An E.L.F. Wishlist

Hello!

It's been a while since I ordered from E.L.F. and to be totally honest, I wasn't won over by the products when I first tried them. However, everything now has a firm place in my make-up routine and I can't really live without my brow kit, mineral lipstick and lip exfoliator. I really want to try a few more of their products. 

Tone Correcting Powder in Cool - £3.95
Lash Collection in Everyday - £4.95

Mineral Lipstick in Runway Pink - £5
All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight - £1.95

Tone Correcting Powder - to be honest I have no idea what skin tone my skin actually is. I'm olive skinned, but I'm also pale (unless I've been in the sun a lot) and I've just never really made any real effort in finding out. I feel like this powder would probably be the powder for me, as the yellow and green will help cover my redness. I seem to constantly be on the hunt for products that cover redness nowadays. 

Everyday Lashes - I love the look of these lashes. I love how the ends are more defined, I think that would look super stunning! I've never really dabbled in the world of falsies before (and I'll most likely play with some cheaper ones before I use these) but I'm really edging towards trying them out. They would just create lovely gorgeous even lashes. My lashes are pretty uneven, so if I was making an effort for somewhere these would be perfect!

Mineral Lipstick - I have a mineral lipstick in the shade "Rosy Raisin" and I'm completely smitten with it. It's my perfect lips-but-better shade and I don't think I've left the house without it on in the last week or so! I've fallen in love with the formula and texture, I really want to get my hands on another nude. I feel like this light pink nude would be super pretty and help create a very soft look.

Colour Stick - I think this product would be perfect for doing a quick highlight over your cheekbones, forehead and chin. I would of course blend it in (I'm not sure of the formula) and I would take a brush to highlight my brow bone, down my nose and on my cupids bow. I would imagine it's a cream highlight, seeing as it comes in a stick, and I've been wanting to try a cream highlight for the longest time. 

Ellie x

Sleek Lip4 Palette in Tease

Hello!

A review today of one of my favourite brands, Sleek. To be honest, I bought this ages ago (around the time I purchased the Pout Polish actually!) yet it ended up in the bottom of my make-up drawer and I forgot about it. After rummaging through it for things to go in my blog sale, I found it and  I'm so glad I did!

I feel like this has been found at the perfect time, I really like red-toned lips during the colder months and this lovely palette has 4.

Like always, the packaging from sleek is well, sleek. It comes in the usual lovely matte black plastic casing, with a decent sized a mirror and a fairly high quality mini lip brush. It's pretty compact, so would easily fit in your handbag for on-the-go applications.

These 4 shades are beautiful. Sleek are known for their highly pigmented products and this certainly is no different. They definitely pack a punch. These colours do stain the lips, so be warned! I find that Spotlight didn't stain as much as the other shades.

Show Off - glossy deep red

Spotlight - satin bright pink, almost coral in some lights

Paris - matte rose red, slightly blue-toned

Dita - glossy true red

(L-R: Show Off, Spotlight, Paris, Dita)

The glossy textured colours are very easy to apply and wear as they are not drying. They both stain quite heavily, I believe this is because of the amount of pigmentation packed into red shades. They are both true red.

Spotlight has a gorgeous satin finish which I love, I think this is my favourite shade. It can be drying, but nothing some balm won't fix. I've found so far that this shade doesn't stain as bad as the others.

Paris is a matte shade, which to be honest I haven't fully tried yet. I tend to steer clear of matte lip products as they are usually very drying, not a good look on my already dry lips! It's a gorgeous rose red shade, which I swear is slightly blue-toned. Not enough to not be wearable on most skin tones, which I think it could be, but it's definitely not as red/pink based as the others. 

Overall, I really like this palette and I'm hoping to start getting some use out of it! They are very bright and in-your-face type shades, but I personally prefer a bold lip! I'd love to try another palette, I've got my eye on Ballet. 

This palette retails at £8.99, buy here

Ellie x

BLOG SALE - BEAUTY

Hello!

Today I'm hosting my first ever blog sale. I have quite a few bits and pieces that I think deserve a new decent home, and I wanted to post them to you lovely bloggers before posting them to others sites or taking them to a boot sale.

SALE RULES
- I'm doing things on a first come first serve type basis
- I expect payment with 24 hours, unless you have asked for longer

- Unfortunately for this sale I am only shipping in the UK
- I also do not accept returns, sorry!

TO PURCHASE
- Email me at eleanormaes@outlook.com with the names of what you'd like and your address. I use a personal email for my PayPal, so I will email you back with some details and my PayPal email
- All you have to do is go onto PayPal, click on "send money", enter the amount in GBP and send under "sending money to friends and family" - which means neither of us will be charged! 

- I will only post once I have received payment, and items will be posted within 7 days.
- If you choose to buy more than one item, postage will of course be combined and work out cheaper :)

SIDE NOTES
- Feel free to email me with any queries!
- My postage fee is whatever Royal Mail are currently charging plus what I have bought for packing. The heavier the item, the more expensive the delivery (i.e. shoes). I've kept the price down as much as possible!
- Every item has it's own postage fee due to its weight, size and shape

Onto the sale!..

