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Saturday 30 June 2012

My elf brushes - i miei pennelli Elf


Hello Everyone,

today I would like to show you my Elf brushes and give you my opinion of the ones I own.

First of all I would like to say that I started buying brushes when I started following some make up tutorials on  You Tube and I realized how important it is to use the right tools to apply makeup. Because I was new to the magic world of makeup I decided to look for cheap but still good brushes and after reading a few reviews and watched some videos on You Tube, I bought my first Elf brush, the Powder Brush link and then, satisfied by it, I bought all the others in the following months. 

The brushes you see in the pictures are 2-3 years old so you can judge by yourself  and see that shapes and colours of the bristles are as they were when they were new. I
n terms of softness I have to say that only the Powder brush has become a little tougher and less soft but all the others are still in a pretty good condition after many shampoos!   

Among the face Brushes from the Elf Studio line, my favorite are the the Complexion Brush and the Blush Brush. The Complexion Brush is great for powder but also for bronzer and blusher, while the Blush Brush is a tiny face brush great to powder under the eyes and around the nose to set concealer, or very good to contour because it fits perfectly into the hollow of 
the cheeks and obviously is good for blush!  
My less favorite is the Angled Foundation Brush because it's too flat and stiff and to apply foundation I prefer my Real Techniques Stippling Brush link or my No. 7 Foundation Brush link which allow a more fluid movement of the bristles and a more natural application of liquid foundation.

Powder Brush, 2 Complexion Brushes, Blush Brush, Foundation Brush
Powder Brush, 2 Complexion Brushes, Blush Brush, Foundation Brush
The picture below shows all my Elf Eye Brushes, the top 2 from the Studio Line, the one in the middle from the Basic line and the bottom one from the Bamboo line.

These 4 brushes are all amazing! I love to use the Angles Contour Brush to apply concealer or to apply eyeshadow all over the lid (in particular when I am in a hurry and I just need a neutral color all over without the need of being too precise!). The Contour Brush instead, with its dense and short bristles  is great to apply eyeshadow in the crease and highlighter in the inner corner allowing a more precise application. Then the Eyeshadow Brush and the Blending Brush are the perfect couple to pack on colour and blend eyeshadow!

from top to bottom: Angled Contour Brush, Contour Brush, Eyeshadow Brush, Blending Eye Brush
In conclusion, I can say that I totally recommend them for price, quality and performance!

Hope it was helpful! 

Letizia
x

p.s. I forgot to mention that the prices range from 1.5£ for the Basic line, 3.5£ for the Studio Line and 5.5£ for the Bamboo Line.


Tuesday 19 June 2012

soft pink & burgundy look - trucco rosa e bordeaux

Hello my Dears,

today is all about pink and burgundy for an easy yet eye-catching look that  works magic with green eyes but it is a great look for blue and brown eyes too.


I started by priming my eye lid with Urban Decay Primer Potion and dust a generous amount of Yogurt by Mac -a soft matte pink- all over the lid bringing it up to the brow bone. Then I contoured my eyes with Pupa pencil Multiplay no. 06 drawing a thick line along the upper lash line and a thinner line along the lower lash line. With a pencil brush I then smudge it adding some Sketch eye shadow to keep the pencil in place and add a darker hint to the pencil.. this is because I noticed that if I use only the pencil, its reddish undertone makes me look too tired and adding the eye shadow, which has a brownish undertone, gives a cooler and less "tiring" tone to the colour. To finish off I used pink Freeze as highlighter under the brow bone, a bit of bronzer and the beautiful Shy Girl lipstick by Mac on the lips.
  For this look I also used Mac eyelash primer which is a white mascara with fibers in it, to be used to coat the lashes before applying the mascara: in my opinion this product is worth the 10£ price tag and last a long time (I got mine for my wedding last year!), it is very easy to use, adding volume and curliness (is it a word!?!?!) to the lashes.
Perfect makeup look for work or a day of shopping, easy, intense but still subtle, all at the same time!




Yogurt, pink Freeze, Sketch all by Mac


I hope you like it
x








Saturday 16 June 2012

Everyday or simple holiday look

Good morning my Dears, 

I have been to Canterbury for the Jubilee bank holiday weekend and strangely enough I put in my beauty bag only a few items and I went for a natural make up that could be perfect for work too!

Scarf... I know... but this is the English summer!

When I am on holiday or just out for the day, I don't want to worry about touch-ups, lipstick moving around and shiny nose, so I tend to do a good base with Clinique Anti-Blemish Solution Foundation, 
Garnier Roll-on (here is my review link), Mac Studio Finish Concealer for around the nose and chin and a generous dust of powder. At the moment I am using up my Body Shop Mineral Powder (here is the link for my project 10 pan link) and I have to say that I am really enjoying it: it blends perfectly and doesn't look caky at all, it is also great for the under eye area to keep the concealer in place and add extra coverage.



