mua tinted brow mascara: £2 | collection eye definer: £2.79 | e.l.f. eyelash & brow wand
Showing posts with label elf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elf. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Wednesday, 22 October 2014
e.l.f. | volume plumping mascara
mascara's not something that i purchase all that frequently, simply because it doesn't behave differently if you're having a bad skin day like things such as foundation, concealer and powder may do, so generally i find something i like and i stick to it until it runs out, and i think my new favourite to stick to is definitely this e.l.f. mascara.
the mascara is branded as a volume plumping one, however i've found it to be great for creating volume, definition and length, so for £3.95 you really can't go wrong if you're looking for a good three-in-one mascara. another great thing about this product is that it stays put pretty well; it's not described as a waterproof mascara, but it definitely does take a lot of moisture to make it budge! i've cried with this on and it's gone absolutely nowhere, which really did take me by surprise (pleasantly so, though!) application is also a breeze because i've only ever had to use one coat to achieve incredible lashes, and i've been more than happy to wave goodbye to old mascaras that've required multiple coats before my lashes were looking up to standard.
for a volume plumping mascara, the brush itself isn't unpleasantly big and i think it'd be suitable for most people to use because it easily coats top, bottom and inner lashes well without making a horrible mess. i'd wholeheartedly recommend this product to anyone who's in search of a new mascara because for £4 it's incredible value for money and it's easily as good as (if not better than because it's cruelty free!) benefit's they're real mascara that i used to use before making the switch to cruelty free cosmetics.
Wednesday, 15 October 2014
keeping your makeup on your face
as you've probably guessed from my oh so eloquently worded title, today i'm going to talk to you about the importance of a primer and setting mist when it comes to making your makeup stay put for the duration of the day.
it probably makes sense to talk you through the products in chronological order of application, so first up is this gosh primer that i've been using since the beginning of the summer. the product itself is of a nice, light consistency that applies easily and smoothly, leaving your face mattified and feeling a lot more smooth and perfected to touch. it's not often i skip primer when slapping on a full face of makeup, but on the days where i have done due to forgetting i've definitely known about it; without the smooth base the primer creates, i've found that foundation and concealer just don't work into the skin as well as they should. blending them in takes much longer, and i find that concealer in particular is much more drying and tends to flake more around my nose when i don't first apply a primer. i've found primer to come in handy on days where i don't want to wear makeup too as applying a little bit helps to reduce the oiliness of my skin and keep my face looking matte and fresh all day rather than a big ol' oily mess.
as well as primer making makeup application much easier, it also helps with the longevity of your makeup. when i haven't worn a primer, i've noticed that my base tends to rub off in patches and it becomes really bloody obvious where i have and haven't got makeup left on my face, yet when i wear it it seems to sit perfectly in place all day, and while my makeup may wear off a little throughout the day, it seems to wear off somewhat evenly as i'm not left with horrible patches that highlight where the makeup has rubbed off. altogether i find that a primer helps to maintain an even distribution of product all over your face rather than allowing it to collect in places, and i'm all for an even, more natural looking coverage.
moving onto the makeup mist and set, and i'll be honest, i don't find this to be as vital as a primer for keeping your makeup in place, but i've found that it's a nice finishing touch to end your makeup routine on regardless. this elf mist is odourless and non-sticky and it feels like you're spritzing your face with water, but obviously it has the added benefits as mentioned on the packaging. while i don't think this setting mist alone keeps my makeup on my face all day, it does help to tackle the oiliness of my skin as when i've missed this step i've noticed a bit of shine on my forehead and cheeks forming throughout the day. it's probably because a spritz of this after applying your makeup helps to form a seal that mattifies your entire face, making it less likely for the oil to work its way through your layer of makeup, but i really am in no position of expertise to be making such bold claims, i can just tell you that it definitely works for me.
i've never branched out into more expensive setting mists or primers so i couldn't compare these to any high end rivals, but i think the fact that i've never felt that i needed to says enough about the quality of these products; at the end of the day, if it ain't broken, why try to fix it?
