ELF High Definition Powder in Translucent *Review*

 

The ELF High Definition Loose Powder is a white silca powder meant for setting foundation and creating a HD base. It retails for £6 on the ELF website, and is hyped up as a dupe for the Makeup Forever HD Powder.

 
The packaging is really chunky, and quite impractical. The black is really nice and sleek, and the shape is interesting and something quite unique but it's not something you can throw in your bag and it doesn't travel well. 



The puff is a nice addition, and it helps keep the powder from flying every where if you keep it in the jar. It does get horribly dirty if you use it to set foundation, and does look gross but it's decent quality, and works if you don't have a brush. I preferred to use the real techniques buffing brush or powder brush with the powder though. 



The powder is really nice. It sets foundation really nicely, knocking out the shine and keeping the liquid in place. It is translucent, at least on my skin tone, and doesn't leave a white cast. I haven't tested it with flash photography, so I can't tell you anything about flash back. It lasted such a long time, like most loose powders, and because it's a nice finely milled powder it doesn't cake up foundation to easily. 

Overall, I think the ELF HD Powder is so worth it. I would say try it if you want something that keeps foundation in place, gives you a more perfected look and it is really affordable.

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Empties #3.5 | Makeup I've Used Up Part 2

So, I didn't plan to split this post up but after I saw the length of the post if I kept it one I knew I had to split it up so welcome to part 2 of my empties, featuring the makeup I've used up.  You can check out part 1 here. 

Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder in Fair, £7.99, link

This isn't totally gone but it's nearly there. I think I'm going to give up on it now and just got buy another one. I love this powder. It feels creamy, blends really nicely, gives a good amount of shine control and offers a little coverage. I haven't got a new one yet because I cannot find the shade "Fair". All the stores near me have light, medium and dark which are far to dark for my skin tone. 

MUA Eyeshadow in Pearl Shade 1, £1, link

I love this shade and have repurchased this already. In fact I have two now. The light creamy colour makes it perfect for a number of things. I love using this all over the lid for a bright eyed look and it also worked great a brow bone and inner corner highlight. The fact it's off white or creamy in colour makes it bright and highlighting but it's not as harsh and white. I have also used this very lightly and a face highlight for a super intense highlight. 

Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna, £26, link

I love this bronzer, and I'm sure you've all heard about it before. It's a nice non orange and non muddy bronzer that you can use to warm up the skin or to contour with. It does have a little shimmer in there but it doesn't look shimmery on the skin it just gives it a nice "glow" quality. I like that it doesn't totally mattify the skin, because I don't like that look. I will repurchase this at some point, but I've found a bronzer for £1 that I'm in love with so I think I'll stick with that for a while. (You can read about my bargain bronzers here) 

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Golden, £5.50, Discontinued

I really loved this cream blush because it was subtle and gave the skin a nice dewy quality. The shade was stunning, neutral mauve with golden shimmer, and the texture was great. Sadly, this isn't finished it just dried up on me. I still is a little emollient but it's formed a dry layer over the top so I know it's time for it to go. I will repurchase cream blushes from NYX but sadly this shade is no longer available. 

MAC Lipstick in To Catch A Sailor, £15, Limited Edition

I must confess I didn't use this up, it actually broke and I gave up trying to fix it to use it again. It wasn't the best shade, I must admit (it was a frost bronze shade) so I don't think I would have used it. I wouldn't buy this again, but I love a good MAC lipstick so I would buy other shades.  

Eylure Lashfix Glue, £2.75, link

This isn't finished, it's just gone off. It stinks, is gloopy and just all around needs to go in the bin. I didn't like it that much, and prefer the Revlon lash glue so I would just buy that. 

NYX Round Lipstick in Narcissus, £4, link

I liked this lipstick but I wouldn't repurchase this. I used it while I had it, really liked the colour and liked that it was creamy but it was super messy.  It was just to creamy, broke a little and ended up all over the tube. Also, the end (which showcased the colour) fell of and it now lurking in my house somewhere. The creaminess also meant that it didn't wear all that long on the lips. 

Collection Primed and Ready Face Primer, £5.99, link

I liked this primer and would repurchase if I need a bargain primer. I loved the texture (silicone) and I liked that it was a clear primer. It helped "fill in" pores, smooth the skin and gave my foundation to stick to when I put it on. 

