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All the products I review are products I have tested and tried myself. I merely give my personal opinion and, although I try to be neutral and impartial, I do not claim to be an expert in any of the matters and products I review. For any questions, requests or to supply a product for reviewing please email me at rachel_wiccan@hotmail.com

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Vettelicious Gosh Giveaway!

Hello,
Yet another giveaway!
I'm been for this item for soooooooooooo long and now it pops up in a giveaway!
Well I never win but I just had to try!
Here it is, please look it up:
http://vettelicious.com/?p=235

Have fun!
Raven

Love Makeup's First Giveaway

Hello Everyone,
Love Makeup (Safira) is having an amazing giveaway!
I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS GIVEAWAY!
I SOOOOOOO WANT TO WIN! So very very very much! But as you all know I never win...anything. xP
But I'm still going to try my luck at this.
Anyone who wants in on this great prize, just follow this link:
http://lovemakeup-safira.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-fisrt-giveaway-enter-now.html?spref=bl

Have fun & Good Luck!
Rav

Sunday, June 19, 2011

ELF Product Review II

Hello Everybody,
Here’s yet another ELF review! Remember, I give products a 10 start rating.
Today I will be reviewing the following ELF products:
-Mineral Lipstick (in “Cheerful Cherry”, and “Natural Nymph”)
-Professional Shine Eraser
-Mineral Foundation (in “Light”)
-Studio Concealer Pencil & Brush (in “Light”)
-Eyelid Primer

 Mineral Lipstick ("Cheerful Cherry" and "Natural Nymph")
You can find it here.



"Now you can hydrate your lips and get a lasting soft color naturally! This nourishing blend of exotic oils, natural waxes, vitamins and plant extracts create the perfect moisturizing formula. The sleek lipstick has superior color payoff, glides easily onto lips, and is long wearing. Lips stay perfectly hydrated and soft throughout the day for no fuss, lip loving happiness. All our mineral makeup is 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes.
ELF UK website


 
I’ve been looking for the perfect red lipstick for a long time and with ELF I found TWO perfect reds I just love, both in a cold hue (I’ll talk about that one later) and in a warm hue.
It’s the warm red I’ll start with- “Cheerful Cherry”, a deep red with a golden shimmer from the ELF Mineral Line. This lipstick is absolutely AMAZING, it’s smooth and moisturizing and just feels as comfy as silk on your lips and the color, when used  properly, lasts and lasts and is simply gorgeous.
Pros: Very creamy and smooth, chemical free and all natural/mineral, beautiful color, fairly long lasting, doesn’t smudge much, great price for its quality.
Cons: Terribly misleading color swatch on the website but the lipstick itself is flawless but could use a little extra staying power.

I would very much recommend, it’s so worth it. 9 Stars.

Now onto the second color- “Natural Nymph”. Like the reds, I’ve also been seeking a perfect nude for quite a while and this color works beautifully as a nude for fair skinned women or as a simple matte pastel color for darker toned ladies. It’s not quite the pinkish nude the site describes it as, in fact it’s more of a natural flesh colored nude with a gentle pastel pink tint.
Like all mineral lipsticks it’s very comfortable and smooth and gives my lips a 5 star treatment.
Pros: Very creamy and smooth, chemical free and all natural/mineral, beautiful color, fairly long lasting, doesn’t smudge much, great price for its quality.
Color: Not quite what the site swatch shows but still fairly well described, it’s needs a bit more staying power though, but a lip primer can save that, it's a bit too light.

If you want matte nude perfect lipstick then this is for you. 9 Stars.


Natural Nymph
 
Cheerful Cherry

For comparison purposes here is "Royal Red",
also from elf's mineral line (will review it later).

Professional Shine Eraser
You can find it here.


" These amazing little sheets instantly absorb oil, minimize pores and mattify shiny skin. Woven texture eradicates shine and keeps skin matte for hours. Green Tea Extract helps re-texturize skin, masking facial imperfections. Travel pack fits neatly in your bag or pocket for on-the-go touch-ups. Contains: 50 sheets.”
ELF UK website

Ever since I found out about shine erasers and rice paper I’ve fallen in love with them, specially because of my oily forehead and nose, but the prices always frustrated me, so when I found ELF’s professional shine eraser I went crazy.
It really does do what it promises. Just be sure to pat it over the skin (not drag it).

Pros: Erases shine, can be carried around everywhere, texturizes the skin and make up, absorbs excess oil, doesn't not ruin your make up, light, mattifies skin, helps disguise imperfections, the green tea extract is quite healthy giving a fresher look to the skin, and of course cheap.