Wednesday, 1 October 2014
four tips for growing out your eyebrows
i'd like to begin by mentioning that i am well aware that my brows are far from perfect, however if you read my eyebrow journey post back in may you'll know that my brows have been on a very interesting journey since i began messing around with them back in late 2011, and i'd like to think that they've come out of the whole ordeal in a much better place. i'm still working on thickening my brows up a little and growing the inner hairs so i don't need to rely so much on powder to give them the illusion of thickness, and below i'll be sharing the tips that've gotten my brows to how they are now, and how i intend to try and further grow them til they look how i desire them to.
one: swap your pencil for a powder
using a pencil to fill in my eyebrows was what led to me slowly plucking them all away. although it's not how they're intended to be used, it's easy to draw your brows in too heavily using a pencil, leading to extremely thick, dark and unnatural looking brows, which obviously then pushes you to pluck them away until filling them in then leaves them looking an acceptable thickness, which in turn leaves you with scraggly, barely there natural brows (which probably isn't a good luck for anybody.) it's a vicious cycle.
swapping to a powder was the best thing i did for my brows because it helped me get used to a more subtle, natural looking brow that relied on thicker natural brows rather than resented them, and slowly but surely i got used to my brows looking naturally thicker. it's also wise to invest in a good, small angled brush to fill your brows in with because it'll help you to fill them in perfectly and avoid going ott as you once did with your brow pencil. i'm currently using the real techniques detailer brush with the b. vivid eyeshadow in cinnamon to fill my brows in and they do the job wonderfully.
two: gradually reduce your plucking
if you're as obsessed with plucking your brows as i was when mine were at their most sparse, i understand that it's hard to let them grow out and go wild for a little while, but it's totally necessary if you're to grow them back to their former selves. i began by restricting myself to plucking once a week, then twice a week and so on until now where i only really pluck them when there are nasty, thick stragglers hanging around way below my brow.
as a rule i tend to not pluck the inner corners or above my brow at all, but exceptions are made if i'm starting to grow a slight monobrow. to keep my inner corner hairs at bay, i tend to brush them upwards and give them a quick snip with some small scissors to stop them getting completely out of control and attempt to keep some kind of uniform shape to them.
three: invest in a brow gel with a brush
picking up a brow gel with a brush completely changed the way i filled, plucked and felt about my brows. previous to using a brush gel, i used vaseline over my brows to set them in place for the rest of the day – meaning the hairs were then pushed to follow the shape of my brow, in a sort of 45 degree angle – and meant i was still somewhat obsessed with the 'drawn on' eyebrow look, but introducing a brow gel into my routine helped me to embrace the natural, bushy brow look, which in turn helped me to embrace my (what would've previously been unruly) brow growth. the brow gel i've been used is the e.l.f. treat & tame and it's been fantastic; it also comes in four shades so there's probably something to suit everyone!
four: make a brow wand your best friend
following on from point number three, an eyebrow wand can come in just as handy as a brush gel in helping you embrace the natural brow look. brushing through your brows with your fingers isn't quite as precise as using a brush, so giving your brows a good brush through before applying any products helps you to realise your natural shape and so comes in handy for shaping and grooming as well as enhancing them. i currently use the e.l.f. eyelash and brow wand and give my brows a good brush through morning and night to check up on their growth progress and whether or not they're growing a little out of shape and may need a little taming.
my eyebrows have become an important part of my beauty routine, and as such i probably feel a little too strongly about their wellbeing nowadays, but i thought it'd be nice to nip by and share the love just in case some of you guys were trying to grow your way out of a nasty eyebrow rut (and boy, don't i understand how nasty they can be!) as always, if you have any cruelty free eyebrow product recommendations or some helpful tips or advice, please feel free to drop them below in the comments!
