Beauty Product Reviews

The perfect peachy-bronze

I'm an NC30 and I'd been looking for a tawny-peach blusher/bronzer to add some natural colour on my cheeks. I browsed MAC and NARS, but I just couldn't find the right shade - either too pink, too brown, too orange or too shimmery. I spotted this bronzer in Natural Bronze - matte, half peach and half deep brown - on my way through Boots and bought it on the spot. Blended, it's perfect for adding some natural shading to my cheeks, or used separately, it's great for contouring. I'll use this for a natural look during the daytime and as an alternative to blush when I wear a red lip. I love it :)

Budge-proof - and then some!

This eyeliner is incredible - I still can't believe that any product in a creamy pencil form is as smudge-proof as this. If you want to blend, you better work quickly because it'll set in a SECOND! That's OK for the eyeliner, but less ideal for the shadow end - it results in lots of tugging around the delicate eye area, which I'm never a fan of. Still, the colours are pretty and I love any eye makeup that doesn't need a primer to stay put. Note that because these are crayons, it's not easy to achieve a fine line. Also, if you use this on your waterline be sure to take extra care removing it thoroughly, with a q-tip if necessary - this stuff won't go easy and we don't want blocked tear ducts or follicles!

I'm a believer!

For someone who was constantly having to reapply lipstick (because I'm constantly eating/drinking...) this has really made a difference. It's improved the staying power of my lipstick without drying out my lips, like some other similar products, which is a big deal because my lips are prone to dryness. I'll look out for a cheaper alternative but until I find it, I'll repurchase this.

Perfect for light coverage

I haven't tried any other stipple brushes, but based on the other reviews it sounds like the e.l.f. version lacks density for achieving a good finish. I don't like a heavy finish though, so I'm perfectly happy with this. In my opinion, stipple brushes aren't for quick application - I blend my foundation thoroughly, until there is very little product left on the brush.

I haven't used it for powder - the brushes do seem too sparse for anything other than liquid foundation. It blends creme and liquid products, including blush, decently. I've read some reviews complaining that the white part is hard to get clean, but I wash all my tools with the cleansing oil I use for my face and it cleans them up good as new. I only wish e.l.f. did this in a travel size for my makeup bag!

A facial in a compact

I fell in love with the finish of this foundation when the MUA applied it - my dull skin looked fresh and dewy, and NC30 was a perfect colour match. I was apprehensive, because the Mineralize Skinfinish Powder hadn't agreed with my skin, but without the bismuth oxychloride it was fine. I wear this during the winter when my skin needs extra hydration - if I did carry it through to the summer, I'd have to add a powder over the top because 'dewy' might turn to 'shiny' pretty quickly!

This comes with a sponge, which I don't like applying it with - I don't get as even coverage as I do with a brush. I always apply this with a stipple brush which gives a natural coverage that perfectly complements the finish of the foundation.

Final word about the coverage - maybe because I don't apply it heavily, this doesn't last all day so it's worth using a primer. Otherwise, this is my go-to winter foundation for keeping my skin looking bright and hydrated even when it wants to be dull and dry.

Applies well, great color!

I've been after a plum-colored liner for a while, and picked this up on a whim because it was so cheap. I was a bit apprehensive because the last eyeliner pen I got ran EVERYWHERE, but this one is a lot better - I haven't tested how waterproof it is, but it's been pretty budge-proof so far :)

The color is much darker than I was expecting, but I really like it - it's a very deep purple, almost dark brown. I think it would complement any eye color so if you're looking for a natural-looking purple liner, definitely give this one a try!

Gentle and effective

I only started using this because I received a sample, and it's been so good that I've actually foregone my other toners in favor of this one. I have sensitive, blemish-prone skin and I like Mario Badescu products because the ingredients are typically minimal and natural so I know exactly what I'm using. This formulation is alcohol-free so it doesn't strip my skin, and the witch hazel has been more effective on my blackheads than anything else I've tried; the seaweed and aloe are gentle and nourishing so my face feels clean and soothed, but never dry or tight. I don't find the smell strong at all, in fact I like that it's not perfumed. Above all, my skin likes it, so it stays :)

Close to perfect!

This is my HG nail polish. I'm pretty bad at applying nail polish, and generally make a mess and ruin my manicure before it dries. I'd sadly resigned myself to the idea that I could never successfully do my own nails until I tried this polish - it makes doing my nails such a pleasure that I haven't been without it since!

The application is the stuff of dreams. The brush is just wide enough, with a curved end that snuggles perfectly up to cuticles for a mess-free application. The consistency of the polish is perfect, so it can be applied in thin coats and doesn't go tacky. The array of colors might be enough to attract you, like I was before I knew anything about the range and I bought a couple then and there. I first tried a pretty creamy-nude shade that I've been after forever ('Peachy Keen') and a super-fun bright Barbie-pink ('Pink I Can'). I've since gone back to buy 'Red Zin' and 'Pat on the Black' - a perfect deep red and almost-black purple. I'll definitely be going back for a few more.

The only problem, which loses it half a star, is its durability. It chips very quickly, so even though it's a 5-in-one (including base, treatment and top coat), I'm going to start using a separate top coat. It has so many benefits though that I'm not put off, even if I have to re-apply more regularly - because it's so easy!

I loved it - my skin didn't :(

This powder looks lovely on and I'm so disappointed I've had to stop wearing it. I realized only after I bought it that it contains bismuth oxychloride, which is a known skin irritant, but I liked the finish so much I decided to power through and hope I wouldn't be affected. For the first month my skin broke out in lots of little bumps, which I could live with, but now it's gone full-blown cystic so I've had to call it a day. I might try again in cooler weather and hope for the best.

Sleep in a tube!

This does what Clinique's All About Eyes Serum wishes it did, and it contains that magic ingredient coveted by puffy-eyed girls like me: the live yeast-cell derivative that is the active ingredient in hemorroid cream.

Every morning, I love applying this to my bleary eyes and feeling it do its work. It brightens and tightens the skin around the eyes, so one minute I'll look and feel half-asleep, and the next I'll be bright-eyed and ready to face the day. I don't find this hydrating enough to use on its own, so I always follow it with a richer eye cream - but its effects are so good that I'm never without a tube.

Note, the serum's iridescent finish only illuminates the eye are and probably won't treat dark circles themselves. On applying, the serum needs patting in otherwise it'll leave a blue snail-trail around your eyes that has been unpopular with many reviewers - but once blended in, its brightening effect works a treat.