e.l.f. NYNY challenge no 3 - mineral makeup

Well - since am using MMU anyway - not much of a challenge for me. :) Anyone interested in reading more about the e.l.f.'s New Year New You challenges can look them up here. e.l.f. UK is building up a rather nice blog and they are working on swatches as well - very, very nice of them indeed :).

stuff used

The palette here is e.l.f. 32 piece eyeshadow palette in cool, brown tones are very nice and usable. Personal blend foundation kit offers 4 different tones, none are a perfect match for me: used Porcelain all over face and Beige for contouring under the cheekbones. Lips are simply Charming - from the Essential line.

For the eyes I went for the Brody Dalle messy brown smoky eye look - insanely great for blue eyes. Just rub the brown eyeshadow pencil in Coffee all over and around the eye, blend it out with your fingers and apply matte brown eyeshadow all over it - can't be any easier. I finally got one of those brow gel-thingies for myself as well - works nicely but I constantly forget to use it.

e.l.f. Studio flawless finish foundation in Porcelain: before and after

after

e.l.f. Studio Flawless Face foundation is a light to medium coverage foundation that's actually quite oily albeit promoted as an "oil free" one. It smells nice, meaning it almost has no scent whatsoever and leaves a rather glossy finish which gloriously accentuated all my pores. Needs a little going over with some powder otherwise unusable for the oilier faced girls. On the other hand this could be an HG foundation for anyone with dry skin who loves the fresh, dewy look.

Lets start with a "before":

nice squeaky clean, piggie-pink horseface :)

This product preforms better on the principle "less is more"- learned it the hard way. Since the foundation is darker then my skin tone, over-application gives horrible results. Packaging is a glass bottle and it looks rather good, feels more expensive then it actually is.

I was a bit surprised about it's size - seemed a tad small and it was also not filled up properly. Porcelain is the lightest color available - how can it be called porcelain if it's this yellow? Is it really that difficult to come up with a nice light and neutral toned foundation? (rant of the pale person again...)

one squirt

Just the foundation: note tone difference with the neck and the high sheen

A tad of silica microspheres

And voil´a - matte :)
neck cannot be helped, sry

For the finished look on the first pice I used e.l.f. mineral eyeshadow in Confident and mineral  lipstick in Royal Red. The wonderful spider-feet are created using my Manhattan mascara, a dream product for every Essex girl. Totally forgot the eyebrows, again...

Attempt at frankening: Lava Sand glitter

I have some The Conservatorie glitters that have not seen much light - I looked at them as they arrived in late 2010 and stashed them away since they were not usable on the eyes (and I did not have glitter glue). So this weekend I wanted to see what they would look like on my nails. 

I took out my black nail polish, Lava Sand glitter and clear top polish and this is what I got as a result (I quite liked it but it's too much effort):

Black nail polish, sprinkled over with massive glitter (looked VERY fashionable (but fragile) in that stage), followed by multiple layers of top coat. Problem was the glitter seemed to drink all the top coat  and then the result looked matte :S. I think 4 coats altogether were needed for the glossy finish. Had I known the time it took - I would have just left it there with the glitter layes as the top one :).

On the hands it kind of feels as if there's sandpaper on the nails and it's still rather prone to chipping. Lasted only a day :S Next time I'll try to mix the glitter with the top coat before applying it on the nails - I felt it went on too thickly when I sprinkled it.

The Conservatorie moisturizer and two phased makeup remover

Both of them have a sophisticated, barely-there scent - these products have an expensive feel to them.

These two arrived during my trip and I have been trying them out ever since. I like them both though it took me some time to get used to the makeup remover - usually I just use moist microfiber cloth for removing my makeup. I even got myself an ordinary liquid foundation, so I could test it under different circumstances as well - other stuff is much more clingy.

pic taken end of October amongst the moss in mum's garden

I found the moisturizer very light, easily absorbable and moisturizing. Works well with my mineral foundations and leaves no icky film on the skin. It has a very discreet, almost unnoticeable pleasant scent. Even my mother commented on the "lack of smell" as she put it :). It's  as light and pleasant as my Dr.Scheller creams and it definitely has one advantage - when I rub my Dr.Scheller moisturizer a tad too much, it starts to roll on my skin - this one does not.