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
my unsung heroes
4: real techniques contour brush / 5: real techniques detailer brush / 6: h&m eyeshadow brush
7: collection lasting perfection concealer / 8: eyelash curlers / 9: burt's bees lip balm / 10: elf makeup mist & set
i tend to keep up with my weekly beauty post well and in all the weeks i've been posting, i've rarely (or not at all) mentioned any of the products that i use on a daily basis that have well and truly become staples within my makeup bag, so today i thought i'd show them some love and talk you through some of the items i couldn't live without.
1 - 6: ah, makeup brushes, where would i be without you? i bought my first proper set of makeup brushes last september (i think) and i opted for the real techniques core collection, just because it seemed like a sensible place to start, and since loving them i've picked up a couple of other makeup brushes along the way. i always used to blame the products i was using when i ended up with an unsatisfying finish, but after trading in my cheapo makeup brushes for these more expensive ones i've learnt that it's definitely in the way you apply the product rather than the product itself, which has changed the way i wear makeup completely.
7: a firm favourite amongst bloggers is the collection lasting perfection conceal, and there's really no mystery as to why because it's a fantastic little product for the £4 price tag. nowadays i tend not to wear a full face of foundation, and instead touch up any blemishes and around my eyes with this, dust with a powder and i'm good to go for the rest of the day!
8: i was at a friend's house the other day and was shocked to learn that she didn't own a pair of eyelash curlers! they're something i never mention on my blog, but every day without fail they help me to achieve a little bit more of a curl in my lashes before i go in with my mascara, and i won't be changing that fact any time soon.
9: a good lip balm is a must for everyone, and recently the burt's bees lip balms have grown on me quite a bit. they're fairly thick to apply and feel slightly waxy on the lips, but the moisture hangs around for a while after application because it slowly seeps its way into your lips, making sure they're getting the moisture that's needed.
10: and finally, a setting mist. i've only ever used this e.l.f. offering, and it's always worked well enough for me to not want to bother looking for a replacement. the spray is very light and natural feeling, as though you're just spraying water onto your face, and doesn't leave a nasty, sticky residue behind. i've worn this every day now for as long as i can remember and it finishes off my makeup nicely while leaving my skin feeling refreshed.
what are your unsung heroes? is there something missing from my list that sits firmly on yours that i should have tried out? please do let me know!
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
forever repurchase: e.l.f. tone correcting powder
for the last ten months, this powder is the only one i've used on my face, and it was actually the product that drew me into the e.l.f. website to begin with. a powder made up of four different colours of powder as opposed to your regular single, skin toned colour really intrigued me, so when i first tried the product out i was equally as dubious and excited about the outcome.
it's fair to say that the outcome was a fantastic one, or else i wouldn't have invested so much time and money into using it over the last almost year. with the powder being composed of four different tones that help to combat skin imperfections (green to cancel out redness, yellow to cancel out dullness etc.) i find that it creates a flawless powder finish that i've not been able to achieve using any other powder. i used to find it difficult to find a powder that matched my skintone properly, meaning most of the time i was always a tad too white or too orange, but with these powders you get an all over finish that suits and adapts your skin's tone and colour rather than a coverage that comes as a default shade.
the powder is available in three options, cool, warm and shimmer, and so far i've tried cool and warm. i used the cool option over the winter months, and switched over to the warm for the summer months (who'd have thought that, ey?!) and they've both sat perfectly on my skin, not looking too heavy, white or orange, and instead giving me a matte, smooth complexion to combat any dewyness after using concealer (i'm just not a fan of a dewy face, sorry.)
if you're at all intrigued by this powder, i would completely recommend heading over to the e.l.f. website and giving it a go. if you sign up to their newsletter, you can guarantee at least a couple of times a month they do some kind of promotional offer, whether it be free shipping, 50% off or £10 off a £30 spend, so if you time it right you could end up taking two of these babies home for under £4, and you can't grumble at that, can you?!
