Friday 23 September 2011

This Brush... SNM.

For a while I was trying to find a good brush to apply my liquid foundation... I considered brands - like MAC, QVS, Sigma - and type of brush - a typical paddle foundation brush, stipple brush, kabuki brush - but in the end  I went for the ELF Powder Brush. I bout this a few weeks ago now because I thought I'd give it a proper trial.

You may be thinking "ELF stuff is too cheap to be good quality" or "Powder brush? Why would you use a powder brush to apply foundation?" But lemme tell you; this brush is not a let down.





When I saw pictures of this brush I thought that the bristles looked really cheap, thin and flimsy. But I did hear really good things about it. And when I actually started using it; it was so so soft on the skin and distributed my liquid foundation really smoothly and really evenly. I got a really nice finish!

Yeah, the bristles are soft but they are rigid enough that it spreads the foundation around. They are also synthetic so the product isn't absorbed into the bristles, like as if it was natural bristles.

It comes in a plastic pvc pouch so you can store it in there and it also has a pvc brush guard around it which protects the brush head and keep the shape.

I also think the style of the brush does make it look quite classy and professional.

I have also tried it with powder and I really like they way it applies powder too. I might purchase myself another one.

Lastly, I've been using it for about 2/3 weeks now and I've deep cleaned it around once a week, and not yet has it started shedding... I'll keep you posted.

So let me get down to the price. It's only... *Drum Roll* ... £3.50! Seriously, this is such a good value brush, I would actually expect it to be much more. I can not stress how much I recommend this brush; plus of you don't like it - you've only payed £3.50. Have a peep on the web site: eyeslipsface.co.uk

A 10 out of 10! :D

Sarah x

Saturday 17 September 2011

Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder

Hello everyone, hope everyones doing well :)

So, the other week I picked up a few things from Superdrug and one of them was this:


I wasn't intending to buy this but I saw it and thought I might as well give it ago. I've never used a loose powder before so I didn't want to spend alot just incase I didn't like it. Plus you cant find a set answer to what's better out of loose or pressed powder on Google just because it's subjective and people prefer different things..

I also needed a new sheer/translucent powder as I've hit pan on some of mine. And I like colourless powders because I find colour matching powders to myself is just longg and plus I use it to set my foundation. Personally, I don't see much point in putting a coloured powder over your foundation...



So, if you unscrew the lid there's a rubbish quality powder puffs (which I don't use and I don't recommend using as it tends to make the powder cake on...) and one of those sieve type things to shake the powder out. I find these things slightly awkward to get the powder out but I've found my way. :P


I've noticed that a loose powder gives a bit more coverage than a pressed powder so I find it's best to be quite sparing with it if you don't want a too/proper matt finish. I prefer a little dewy/natural shine look (But not too shiny)

I do really like this product and it's well worth the price as it's only £2.99 for 20g. What a bargain? It's just a good product to use everyday just to set your foundation and get rid of shine.

But the only downfalls is that it doesn't last too long - probably around 2/3hours, then some shine comes back. But then again what powder keeps shine to a minimum for quite a long time? And another thing is that it can get a little messy as with all loose powders. I'd hate to sneeze or knock it the powder by accident - it would just go everywhere...

But other than that, it is worth it. This is perfect if you don't have a big budget to blow or you're unsure on loose powder and what to give it a trial first or something.

So yeah... :)

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Elf's Here!

My Elf package has finally arrived! About time too...

These are my first ever e.l.f products and I thought I'll give them ago because I've heard such good things about them. I've heard the products are of good quality; but highly it's highly unlikely that they're MAC standard due to their price. But that's why people love this brand so much - Because you get good quality products for such an affordable price. Most of the stuff on the e.l.f website is cheaper than any high street branded products such as; Rimmel or Collection 2000, etc...


I only ordered two things because I didn't wanna go all out for something I haven't tried before. 

The main thing I wanted to get was the Powder Brush from the Studio Range because I've heard it's really good for applying liquid foundation - despite the name. And it was only £3.50 (Almost everything in the studio range is £3.50 - so really affordable!)


I will do a review on this after I've use it a few times but on first impressions - it's really soft.