Cons: None that I can tell as yet.

Will keep buying it, totally recommend it. 10 Stars.


Mineral Foundation (in "Light")
You can find it here.


" Our weightless mineral foundation will help get you on your way to healthier illuminating skin. All our powders blend naturally into the skin, and are so light that they work with your skin color to create a perfect color match. All of our foundations contain sun protection factor (spf) 15 and are 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes.”
ELF UK website


What to say about this little product…Well it’s decent and treats your skin kindly but the coverage could be a little better, you have to pack you quite a bit of product in layers to get a decent coverage and the powder could be thinner since it clumps a bit so you need a good brush and some skill to apply it.
Pros: Very good for the skin, provides healthier skin, absorbs oil keep the skin matte, decent colors, no chemicals since it’s fully natural, spf protection, blends well with most skin tones.
Cons: Clumpy product, needs a bit better coverage.
All in all it’s a good mineral foundation powder. 7 stars out of 10.


Studio Concealer Pencil & Brush (in "Light")
You can find it here.
" Conceal and heal your acne with on the spot treatment. The medicated formula has active Salicylic Acid & Tea Tree Oil to clear blemishes and reduce scarring. The soft taklon bristle brush aids in creating a natural looking coverage under or over makeup so blemishes disappear and your true beauty shines through.”
ELF UK website
This was a BRILLIANT idea. I’ve been looking for something like this for ages- a concealer that hides the blemishes without blocking the pores and making blemishes and acne worse.
I’ve been needing this for my forehead so it was a blessing to find it, it really solves a serious makeup problem. It also makes your skin feel fresh and healthier and heals blemishes and acne.
However, it tends to not work very well with other products such as some foundations and powders and the reason why is simple- it’s a thick product and cakes a bit when mixed with other  products specially powders so a lot of blending is required and some technique too.
Pros: Heals the skin, conceals blemishes, treats acne, reduces scarring, blends well.
Cons: Cakes with other products easily, is darker than expected by the swatches, needs a lighter tone for porcelain skin types, can’t be used under the eyes or around the mouth (created the need to have an extra product meaning it’s not completely versatile).

I do recommend it but ELF has some room to improve with this item. 7 out of 10 stars.


Eyelid Primer
You can find it here.
" Preps your eyelid for smoother, longer-lasting and crease-proof eyeshadow. The ultra sheer nude color works to increase eye color longevity. The lightweight liquid formula quickly absorbs into the skin for comfortable wear.”
ELF UK website

This primer is officially my favorite. ELF has a mineral infused eye primer too but I haven’t tested it yet since it’s a bit pricy and this one works well for me so I haven’t had to the need to try another one.
This product worked even better for me than homemade primer, Urban Decay primer and a few others and the price ratio also helps sweeten the deal.
It’s completely sheer, soft, delicate, smoothens the skin and dries quickly. The eyeshadows look quite intense and there’s no need to pack on too much since the primer helps it stay put.
Pros: Holds shadows all day long, shadows stay put and don’t smudge, intensifies the colors, grabs the colors quite well from the start, dries quickly but keeps the skin smooth, it’s sheer and works for every skin tone.
Cons: Haven’t found any yet.

I recommend this product, it’s in my ELF top 5 recommendations. 9 stars.

Well, that’s it for this review, I’ll update this post with my photos and swatches of the products very soon, very very soon (Updated ^__^)
Lots of love my dears,
Raven


ps-Forgive the sideways pictures, for some reason blogger won't let me put them up right.

ELF Product Review I

Hello Everybody,
I just couldn't wait to start my reviews so let's get to it. I give products a 10 start rating.
Today I will be reviewing the following ELF products:
-Brush Shampoo
-Mineral Booster
-Nail Polish (Glitter Glam)


Brush Shampoo
You can find it here.

"An anti-bacterial brush cleanser for thorough cleaning in-between makeup applications. Disinfects brushes to provide a fresh and clean application every time. Washes away traces of dirt, makeup, oil and debris from your brush while conditioning the hair to provide a clean and soft application for every use."
ELF UK website



Before I bought this I used a method that oil painters tend to use to clean their brushes- I mixed dishwasher and virgin olive oil. This cleaned my brushes and conditioned the bristles but it also took a while to dry, was messy and a wrong measure would result in greasy brushes, plus I use my brushes a lot so I needed to find something that would spare them and clean them well.
ELF brush shampoo proved to be a blessing.
Pros: Very foamy, nice packaging, cleans brushes very well while keeping them perfectly conditioned, doesn't require too much product to do a great job, it also doesn’t take long to dry and leave the brushes as good as new.
Cons: Given the Studio Line price I expected a bigger quantity or product, it would be much more beneficial, the nozzle could also be tweaked for better use but that is merely personal preference.