Then for the eyes I always carry with me a multi-tasking palette, good for day and night: this is a Clinique Palette that I received for free a while ago when purchasing the foundation and has a shimmery champagne colour to use as highlighter and all over the lid, a darker warm brown with a pink undertone, great for the crease and lastly a dark reddish brown to use as eyeliner 
and along the lower lash line instead of the pencil, to define the eyes.
Of course I cannot go without mascara, this is the Maybelline Volum' and a coat of brow gel, this is the cheap and mighty Miss Sporty Clear Mascara that feels like nothing but works magic on my brows!


Lastly the pink corner: Maybelline Mineral Blusher (no.10) applied with my Real Techniques Blush Brush and the amazing Revlon Colour Burst lipgloss in Crystal Lilac on my lips. 
This look is simple, long lasting and make me feel confident throughout the day! 


Hope you enjoyed it and I wish you a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Bobbi Brown Full Face Makeup Application




Full Face Make up lesson in 14 minutes... Bobbi, we love you!

enjoy,
Letizia x

Monday 11 June 2012

Garnier Caffeine Anti-dark Circles 2-in-1 Roll-on, a review

Hello My Dears,

today my post it's all about a new discovery even if it has been going around for ages:

it is the Garnier Caffeine Anti-dark Circles 2-in-1 Roll-on link that retails for 10.50£ (p.s. I got mine for 6£ in Superdrug a while ago).

Here it is how it looks like:



Garnier Caffeine Anti-dark Circles 2-in-1 Roll-on in Medium


and this is the description on the Boots website:


Garnier Caffeine Anti-dark Circles 2-in-1 Roll-on has a 2-in-1 formula:
  1. Moisturising eye cream & a cooling roller ball: refreshes and hydrates tired-looking eye
  2. With mineral enriched pigments it instantly covers dark circles  

How to Use

For best results with Garnier Caffeine Anti-dark Circles 2-in-1 Roll-on:
Whenever dark circles appear, apply Caffeine Anti-dark Circles Roll-on, in circular massaging motions, onto the under eye area, from the inside towards the temples. The 2-in-1 eye care instant concealer formula will be applied automatically via the roller ball. Gently blend in the formula with finger tips, as if makeup, for flawless coverage of dark circles.


So, this concealer comes in a tube with a metal ball at one end that is supposed to refresh, depuff and cover dark circles. To be honest at the beginning I wasn't impressed by the runny liquidy product and the thin consistency but then I realised that, for better results, I had to roll it on the area, wait for the liquid to set for a minute and then gently dub to blend it properly. 
For extra coverage I apply my concealer and dust a bit of powder with a fluffy brush
to seat it all off! 


And here it comes the scary part... the before and after!... 
and I am sure I don't need to say which one is which!
 in my defence yesterday I woke up with a very red and swollen eye... and again excuse my messy brow! 
























Judge by yourself but I have to say that I am very happy for the results!
I hope you found it helpful
Letizia x

Thursday 7 June 2012

My Real Techniques Brushes

Hello My Lovelies, 


I am here to introduce you to my lovely Real Techniques brushes by Samantha Chapman that joined my collection a couple of months ago and since then they have never been neglected or felt lonely!

And here they are in all their beauty: Mister Stippling Brush and Miss Blush Brush in perfect shape and with a shining body, soft shampooed bristles and clean rubbery handle...


and here the description on the website:

Stippling Brush: This dual-fibre brush is the trade secret for creating airbrushed, high-definition results with all types of makeup link

Blush Brush: Contour and define cheeks for flawlessly blended, high-definition results

and because the beauty of makeup is also to find other ways of using tools and products apart for what they are labelled for, here is how I use them:

Stippling Brush: this tiny little baby is great for applying foundation but I also love it to blend concealer around my nose, chin and forehead. It is also very good for cream blush or to apply bronzer in the hollow of the cheek. It blends the product very well and doesn't leave stripes. 
I have already washed mine a few times and I haven't noticed any shedding or change in shape or colour.
I bought this when I meet Samantha Chapman at Boots in London (link in English and here in Italian link)!

Blusher Brush: this brush is great! I love love love this brush which is perfect for blusher -- this is the first tool that allows me to apply every kind of blushes with the most even and natural result you can ever hope for. I just need to dip it into the product and the taped shape does it all: the tip places the powder and the shorter bristles all around it, blend it along the cheeks... It is also perfect for powdering the face, especially around the nose or the under eye area. 
I use it for contouring too and it hasn't let me down! 
p.s. I got this for free with my boots points! 