This is not a winter cream - it's too light but it's perfect for the rest of the year (I need to ask The Conservatorie whether it also has SPF or not... would be nice for summer). I have been using the cream all this time and am almost out of it by now. It's good, main ingredients are glycerin and coconut oil.  You can see the ingredients list when you click on the above picture - it'll become larger. The cream jar is made of glass and looks and feels elegant, has one of those protective caps too - comes in handy when traveling.

The makeup remover is a two phased one - this explains the different colored liquids in the picture above - it needs to be shaken before use. Basically it's a cleaning substance and an oily substance - oil loosens the dirt from the skin and hydrates it a bit while the cleaning substance makes sure all the dirt gets off the face.

According to The Conservatorie this product is also suitable for eye makeup removal but I am a bit skeptical about that: when removing mascara traces under my eyes I felt tingling in the eyes and therefore decided not to use it for eyes. rest of my face had no objections :).

Makeup remover smells pleasant - a bit like strawberries actually - and leaves the skin nicely hydrated. I do not feel the need to grab for my moisturizer/jojoba oil like I usually do after the microfiber/water cleansing. The bottle is quite big and although I sometimes forget to use it, I have only managed to use up 1/3 of the bottle so far. Since I usually do not use makeup removers I cannot compare this to other brands.

PS! The cream is sold at the Private Label website only and is currently priced at $9,50. Makeup remover is $9,95 on the original website. Prices are the same as in drugstores for the usual generic moisturizers and makeup removers but I think it's a good price for a quality product. Should the moisturizer have a nice SPF as well, I just might consider getting a new one for spring - it feels very nice on the skin.

Tegemist siis kahe tootega, mis mulle arvamuse avaldamiseks saadeti. Kreem oli tõesti hea (viimased kribalad purki alles jäänud) aga meigieemaldajat tegelikult ei oskagi kommenteerida - ma ise olen tavaliselt lapi ja sooja veega hakkama saanud. Lisaks ka veel see, et meigieemaldaja näol ei ole tegemist loodustootega, saaks ka lihtsama retseptiga samasugust asja luua :).

Meow's lightest mineral foundations in Chausie, Bengal, Abyssinian, Ocicat and Manx

Welcome to the mineral makeup store celebrating all sorts of felines :). Meow Cosmetics is just that - and if only you could have seen the store some years ago! So bloody confusing - but the good thing was, most MMU lovers got to be quite well informed about all sorts of cat breeds. Not a bad thing in itself, broads the horizons. Homepage has been redone though so people with less patience can now also shop there. (But it was never as bad as Dreamworld...)

I made an order in October when they had their "20% off entire store + free international shipping" offer and managed to get this parcel without having to deal with customs (Meow's shipping etc is not cheap - when you get an offer like this, you better grab it). Their foundations have quite a good renomé. I have some samples in level 0 from earlier so I already new they made some very light tones indeed and therefore picked level 1 for myself - and guess what - too light  again :D. This happens so seldom that I am not much bothered about it - this store does cater to everyone's needs indeed - even Snow Whites are not forgotten. Packaging is also very, very nice looking :).

Foundations come in 3 different recipes and 13(!) different tone-groups. This makes choosing the right one complicated indeed. Most tones have quite accurate color descriptions but the sheer amount of them is overwhelming.

photo in warm light

Tones swatched here are:
Pampered Puss (medium coverage) - Inquisitive (0) Chausie (cool pink)
Pampered Puss (medium coverage) - Inquisitive (0) Bengal (cool beige)
Pampered Puss (medium coverage) - Sleek (1) Abyssinian (yellow beige)
Purrrfect Puss (light to medium coverage) - Sleek (1) Ocicat (olive/beige)
Flawless Feline (full coverage) - Sleek (1) Manx (yellow/peach).