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
my favourite summertime lip colours
before i sat down to snap these photos, i had no idea just how similar these lipsticks are in colour, however i'm now thinking it all makes sense because this summer i've put down my darker lip colours and seem to have been mostly reaching for one of these three on a daily basis. obviously there are very subtle differences between the three shades (however my camera's not quite good enough to pick them up) but i think the main thing separating these three products is the formula.
first up is the collection creme puff lip cream, which is, as the title states, a lip cream. it comes with an easy to use applicator that effortlessly glides colour onto your lips and leaves them feeling moisturised. the product gradually becomes mattified, however i've found that the product doesn't dry out your lips or leave those awful cracks that can come with matt lip products. the colour is a lovely subtle peachy pink that's lightweight and super easy to wear in the warmer months.
secondly is the collection lasting colour lipstick, which i think may be my favourite colour and formula of the three products. i bought this product a few months back after being drawn to the wildly vivid colour of the bullet, however i found that up until recent months it just didn't feel right to be wearing such a flamboyant colour. as the summer sun came along, i found myself reaching for this product because the almost neon pink with subtle orange undertones just looks so wonderfully bright and adds a well needed pop of colour to any makeup look.
lastly is the e.l.f. moisturising lipstick, which funnily enough is the least moisturising on my lips of the three products. i find that once applied, the formula is quite drying and can leave a line around the inside of your mouth if not applied carefully. to avoid this, i tend to dab the product in with my fingers lightly and slowly build up the colour. as for the colour, it's definitely the most coral of all the three products, however it still has an overall peachy look which i've found helps to warm my pale complexion. it's also has a deliciously sweet subtle scent to it which makes application just that little bit more enjoyable.
Wednesday, 9 July 2014
an alternative to traditional highlighters
above: wearing mua's highlighter | below: wearing elf's eyeshadow highlighter
as far as i know, highlighting products aren't all that popular on the high street, and altogether i could probably count up around 5 (benefit, topshop, urban decay, nars, seventeen) that i'm actually aware of, and between them, they're all either extremely pricey, or out of my reach as they're not cruelty free, so up until recently, i'd been using a white shimmery eyeshadow as my highlighting powder alternative. it was only recently when a mua highliter was actually in stock on superdrug's website that i decided to grab it while i could and give it a go, and since then, i've been a bit underwhelmed.
first up, let's talk about the mua highlighter: it's extremely shimmery, pink toned, and requires quite a lot of product on your brush for it to become noticeable on your skin. now, some might argue that a highlight needs to be subtle anyway, but i find that because of the predominant pink tones in the product, you have to build it up fairly heavily in order for the shimmer to become apparent, otherwise it can just look 'too pink' sat on your skin. i'm assuming someone's opinion of this highlighter may change based on their skin tone, but because i have pink undertones in my skin, most of the time i'm trying to counteract them and go for a more even, clear complexion that evens out the pink tones, so then adding a pink highlighter is obviously something of a backwards step for someone like myself, however it doesn't mean that this product wouldn't be perfect for someone with warmer toned skin. that said, i love the highlighter as a subtle summery eyeshadow – lots of shimmer with a hint of pink, perfect! – so the product won't be going to waste in my makeup bag.
moving onto the e.l.f. eyeshadow, i understand how scary the idea of applying a white eyeshadow to your skin may be to some, however the results may surprise you, especially if you have cooler toned skin like myself. i find that when i use this product, as well as the shimmer it provides, it also provides a nice, subtle highlight where the white of the powder stands away from the base i've created with my foundation; like a contour provides a subtle difference in shade, this does the same, but with highlighting qualities. where the pink of the mua highlighter interferes with my base, this white eyeshadow helps to compliment it and give my face the more angular, brighter look that i'm striving for. not so scary after all, eh?
to conclude, this isn't a "which is better?" style post and i'm not intending to stand them off against one another in terms of quality, i'm just simply highlighting (heh) the fact that there are other options available to consider when looking for a highlighter, which i think could potentially be useful as they're somewhat hard to come across, particularly on the high street as a CF shopper! so, what do you think? will you be giving this alternative a go or sticking to your everyday highlighters?
