Make Up by Shiv: June 2011

Thursday, June 23, 2011

I am back!

Hello ladies! I am back after quite a while of simply reading blogs and not updating my own. I was so busy towards mid-June as I was leaving England to come back to Hong Kong, or in other words, home. There was so much packing to do as my flatmate and I are moving to a new place after summer, and the process was definitely not a walk in the park. I got to the check-in counter at the airport 10 minutes before it was due to close, close call or what?

Any updates?

I signed myself up for the Superdrug Beauty card, so I'm super excited about that!

A new Harvey Nichols beauty store? Make up section? has opened up near where I live and I'm so excited about that too.

I signed up for the Glossy Box! I won't get my hands on the June, July and August ones until I get back to England, but hey, at least i'll get my hands on them!

I've started working out in hopes of losing the weight that I've gained over the months I was at university. I really wish there was an easier way to do this because I'm still at the stage where I don't want to work out but I really need to. My diet has drastically changed as I have a mother and a brother that are fitness fanatics. I'm just trying to think of the end results to keep me going and it seems to have worked so far.

Now that I'm back home there is a lot of shopping to do (duh?!) and a lot of new things to see, so I'll be updating you guys with all of that on here. Apologies for not having updated all this time as I was occupied every single minute of every single day, no jokes.

Thanks for visiting!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Review: ELF Studio line - Stippling brush

A quick little post for a brush I have been loving for a while now! After putting off buying this for so long as I already had a foundation brush, I finally caved in and bought it from ELF. I have to say, it is one of the best purchases I have made recently. The bristles are soft and just dense enough to give foundation application a flawless finish. I find that regular foundation brushes are okay too, but they lack that 'blending' that the stippling brush is able to do. The only downside to this brush is that it isn't as dense as say the MAC 187 brush, but then again that one is so much more pricey. This brush is well worth the price!

If you are not familiar with the super popular stippling brush, it has layered bristles that give a flawless finish when used to apply cream and liquid products.

ELF says: This new antibacterial, synthetic haired Taklon brush is softer and more ansorbent and can be used with wet or dry products. Be a professional makeup artist and create a flawless look with this e.l.f. Studio brush!

The layered bristles create a soft airbrushed look that's perfect for applying foundation or adding colour definition to cheekbones or highlighting with soft layers. Use this brush with any liquid or powder face product such as foundation, blush or bronzer to build your coverage from sheer to heavy.
(Source: http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/)

I would personally not use this with powder products as the bristles are not stiff enough to get a flawless finish without a lot of work. It is really effective however to apply foundation, cream blush and cream/ liquid highlighter. A necessary step when you're using this brush is to make sure you've blended out whatever you have applied properly. The bristles can cause streaks which is not a good look! However, to each their own, so no harm in trying it with powder products. You might be surprised! It picks up a decent amount of product and is a good size for a face brush.

Overall, I would rate this brush a 4/5. It helped me achieve an airbrushed look with my liquid foundation. As I said earlier, the only drawback to it was the density of the bristles. In spite of that, this brush does a great job. At £3.50 a piece, this baby is a great brush to add to your make up collection.

Thanks for visiting!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Ensemble of the Week - More summertime!

Havaianas, Fossil, Urban Outfitters, Armenta

Day Dresses by Topshop
Sandals by Havaianas

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Blog sale buys!

Hey ladies! Here are some goodies I purchased from a blog sale on http://www.girlinthecityglasgow.com/.

MAC Blushcreme in Ladyblush

Soap and Glory - Hocus Focus, instant visual flaw-softening lotion

Nails Inc - Caramel

Nails Inc - Savile Row

Nails Inc - Plum

Soap and Glory - Hocus Focus

MAC Blushcreme in Ladyblush

I like all these products, but I can't say that I am absolutely in love with them. I am not very impressed with the MAC blushcreme. The texture is quite thick and collects in the lines as you can see in the pictures above (that is my hand, but same applies to the face!). I would not recommend cream blushes that have thick textures for summer time as it will only make your cheeks feel kind of sticky. It makes you feel like you have make up on, which is the feeling I'm sure a lot of us try to avoid! Powder blushes are definitely the way to go during summer. The color is great though; it adds that light pinkness that you want to achieve a 'flushed' look plus a little extra something. Use a light hand with this as a little goes a long way!

The Nails Inc nail polishes go for £11 a piece (correct me if I'm wrong!) and I was expecting great quality, but that isn't what I got unfortunately. The colors are great and the brush is especially good for application on smaller nails, but the first coat I applied of 'Caramel' was very streaky. I had to apply two coats for an even coverage, which I wouldn't expect to do with something that asks for the same amount of money as a high end brand. I don't even have to do that with Barry M nail polishes, which go for under £3 a piece. Don't let this put you off Nails Inc polishes though, I might've just gotten one of 'faulty' ones. I've only tried one of the 3 that I got, so that is probably the case!

I really like the Soap and Glory Flaw-Softening lotion. I add half a pump to my foundation, mix it and stipple the mixture all over my face. It gives that glowy and dewy finish and eliminates the need to use a highlighter on my cheekbones and on the bridge of my nose. It doesn't however soften any of the flaws on my face. If it does, it's not nearly enough for me to be able to notice. In spite of this though, I have to say that I will consider repurchasing this. I love me some highlighter for my cheekbones and nose bridge and this product does the highlighting without me having to take that extra step. (Note that it adds that shine to the whole face, but the cheekbones are especially highlighted in the process as light hits that area the most.)

Have you bought anything off a blog sale recently?

Thanks for visiting!