photo in cool light

I tried to choose colors that would help me counteract redness and looked at as many swatches as google offered but I made my decision mainly based on the main foundation chart. So now I have 3 Munchkins (meaning 25 gr per volume jar) of which only Ocicat is usable, the others will be usable should I live some years underground. Ok, maybe I could wear Sleek Abyssinian in February... but that's a maybe. Basically I have now 2 jars of foundation looking for a new home. There aren't many people paler then me - will be a bit problematic. And of course the one color of the three that I do find wearable just happens to be the one with the lightest coverage. Bummer.

wearing sleek Ocicat

Meow like every self-respecting company also adds small samples to every order. This time it was their Pandora's box Collection and the tones were Mayhem (dark brown with copper sheen/very small sparkles) and Chaos (reddish gold). 

Am not too fond of the latter but am wearing Mayhem on these pics here.

And here's a pic of all the stuff used today:

The Conservatorie's eyeshadow primer
NYX jumbo eyeliner in Milk
The Conservatorie's matte dark brown pigment in Brown Coco in the crease
Meow's Mayhem all over lid
The Conservatorie's Shimmering Nude as blush (no coverage, more like pink sheen)
Meow's foundation in Purrfect Puss Sleek Ocicat
Jane Iredale's Just Kissed lip plumper in L.A. on the lips (a very nice color BUT unfortunately always becomes invisible on the photos)
Manhattan Cosmetics Ultimate Long&  Curl mascara

Twinkling Hazel overall

Nordic winters may or may not be cold, this time it's not and thank God for small blessings - but they are always dark. Not very nice when one has only ordinary lighting in the apartment. Catching the light for shooting something becomes a sport itself. Following photos will be terrible, you have been warned.

Items used

Twinkling Hazel on eyelids, lips and cheeks

Today I tried to make a rather monochrome look - using the same The Conservatorie pigment in Twinkling Hazel on the eyes, cheeks and lips. Nice understated look but the piggie is a tad dark for me to be used as a blush - at least in this light it bothers me. Undertone, you see, is a bit orange and orange is definitely not my color when put anywhere else but eyelids or lips. Orange is a very nice color to be used on the eyelids - makes blue eyes pop.

At the moment I have quite a number of foundations to test, so am trying multiple ones in one go - something I can get away with only during winter. The Conservatorie's pressed foundation in Nude on the right cheek (my right, mind you) and loose mineral powder in Barely Beige on the left cheek. Forehead is all Jane Iredale's pressed mineral foundation in Warm Silk. Note to self - Nude will be ok during Summer but it's too dark for now - just look at the neck.

The Conservatorie's Barely Beige (not the matte version) is quite a good winter tone, on these pics it looks shinier then the others. Goes well with the neck - no color difference. Barely Beige also comes in a matte recipe but I felt that it was a bit drying so I took the non-matte one.

Jane Iredale's pressed foundation in Warm Silk (Starter kit in Fair) on the forehead and nose: tone-wise it's in between, a nice neutral/warm color. Consistency is very soft - pressed mineral foundations usually are - and brush should not be wielded too forcefully. My pan of The Conservatorie's Nude is an exception, it has a pressing flaw - it's rock hard and I have to scrape it with my nails to get the product loose. From all The Conservatorie pressed mineral foundations I have this is the only flawed one.

I contoured my cheekbones, temples and jawline with The Conservatorie's Milk Chocolate and highlighted apples of the cheek, nose, chin and  forehead with The Conservatories Pink Interference. Looking at the pics now I wonder whether highlighting is for me - I just look greasy. I did no fine work - so the areas around the nose and pimples are not concealed or worked upon - in this case the I made the bad lighting conditions work for me. :)

