that they don't really suit my complexion? Nice and natural makes me look too washed out its too nude for me. There is nothing peaceful or mellow about the other two! They are far too bright for my skin colour. Haven't made much use of these three! 
Pros:
Huge jar for £3.50
Smells nice
Tastes nice
Beautiful colour selection
Looks expensive
Pigmented
Not very sticky

Cons:
Jar too big for normal pockets!
Abit too pigmented for lip balm, more of a lip gloss
Not suitable for long acrylic nails as it just gets stuck in!
Colours need to be able to suit everyones complexions
Nice & natural after an hour turned into gloppy goo on my lips *not a good look*

Price: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Packaging: 3/5
Staying power 2/5 (but then again, it is a lip balm! Reapply, reapply, reapply!)






ELF - Mineral Lipstick VS Normal line Lipstick

I've only got 3 of the mineral lipsticks but dying to get my hands on Runway Pink, I've heard its beautiful! I currently have two of the normal line lipsticks and am waiting for some of the new US colours to come to the UK as I really like them! I will review what I have and possibly post pictures of myself wearing them.


                                                         L2R Gipsy, Fantasy                   Bare brown, Party pink, Cheerful cherry


IMO, Fantasy is pretty much a cheaper dupe of Bare brown, they are both buildable colours and I personally prefer fantasty. Gipsy is abit too bright for my "daily" look but I might wear it out soon if I'm feeling brave! Party pink is a really pretty pink, not too pale and not too in your face. Lastly Cheerful Cherry is a nice red but as I have large lips I feel it attracts too much attention as I usually wear nudes, however still a pretty colour especially with Elf super glossy in Mauve Luxe or Hypershine Gloss in Vixen ontop. I prefer the Lipstain in Red Carpet (which I will review and swatch in my lipstain review)

                                          L2R - Bare Brown, Party Pink, Cheerful Cherry, Fantasy, Gipsy -WITH FLASH

 
                                           L2R - Bare Brown, Party Pink, Cheerful Cherry, Fantasy, Gipsy -WITHOUT FLASH


I'm not a lipstick kind of person but I do quite like these. I could've done without the Bare Brown because it's pretty much the same as Fantasy but overall they are good from both the mineral line and normal line. What I love about them is that they are buildable and have many complimentary lipglosses, the possibilities are endless!

Mineral
Price: 4/5
Quality: 4/5 (very creamy)
Packaging: 5/5 - Looks so much more expensive than they are
Staying power 3/5

Normal line:
Price: 5/5
Quality: 2/5 (Lots of people have complained that they break easyily, Yes, i experienced it too! They also feel abit plasticy)
Packaging: 2/5 (Very cheap looking, and it also flimsy)
Staying power 5/5 (More pigmented than the mineral IMO)

ELF - Nail Polishes - RAVE!

These polishes don't need a long intro, they come at a price of £1.50 (I got 80% of them on the various 50% off's that Elf had and I got the red and white for free when our lovely prince got married in April. I love them, they don't chip, the lighter shades however do sometimes need 3 coats but I'm not complaining! They are great value and come in such a large range of colours! I hope to expand my collection further and hope that Elf come out with some of the limited edition ones they did last year. Whats your favourite colour?
The cuticle pen is "okay" I wouldn't repurchase so its nothing to rave about, the first one that I received was dry so I got sent another one for free from the lovely Elf customer service team. Can't notice anything different about my cuticles so abit of a "miss" from me. The polishes that I own are all hits! My favourite is Desert Haze, it looks perfect for this Autumn and suits my complexion.

Price: 5/5
Quality: 4/5

Packaging: 5/5 (looks much more expensive that £1.50!)
Staying power 5/5 (Chip resistant if you apply thin layers and always top coat and base coat!)

The only improvement I could suggest to Elf is to get on the bandwagon and start creating the new "Cracking" nail polishes. I currently own two and will review them in the future!

ELF - Shimmery Eyeliner Pencil - Review and Swatches

I'm not sure whether I like them or not? I felt that I had to keep getting one more to give them another chance?  They are like a eyeshadow base rather than an eyeliner. Anyway, I will be reviewing and swatching 6 out of the 9 for you guys! As everything else on the regular line they are £1.50. I got most of them when the 50% sale was on, my two newest ones that I got in the last 50% off are the Gunmental and Plum passion. As usual the Elf website (through no fault of their own) their swatches never really match their products "actual" colour. Enough of the babbling on here you go!

