FOTD: Bright lip city gonna set my soul on fire!

I've been going through a bright lip phase at the moment which is something that I never thought I'd be doing.  These colours aren't fantastically bright but they're bright enough to allow me to strike the balance between bright and work appropriate.

My lips are pigmented and the top lip is darker than the bottom.  All three of these products mask that problem and apply uniformly to both lips.  The Korres tub is standard lipbalm size, the ELF tub really is that big. 

Why you NEED ELF's stipple brush!

I finally managed to take advantage of ELF's free delivery dealy and the stipple brush was one of the things I ordered.  I read a fair few reviews about the brush and there were a fair few negative ones.  I'm glad I ignored them and bought this because I love it!

I've always had an issue with my cream blushers just not applying properly.  When I use my fingers, I get mroe on my fingers than I do on my face and when I use a standard brush, it seems to never apply properly.

My main problem was the fact that I could never actually see it applying on my skin and it never showed up in any photos so I didn't really see the point.

The first time I used my stipple brush, I could see the colour actually being deposited on my cheeks so I was super happy.  Then I got a bit carried away and put too much blusher on and had to tone it down with some translucent powder. 

The hairs are actually black and white, mine are pink because I've been abusing my blushers

Using the brush is quite messy though, the plastic packaging around the outside of my blusher is now stippled with tones of blush but I can forgive that as now you can actually see the blusher on me.

This brush is not super dense but I think that you don't want something super dense when you're just trying to apply a wash of colour to your face.  The hairs are really soft and the pick up pigment perfectly.  I washed it a few times and it hasn't shed any hairs which is another plus.

The best thing is that it will only set you back £3.50 which is a bloody bargain!  You can pick it up from here..and whilst you're there, get yourself one of their matte lip pencils as they're on offer for £1 (down from £3.50) and they're very moisturising!

Spending Sterling v Preserving Pounds: ELF Studio Makeup Mist and Set v Sheer Cover Refreshing Face Mist

The first items to feature are items any Tube traveller needs for the three minutes that we get a decent amount of heat in London.

In the red corner we have ELF's Studio Makeup Mist and Set.  In the blue corner we have Sheer Cover's Refreshing Face Mist.

One (ELF) is described as being a mist which sets your makeup whereas the other (Sheer Cover) is a simple refreshing face mist.  However, upon reading the description of both, it's clear you can use both of them for both purposes.

Spending Sterling: Sheer Cover Refreshing Face Mist (£12.95)

The packaging doesn't cause me any real problems, I've carried it around in my bag and the lid has never gotten lost.  I quite like the fact that you can see the product and thus tell how much I have left.

Where I do have a problem is with the nozzle.  You can't really tell in the photo because I couldn't get it to rest on the side but the head tilts downwards.  When I hold it in the middle of my face, it sprays my forehead, misses my nose and chin and gets the chest.  This is due to the nozzle head being tilted.  This is also annoying if, like me, you wear a shirt/blouse to work as you will look sloppy.

The smell is pleasant but vanishes quickly.  However, you do notice it so it's not wasted.

My main issue with this is that it isn't really refreshing enough.  I spray it on and ten minutes later, I find myself needing to use it again which means it will run out very quickly.  Having said that, if you use it solely to set your makeup, it's right up your street as it sinks in super quick so you're not left hanging about with a wet face.

Preserving Pounds: ELF Studio Makeup Mist and Set (£3.50)

My only concern with the packaging here is that I can't readily see how much product I have left which is something I'd like.  However, the whole Studio range from ELF is housed in black so it makes sense to keep in with the theme.

The nozzle is brilliant, one spray coats your whole face and it really does refresh you.  You don't get any in your hair or all over your clothes.  Having said that, you get a fair bit from each spray and it can take a while to sink in.  ELF do say that if you've put too much on, you can remove it with a tissue but you don't want to do that if you use it to set your makeup..which is what the product is marketed as.  I find myself having to wipe my face a bit after using it as it can leave me looking greasy.

The plus side of this product is something I didn't expect.  When I spray it on and remove it with a cotton wool pad, it really takes all the muck off my skin.  Moreso than a lot of toners do so it's a multi talented product.

The problem with this is the smell you get when you spray it.  It smells like a mixture of cheese and farts.  The smell fades within a few seconds (as soon as you've sprayed it practically) but you can smell it.  If they added a bit of fragrance to this, I'd love it.

Spend or Preserve?
In this battle, preservation of poundage won.

It's quite odd really as the Sheer Cover works better as a makeup setter and the ELF mist works better at refreshing the skin.  The offputting smell of cheese farts from the ELF mist thankfully lasts only one second.  The nozzle lets product out equally so that one spray gets your whole face without missing spots out so that the product lasts longer.  The only way it could be improved would be to change the colour of the bottle and add some fragrance.  The pointed nozzle which Sheer Cover have going on is really more suited to an oilier/creamier product as with a watery liquid, it forces the product down. 

Review: ELF's Mineral Bamboo brushes

These brushes have been in my possession long enough to be given the full five star Rhamnousia treatment so I can finally let you know what I think of them.  If you want to know more about the basics, click here and ye shall see all you need to know about this range.

