Cocktail Cosmetics Haul: Lime Crime, OCC, Sigma!

A few days ago I posted about my visit to the new Cocktail Cosmetics store in Birmingham, where I obviously had to purchase a few bits, so here is my haul!

Firstly I headed straight for the Lime Crime display since I've never had a chance to try any of their products before. They had an amazing selection of products, including testers to try out. I would've left the store with a rainbow on my hand had there not been any wipes!

Red Velvet Velvetine, Serpentina Opaque Lipstick, Airborne Unicorn Opaque Lipstick, My Beautiful Rocket Opaque Lipstick, Wicked Velvetine.

Do I even need to comment on the amazing packaging?! The middle lipstick is the regular packaging, the other two are the 6th year anniversary packaging.

You're probably wondering why I picked a metallic green, lilac-purple, and bright orange... So am I! I'm very comfortable wearing bright colours - reds, purples, hot pinks, etc, so I decided that it was time to become a little more adventurous. I've worn all of these colours (inside the house so far!) and I actually really love all of them - even the green, I could definitely see myself wearing it out.

Swatches: My Beautiful Rocket, Serpentina, Airborne Unicorn

I'm very impressed with the formula of the lipsticks, especially Serpentina, which is surprisingly smooth considering the sparkle! I haven't tested how long wearing they are yet, but I don't think there will be an issue, the swatches were difficult to remove.

The next things I grabbed were two velvetines - I knew I wanted Wicked before I even entered the store, and I went back for Red Velvet because I knew I'd regret not buying it.

Wicked, Red Velvet

Swatches: Wicked, Red Velvet

These swatches really don't do the Velvetines justice - they go on so smooth and opaque. They can be a little tricky to apply as they're a liquid lipstick, so it's best to not use these in a rush. Once they dry they become completely matte - with a velvet finish - hence the name.

The most impressive thing about these is that they just don't come off. The swatches are still faintly visible on my arm even after scrubbing, showering, etc. I tested Wicked when going for a meal, and it stayed put perfectly. Definitely my new favourite shade!

Sigma's Tapered Highlighter F35

Considering brushes are my weakness, I did very well to only come away with one. I've purchases a few Sigma brushes in the past, but I have always wanted a brush of this shape for under the eyes/highlighting. The brush itself is very soft, and I really enjoy using it. Unfortunately, Sigma are a lot less affordable than they used to be, their prices are similar to MAC's now.

Lastly, is an OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) Lip Tar in Hush. It's a light peachy nude, that may be slightly to pale for me to wear alone, so I think I'll be picking up a deeper colour next time. The great thing about these is that all shades can be mixed to create your own customised lip colour.

Swatch: Hush Lip Tar

In the swatch it doesn't look too light, but on the lips it appears as a very light nude.

Freebie - with the Sigma brush I received a free mini brush cleaning glove which I have always wanted to try, I'll let you know how it is!

I really like everything I purchased and can't wait to go back for more, I would love to collect all of the Lime Crime colours, they're so unique.

Have you tried any of these products?

What do you think I should try next?

Thanks for reading!

Bee xx

E.L.F 11 Piece Brush Set

As most of you know, e.l.f have sales and offers quite frequently - there most recent one was 40% off the entire website! I've been eyeing up the Studio line 11 Piece Brush Set for months now, so I thought that it was the perfect time to go ahead and purchase it. 

The regular price for this set is £38.50, which is already very reasonable for 11 brushes, right? With the discount code, I only paid £26.05 including shipping! I'm so happy with this price, it's practically a steal (and cheaper than one MAC face brush alone).

E.L.F says:

The ultra luxe makeup brush case is ideal for any makeup artist at heart! A Perfect for on-the-go convenience so you can just grab and store without taking up a lot of space. the sleek case is water resistant and holds a full collection of brushes for key protection and quick use. Includes: Case, Eyeshadow "C" Brush, Complexion Brush, Small Angled Brush, Small Smudge Brush, Fan Brush, Powder Brush, Angled Foundation Brush, Concealer Brush, Small Precision Brush, Blush Brush and Contouring Brush.

I like that the brushes come in a zip up pouch - it's not the most attractive thing ever, but it does the job - brushes can get damaged quite easily if you just throw them in your makeup bag (like I often do - eek!).

Now, onto the actual brushes!

• The complexion brush is a great "everything" kind of brush - you can definitely use it to apply powder, bronzer, and even blush. It's not a giant brush like other typical powder brushes, but it definitely covers a large enough area. I like to apply blush/bronzer with this brush.
• The blush brush is a bit small for blush in my opinion, but it's great for a precise contour or highlighting. I've also used it for setting under the eyes.
• I love the powder brush, really soft and dense, so it's great for buffing liquid or powder foundations. I've owned this one before, but the brush fell apart last time. Let's hope that doesn't happen again!

• I don't usually use traditional flat foundation brushes for my foundation, but I have used it for applying my MAC Pro Longwear Concealer under my eyes - the angled shape is great for that!

• The fan brush is nice and soft, good for highlighting, but I just don't tend to use it.

• The Eyeshadow C brush is great for applying shadows, it has become one of my favourites for this purpose. It's also dense enough to blend around the edges of eyeshadows.
• The contour brush is really great, since I haven't seen many others quite like it, it's like a bigger, rounded pencil brush. It's great for putting a deeper colour right in the crease/outer corner.
• The concealer brush is like any other - can also be used for eyeshadow application.

Sorry for the slightly blurry picture, didn't notice til afterwards!

• The Small Smudge brush is great for applying colour around the lashes, but I don't think it's dense enough to really smudge eyeshadow.
• I haven't really used the Small Precision brush, but I think it'd be great for concealing small areas.
• I've owned the Small Angled brush previously (but lost it unfortunately!) and think it's great for eyebrows or eyeliner.

Overall, I think this is a great set for anyone - especially beginners, but it is lacking in one or two important brushes. Everyone needs a good fluffy blending brush, but a lot of brands sell them, so they are not hard to come by. Many people also need a thin eyeliner brush, especially for using gel/cream eyeliners.

All of the brushes are soft, and since they are synthetic, I never notice them shedding. I use these everyday alongside my MAC, Sigma & Real Techniques brushes, so I definitely suggest checking them out if you're looking for some good brushes at a great price!

You can find them here - remember to always check for discount codes!

Thanks for reading.

Bee x