Täna testisin oma erinevaid mineraalpuudreid - laup ja mõlemad põsed on kõik eri tooni... heas valguses nõndamoodi ikka välja ei läheks küll :D. Twinkling hazel on veidi liiga oranž, silmadele sobib kuid põsed teeb veidi määrdunuks... Samas roosa oleks põskedele sobinud kuid silmad teinud palavikus küülikuks. Peamiselt  olid näppimisel The Conservatorie ja Jane Iredale asjad. Halba saab öelda vaid Manhattani ripsmetuši kohta, see on ikka paras jama sattunud seekord... Hiljem lisasin silamdele veidi matti pruuni lauvakku - tegi silmnäo veidi ruumilisemaks. Aga siis oli juba liiga pime, et piltide tegemisest unistadagi. 

e.l.f. Mineral lipsticks in Royal Red, Beautiful Berry and Prime Plum

I like e.l.f.'s mineral lipsticks, especially Rosy Raisin, the "my lips but better" tone. Now these here are much, much darker (warning - they look lighter on this photo).  Ingredients list is very nice to look at.

Prime Plum - Plum should be purple, no? Well, this one is dark brick-brown.

Royal Red - elegant deep cool-toned red but far too dark for me

Beautiful Berry - dark red, could also be described as a cross between Prime Plum and Royal Red - again not for me.

FOTD using Jane Iredale's starter kit in Fair

Tools:

Canvas:

Dream Tint in Light already applied

Result:

Warm Silk on the right cheek

Bisque on the left cheek

The kit contains two foundations in travel size: Bisque and Warm Silk, a rather dark blush Sheer Honey, a truly great concealer set Circle/Delete2, a mini lipstick (L.A. Just Kissed lip plumper), a slightly tinted makeup base cream Dream Tint and three brushes in the lower compartment of the box. All the products are used  here. In addition there's Mystikol powdered eyeliner and highlighter Dark Topaz on the eyes and my brand new Manhattan mascara (rant about that will follow soon). 

These small brushes are soft and workable but already the concealer brush is sort of loose at the ferrule and the mini flat-top sheds like mad ever since I took it out of the box. I understand that wooden handles tend to have problems with shrinking but shedding was unexpected. Small domed blush brush is soft and has absolutely no faults - perfect for foundation application around the nose area. Cannot use it for blush though - I had to use my own blush brush because this one is simply too small and the product in this kit is much too pigmented  - clown makeup guaranteed. I will definitely keep it and it's sister concealer brush in my travel bag. Flat-top will probably stay in the drawer until someone else is willing to offer it a better home.

Brick-undertoned blush in this set is more like a bronzer for me - it does not bring flush to my cheeks, makes them rather muddy-looking instead. I am surprised they would put a blush this dark in the Fair set at all - usually it's something more wearable, bright sort of pink or so. Great thing is the Circle/Delete2 concealer set in highly blendable light cream and salmon. Both when used separately seem a bit off but when combined they leave a most natural result. This concealer is applied all over blemishes and also under the eyes.

Jane Iredale's pressed powders blend well and are buildable - they can provide complete coverage if needed, assuming you also use the makeup base and concealers provided in the kit - foundation sticks to the concealer already layered on the pimples and the only thing visible will be a little bump. I prefer Warm Silk at the moment - I still have some residual tan from my trip - am usually pale as a sheet this time of year :). Yellow undertones in these foundations help to tone down my usual redness.


Box and packaging are marvellous - the well-made box could later on be used for jewellery or other makeup items. It's abit big for travelling but it has all the necessities and will do a great job. After seeing other Jane Iredale items I have to say - they excel at packaging - all products look luxurious, my Makeupheaven magnetized palettes with pressed powder pans look quite industrial when compared :).


Mängisin oma tuliuue Jane Iredale komplektiga - tegu karbikesega, kus kaks minisuuruses pressitud meigipõhja, suht tume ja tellisekarva alatooniga põsepuna, imekena roosakaskuldne minihuulepulk, peitekreemikomplekt, meigialuskreem ning kolm minipintslit. Soovitan soojalt, algaja jaoks väga mugav komplekt, täismeigi tegemiseks läheb lisaks veel vaja vaid silmapliiatsit ning ripsmetušši.