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
this or that: lip exfoliators
as far as lip exfoliators go, i can't say i'm all that clued up; to my knowledge, there are three popular options: the well loved lush lip scrubs, the e.l.f. lip exfoliator and a body shop lip exfoliator, and of the three i've mentioned, i've only ever branched out enough to try two of them. that being said, i'm thinking perhaps the apparent lack of options available on the high street is due to the success of the limited options available to us all; why fix something if it ain't broken, eh?
i first purchased the the e.l.f. lip exfoliator around this time last year, it being the first i'd ever tried, and from then i haven't looked back. it's one of those items that quickly found its way into my daily routine and got me wondering how the hell i'd ever gone about my normal makeup routine without it by my side, so it came as no surprise to me when i purchased another within the year. then, as the makeup junkie within me took over, i decided to pick up a lush lip scrub on a whim on boxing day to try out, and since then i've been using both products intermittently to keep my lips in top form.
i find it hard to actually pick a favourite of the two items; the e.l.f. product is compact, somewhat easier to transport and definitely less messy than the lush product, but i still find myself reaching for the lush option because it smells and tastes delicious, provides a thorough scrub of your lips and seems to last a lifetime. the e.l.f. product isn't unpleasant in taste or smell, but the cocoa taste can often be a little overpowering, and sometimes the lipstick-like formula of the product can be a little bit too abrasive on lips that only need a little bit of a scrub.
for the above reasons, i keep one of each product within my makeup bag at any one time, using the e.l.f. product occasionally when my lips are in dire need of saving, and using the lush product on a pretty much daily basis when my lips just need to be perfected a little before applying my lipstick. both products are fantastic value for money, having lasted me now for 5+ months and not even being half used, so once again i'm finding it hard to say for sure that you should buy one item over the other. i suppose in terms of availability, the lush option might be easier to get a hold of as it's a) available on the high street, and b) the lip exfoliator is an e.l.f. favourite (meaning it frequently sells out online so you can often be waiting weeks before you can even place an order for one!), so if you're looking for convenience, opt for lush. if time isn't an issue, give e.l.f. a go and save a couple of quid, but all in all, you'll be receiving a fantastic product whichever you opt for.
i first purchased the the e.l.f. lip exfoliator around this time last year, it being the first i'd ever tried, and from then i haven't looked back. it's one of those items that quickly found its way into my daily routine and got me wondering how the hell i'd ever gone about my normal makeup routine without it by my side, so it came as no surprise to me when i purchased another within the year. then, as the makeup junkie within me took over, i decided to pick up a lush lip scrub on a whim on boxing day to try out, and since then i've been using both products intermittently to keep my lips in top form.
i find it hard to actually pick a favourite of the two items; the e.l.f. product is compact, somewhat easier to transport and definitely less messy than the lush product, but i still find myself reaching for the lush option because it smells and tastes delicious, provides a thorough scrub of your lips and seems to last a lifetime. the e.l.f. product isn't unpleasant in taste or smell, but the cocoa taste can often be a little overpowering, and sometimes the lipstick-like formula of the product can be a little bit too abrasive on lips that only need a little bit of a scrub.
for the above reasons, i keep one of each product within my makeup bag at any one time, using the e.l.f. product occasionally when my lips are in dire need of saving, and using the lush product on a pretty much daily basis when my lips just need to be perfected a little before applying my lipstick. both products are fantastic value for money, having lasted me now for 5+ months and not even being half used, so once again i'm finding it hard to say for sure that you should buy one item over the other. i suppose in terms of availability, the lush option might be easier to get a hold of as it's a) available on the high street, and b) the lip exfoliator is an e.l.f. favourite (meaning it frequently sells out online so you can often be waiting weeks before you can even place an order for one!), so if you're looking for convenience, opt for lush. if time isn't an issue, give e.l.f. a go and save a couple of quid, but all in all, you'll be receiving a fantastic product whichever you opt for.
