e.l.f Mineral Blushes Review

e.l.f states:  Create a subtle color definition to your cheeks that will add radiance and a glow, for a healthy look you can see. All our blushes are 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes

Hey Hey Everyone hope you all are well......Today I am Review e.l.f's Mineral Blushes i got from eyelipsface.co.uk.  There are 7 shades to choose from some are matte and some are shimmery...They cost £3.50/$3/€4 each ...........Now i Love my pinks, peaches and corals and this is exactly what i went for....I Purchased "Rose , Coral and Bliss"........ 
Now i will tell what the Website describes the shades as and then i will review them myself:
"Rose"(as Described by e.l.f) is a bright rosy pink 
"Coral"(as Described by e.l.f) is a peachy coral
"Bliss"(as described by e.l.f) is soft blushed pink

The Packaging

In each blush you are getting .12oz.  You are getting your blush in a little round plastic container with a black lid.  They are about double the size of the mineral eyeshadows so you have got enough space to fit your blush brush into......inside you are getting a plastic sifter with fairly biggish holes so your best best is to pierce holes in the seal that is over them so you will only get a small amount of product each time you use it.......with that or just peel the seal half way off the sifter......otherwise you will have a mess after all these are loose blushes so its to be expected........

The Product 

"Rose, Coral & Bliss"

"Rose"

Rose:  When i first saw this shade i had already fallen in love with it.......Its definitely my favourite shade it gives a beautiful rosy peachy flush look to your cheek....so unbelievably natural .........a little goes a long long way with this one........its very buildable so you can wear both day and night......I even pinched my face to see my natural blush look and its exactly the right match to my pinched cheeks lol.  

"Coral"

Coral:  Now as you will see by my swatches later this shade is quite light......Its very near my skin colour in fact at the minute its a bit lighter because i got a wee bit of sun.......Coral is a beautiful Matte Peach in fact its a very light peach....Again its buildable and if you want a natural glow to your cheeks this is the one to go for.....I cant imagine that this blush would be suitable for anyone darker than fair skin tough......If you are very fair this is perfect for you 

"Bliss"

Bliss:  I know what you are thinking....by looking at the photos of coral and bliss they look very familial right?? well believe it or not they are different shades :) This is a beautiful light peachy shade with a satin finish.......i love this its more noticable than coral but nearly only a little more pigmented.....this is a perfect day blush and gives you a beautiful natural flushed glow 

Swatches 

"Rose, Coral & Bliss" in Normal Light 

In Sunlight 

My overall opinion

I must admit it im shocked with these i genuinely didn't think they were going to be as good as they are!!!!!  The Studio Blushes from e.l.f are still my favourite but these are another of my favourites.....For the price you are paying for these we cant do much complaining....."Rose" is very pigmented especially the "Rose" blush but i would like to have seen the "Coral & Bliss" a little more pigment to be honest........These blushes are very easy to apply one sweep with your brush and you have an instant colour on your cheeks as i said "Coral & Bliss" are light in shade but still give you a fab glow.....Now the feel on these against your skin is lovely and silky smooth and long lasting i do admit it does need a top up half way through the day but again for the price im not complaining.....I will be purchasing the other shades for sure :) so keep an eye out for reviews on them :) :) 

Well thats it from me ladies....again if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask....I hope you found this review useful....

Until next time take care 

Lots of Irish hugs and Kisses 

Love 

Nina 

P.S I love reading your comments good or bad and if your have a blog post your address in with your comment and i will surely visit and follow you and i will always always make it my business to write you a comment back 

Catrice GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Closed

HEY HEY EVERYONE IM HAVING A CATRICE GIVEAWAY IN THANKS TO YOU ALL FOR FOLLOWING ME......I HAVE REACHED 100 FOLLOWERS ON MY BLOG AND 700 FRIENDS ON MY FACEBOOK REVIEW PAGE IM SO HAPPY I CANT BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AS I HAVE STATED ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE ALOT OF YOU CANT GET YOUR HANDS ON CATRICE COSMETICS AS ITS UNAVAILABLE IN ALOT OF COUNTRIES AND ALOT OF YOU HAVE BEEN ASKING ALOT ABOUT IT..........SO I HAVE A TREAT FOR YOU ALL 