I would very much recommend this product and I will buying it again. 9 Stars.


 

Mineral Booster
You can find it here.

"Achieve the ultimate, translucent "photo finishing touch" to your makeup, our Mineral Booster melts into your skin, infusing it with key vitamins A, B and E to promote healthier skin that’s noticeably silkier and smoother. Completely sheer and ideal for all skin tones, Mineral Booster gently absorbs oil and minimizes the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and pores for a beautiful even finish. Wear alone or buff over our Mineral Concealer and Foundation to lend extra staying power and to achieve a professional and stunning porcelain matte look that will last all day."
ELF UK website

I had been using an old Martinique loose powder my mother got in South Africa and I truly LOVED it but since it's a brand I can't find here I've been looking for a substitute and this little product caught my attention.
It doesn't quite achieve the 'photo finish touch' and may get cakey with heavy cream foundations or concealers but in general it is a brilliant product. It did make my skin visibly smoother and healthier, it does literally melt into the skin, it may be a little dry for people with dry skin but it works wonders in any other skin type specially oily and combination skin (such as my own), it's also a great setting powder that visibly improved my complexion over time
.
Pros: Makes skin smoother, healthier and silky, absorbs oil wonderfully, great setting powder, great product intake for its price, 100% natural chemical-free mineral powder, minimizes pores, lasts a  long time.
Cons: Not exactly photo finish, clashes a bit with thick skin products but proper blending helps, it could be powdered into a finer dust for better results.

I recommend this product and I will buy it again but it's still not what I consider perfect. 8 Stars.



Nail Polish -Glitter Glam
Number 5 here.

"This color-lock formula with chip resistant shield gives long lasting nail color with high shine. The aerodynamic bristle design glides color on flawlessly, while the quick dry formula gives perfect application every time. Key nutrients give nails that natural shine, infused with Vitamin E for stronger, healthier nails.
Our formula is FREE of: Toluene, Formaldehyde, and Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP).
"

ELF UK website



This was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a metallic silver glitter nail polish with full coverage and that wouldn't chip easily and this worked well. It requires two coats for a full metal coverage but that's no problem because it dries fast plus if you want low glitter coverage to match up with other nail polish colors then one coat works great.
Pros: Good coverage, fast drying, bright color, lasts long, chip resistant, doesn't dry the nails out or damage them too much.
Cons: Tends to dry out a bit in hot weather getting a bit too thick and sticky so it should be stored in cool areas.

I recommend it and will buy it again. 9 Stars.


That's all for now. I'll review many more ELF products soon.
Stay tuned.
Yours truly,
Raven

Monday, June 13, 2011

Beauty Reflections Celebration Giveaway

Hi again!!!
And yet ANOTHER giveaway to share! But this one is AWSOME! I love canadian products but they are so hard to get here in portugal...
Anyway, here is the link: http://www.beauty-reflections.com/2011/05/its-time-350-subscriber-celebration.html

Have fun dears!
Good luck,
Rav

Sara Hassan's Blog 1st Year Anniversary Giveaway

Hi!
I'm so late with this! But here it goes:
http://sarahassansblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-1st-blog-anniversary-giveaway.html


HAPPY 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

PurRceptive VixXen's "Hell of It" Giveaway

Hi there!
And yet another giveaway since this month I'm in the mood to share these little gems.



This one is pretty good, to win a wide array of prizes just follow the instructions here:
http://purrceptivevixxen.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-hell-of-it-giveaway.html

Good Luck everyone!
Love,
Rav

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Shabby Makeup's Bokeh Face Giveaway

Hey everyone!
Here's another amazing giveaway by our dear Shabby Makeup!
Just follow the instructions here: http://shabbymakeupandmore.blogspot.com/2011/05/shabby-makeups-bokeh-face-giveaway.html

Have fun and GOOD LUCK!

Love,
Rav

Summer Giveaway by Make-up World!!!!

Hi guys!
I'd like to tell you all about Make-up World's amazing Summer Giveaway! It's an e.l.f. + Costal Scents prize, so go to her blog and follow the instructions to enter the giveaway!
Here's the link: http://tumble-one.blogspot.com/2011/06/summer-giveaway.html

Have fun!!!

Love,
Rav