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
e.l.f. | studio matte lip colour in nearly nude
to be honest, i've been really pleasantly surprised by this product. when i think of matte lip colours, i think of dry, flaky, unattractive lips, however the formula of this product seems to ensure that you end up with the absolute opposite end result. the product has a very small, rounded nib, and the formula itself is really soft and creamy with a subtly delicious taste - yes, taste! my initial suspicions when first using the product would be that to apply it onto a lip balm base would produce the best effect, however i was wrong. with a balm underneath, the product seems to stick to it and creates that unattractive, harsh line around the inner edge of your bottom lip (not attractive!), so since then i've been applying it directly onto unaided lips, and for the most part it applies well.
i've found that applying the product from the inner side of your lip outwards in a vertical fashion (as though you were following the small lines of your lips) seems to provide the best results, leaving you with an all over, even coating free of cracks or lines, however give it an hour or so and the product will, unfortunately, start to wear off. i notoriously have trouble finding nude shades that don't leave lines on my lip, so i'm not sure if it's the colour of the product that makes for this result, or the formula itself. that said, the product certainly isn't unpleasant to apply or wear, so i'll be making the most of this product while it lasts. i can't say that i'll definitely be buying any more of e.l.f.'s matte lip colours, but i certainly wouldn't rule them out of future purchases altogether.
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
where have you been all my life?! e.l.f. eyebrow treat & tame
if you'd have asked me this time last year what i thought of my eyebrows right now, i'd have raised an eyebrow and told myself i looked like an owl (you know, the little pointy hairs above their eyes?!) and set to work plucking away the unruly bushy hairs growing towards the inner corner of my eyes. fast forward a year and thank god my eyebrow point of view has drastically changed! it was around this time last year that i began using powder to fill in my eyebrows rather than a pencil as i'd grown tired of the super precise, false looking brows, and wanted to go for something a little more natural looking instead, and with that, naturally, i started to grow back my beloved brows.
a year on and i'm well on my way to having the brows i desire, however they're still very much a work in progress. those pesky owlish inner hairs that once were plucked before having the chance to see the light of day now simply just don't grow fast enough for my liking, and thanks to the e.l.f. treat & tame, i can now fake my way to a more bushy, fuller looking brow.
i picked the treat & tame up on a whim while browsing the NYC e.l.f. store after seeing a load of bloggers raving about other brow gels such as the maybelline and benefit ones, but little did i know just how much of a positive effect it was going to have. just after moisturising on a morning, i use the 'treat' side of the tube all over my brows with particular attention paid to the inner corner, and then do the same again every night. i don't really know if the gel's doing any good, but i figure since it's there i might as well use it. once i've filled in my brows with powder, i set to work on them with the 'tame' side of the tube, brushing the hairs upwards to set them, add a little extra colour and give them more of a bushy, full appearance that nowadays i just love. i understand everyone's eyebrow preferences differ, but since using this product i've completely fallen back in love with my brows now i can pretend that i've been blessed with thick, bushy brows... or something like that.
i cannot rave enough about this product and will most definitely be repurchasing it for a mere £3.95. if you're a bushy brows fan yourself, i would definitely, absolutely, positively recommend giving this a go; i can't say for certain as i haven't tried them, however i imagine it does pretty much the same job as the maybelline and benefit options, however it's a fraction of the price and cruelty free (hint hint), so why the hell not?!
Friday, 4 April 2014
new york haul
while in new york i took advantage of the reduced prices and shops not available locally to me here in the uk, such as elf, forever 21 and a bookstore called books of wonder. i did also grab a primer and setting mist from elf, a 4 pack of burt's bees lip balms (that cost just $10 - bargain!!) and an eric carle pencil case on my visit, however i seem to have left them at my student house so didn't have them to hand to photograph, silly me! my goodies cost $137 altogether, working out to around roughly £82, which i don't think is bad at all for a shed load of make up, 4 books and a playsuit, however this has all highlighted to me just how much i spent on food while away... ouch!