MY GIVEAWAY IS €15 WORTH OF CATRICE COSMETICS OF YOUR CHOICE (you can choose whatever you want hae a look at my album on my facebook page to have an idea of what is available in my local shop and take a look at the Catrice website to see shades etc and i will point out the new range is now yet available in my store so to save disappointment im informing of you of that now)

THE RUNNER UP PRIZE IS 2 CATRICE NAIL POLISHES AND AN ITEM FROM E.L.F COSMETICS (that i have chosen myself) 

TO BE ENTERED IN THIS COMPETITION ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS ANSWER THE QUESTION ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE (CLICK HERE TO ADD ME AND VIEW)  AND YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY ENTERED BUT YOU MUST ANSWER THE QUESTION UNDER THE NOTES ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE :) 

COMPETITION ENDS ON WEDNESDAY 31ST AUGUST 

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE AND THIS IS OPEN TO EVERYONE INTERNATIONALLY ALSO THIS IS IN NO WAY A SPONSORED COMPETITION I AM PAYING FOR THIS OUT OF MY OWN MONEY AS A WAY OF SAYING THANKS TO YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT 

LOTS OF IRISH HUGS AND KISSES 

NINA CARRY 

XOXOXOXOX

e.l.f Flawless Finish Foundation Review

e.l.f states:  Achieve a flawless complexion with the silky smooth e.l.f. Studio Flawless Finish Foundation. The lightweight and oil-free formula blends in naturally for a beautiful semi-matte finish. This liquid foundation applies easily and lasts all day for visibly brighter and radiant looking skin. Using our Flawless Finish Foundation not only restores uneven skin textures and tones, but most importantly, the SPF 15 protects your skin against harmful sun damage!

£6.50/$6/€7

I would definately call myself e.l.f.co.uk very loyal customer as you all can guess reason been i have been buying all the time from them for a good year or more and ever since i started i always wondered when they were going to create their own foundation........after all they had and do have everything else but while i was waiting for this creation to arrive i was using the studio tinted moisturiser which i love ........Then......Finally in the summer they announced they had it in i was quick smart on the site to order :) ...........unfortunately when i ordered first i ordered "Buff"  thinking it would be perfect .....Wrong!!! shade too dark!!! So i had to wait a while more before i got my next order which i got "sand" so here they both are and here is my review on them .................

The Packaging 

I must admit i was quite shocked with this packaging.  

In this your are getting 0.8oz which is a wee bit smaller than your normal foundation which is normally about 1oz.........

Your also getting a pump dispenser which is great as it gives you control of how much product you want which means not wastage........its also more cleaner and more hygienic that way 

Whats best about these is they look more expensive than the price you have paid for them as you are getting a slightly frosted glass container for your foundation which mean no mess........The ld is also very secure because when you place it back on the bottle it *Clicks* so you know this is not going to fall off in your make up bag.......

The  Shades/Product

There is only 6 shades to choose from which is quite disappointing in some sense as there is alot of people out there with alot of different skin tones and types........

e.l.f should make more choices of shades i do find these shades are more on the neutral side.....there is no shades on the cold or warm side....thankfully these shades are ok for me but for anyone who is on the warm/cool side will find it hard to work with these.......

as i said i got my shade wrong the first time with "Buff" and had to buy a shade lighter which is "Sand"..I was sure this would do me but when i applied it was a shade too light so i mixed the two to get my perfect shade but that ment i spend £13 to get my proper shade ??????? see what i mean e.l.f really needs to make more shades.........

