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The ELF Camo Liquid Blush Review + Swatches - Comin' In Hot Pink, Peach Perfect, Pinky Promise & Suave Mauve

Friday 29 March 2024

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 Beauty companies are throwing caution to the wind, and deciding, heck, let's just copy each other, it'll be fine. We see more and more dupes from high end and drugstore brands every week, when once upon a time it was really only Makeup Revolution that was coming up with dupes. Back then, people would get so annoyed with Makeup Revolution for not releasing their own creations, and instead 'copying' everyone else, but nowadays consumers don't seem to care that brands are ripping off other brands, because at the end of the day, we all want to save much-needed pennies where we can. Rare Beauty revolutionised the beauty market when it released the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, they were sold out everywhere and you couldn't get them for love nor money, and so ELF decided to cash in from that and release their own version, the ELF Camo Liquid Blush, which of course I had to try...

The ELF Camo Liquid Blush retails at £7.00 for 4ml, compared to Rare Beauty's Soft Pinch Liquid Blush which retails at £22.00 for 7.5ml, so there is definitely a big price difference there, even if you are getting less product, but if you have tried this kind of liquid blush before, you will know that you only need the tiniest amount, so size isn't an issue here. As with the majority of ELF products, the packaging is basic and simple, but that's fine by me - it is nice to have beautiful packaging, but not if you are paying a premium for it. The applicator is an odd little thing, and one I haven't come across before - kind of shaped like a mini bee hive, but it allows you to place a dot of product on each cheek easily and precisely. LESS IS MORE with these liquid blushes, you literally need the smallest dot, and then you can either blend it out with your fingertips, brush or sponge.

There are nine shades available, (why not make it an even 10?), in hues of orange, pink, peaches and nudes. I started off by ordering two (as I have mentioned before I have to do a lot of my shopping online as I live a 2 hour round trip journey from anywhere that has a decent beauty-selling shop - eurgh), but then I kept seeing swatches online and had to order another two naturally. I went with Comin' in Hot Pink, a true hot Barbie pink, Peach Perfect, a pale nude peach, Pinky Promise, a coral pink, and Suave Mauve, a mauve shade obvs. When you look at the Blush under a light, you can see they all have tiny flecks of sparkle running throughout them, but don't fear, you don't look like you have glitter on your cheeks, it just helps to make your complexion look healthy.

The formula blends out really easily, and I actually prefer them to the Rare Beauty versions, only because with the Rare Beauty one it is too easy to apply too much, but with this you don't have to think about it, and I am all for an easy makeup life. They are very comfortable and weightless on the skin, and once dried down they don't budge or smudge, with a hydrating formula that doesn't dry out the skin. I love these, I would definitely recommend and you could even double up their use by applying them on the lips as well for a monochrome look. Maybe even the eyelids too!

You can find the ELF Camo Liquid Blushes online at Beauty Bay here.


All the Loves,
Kathryn x

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The NYX Ultimate Vintage Jean Baby Eyeshadow Palette Review + Swatches

Wednesday 27 March 2024

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 I had looked at the NYX Ultimate Vintage Jean Baby Eyeshadow Palette a couple of times instore at Boots, and kept putting it back because I knew I didn't need anymore eyeshadow palettes, and would I really wear a blue eyeshadow palette? But after going through my eyeshadow palettes, I realised I had lots of bold, bright colours, a lot of glitter and shimmer, but not many everyday palettes, and whilst this does have a few blue shades in there, they are very wearable, and the palette as a whole is an absolute hidden gem for everyday and occasion wear.

I love that the NYX Ultimate Vintage Jean Baby Eyeshadow Palette has simple packaging, so you can see through the lid when browsing through your palettes, and the cute denim jean pockets embossed on some of the shades is so sweet. There are 16 shadows included in this palette for £15.99, so excellent value, and there are some other fabulous colour options to choose from. The pans are not large, but who these days even needs huge eyeshadow palettes? Plus, this is a great option if you travel a lot.

I really enjoy the mix of textures and colours - there's a shimmery white (perfect for the inner corners of the eye), a cream matte, light, medium and dark browns, a matte peach, grey matte, shimmery and metallic greys and blues, all of which are great on their own or paired with other colours or textures within the palette. The darker shades would also be great to use for eyeliner, by wetting an eyeliner brush and then dipping it into the pan, or using dry. 