ELF Studio Lip Liner and Blend Brush in Nude Pink, £3.75, link

I loved this liner. It was cheap, good quality and went with quite a few lipsticks I owed. It kept lipstick from feathering and made it last longer than it normally would. I liked that I didn't need a sharpener and would totally repurchase this shade and more when I make and ELF order. 

MAC Brow Pencil in Fling, £13, link

I loved this brow pencil, but I don't think I would repurchase this simply because I have found brow products for a fraction of the price that work just as well. I loved the colour, perfect for the light haired girls out there. The pencil wasn't waxy or anything like that and it really helped create a defined, natural looking brow. 

Sleek Eau La La Liner in White Noise, £4.99, link

I love Sleek liners but they dry up quite quickly. I think I would have gotten through this if I used it everyday but because I have so many liners this one was rejected for a little while and when I went to use it the once creamy liner was all dried up and unusable. 

Maybelline Master Drama Kohl Liner in Charcoal Grey, £4.49, link

This Maybelline liner has a similar story to the Sleek liner, but it was my fault. I think I left the cap off and the really creamy lead dried up and fell out of the pencil casing. I loved the liner before that though, and I've repurchased it in black. It lasted a long time and went on really well. 

Collection Eye Brow Definer in Blonde, £2.79, link

The Collection brow definers are great products for those who want a waxy pencil that can give definition and help tame unruly brows. It's best used with a light hand, because a heavier hand can make it look really waxy and unnatural. I like it while I used it, and the ashy tone was something I seldom find on the high street. 

Sleek Eau La La Liner in Tonic, £4.99, link

This gorgeous green liner has the same untimely ending as the white noise shade. It dried up and I wouldn't repurchase it because they dried up quicker than I would like. 

Collection Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner in Black, £2.99, link

I enjoyed this liner but I don't think I would repurchase it, simply because I cannot deal with felt tip liners. I don't know how people say they are easier because I would much rather get a traditional liquid liner or gel liner to get a nice liner look. The colour was nice, quite black and when I managed to make it look okay it lasted really well. 

You can also check out my previous empties: 

Empties #1 link

Empties #2 link

Empties #3 Part 1 link 

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Empties #3 | Makeup I've Used Up Part 1

This post is going to focus on Makeup that I've used up. I don't often use up a full product because I have too much makeup and try and switch it out. That might give you some idea of how long I've been saving these products because there is quite a lot of makeup here.  I won't say too much on each because I don't want you to feel like your reading a novel but I'll let you know if I would repurchase and link up any reviews I might have done. 

MeMeMe Flawless Cream Foundation in Blushing Beige, £12.50, link 

I got this free with an order I made with MeMeMe ages ago and didn't expect to love it but I really did. The shade was a little dark for me, but for something that was free it was a pretty decent match. I would repurchase this but it seems like MeMeMe is no longer stocked in the UK and online they only have darker shades. 

MAC Select SPF15 Foundation in NC20, Discontinued. 

I picked this up in a blog sale ages a go as a way of trying out some MAC foundations without the huge price tag. I think this was 3/4 full and only cost me £5. The colour was great, though I prefer NC15 and I really enjoyed the foundation. It's a shame this is discontinued because I would have repurchased but I might try something similar if anyone has any suggestions?  

MUA BB Cream in Light, £4, link

I brought this when everyone was jumping on the BB cream band wagon. I wanted to find a cheap BB cream that actually offered what I wanted but I soon learnt BB creams, no matter what the price, were not for me. This was a very thick BB cream which I found harder to blend that I thought it should have been. The colour was very nice though so I watered it down with a little more moisturizer and used it as a tinted primer

Sleek Be Beautiful Blemish Balm in Fair, £8.99, link

I really liked this BB cream but it was more of a foundation that BB cream. It offered light but buildable coverage, and didn't have the light effect other BB creams have. It wore quite well, and was perfect paired with a simple pressed powder. I used it on days when I was just popping out to the shops or felt like I was having a good skin day. I wouldn't repurchase because I've found other things that work better for me but for people with a light skin tone that want a light coverage foundation this is for you. 

Maybelline  Dream Fresh BB Cream in Light, £7.99, link

This is my all time favourite BB cream, and I have repurchased it. It offers a nice light coverage, blurs imperfections and sits on the skin nicely. The colour is perfect and I find I can use this two ways. I really like using it as a primer under foundation to make it stick and to alleviate the need for layering up foundation that can cake up. I also like using it alone, with some concealer and a powder with a little coverage.  