This foundation is medium to full coverage.....also when you apply it it feels very moisturising so if you suffer with dry skin you will find the benefits of this for sure....I dont care too much about the scent tough it kind of reminds me a little of sun lotion but it wears off after a while.....i have normal/dry skin and i personally found that this foundation was a little oily and the fact it says its oil free kind of shocked me....When i looked at the ingredients the first ingredient says Mineral oil???   Seeminly Mineral oil is good for you YES IF YOU TAKEN IT IN A MEDICINE FORM but not on your skin if you are prone to breaking out Mineral oil will make you break out!!!!!! Click here for information that i have found about Mineral Oil so you can make your own mind up .  Below im going to post a before and after picture of me wearing the foundation.  Dont Laugh at my before picture lol keep in mind im a full time mum of 5 young kiddies hahahahaha

As you can see it does give the flawless look but at what price ?????

I like the coverage it gives and for anyone who suffers alot from blemishes acne etc will benefit from this coverage but i have to say to me this is not my favourite foundation.  I just found it sticky and dont put powder over it unless you blot your face first.....otherwise you will end up with patches and and dry powder patches all over your face 

My overall opinion

To be honest i wont be purchasing this foundation again....I will use up the ones i have but i just doesnt tick the boxes for me....Its not all that bad...It can be suitable for alot of people but just not for me.......For the price its no harm trying it out yourself and at the moment eyeslipsface.co.uk is having a 50% off sale until monday 29th the Code is "CARNIVAL" so take advantage to try this foundation out for 1/2 price 

I am in no way recommending this foundation to anyone and i am not telling you not to buy it but if you are prone to breakouts or oily skin i would give this a miss to be honest.  Me???? I will be sticking to my current favourite foundation click here to read about it  I really hope this review was helpful to you and let me know what you think .  

Until next time girls

Take Care

Lots of Irish Hugs and Kisses

Nina Carry 

e.l.f Studio Single Eyeshadow Review

e.l.f states:  The beautiful soft texture melts into the skin for a vibrant color that lasts. Convenient and easy to apply, just layer the color to achieve the desired intensity. Apply wet or dry for a fabulous look that never creases or fades. 

I got all of these shadows on the 50% off on eyeslipsface.co.uk there is 10 shades to choose from i have a picture of 9 shades and unfortunately misplaced the 10th :( but hey i will definately purchase the last shade and post it up when i get it......These originally cost £3.50/$3/€4 each which is excellent for the amount of product you are getting....

The Packaging 

As you can see these eyeshadows look alot like the e.l.f Studio Blush packaging only half the size....the studio blush is  0.168oz (4.75g) and the eyeshadows are  0.097oz / 2.75g.  They are so cute i love the size of them....They have a small mirror inside them and the best thing about these shadows is if there is any fallout at all it does not stick to the packaging.  So no mess no fuss.  They are so handy to pop into your bag you could nearly carry all 10 shades and they wouldnt take up alot of space.....As for amount of product there is loads and you are guaranteed  that these are going to last you a long time.  

The Shades  

Butter Cream:  This is a nice creamy goldy shade with a bit of shimmer.....This is the least pigmented eyeshadow in the pack but it is buildable.....i use this as a highlight...This would be absolutely perfect for anyone who is medium to dark skinned who dont like using white highlights 

Wild Wheat:   This is a Very Light nude eyeshadow its almost invisible when swatched but dont be put off by that....Alot of people don't be happy with this but i am as its a great transistion---fading out from the crease to highlight.....its a perfect match to my skin tone....its not highly pigmented but its sheer that's why i like it 

Saddle:  This is a perfect mid-tone coppery/brown shade with a little shimmer.....a perfect neutral everyday eyeshadow....This is nicely pigmented and easy to use 

Amethyst:  This is one of my Favourites.....You wanna hear me trying to pronounce this lol its hilarious....anyway this is a beautiful mid-toned purple with light shimmer.....It is sheer and is lovely for everyday wear or build it up for night time look :) 

Raspberry Truffle:  Ok this is kind of a surprising eyeshadow in the pan it looks more of a burgundy brown shade with wine shimmer but after been applied its more muddy brown with dark purple undertone......This too is one of my favourites i love how highly pigmented this is.......I use this for a nice smokey eye look  

Coffee Bean:  A Bronzy brown with gold sparkles....... The sparkles dont show up when applied....This is a perfect crease shade ......This looks fab over primer and should be worn that way to show its true beauty the same with all the single eyeshadows from the studio line.....

