Tuesday 29 December 2015

My Christmas Gifts

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a great Christmas/holidays! Today I'm sharing all my beauty related Christmas presents. I am very lucky and grateful to have received all these gifts. Enjoy!


Becca Glow on the Go set - This set features a liquid (5g) and powder (2.4g) version of Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal. I have really been wanting to try this and it was a complete surprise to receive it so I am very happy!


LUSH Snow Fairy Shower Gel - This is one of my favourite ever scents, and Lush is one of my favourite brands, so it's definitely an appreciated gift!

LUSH Think Pink Bath Bomb - Lush bath bombs are another one of my favourite things, and this is one I haven't tried before, which smells sweet and amazing and looks so pretty with the flowers on top, and I can't wait to use it.

Mariah Carey's Lollipop Bling: Mine Again - I actually chose this out myself after smelling it, and had to get it - it smells of lollipops as the title suggests. If you haven't guessed yet, I really love sweet scents!


Mecca Cosmetica Artistry Nail Polish in Gold - despite my huge nail polish collection, I didn't own a single a single gold shade, so this was perfect! It's a really nice pale shade of gold which I really love.

Mac Matte Lipstick in Velvet Teddy - I only owned a couple of Mac lipsticks and I loved them, and this colour has been on my wish list for quit a while. It is a perfect darker nude shade and I have a feeling it is going to become one of my favourites!



Art & Makeup by Lan Nguyen-Grealis - This is an amazing book which shows how makeup is a form of art and how it can be used to create art, as well as looks inspired by artists and pieces of art. It includes tons of beautiful pictures as well as some tips, tutorials, and information and history. It is definitely a book worth getting.


I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and holiday. Let me know what you all got for Christmas, or if you got anything similar, and how you spent the holidays. Also tell me if you would like to see a review on any of the products.

-Ella

Sunday 13 December 2015

Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette


Recently I recieved my first ever Tarte product, the Tarte Rainforest After Dark coloured eye & cheek palette, which includes 6 eyeshadows, a blush, bronzer, and highlighter. It is a really beautiful palette which is very usable and can create many different looks, and I have found myself reaching for it every day!


The palette comes in gorgeous packaging. The box is a purple gradient with a snake skin texture and a metallic gold snake. The packaging of the palette itself has the same gold snake with a purple gem on its head, and is on top of a wood patterned background (the palette is made of plastic).



It also comes with a page of two tutorials for different eye looks you can make with the palette.


In the palette, the two larger colours around the edge are the highlighter on the left and the bronzer on the right and the blush in the centre of the palette. The eyeshadows include both pink tones and warm browns & gold. It includes three matte and three shimmery shadows.


I found the blush to be much more of a peachy pink than it appears to be in the palette where it looks like much more of a muted pink. The highlighter is subtle but gives a really nice glow. I also found that using a brush picks up a lot more pigment than using your fingers.


I really love this palette, and I think it would be a perfect Christmas gift for a makeup lover as it is very versatile with a nice range of shades.


 Let me know if you would like to see more of this palette, such as a tutorial! I hope you enjoyed the post!

- Ella


Saturday 5 December 2015

Essence Lip Liners: Review & Swatches

I'm sure many of you have heard of Essence Cosmetics - if not, they are a brand which offers a range of very affordable products available on their website or in Target and Priceline, and tend to be very good quality for the low, low price! So today I am going to be reviewing their lipliners, which run for only $2 each!



These lipliners come in a really versatile range of colours, meaning everyone should be able to find at least one shade you like! They range from a nude & light pink, to red to deeper purples and browns. You can tell which one is my favourite - I use 'In The Nude' By itself or under my favourite nude lipstick, 'Pa-ree' Velourlips by Australis.

L-R Soft Berry, Satin Mauve, In The Nude, Wish Me A Rose, Femme Fatale

The Essence Lipliners claim to create a "super soft and precise application", which I think is pretty accurate.

The texture of the lipliners is very soft, smooth & creamy. I would say the one downfall of the lipliners is that they are a bit too soft and break quite easily. 

As for its last-ability, I found the red lipliner which I think is an older formula of the liners lasts very well on my lips whereas the newer liners do not last quite as long. However they last just as well as any other lip liner I have tried, and for the price I definitely do not mind.

As I have quite dry lips, I first used a lip scrub then a lip balm on my lips which helps the application of the lip liner (and hence the slightly glossy finish).


#05 Soft Berry - A slightly brown dark purple



#06 Satin Mauve - a slightly dark purple mauve



#11 In The Nude - a brown toned pink nude



#12 Wish Me A Rose - a light pink shade



#10 Femme Fatale - a bright classic red



I hope you all enjoyed this post! Have you tried Essence? Let me know in the comments!

- Ella