A while a go I brought a little sample pack thing on eBay and I finally worked my way though some of them. The only one I didn't get off eBay was the Max Factor sample, which came in a little kit you sometimes get free when you buy something from Max Factor.

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer, £6.99 full size, link

I liked this because it was just a basic primer that worked. It feels like the Laura Mercier primer on the skin, but is just a little less "priming" than that. It did make my makeup last long and gave it a slightly smoother base but the Laura Mercier option makes my make up last until I take it off.  

Max Factor Lasting Performance Foundation in Natural Beige, £9.99 full size, link

I didn't enjoy this all that much but mostly because of the colour. It seems that when you get free gifts and it includes foundation or concealer they assume everyone is tan. Not the case Max Factor, but I did try this out and mix it with some super pale foundations to use it up. It was okay, but I wouldn't repurchase it in the full size.  

Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Gel Foundation in Ivory, £6.99 full size, link

I really liked this foundation and am pretty gutted it's been discontinued. It was a nice texture, had a decent coverage and it lasted pretty well. It was nice on my dry skin, and the gel texture made it great on drier patches and it felt more hydrating. 

Rimmel Match Perfection Liquid Foundation in Light Porcelain, £6.99 full size, link

I have purchased this in it's full size. I love that the colour is actually a match for me, and the coverage is great for everyday wear. It's not going to hide everything, which I sometimes like, it does even out the skin tone. It helps blurs the appearance of pores and blemishes. It offers a light to medium coverage and is buildable. The finish is nice and natural, and it doesn't cling to dry patches. 

 

Rimmel BB Cream in Light, £6.99 full size, link

I like this BB cream, but I wouldn't repurchase this shade. I might look into the Very Light shade that has been released recently, but I think the matte bb cream might be more for me. I don't love matte finish things on my face but this is crazy shiny so I had to pile on powder to knock out the shine. It was okay, but there are better bb creams about. 

 

Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Foundation in Ivory, £8.99 full size, link

I like this but I don't love it. I found the matte finish a little to much for my dry skin .If I was having a good skin day or used a crazy intense moisturizer then this worked for me but not all the time. The colour was nice, and the staying powder was lovely. I have purchased a super stay foundation but it is the newer option which isn't as matte but lasts super long on the skin. 

Part two will be up Friday because, while I wanted this to be one post I know that nobody wants to be reading a novel on my garbage. Check it out here! 

You can also check out my previous empties: 

Empties #1 link

Empties #2 link

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The Hunger Games | Katniss Everdeen and Effie Trinket Make Up Looks

If you have ever noticed anything about The Hunger Games phenomenon, you must have seen the fabulous makeup on some of the characters. The eccentric looks that the people of The Capitol wear are just bright, pretty insane but beautiful. The makeup on the people from the Districts like Katniss Everdeen, The Girl on Fire is just as beautiful but slightly more wearble. 

MAC products are the commonly used by makeup artists because of the brilliant range of colours and products they offer and the brand was popular with the makeup artists on the set of the hunger games. 

Effie Trinket, who wears amazingly pale skin, blue lips and pink eyes in the movie, wore MAC Full Coverage foundation in NW10 to achieve the pale skin, and MAC blush in Pink Swoon helped add a little life back into her face.  On her lips she wore an OCC Lip Tar in Butch which is a light blue colour. Here eyes are a combination of many colours but a main focus in the look shown above is a MAC pigment in the shade Full Force Violet. 

I wouldn't suggest wearing this out in the street, you might get a few weird looks but for fancy dress parties you can try and pull off the Effie Trinket look just as well as Elizabeth Banks does in the movie. Just don't forget the funky hair and clothes to alongside your pale face. 

Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence is a 'commoner' in the movie and opts for less eccentric looks, even when being the centre of attention on Capitol TV. The Girl on Fire makeup was created with a simple mix of neutral MAC eyeshadows like Smut, All That Glitters and Free on the eyes, while using MAC Blot powder on the skin to create a matte appearance in all the right places.  

The Studio Finish concealer was another popular product used in the movie. The shades varied from Actor to Actor but the creamy concealer was used on the face of the actors to concealer any blemishes on the skin that the camera didn't want to see.

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