Sand Dollar:  Well im sure i dont need to tell you that this is a perfect highlight shade and is my go to highlight.......This is a pure white shade and very pigmented to my surprise i do find it is a wee bit on the chalky side but you can work with it in fact its that pigmented you wouldnt need a primer......this is fab as a highlight above the cheek bones too....

Mystic Moss:   This is another Favourite of mine its a beautiful deep forest green with a slight shimmer to it....its highly pigmented and perfect for making my hazel eyes pop.....this too is a perfect crease shade love it!!!!

Charcoal:  I have noticed alot of people are disappointed by this Shade simply because they presume its a black but i think by the name of the product it shouldnt be disappointing because to me when i first read the name i presumed it was going to be a dark grey instead of black ........It is in fact a Dark Grey with Slight shimmer its beautiful and very pigmented i love this shade for a smokey eye look.

The Swatches 

"Butter Cream, Wild Wheat, Saddle, Amethyst, Raspberry Truffle, Coffee Bean, Sand Dollar, Mystic Moss & Charcoal" ***Click Image for closer view***

Swatches in Sunlight 

My overall opinion 

Well im going to be open and honest here im not one that would have high expectations when it comes to make-up or anything really and i had the "Judge a book by its cover" thing.....So i basically buy wait and see what i get if i get more than what i think im getting for the product HAPPY DAYS!!!! Im not one who is used to high branded make up wither so i cant compare but with these shadows i have to say i was expecting less than what i got...

I am not disappointed with any of these shadows in fact i love them if worn with primer they are not going to let you down at all......They are soft and creamy like shadows and very easy to work with....some of them are a bit powdery but i dont mind.......for the price of them they are worth having in your collection.......

I was actually disappointed there wasnt more shades to choose from but in fact The US Site has just got 5 more shades in :) i cant wait to get my hands on them 

Here is the 5 addition Single Eyeshadows i got From the US Site :) 

So in my video review i stated that these eyeshadows are only available on the US Site at the moment but hopefully they will arrive to the UK Site soon.  So Here is Pictures and Swatches of my 5 new shades :) :) 

Totally Teal:  This is so highly pigmented a little on the chalky side but doesnt make too much of a mess.  Its so smooth and soft to apply and a little goes a long way......Its not exactly a teal shade i would say this is more sky blue with  a little silver shimmer to it beautiful shade.  

Purple Passion:  This again is a little chalky but highly pigmented and the texture is so soft and creamy i love it.  Anyone who like purple shades will love this its a fab lilac purple with bearly there shimmer you wouldnt actually notice the shimmer.  I had to do about 3 swatches of this to come up on the photo so its not just as pigmented as "Totally Teal" but its builable. 

Sea Blue:  Wow this blue is sooooo pigmented this eyeshadow will last forever......blue doesnt really compliment eye colour but im in love with this shade......The colour is so deep i love it....This shade looks to have shimmer in the pan but when applied its almost matte :) : 

Oatmeal:  This is a sand light shade with a slight golden shimmer to it.....I couldnt show you a swatch on the video as it was a match to my skin tone but i did do a heavy swatch of it on my arm to show you what it looks like......It is a lovely shade and nice for everyday wear, also nice to blend with other neutral shades.....I found this very chalky i wouldnt purchase it again as i have so many eyeshadows that look like this shade.

