ELF are one of those make-up brands that constantly bombard you with special offers, so I took them up on their recent 40% off Studio Line range offer, and bought these. ELF are ridiculously cheap at full RRP anyway, but at 40% off as well as free delivery, how could I say no? I decided to get some brushes and two make-up items that I've been wanting to try out.
My first add to bag, was their Stipple Brush and for some reason I hadn't read the description properly (this is why wine and online shopping rarely ends well!). I was after a standard flat, stippling brush and this one has layers to it, so when it arrived, I simply cut the longer white layer off and voila! It's now how I want it :)
Next is a Fan Brush, mainly because I've started to wear more loose mineral eyeshadows and this helps by 'fanning' away any fallout. Not the most exciting brush in the world, but it does its job.
The brush I was most pleased with and mainly bought because practically everyone seems to love it, is the Complexion Brush. This is so soft and perfectly formed that it works a treat for applying any kind of loose powder and for £3.50 (with 40% off too!), it's an absolute bargain and a new firm favourite in my make-up bag.
The only item I was slightly dubious about getting was the Makeup Mist and Set, because I've read so many conflicting reviews about it. Some people love it and others absolutely hate it. I have to say that I'm pretty much indifferent to it because it didn't make a great deal of difference for me. I was worried that it might be too greasy, as I already have oily/combination skin, but it wasn't at all so I was pleased about that, but then I didn't find that it did anything different to what I usually do, setting my make-up with a bit of translucent powder. I don't think it prolonged the wear my make-up and it smelt kinda weird. Also, the applicator that sprays it is a bit rubbish, so this is a miss for me.
Lastly, I got the Cream Eyeliner which I have been wanting to try out for ages. When I was considering whether to splurge and purchase MAC's Fluidline, a lot of people said to get this instead and I'm so glad that I did, I love it! It's nice and smooth, with good pigmentation (OK it's not the blackest black ever but it's a good black for £3.50 and you can build it up to make it look more intense) and great staying power (I've used this with and without UDPP and both delivered the usual expected results). It is a bit smudgy if it gets wet at all, but other than that, I really like it and hope that the others colours available are as good as this.
What are your favourite ELF products?
I have an interview tomorrow so I've had to finally scrub off Facets (which I've been wearing relentlessly), and apply a neutral "work friendly' shade. I chose OPI's Sweet Heart and it applied nicely in two coats.
The cold weather and perpetual grey skies have been making me feel a bit down in the dumps recently, but I instantly perked up when the postman delivered my Amarya box this morning (ah, the power of material things...).
The box was a lot heavier than last month's and here's the reason why. A REN giftset! In the most beautiful packaging I've seen in a long time. It is simply gorgeous and something I will definitely be reusing. The giftset (worth £28), comprises of two full size bottles (200ml) of Neroli and Grapefruit Body Wash and the accompanying Body Cream. Since trying out Bodhi's Ylang Ylang Incensa giftset last month, I've been enjoying layering bath & body scents, so the REN set couldn't have come at a better time for me to try out. It smells lovely, more grapefruit than neroli, and a bit like fruity sweets! This was a great treat to find in this Xmas box.
Also included this month, was a 10g sample tube of Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream (full size 50ml £14.95) which I'm looking forward to trying out. Everything I have tried by Dr. Hauschka in the past has lived up to its hype so I hope this is good too.
Lastly, I received a 1.5ml sample spray of Acorelle Eau De Parfum in White Orchid. "These are the world's first certified organic perfumes made of essential oils and natural extracts based on the principles of aromatherapy." Not being a fan of perfumes, I gave it a quick spray just to see what it was like and shock horror, I actually think I like this. It didn't give me a headache like most perfumes do and it's light and floraly with a tang of oranges. The full sizes of these are also really affordable for such quality, just £29.99 for 50ml, so it might be the first time in like, ever, that I buy a perfume!
Overall, I'm really happy with my Amarya box and look forward to seeing what they come up with in the New Year :)
P.S There was also an offer code included in the box. If you spend £50 at Amarya, you can receive £10 off your order by entering "XMASBOX", ends 31/12/11.
I picked up a few things at Lush at the weekend when I was finishing off my Christmas shopping. I always receive a lot of Lush goodies for Christmas from family and friends (if someone wants to get me something, I usually ask for Lush or books!), so this was a rather sensible and budgeted mini haul. I bought a Lil Lush Pud for a Secret Santa parcel the other week and loved the smell of it so much that I had to buy one for myself. It's wonderfully spicy and kind of warming, very christmassy! Forgot to take a photo before I used it, but it looks like (as the name suggests) a little xmas pudding, so cute! Onto the sensible stuff, I ran out Tea Tree Toner recently and decided to stock up and get a big bottle. This is my favourite facial toner if you have oily/combination skin.
The Pied De Pepper foot cream is being discontinued so I had to buy one final pot of it. The smell is very clovey, a lovely spicy scent again and I love using this in Winter.
Lastly, I grabbed a Cupcake fresh face mask which I've been wanting to try for ages. It's 'that chocolate one' which you may have seen mentioned on countless blogs and like the Tea Tree Toner, it's perfect for oily/combination skin. I've used this about three times so far (you'll usually get about six or so uses out of one pot) and it's really helped to clear up my skin, I'm a big fan of this. If you take back five of their pots for recycling, you can pick any fresh face mask for free!
My Lush xmas giveaway ends this week, so don't forget to enter!
