L'Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Oil

I think we're all guilty of receiving samples of beauty products and convincing ourselves we'll "try them another time", I'm definitely one of those people. At some point - probably a long time ago - I had received a sample sachet of the L'Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Hair Oil, so when I spotted the unopened packet in one of my drawers, I decided to give it a go!

A little info on my hair type: a lot of very fine hair with a very oily scalp; my "second day hair" would be considered greasy. You wouldn't think I'd feel the need for a hair oil, but the bottom third of my long hair has been bleached blonde for an "ombré" effect. This means that this section of hair tends to feel and look very dry.

L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil for All Hair Types is a precious Blend of 6 Flower extracts with nourishing properties to create sumptuous softness and luxurious shine. This sublime hair enhancer is versatile and weightless so it doesn’'t make your hair look drab and greasy. For best results, rub 2 drops between the palms of your hands then apply evenly through the lengths and ends of wet or dry hair. You can rub it through your hair before shampooing for luxurious nourishment. You can use it before styling to protect and transform your hair or you can also apply it as a finishing touch for softness and luxurious shine. L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil is also available in a formula specially made for coloured hair. Size: 100ml

I use the oil on the lengths of my hair, making sure to stay away from the roots completely, but mainly focusing on the bleached ends. It doesn't feel greasy when I apply it, it sinks right into my dry hair and instantly smooths it out, making it appear less damaged, and more shiny! It also prevents my hair from getting tangled and frizzy. It's also great for smoothing down the ends of my hair after heat styling.

This has definitely become a holy grail product for me, I now use it every day and even purchased the full size before finishing the sample. If you have damaged hair I definitely suggest that you try it out!

It is available here or at most supermarkets.

Thanks for reading!

Bee x

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

Foundation Issues...

Ever since I started wearing makeup - wow, that was a long time ago! - I've really struggled to find my perfect foundation shade. Even at the age of 20, I've tried foundations from a huge variety of makeup brands, high street and high end.

The issue that I'm having is that I have very fair skin - which is hard enough to match already, but my fair skin is also very yellow toned. For some reason, makeup brands just seem to think that fair skinned people are all pink! It's so frustrating - if the foundation I use has even a little too much pink in it, my face looks quite ashy and lifeless.

I recently purchased my second MAC foundation, which is the Pro Longwear in NC15 (the first being Face and Body - yes, still too pink). Looking at the foundation in the bottle, it is definitely on the yellow side, but it's just not fair enough. Even holding the bottle next to my skin, it just looks orange.

Does anyone else have this problem? I'm assuming that I'm not the only fair, warm toned person here, right?

If you have any suggestions of brands, shades, etc that I could try, please leave me a comment - it would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

Bee x

Illamasqua Sale Haul!

I don't own many Illamasqua products, but I have enough to know that they are usually great quality. I'm often drawn to Illamasqua by their unique colours, which tend to stray far from the regular "nudes and neutrals" that we've been flooded with.

They've put an impressive amount of products on sale for very affordable prices (£5, £7.50 and £10) lately, but the sales are over now unfortunately!

I'll definitely do a full review on my haul soon, but for now I'm just going to show you what I purchased.

I decided that I needed to add to my blush collection - blushes are never really that appealing to me when I'm shopping for new makeup, I get drawn in by foundations, eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks, so my blush collection is quite limited. I purchased these with the intention of using them in my professional kit, but I can definitely see myself getting plenty of use out of them (hygienically of course!)

The blushes were all £7.50 each - an incredible saving, considering they retail for £18 normally.

Cream Blush in "Seduce" - Warm rose pink, dewy finish.

Cream Blush in "Promise" - Warm candy pink, dewy finish.

Cream Blush in "Dixie" - Warm coral pink, dewy finish.

Cream Blush in "Rude" - Warm peach pink, dewy finish.

Left to right - Seduce, Promise, Dixie, Rude.

I love the colours that I chose so far, and I am very impressed by the pigmentation and texture. These are the first cream blushes I have purchased from Illamasqua, so I look forward to playing with them!

Powder Blush in "Hussy" - Bright candy pink, matte finish.

Powder Blush in "Tremble" - Soft lilac pink, matte finish.

Tremble, Hussy.

I have only used tremble so far, but I already love their powder blushes. I own one in "Create" which is a deep warm brown, which is just as pigmented and smooth. As you can see from this picture, the cream blushes slightly stained my arm (on the left) - hopefully this indicates good staying power!

All of these products have a sweet vanilla smell, which I really love. I've noticed that Illamasqua are very good at describing their shades, but if you're still unsure by the online description, there are swatches available on plenty of blogs.

What did you pick up in the Illamasqua sale?

Bee x

Nars One Night Stand Cheek Palette!

In October, the Nars One Night Stand Cheek Palette was released and sold at Space NK. The limited stock only lasted a few a days - fortunately I managed to grab one before they were gone.

Unfortunately, the limited stock meant that many people missed out, because Space NK didn't have any plans to restock. However, browsing the Nars website this afternoon, I spotted that it was back!