Sunset:  Awwwwwww this shade is my new favourite its soooooo pretty........This is a beautiful orangy/coral shade with gold shimmer its fantastic.........Its so pigmented and looks fantastic in person......I highly recommend this shade :) 

Swatches :) 

Swatches in Normal Light

Swatches with Flash 

Swatches in sunlight 

Ok That it from my everyone until next time 

Cya Soon 

Dont forget to click follow 

Lots of Irish Hugs and Kisses 

Nina Carry 

xoxoxoxoxox

e.l.f Mineral line Bamboo Brushes

e.l.f claims:  This antibacterial Taklon bristled brush is 100% cruelty free, luxuriously soft and can be used with wet or dry products and is ideal for e.l.f. Natural Mineral Makeup. The natural and sustainable bamboo handle fits ergonomically in your hand for comfort and precise application. The recycled Ferrule is eco-friendly for guilt free beauty. Because beautifying yourself and the world is a beautiful thing!

This is my collection so far each one of these cost £5.50 each 

I was really excited when eyeslipsface.co.uk had a 50% off the Mineral Bamboo Brushes as i always wondered what they were like but i have to say they were the last on my list because they cost £5.50 each whereas the brushes from the regular line and studio line were cheaper so always went for them........so When e.l.f had the sale i went out of my way to stock up :) i also purchased the Mineral 4pc Bamboo set  

I have taken this picture from the e.l.f site as the picture of my set didn't turn out the way i wanted  but this is exactly the way it looks in person 

About the Brushes

Powder Brush:  This brush is the softest ive ever felt i love the feel of it on my skin.  Its incredible this is perfect for any powder.  This brush is bigger than the Studio Complexion brush its brilliant for apply finishing powder or the e.l.f HD powder.  I also use this for my blush this does shed and washes brilliantly.  I was worried about using this as a blush brush incase it would stain and not turn out the same but it does........I highly recommend this brush 

Flat eyeliner Brush :   This eyeliner brush is great a wee bit smaller than i expected the bristles a stiff yet soft and come in a straight line at the end.....Its great to get that perfect line with cream eyeliners and so easy to use the only thing i find is that it stains even after washing it but i dont mind....this would be perfect for the brows too im planning to buy another for that use also..

Foundation Brush:  Im in 2 minds about this one when it comes to using this for foundation i mean its ok but does leave streaks in which i have to use my fingers to blend out yet its great for concealer and cream blushes it gives a perfect finish i love it for that but foundation wise this doesnt work for me at all 

Smudge Brush:  This is another brush you could have in your collection and really make use of i use this for alot of different things, this is perfect for setting your eyeliner with shadow,  this is also perfect for smudging and also perfect for giving you the perfect defined cut crease look.....i love it 

All Over Eyeshadow Brush:  This is another favourite brush........This is a great brush for applying eyeshadow all over the lid evenly and mess free.......its nice and soft and picks up a nice amount of shadow......the only downfall i have is that its hard to clean even after washing if you use a dark shadow you cant get all the colour off.....thats why i save this for bright shades........and its a perfect brush for those on the hurry days when you have no time to blend blend blend thats how evenly this brush works. 

Angled Blush Brush:  This is a perfect contour brush for me for my bronzer but i think anyone who has a more rounder face it would be a bit small....now personally i wouldnt mind it been a bit bigger but as i said it does the job.....this is so mush better than the essentials one in which that one has shed so many times it looks like it took a trip to the hairdressers :) Can i just add these pictures are from the site the very top picture is my own its just my camera was playing up on me so i had no choice but to take these from the site my point is the in this picture the angled brush doesnt seem to look angled but it is trust me...........This is another brush i highly recommend 

4 Piece Bamboo Set 

I was even more excited to get this set as it normally costs £15/$10 but i got this half price also and this is what you get for this price:

• Complexion Brush
• Concealer Brush
• Blending Eye Brush
• Mini Kabuki Brush
• Brush Bag 

Complexion Brush:  This is perfect to apply mineral foundation.....It can also be used to set your makeup in which i use it for and you could also get away with using it as a blush brush so in all its a multitasking brush in which i love :) 