                                           L2R - Plum Passion, Grassy Green, Black Bandit, Gunmental, Boldly Bronzed, Iconic Ivory

Pros:
Very soft and glides on well (also a con)
Black isn't too shimmery so can be used on water line and smudged out for smokey effect
Comes with a sharper built inside the lid (comes quite handy)
£1.50 for a multi-use kind of product that's pretty awesome
Range of colour's

Cons:
Loose fitting lids - can ruin your make up bag
The white feels like CHALK, I would never use it and it crumbles, terrible, terrible, terrible product
A bit too smudgy, with a little bit of pressure it can just melt into a big blob
Quite soft - which could also be a good thing if you want to blend it out

Overall a good product, not too keen on some of the colours such as the green, expected the purple to be more vibrant. The black is my favourite and the white is terrible I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

Price: 4/5
Quality: 3/5 -
Packaging: 3/5
Staying power 3/5

Overall an "Average" product, could probably go on without these however they make an excellent base for eyeshadow if used with the eye shadow primer (Will review this product soon!)

ELF - Brightening Eye Liner - Review & Swatches

I have 5 out of the 6 Brightening eye liners. I haven't got the Glided, simply because I don't know how my NC40 skin and dark eyes would really go with that! These come at a price of £1.50 each. I usually get them when ELF did the 50% off! (Sadly they had their last ever one *queue sad music*)

I will review and swatch the 5 that I have for you guys!

                                           L2R - Coffee, Ash, Plum, Midnight, Black
First thoughts, meh, white packaging and flimsy lids which refuse to stay on and ruin my make up bags! However.. These little gems in cheapy packaging are one of my favourite Elf products from the £1.50 range. I recently just purchased the Plum and Midnight in their last 50% off. I was hoping the Midnight would be a nice dark blue but it seems to be almost black, not too happy about that. The Plum isn't very pigmented so it doesn't really show up on my eyes. I love the Coffee shade for when I'm doing neutral make up. They don't smudge TOO much.


Price: 5/5
Quality: 4/5 (smudginess lets it down)
Packaging: 2/5 (Name colours have already faded off, lids refuse to stay on!)
Staying power 3/5 (Managed to withstand my tears but the Coffee shade doesn't seem to last as long as the black)

Overall a great product for £1.50 and a great item to have!


I have also just purchased one of the mineral eye liners in ASH and wanted to show the comparison.


Can you guess which one is the Mineral line Ash and which one is Ash in the £1.50 range?

Left - Brightening eye liner & Right - Mineral Line 

The colour pay off is better in the £1.50 range in my opinion HOWEVER it is worth paying £3 to get the mineral line one if you want a smoother application. No tugging and on a plus side, no chemicals or dyes!

Comment below!

ELF Mineral Lipglosses - Review and Swatches

I have 7 of the 11 Mineral lipglosses. First impressions, the packaging is very MAC lipglass-like. Its sleek, fits well into a handbag and you can see the colour and amount of product well. The consistancy is a little on the sticky side for me but the colour pay-off is well. Especially at £3.00 you can't really go wrong! These are available on the website. http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~153.htm

                                                          L2R: Pageant Princess,Au Naturale, Bare, Trophy wife,Soroity Girl,Wild,Trendsetter

                                          R2L (colours correspond with above but R2L Trendsetter-Pageant Princess)


These colours are beautiful and are very long lasting, usually last around 3-4 hours and they fade away nicely instead of leaving horrible white marks around your lips. *not a good look* Au Naturale and Trophy Wife would look nice ontop of any colour lipstick as they are the sheerest of my collection with specks of sparkle. My favorite is Bare which I have started to pick up a lot more than my favourite MAC lipgloss in the colour Revealing.  (close enough Dupe). Wild for me is abit too orangy for my NC40 Complexion. But the others look beautiful! I will be posting up pictures of me wearing all 7 of them soon..

Price: 5/5
Quality: 4/5 (stickiness)
Packaging: 5/5
Staying power 5/5

Overall a wonderful product and the benefits are that it contains no chemicals and no dyes. So ladies..grab yourself a mineral lipgloss! *pucker up*

 

New to the world of "blogging"

Hello all! - Let me introduce myself. I am a 21 year old graduate on the outskirts of London, bored mindless looking for a job... with a passion for make up, shoes and all things fashion! Complimented about my large collection of make-up and also told off about my growing collection...yup that's me! This blog will initially begin with my swatches and reviews of the Elf Cosmetics (www.elfcosmetics.co.uk) make up that I own. (Bought with my own money). I decided to start this blog because whenever I want tob buy something from ELF and I google for a swatch it looks really pretty, but when I order it, it looks so different on my slightly darker (NC40-41) skin. This is the main purpose of this blog!

I asked on the Facebook group for ELF Cosmetics UK - if anyone thought that this would be a good idea and I received an overwhelming response. So here I am, needing your assistance along the way!! My first blog entry will be swatches and reviews on the MINERAL line of ELF lip-glosses. I hope you enjoy!