These are my test subject:

First, the general points:

• The bristles are bamboo coloured.  On the plus side, you can see how much product you have picked up.  This also means that the brushes look used a lot quicker so if you're funny about having brushes looking clean all the time, you will find yourself cleaning them more often.
• When I first got the all-over eyeshadow brush out of the packaging, a powder came out.  I kept stroking it until all the powder had vanished.  It wasn't a large amount of powder but I've never had that situation with any brush I've used before.
• The hair on the brushes is very soft.  The softness of these is on par with the brushes that Elizabeth Arden and NARS make.
• When you take them out of their packets, they smell very plastick-y, much like those children's plastic chairs that we all had.  However, this smell all but faded once I'd taken them out of the packet.
• They don't seem to pick up as much colour as my other brushes which is a good thing if you're new to using makeup as you don't want to be over zealous and look like a fool.  If you're a bit more advanced then this might annoy you a bit.

ELF introduce Mineral Bamboo brushes

It's that dodgy time after Christmas where you've recovered from the overeating but your bank balance hasn't and payday is but a speck of dust on the horizon..I get paid on February 1st but then I also get my February paycheck at the end of February so I can't whinge too much..  

With this austerity in mind, ELF have released a range of mineral bamboo brushes which not only are good for the environment but will also not bankrupt you..

See, all good things!

As those of you follow me on Twitter will know, I have recently fallen in love with cream blushers.  I haven't found a decent method of applying them but these brushes give me some hope as the Taklon bristles can be used with both cream and powder products.  The bamboo handles are designed so that you don't get hand ache from holding your brush for a long time..which is something Simon laughed at until I made him time how long I hold my brushes for when putting my face on..

There are a total of 12 brushes in the range and 2 sets..

My only grumble is that the Kabuki brush isn't available on its Jack Jones and I can't see that many people who shop at ELF fork out £15 for just one brush.  I do have a few of these brushes which will feature on here at some point in the future, in the mean time I will leave you to guess which ones they are!

The Swatch Files: ELF Cream Eyeliners in Midnight and Gunmetal

For a while now, whenever someone asks me how many gel liners I have, I've only said one.  To those people, I apologise for being a filthy liar as last night I counted how many I had and it is verging on double numbers.  I have two Bobbi Brown liners (it used to be three until I sold one), three Stila ones and two ELF liners.

I don't know why I kept saying I have only one..maybe it's because that's the one I use the most..

Anyway, these are my ELF cream eyeliners..which I find a bit funny because they're not half as creamy as my Bobbi Brown ones (they're still decent though!)

I like the fact that they have a mixture of both matte and more non matte (?! I can't think of the word and glittery doesn't seem right..shimmery?) eyeliners.

Midnight is a matte blue and Gunmetal is a shimmery grey..

The photograph on top is the accurate depiction of the shade, the bottom one is just to show the difference between the matte and shimmery liners.

Midnight looks like a nightmare but it's really creamy..the Midnight I got was rattling around in its container and it even fell out but it's come back to life and is indeed, very creamy.  They work well as liners but they do dry once on the eye.

ELF: Large Makeup Holder

I don't know how you can review a makeup holder, either it holds or it doesn't?

Before this came into my possession I was strutting around with my brushes in this less than sexy setup.  It was a right pain as it had a tendency to topple over whenever I took my foundation brush out, which was a daily thing as I use that every single day.

Then this came into my life and magical things happened.  I found myself with enough time to get ready in the morning and have some time to spare and actually get a cup of coffee down me.

Although the illustration on the box shows it as solely holding brushes, I've put the following into mine and it lets me just grab what I want with minimal fuss and set straight to work.

It's a great time saver and it's not as large as it looks which is good because you don't need too much space.  Simon quite likes it because I've managed to move all my "face stuff" to the bathroom so he can put his deodrant etc..on the old place and get ready in one room without me disturbing him.

However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows, I found that there were some scuffs and what can only be described as glue leakages..

Most of my smudges were on the back so you can't really see but I wouldn't be too happy if they were on the front and you were a stickler for good presentation.  The product itself isn't shoddy, the finishing just leaves a little to be desired.

You can get it from ELF for the princely sum of £12.00.

My first foray into mineral blusher..featuring ELF.

This wasn't originally going to feature on here..which brings me to something that someone said to me the other day.  I got an email from someone (some seems to be quite a popular word in this paragraph) who asked me if I blogged about everything I owned.  In short, I don't..I don't think anybody does because that would bore the pants off of me.  I have a lot of makeup that never makes it onto here.

This beauty however, was deemed worthy enough. 

I've always wanted to order items from ELF but my one "justification" product was never in stock.  It still isn't. 

This blusher is really nice..although a bit fiddly. I figured out a way to use it which results in minimal mess.  I turn it upside down, give it a tap and then turn it the right way up.  Open the lid and there is enough on there for me to squizz my brush around a bit.  My Revlon blush brush is a perfect fit.

The photo above was taken on an overcast day but the colour is true to life.  It is highly pigmented which is nice for such a budget buy and it works well against my skin colour.  I find it perks my skin up on days when I should have known better and exfoliated the night before.  I categorise blushes into two categories, the first being blushers that are obvious..colours that let people KNOW you're wearing a blush..then you get these, the not-so-obvious natural cheek enhancers.  On a day to day basis, you can't tell I have it on but people notice when I'm not wearing it.

I can't recommend this blusher enough, I really want to try Coral and Rose but they're out of stock so I'll have to wait until they come back into stock.  The ease of application, durability during the day (I touch my face a lot and it stays put) and pigmentation alone make it more than worthy of the £3.50 you spend on it.