So I can say that I am 100% satisfied by these 2 brushes and I really hope that they will stay as they are, sleek and strong in the appearance and delicate on the skin.


I hope you find it helpful!
Letizia x 

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Project 10 Pan - 1st update

Hello my Dears,

here is my project 10 pan update ( link to my previous post here):


-2

goodbye to:

- Bourjois Foundation
-L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara
*
Rimmel Cream eyeshadow (not included in the project)


So, for the Bourjois foundation, I think that I repurchase it in the future, it has a nice smell and a medium coverage, it blend easily and it sets very quickly. I prefer to set it with powder otherwise it tends to leave my skin a bit shiny. Overall I would give it an 8.


L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara is one of my oldest friends, so I am sure I will repurchase it after I finish my Maybelline and Clinique mascaras. This product is perfect for all the ladies who want voluminous, thick lashes and love big brushes (not as big as the Benefit Bad Gal though!). This is the mascara I have been using for at least 5 years so this is a 10 for me!

***

Also my dears, the Clinique All About Eye concealer , Mac lipstick in Shy Girl and Rimmer Eyeliner in Ginger Tea
are going to be the next to leave me!

see you soon then!
xx

Sunday 3 June 2012

OOTD - lazy Saturday in grey and pink

Hello my Dears,

yesterday, before going out I just took a few pictures of my outfit & makeup...

hold the breath and here you go!

Cute Bright flats!!! 
Jacket (an old friend)
Linen T shirt (short sleeves) Zara
Jeans (skinny, dark wash) H&M
Flats Zara

and for the makeup...


 This is my make up... sorry I can share only half of my face because the other half is swollen and sore after a very bad toothache.

As a base I used all the products - foundation, concealer, powder, blusher - as featured in my project 10 pan post, link, and on the eyes I used the Body Shop's sparkling mineral eye-shadow in no. 2, a lovely olive/grey colour with gold sparkle (in my opinion it has something in common with the amazing Club eyeshadow by Mac), Pink Freeze by Mac as highlight and Revlon eyeliner in Navy on the waterline.
On the Lips I used the beautiful Revlon Colourburst in Strawberry which is a great lip gloss, not too sticky with good staying power and colour pay off. I adore Revlon Lip glosses because in my opinion they perform as good as more expensive lip glosses and come in a good variety of colours.
Of course I chose to wear this lip colour to match my shoes and nails :-)))

p.s. please do not look at my brows because I am trying to let them grow and reshape afterwards!


group picture, SMILE!! 


Have a wonderful weekend!
Letiziax 


Saturday 2 June 2012

My 5 May favourites

Hello my Lovelies,

this is that time of the month when I share with you my monthly favorites.. as you know I love to keep things simple so I restrict myself to chose only 5 dear fellas.

here you go! 


Bioderma  Creoline H2O - makeup remover -- there have been a lot of hype about it and I have to say that it's for a good reason. It feels like water on the skin but works magic on any kind of makeup, even the Clinique High Impact Curling Lash mascara, which is as tough as a waterproof mascara and I can take it off only with warm water and oil based makeup removers. The only downside is that it is only available online and I am still looking for a good website to buy some back-ups!

Skin Doctors Ingrow Go - ingrown hair solution -- I have been looking for a good product to fight the in-grows for ages and doing some research online I came across this solution and thank God I haven't been put off by the bad reviews! I purchased mine on Amazon.co.uk for the price of 8£ (including shipping) and I am surprised by the results! I just use a few drops on a cotton pad and dab it where I need it (bikini area), it dries instantly and after a couple days of using it I was able to notice some improvements. There are a few things to take into consideration though:
the smell can be strong for very sensitive persons and personally I prefer to use it once a day before bed so I can let it evaporate completely before wearing pijamas; it dries the skin a little bit so it is better to use a good moisturiser in the morning, after the shower. It can also be used on the face by men who suffer from ingrown hair after shaving. 

Mac Studio Finish Concealer: one of my favourite concealers, I just warm it up with my fingers and apply to sports and darker shadows on my face and in the under eye area. I love it especially in the summer because it has SPF 35 and when I don't want to use foundation, I just put some of it where I need it and I am ready to go!.. a quick note to say that it can crease if used as under eye concealer to anyone with dry skin. 

Revlon Colourburst Lipgloss in Crystal Lilac: love love love!! the perfect pink lipgloss ever... and I always get compliments when I wear it!

Mac Eye Kohl Pencil in Phone Number: this is my last purchase before the project 10 pan challenge. Perfect for everyone who's bored of wearing black eyeliner, it's creamy and intense with the edgy grayish/blue undertone.
 I LOVE IT!

Mac Eye Kohl Pencil in Phone Number and Revlon Lipgloss in Crystal Lilac 

thanks for reading and have a good day!
Letizia