And the other thing I got was the Eye Brow Kit also from the Studio Range. I wanted to try this as I had my eye on the Urban Decay Brow Box but didn't hear anything that good about it and this is a much cheaper alternative.
(For some reason it will only upload side ways... :S)
The only thing I was disappointed by was that the delivery was quite slow because loads of other people were ordering and they couldn't keep up with the orders. But it came in the end :)

Sunday 4 September 2011

Super Smooth, Shiny Nails

I got really bored the other evening, and literally had nothing to do.. My nails were looking a little un-cared for so I though i'd give them some TLC and make them look nice.

I didn't really feel like paining them a colour so I just went for a natural look, and they looked like this (Looked being the key word, a few days on, they don't look like this anymore...):


This is a great everyday way to have your nails. If you don't wanna be too out there or you just need or want a more nautral look. It's also a super way to protect your nails - I used to do art at school/sixth form, and with doing something like that; it means your gunna have to get your hands and nails a little grubby at times. Especially if you're using something like Acrylic paint, which dries super hard and is a nightmare to get off. This protects your nails and helps it come off much easier.

To get them looking super slick like this, I used:


Nail polish remover first; to get any remaining dirt and paint off them. It's available in loads of places but I'm sure you have some of this knocking around your house somewhere already. As you can see; I'm almost out of it...

I then used one of these manicure/ pedicure kits. They use these kind of things in nail parlours to prep and file nails down. These aren't that expensive either. This one came free with my mums foot spa but you can pick them up in most big supermarkets, shops that do cosmetics (Botts, Superdrug, etc) or even Argos for around £10.


I just used the small filing tools to shape my nails into roundish tips and also lightly file off the top layer of nail. Do not overly file or you could damage your nail. I just go over it so that it feels and looks a little rough. I then brushed away the nail dust with the small brush with this kit.


But if you don't have or cant get a hold of one of these kits, you can use a normal emery/nail file board and lightly go ever your nail in one direction, away from the cuticles.

I then used The Body Shops Mango Boby Butter to moisturise my skin around the nails and cuticles. You can use any creme or lotion for this.


To smooth the nail I used one of these things (I dunno what they're called):



It's basically a board with four steps. And you rub it over your nails in the order it says. It doesn't grind any nail off. Each piece of board does what it says. After using it your nails will be really smooth. I didn't use the 'Polish' bit because that makes them shiny and I thought there was not point seeing as I'm gunna paint them... 

You can pick one of these up at most shops where they do nail stuff, in the manicure/pedicure section. I've also see them in Tesco. You can pick one up for about £3 or £4.

To finish, paint your nails with a clear nail varnish or top coat. I recommend using two coats. For this I used Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Nail, in Ice Cube.


I really like this product because it gives a nice finish, it has a wide brush and it's inexpensive. You can get it at a Collection 2000 stand for around £3.

So that's how I got lovely looking natural nails. Give it a go. :)

Thursday 1 September 2011

Songs I'm Loving at the Moment..

This is a bit of a different post to what I usually do, but I just had to share these songs cause seriously.. I can't get enough of them. But then again, In a week or so I will get bored of them from playing them so much. Oh well - I live for the moment. :P

1. You and I - Lady Gaga
Not sure on the video - Haven't a clue what she's trying to get across - but I am in love with this song.

2. How to Love - Lil Wayne
So different to this other stuff. Just shows - everyone has a soft side

3. Otis - Kanye West & Jay Z
I love Jay Z - he's just too cool - Kanye, not so much. But these two have tallent - This is a collab' made in heaven. I'm deffinetly going to get the album and I look forward to some of their other stuff.

4. You Need Me, I Don't Need You - Ed Sheeran
I love this guy - The coolest ginger ever. And he has just pure tallent. I love the video for the mainstream version but I love this -  'Rasta man time' -  version more

This is the only actual video on here because it's the only one not from Vevo. It's from SBTV. One of my favourite youtube channels :)

5. What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction
I don't want to love this song; but I do. It's just too catchy...

You can probably tell I have a wide taste in music. But I never listen to stuff like classical or jazz or heavy rock and stuff like that - It scares me... :P