I have had a great deal of use out of this palette since I bought it, and I think that's because you can create something simple or something fancy, and you don't really need to think about it. I have not seen anyone else online talk about this palette, and I can imagine it gets overlooked - I myself did just that a couple of times, but I am so glad I picked it up. I get very little to no fall out when applying the eyeshadows, and they are very well pigmented, so little work is required to get a fabulous eye look. I have a quite sensitive eye area, and I don't find this formula drying, nor does it irritate my skin or eyes, and because the pigment is great and not dry, I don't have to go in heavy with pressure on the delicate eye area. I feel like most people need this in their makeup kits, and will get a lot of use from it.

You can find the NYX Ultimate Vintage Jean Baby Eyeshadow Palette online at Boots here.


All the Loves,
Kathryn x

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The One/Size Fantasize Mascara and Point Made Eyeliner Review + Swatches

Monday 25 March 2024

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 I am a huge fan of One/Size Beauty, everything I have used of theirs works really well, and for the current market, they aren't overly expensive either. I wanted to try their Mascara, as I love trying out new mascaras, and due to festive sales, it was cheaper to get this duo than buy the Mascara separately, and so you get both the One/Size Fantasize Mascara and the One/Size Point Made Eyeliner included. This set is no longer available, but you can of course buy the products separately.

Patrick Starrr has done such a good job with his brand - the packaging is so cute with smileys, products are innovative, and as I just said, his products work. I am super hard to please when it comes to beauty products, because I have tried a lot, and I am continuously trying a lot, and things aren't cheap anymore, so if you are spending a lot of money on something, you want it to work and I have never been disappointed with any of the products I have tried so far.

I'm not a huge fan of liquid eyeliners, because I have hooded lids, so they are something I rarely use, but as I mentioned, it was cheaper to get the set in the sale as it was the Mascara individually and I love to try things to share my thoughts with you. The One/Size Point Made Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Pen (£19.00 for 1.2g) comes in the brand's signature red packaging and has a felt tip applicator that tapers off to a super fine tip for precise application. It has a comfort grip, and the felt tip glides smoothly and easily along the lash line. The formula is cruelty and gluten-free as well as being free of nasties including parabens, oxybenzone, formaldehydes and more. You don't need to apply any pressure as it glides so easily onto the lids, and it dries down fairly quickly, so once set, it doesn't budge or smudge. It states that it is waterproof - thankfully I didn't need to cry whilst wearing it so I cannot comment on that, but it didn't bleed into any lines, and was very easy to use even for a novice like me. As I mentioned, I haven't tried a gazillion liquid eyeliners, as my eyelids don't allow it, so I don't have a whole lot to compare it to, but it stayed in place, was comfortable to wear - didn't irritate my sensitive eyes, and the narrow tip made it easy to apply.

The One/Size Fantasize Mascara costs £25.00 for 13.2g, not super affordable, but not the most expensive Mascara by far. I love the fun, shiny red tube filled with smiley faces and it has a wand that features a rubber applicator which has lots of tiny short bristles on it, which are great for catching each and every lash, even the difficult and/or short ones. The six-pointed fan brush helps prevent breakage and adds length and volume to each lash, as well as giving them a slight curl. This is a lifting and lengthening mascara that is also smudgeproof, so you are not going to look like a panda later on in the day. One/Size states that it gives you up to 24 hours of flake-proof long wear, but I have never worn a mascara for that long, and hope never to have to, but it definitely stayed on my lashes all day without flaking or moving. It has rich black pigment, which I wanted to mention, because another black mascara I recently tried was quite a light black, almost charcoal. This formula isn't drying, nor is it super wet, which for me is perfect, as I find that this kind of mascara always tends to coat the lashes really well without them drooping, keeping them upwards and lifted. The Mascara includes ingredients such as Castor Seed Oil to nourish and thicken lashes, Coconut Oil to soften and strengthen and Argan Oil which is great for conditioning the lashes, so it is not just an instant result you are getting with this product, you are also getting nourished lashes with continued wear. For reference, I have quite short, fine, fair, straight lashes and I find that I only need to apply 2-3 coats to get excellent results, and it builds easily too, so doesn't become clumpy. Another winner for me from One/Size!

You can find the One/Size Point Made Eyeliner online here, and the One/Size Fantasize Mascara online here.


If you would like to check out more One/Size reviews, you can find my One/Size Primers review here.


All the Loves,
Kathryn x

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