Hello you lovely lot, hope you're all well!
Today I'm bringing you the rest of my E.L.F 50% haul as promised and if you've read any of my other posts, you'll know I'm a huge fan of their products so this is a really restrained haul. I think I was more restrained because of my project pan expedition so I didn't want to go crazy again and end up with so much make-up I'd be project panning for life. As I said previously, these purchases were gifts for my exam results so as I technically didn't buy make-up myself I don't think I've broke my project pan; someone else did.
As you can see from the above image, I pretty much just stocked up on my personal E.L.F favourites and only picked up a few new items, so it wasn't the most exciting thing I'd received in the mail.
Brushes
I've been wanting to try out the E.L.F Studio Stipple brush for ages so I finally picked one up and I'm delighted with it. I've read so many reviews and watched so many Youtube tutorials that had mixed opinions on this one, so my primary concern would be streaking. I need not have worried as I've used it quite a few times with no streaks.
However I will say I think it comes purely down to technique as the bristles do clump together after you put liquid foundation on the brush. Because of this, it does take a lot of buffing to get the airbrush effect, but it is totally worth it.
I think the one thing I love about using this brush is that I get a flawless complexion without having to absolutely cake my face in foundation; better for my skin and better for my purse. Hurrah... I can honestly say, this has 100% replaced my E.L.F normal foundation brush, which I now can't believe I relied on for quite so long.
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First I want to apologise for the staining on the white brush fibres.. When you get one, I can assure you they are pristine white. However if any of you have any suggestions as to how I can properly clean the foundation stains off I would more than love to hear! I've tried brush cleanser, washing up liquid etc and nothing has been able to get rid of it!
You'll also notice that it isn't very dense so you really have to work to get a flawless base; I personally don't mind this. But I would be wary of using it if I was in a rush as I'm sure that's when I'd get streaks and patches.
Nevertheless I think this is a brilliant brush for the price; it's super soft and does the job I need it to so I've no complaints at all. If you want to try it out, be quick as stock often flies out due to this being a really cheap alternative to the MAC 187. You can find it here for £3.75.
The second brush I purchased was the Studio Blush Brush which costs £3.75 and can be found here. This brush I'm currently finding really difficult to use. It's tapered which I understand would be really useful for contouring but I just want to apply a flush of colour to my cheeks and this just isn't working for me at the moment. Do any of you own this and have any suggestions as to how I should use it? I'd really appreciate them.
That said it is a really lovely, soft brush and I'm sure once I know how to use it I will love it.
Here are a few snaps of the brush itself:
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Make-up
This bit would normally be the most exciting part of the haul but I really just repurchased old faves which I love and need in my life.
First up is the Mineral Infused mascara which again costs £3.75 and can be purchased here. I first purchased this as part of my first ever E.L.F haul over a year ago and I fell in love with it. I used to have the Chanel Inimitable mascara and I get identical results using this Mineral mascara which is wonderful as it saves me £17 ish.
It really does achieve the false lash look in a single swoop and it doesn't flake or smudge at all. A true hero product. This product comes highly recommended by me.
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The wand itself has little rubbery spikes which create definition, volume and length without clumping. It's by far my favourite mascara wand featured in E.L.F's line (the rest really aren't anything to write home about) and to an extent, I wish all mascara's had a wand like this.
In short I LOVE this (it's second to Clinique High Impact of course, but I'm on a budget so this will more than do for now) and will continue to repurchase until they finally stop selling it.
Continuing with the eye area, I purchased three of the Brightening Eyeshadow Quads which cost a wonderful £1.50 (here).
I bought Nymph Dreams which is a palette of neutrals with a gorgeous greeny colour; Blue Moon which is neutrals and blues and Drama which is the perfect palette to create a smokey eye.
I was getting bored of the Naked 2 and my original E.L.F neutrals palette so I thought I'd check these out for a meagre 75p to break my boredom cycle. Break the boredom they have indeed. I'm really pleased with these. The packaging is practical and portable; perfect for touch ups. And they even include a nifty little applicator so you can throw them in your bag and you're good to go. Happy days.
I'm popping one of these into my bag for my upcoming trip to Alton Towers so they're going to get a full road test and I will report back. That said, for the price I paid, I wouldn't be too upset if they don't live up to being the same quality as the Urban Decay (which I don't expect they will, but I've yet to find otherwise).
So without further ado, here they are...
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Next up are the Mineral eyeliner's which I love. I've previously owned one in the shade Coffee which was so smooth and pigmented that I just had to pop some into my basket.
This time I opted for Black instead as I reach more for black than brown at the moment and I can say they are the exact same quality and pigmentation, so my love affair with them continues. Despite their quality, they're still firmly at the affordable end of the spectrum. costing just £3 (here). I also line how you don't have to sharpen them, you simply twist up for more product which is wonderful. My last pro is how fine the nib is, they really allow you to be precise and neat which is a plus if you don't particularly have a steady hand (like myself).
That said, I'm really liking the MUA £1 liners too, so if there isn't a good promotion on, I don't think I would purchase these as there are great alternatives available for less. But there was and so here they are....
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Sticking with the liner trend, I opted to repurchase some of the E.L.F Cream Eyeliner's. The last time I owned one of these it dried out so fast you wouldn't believe. But, the time's I did use it, I really enjoyed the products and the results. I also like how they include a little brush so you don't have to worry about buying a dedicated eyeliner brush.
Now I've not used these yet as I had a bit of an issue with two of them so when I do I will share with you my full thoughts and swatches but I wouldn't necessarily say don't buy them, but I would make sure you store them really well so they keep the moisture in.
These cost £3.75 (here) again so they are cheaper than most gel/ cream liners so if I enjoy them this time then I probably will continue to repurchase these as they are certainly purse friendly.
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Lastly come the only few things which I bought which aren't eye related. These were two studio blushes and two mineral lip glosses.
The lip glosses are two repurchases of shades I really liked - they are bare and sorority girl. Bare is the ultimate nude lip gloss; it looks scarily brown in the tube but tones down my lips nicely. It's my go to lip gloss when I'm sporting a smokey eye. Sorority girl, is a sweet shimmery pink which is my lips but shimmery; it's so pretty and is just nice for everyday. These both retail for £3.50 (here) and though they are smaller than most tubes, they last for ages. I think my only gripe with these is that they don't have any SPF. Other than that, lovely.
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The two Studio Blushes I bought are gotta glow which I think would make the perfect highlight (it also doesn't hurt that it has been billed as a dupe for NARS Albatross) and peachy keen which is a peachy blush with a golden shimmer. I've yet to use gotta glow but peachy keen is one I will be wary of in future. I wore it yesterday and even though I had the tiniest amount on the brush it looked like I'd caked it on - not a good look. Still I'm sure in moderation it will look lovely.
As with most of the Studio Line products, they cost £3.75 (here) which I think is worthwhile as blushes generally last a long time and these are really good quality. These are the first Studio Blushes I've owned so I've got high hopes for these, but only time will tell. The big plus, as with most of the E.L.F range is that they are compact and they have a cute little mirror inside just in case you need a touch up.
So last but not least.. The Studio Blushes...
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So that is everything! But I must say, I thought I'd ordered way more but nevertheless I've got enough to be getting on with so I'll enjoy using this little lot up.
Did you guys treat yourselves during the recently E.L.F promotion? If so, what did you get? If not, is there anything you're currently lusting after over at E.L.F?
As always, questions/ comments are more than welcome!
Kirstie
xoxo
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