Concealer Brush:  To be honest this isnt what i would call a concealer brush its too thick for that and put it this way you will be concealing alot more than your blemishes......maybe it would work with powder concealer but certainly not liquid........i use this as a blending brush for my eyeshadows 

Blending Brush:  Ok i must admit ive heard alot of mixed reviews about this and almost made up my mind before i even got this that i wouldnt like it but in fact i love it......Maybe its all to do with your eye shape on weither it works for you or not but i have fair biggish eyes and its works brilliantly......This is perfect for applying and  blending eyeshadows at the crease leaving it nice and even.....its so light and easy to work with in fact it cleans brilliantly as well no staining at all 

Mini Kabuki Brush:  This has to be the cutest little brush ever lol i just love looking at it....its so tiny awwwww anyways you wanna know does it work??? well i suppose its ok for a wee setting your makeup brush or a wee travel blush brush but thats about it for me....its still so cute though :) 

In all so i think its worth buying this set? well if you travel alot yes this would be quite handy the fact i got this for half price im pretty happy about it but if i were to pay full price i would probably not buy it..... 

My overall opinion 

I am absolutely amazed my how soft these brushes are.  All of them are in brilliant condition as in when you wash them they just go back in place.  They don't shed whatsoever which means they are going to last you a long long time.  I love the look of them as they look more expensive than what they really are.  The only thing i find fault with them is they are hard to clean well most of them anyway but the bristles are cream so you have to expect that.   I do think they are worth buying but personally myself i will wait until another offer comes in before i stock up on my favourites again.  

Well thats it from me everyone let me know what you think.  I hope this was helpful to you all .

Until next time 

Lots of Irish Hugs and Kisses 

Nina Carry 

Primarks/Penneys New Autumn/Winter 2011 Clothing

Now who can tell me they dont like Primark/Penneys.....I know i love it and cant resist walking in to my local store to have a browse and always always end up walking back out with something.......if not from me (well i never ever come out with nothing for myself) but for my kids too....I just love the kiddies clothes in there im obsessed lol.......They just have everything you need and more for such cheap prices what more do you need......

Today im going to show you some of the Autumn/Winter collection for 2011........Primark/Penneys are always coming out with new trend clothing and most of the time there is always something for everyone so here im going to post up some photos of some of the new stock in see what you think :) 

I must admit im surprised with the bright colours i was expecting more medium to dark colours for the winter but i like the idea of keeping up the bright shades......im not (am) looking forward to going into do a nice shop hehe........ok on a personal note some of these trends wouldnt be appealing to me but others are :) the shoes and accessory look fabulous.....
So here im just going to post up some picture and you can be the budge of the latest new trends Primark/Penneys has come up with.......tell me what you think 

Alot of the style is inspired my the 60s 70s......What i have noticed is that the coats and jackets seem expensive for Primark/Penneys something from €60-€80 now they would want to be very good quality if you were to part with that sort of money especially  as its in the middle of the recession and times are heard also if we are going to have the bad Winter that is suppose to happen you will need a good quality warm jacket that is going to last all through the winter months ........

Check out this video i came across on Xpose about the penneys Coloured Stiletto's @€10 each happy days :) :) I want them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Xpose on TV3 on Penneys New Coloured Stilettos

These are €3 each :) 

These are €4 each 

New for the Autumn €19

Clutch Bag for €7

Cute Slouchy Bucket Bag  €11

€21

Pink Stiletto 

Platforms €15

Well Ladies im thinking there is something on this page that will catch your eye and make you march all the way to your local Primark/Penneys store.....i know there is a few things that have caught my eye doing this review hehe and if by chance i purchase anything else(which i know i will ) i will be sharing with you all :) :) YOU JUST GOTTA LOVE PENNEYS :) :) 

Thats it from me 

let me know what you think of this blog.....would you like me to keep this as a regular thing ???

Lots of Irish Hugs & Kisses 

Nina Carry 

xoxoxoxoxox