first up is elf! the store was a lot smaller than i'd anticipated, but it was nicely laid out and the majority of the pricing was $3 which of course was an absolute delight as that works out to roughly £1.80. amongst the $3 items i bought were the tone correcting powder, white eyeshadow (which i intend to use as a highlighter,) mascara and setting mist, which is incredible value as these items usually cost around £3.75 which works out around $6, meaning i bagged all these items for half the price i would have paid if i were to buy them online - crazy good value! i also grabbed a couple of waterproof eyeliner pens as they were $1.50 each (however this shows, they're terrible...) and a couple of lip stains for $2 each. there was also a sign up saying if you spent over $20 you could grab a new prism eyeshadow palette for just $5 (usually $10), and after eyeing up the above palette and noticing that it vaguely resembled some of the shades in the naked 3 palette, i snapped it up as i'd not yet seen it available on the uk elf site.
ah, books! my main mission of the trip was to head to books of wonder to pick myself up a signed oliver jeffers book, and after much deliberation between two of his books, i laid 'the day the crayons quit' down and trotted off with 'the great paper caper' because of the variety in spread composition, ranging from simple shapes amongst white space to beautifully detailed full page illustrations; if you haven't checked out oliver jeffers' work, you really should! i think anyone from any walk of life can appreciate the jaw dropping beauty every brush stroke brings to his work. just wonderful! while browsing the shop, another book also caught my eye; "sparky!" as soon as i saw the cover i ran over to the book and squealed in sheer delight as it's the first book i've randomly picked up that's featured a sloth! it's full of charming illustrations by chris appelhans and now sits proudly on my new bookshelf.
we visited several independent bookstores throughout our visit, and while on 10th avenue we headed into one called 192 books where i picked up 'what's important is feeling'. after watching frozen to kill some time throughout our 8 hour flight there, i knew i wanted something to keep me occupied on our way back, and after being drawn in by the book title and the somewhat terrible cover design, i decided to pick the book up for a skim through. after reading lines about sexual promiscuity, cocaine abuse and difficulty conversing with others, i was intrigued enough to head to the counter and buy it. i'm still not entirely sure whether or not i enjoyed the book, but i'm not sure that's the point. it's made up of several short stories from different people's points of view that i assume the author based on people he's met throughout his years, and although it was odd, and even slightly uncomfortable in parts, it was definitely an interesting read and even provided a few laughs here and there.
the last book i picked up was 'show your work!' after recognising the cover design from the book 'steal like an artist' which i haven't yet read, but probably should after enjoying this. it's full of humorous anecdotes that give you insight into austin's journey as a creative and he talks you through effective ways of successfully promoting yourself, which largely lies in being a fan of what you do as well as a creator of it. one part in particular that has stuck with me is a part where he speaks about 'vampires', which are things (people, places etc.) that leave you feeling drained, lifeless and uninspired while they continue to thrive, and i thought it such an appropriate read for my exit of new york city as it had pretty much been my vampire for the past five days.
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
e.l.f. | eyeshadow palette
i'll start first of all by saying that my photographs do not do the colours justice at all. my favourite in this palette is definitely the middle top gold, the colour's really lovely and shimmery and really pigmented, and i just generally find that gold colours suit my skin tone and eye colour. when creating my smoky eye, i go all over my lid with the lightest top left colour, then over again with the middle top gold, apply the top right brown to the outer corners of my eyes and then line the bottom and top of my lash line with the bottom right darkest brown to help to define my eyes and keep things looking somewhat dramatic.
i reviewed a h&m eyeshadow palette a couple of months back, and in comparison to that, this e.l.f. palette definitely trumps it. the colours are much easier to get onto your brush and so require less product for more colour intensity, and i find that the colours stay on your lid a lot longer, losing no colour intensity throughout the day. i've never tried any high end eyeshadow palettes and so can't compare this product to any other that might have miraculous all day staying powers, but for just shy of £4, i'd definitely recommend these palettes. once again, e.l.f. have not failed to impress me.
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