I don't have swatches of the palette, because I wanted to put this up as quickly as possible, as I'm not sure how quickly it will disappear. All I have to say is that this is definitely worth grabbing while you can. My favourite shades in the palette are: 'Deep Throat', 'Laguna' and (of course) the cult favourite 'Orgasm'.

The palette is £45 here.

Thanks for reading.

Bee x

Building my Pro Kit!

If you know me, you'd know that I've wanted to become a Freelance Makeup Artist for a few years now. Unfortunately, makeup is extremely expensive, so I have to buy things gradually - when I can afford them. Slowly but surely, I am getting there!

Foundation palettes are pretty hard to come by in the UK, for a good price atleast. I've always had my eye on the Graftobian HD Glamour Creme palettes, but they're not cheap at all in the UK (£90+). However, browsing through google for more affordable options, I came across Camera Ready Cosmetics, which is a company based in America. They have stock some amazing professional brands, such as Graftobian, Kryolan, Ben Nye, Sugarpill, RCMA, etc. I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted the Graftobian foundation palettes for £35.58 (Normally £45.25 on their site)!

Immediately I snapped up the Warm and Cool palettes - there is also a Neutral option. Browsing the site, I also found a few other things I needed at some great prices.

On with the haul!

Graftobian HD Glamour Creme Palettes - Currently £35.65 / $58.99

"Graftobian HD Cremes have been used and loved by Pro Makeup Artists since 2005 when they were first introduced. The satin smooth feel and blend-ability of the product paired with its high level of pigmentation is unique in the industry where you typically get one or the other. From time to time, as has always been the case with this Graftobian HD formula, you will see pigment swirls or dots of color on the surface of a new foundation dish or palette. Simply ignore these dots as they will disappear forever with one swipe of your brush or sponge and you will then be able to use this fabulous foundation on your clients with stunningly flawless results."

Left is the Cool Palette (pink tones) and Right is the Warm Palette (yellow tones).

As you can see on the images, the product does sweat, as they are cream. This doesn't affect the actual product.

I've only used this once so far, so i'll do a detailed review when I've used it more!

So far, I've found that the foundations are nice and creamy, with good coverage. I also love the colour selections.

Graftobian Stainless Steel Mixing Palette - £3.63 / $6.00

Graftobian Spatula - £3.92 / $6.49

Kit essentials really! They look like great quality items.

Camera Ready Cosmetics Disposable Mascara Wands (Straight) - £5.08 / $8.40

Duo Eyelash Adhesive - £4.22 / $6.99

Never tried Duo before, but I've heard great reviews!

I'm really happy with the products I've received, and with the experience of purchasing from Camera Ready Cosmetics. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to build a kit. 

Thanks for reading.

Bee x

Battle of the: Face Primers!

Today's post is going to be covering the topic of face primers. For me, a primer isn't something that I use on a daily basis. I tend to use them when going out at night, or if I know that I'm going to be wearing makeup all day long.

In the last year, my skin has changed from being dry, to very oily, which means that I've had to completely rethink my base makeup routine to make it last on my skin. I've tried many primers, but I am still yet to find my holy grail (though I doubt the perfect primer for me would even exist!).

The primers that I have been trying out over the last few months are: MAC's Matte Creme, Hourglass' Veil Primer, Smashbox's Colour Correcting Photo Finish Primer (Purple tone), and Maybelline's Baby Skin. All of these primers have that silicone-slip feeling, which is just my personal preference. I like primers that make my foundation glide on smoothly and last all day.

MAC Matte - £15

This primer is the thickest of the four, which takes more work to blend. I also have to be careful when applying the product, as it is pretty easy to apply a thick layer. If used correctly, it feels great on the skin - slightly heavier than other primers, but still nice. It does what it says on the packaging, it is definitely mattifying when applied, though I can't say that it keeps my skin matte all day (no primer can so far). 

Overall, I'd say that this primer would be best for someone with skin texture issues. It is great for filling in pores and light acne scarring!

Rating: 3.5/5

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer - £52

I have the sample size of this product, which I received with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. In the bottle, the product is a translucent white, but blends in completely clear on the skin. While it still feels like silicone, it is definitely thinner than others - I barely have to use any product at all! It feels great on the skin, foundation goes on beautifully over it, and wears well. So far this is my favourite of these four primers, but I'm not sure I can justify the price for the full size.

Rating: 4.5/5

Smashbox Photo Finish Colour Correcting Primer (Balance) - £25

I picked this up in Boots for £12.50 on clearance, which makes me wonder if this shade is being discontinued. I like this primer, but not for the colour correcting aspect. I don't really find that the tint makes a difference to how my skin looks, especially after foundation. It's a good smoothing product, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for a good oil controlling primer. It feels thicker than the Hourglass primer, but thinner than MAC's.

Rating: 3/5

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser - £7.99

Last but not least, is the cheapest of the lot. I'd compare this primer to MAC's. To me, they are almost identical! MAC's is possibly slightly more mattifying, but they feel very similar in texture. I wouldn't call this a lightweight primer like the packaging suggests, but it does help with makeup application. Definitely worth it for the price!

Rating: 4/5

If you have any suggestions for good primers, please leave me a comment!

Bee x