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1. Sleek Eau La La Liner in Pumpkin. Used once, sharpened once. £2, £1.50 delivery

2. Sleek Blush in Rose Gold. Used a couple of times. £2, £1.50 delivery

3. Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti. Used a couple of times. £3.50, £1.50 delivery

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4. Sleek Pout Polish in Electro Peach. Used a few times with a lip brush. £2, £1.50 delivery

5. MUA Sheer Finish Gloss in Let's Meet. Never used. 50p, £1.50 delivery

6. No7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Delicate Pink. Never used. £4, £1.50 delivery

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7. Benefit Posie Tint mini. Used a few times. £3.50, £1.50 delivery

8. E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow in Sweet. Never used. £1.50, £1.50 delivery

9. E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow in Trendy. Never used. £1.50, £1.50 delivery

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10. W7 Honolulu Bronzer. Swatched. £2.50, £1.50 delivery

11. Set of 4 Fearne Cotton Eye Crayons. Swatched. £4, £1.50 delivery

12. MUA Bronzer in Shade 1. Used a few times. 50p, £1.50 delivery

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13. B. Cosmetics Gloss in Bourdeux. Swatched. £3, £1.50 delivery

14. Maybelline Colour Sensation Lipstick in Electric Orange. Used once. £3.50, £1.50 delivery

15. Maybelline Colour Sensation Lipstick in Precious Beige. Never used. £3.50, £1.50 delivery

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16. Barry M Matte Lip Paint in 153. Used a few times. £2.50, £1.50 delivery

17. Rimmel London Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blush in Pink Rose. Used a few times. £2, £1.50 delivery

18. E.L.F. Primer Eyeshadow in Coco Loco. Never used. £1, £1.50 delivery

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19. E.L.F. Cream Eyeshadow Duo in Berry Mix. Swatched. £1, £1.50 delivery

20. E.L.F. Blush and Brush in Coy. Swatched. £1.50, £1.50 delivery

Happy shopping!

Ellie x

Dinner at... Zizzis!

Hello!

Last Friday I went out for dinner at Zizzis with my best friend. And let me tell you, it was awesome. I'm not a fan of Italian food to be honest. I'm an incredibly fussy eater and all things like tomatoes, pesto and mushrooms really make me feel queasy. However, give me a large serving of spaghetti, lasagne, garlic bread or pizza and I'll be more than happy!

We made the most of it by having three courses each, and whilst I forgot to take proper photographs (silly Ellie), I did get a snap of my starter and dessert.

I apologise about the lighting, it wasn't the best in there, especially for a phone camera snap!

I drank diet Coke, as I seem to be turning out as quite a lame 18 year old, but I do love my diet fizzy drinks! For starter, I had garlic bread. It was a massive portion, it could easily be shared. It was so gorgeous though, on a thin pizza-type base with garlic butter and rosemary sprinkled on top. For main, I had a classic margherita pizza. Again, it was pretty huge. So yummy though, a perfect balance between sauce and cheese. Finally for dessert I had a chocolate melt. Oh my gosh was this the most perfect thing I've ever eaten. A super soft chocolatey sponge with a melting chocolate core, with a side of vanilla Italian ice cream. Perfection.

We had such a nice time and the staff were so friendly. I definitely want to go back! The food is really good value for money as it's inexpensive plus you get quite a large portion! The drinks are expensive on the other hand though. 

Ellie x

NYX Concealer Jars - Yellow, Green & Lavender

Hello!

I feel like I haven't done a beauty post/review in forever, so today I'm making some time to write one! I'm reviewing NYX's Concealer Jars, which I have in three colours: yellow, green and lavender. There are skin-coloured concealers too, however these little coloured pots are just what I needed!

I've had these for a while now, so I feel like I can give a proper review on them seeing as I have given them a proper test now! Firstly I'd like to point out that they all have slightly different consistencies, I'm guessing that this is because of the different colour pigmentations, but I could be wrong. I find that yellow is the best, then lavender, then green in terms of blending and how it looks on your face. I also find these apply way better if you have a good base, for example, a silky smooth base created by Benefit's Porefessional. 

YELLOW
I use the yellow concealer every day for underneath my eyes and on my red patches. I find it blends perfectly and very easily and covers extremely well. After wearing for around 9 hours I still can't see much redness coming through, although that is probably helped by my primer and other layers of make-up. It's a very creamy and thick texture, which requires a light hand and gentle layering if need be so it doesn't look cakey. It's my favourite out of the three.

GREEN
I thought the green would do more for me than it actually has, and is actually now residing in my "extra make-up bag". It's very similar in texture to the yellow, however it is harder to blend into my skin, slightly drying and I find it unsettles make-up that you apply over it. I also found it didn't cover my redness as much as I would have liked, which is disappointed. I was thinking about mixing it in with my primer, to try and green-tint my primer to see if that would reduce redness.

LAVENDER
Again, another one I rarely use, however not because of awkward blending problems, it's just that my face doesn't always need brightening! I was going to try and mix this in with my primer to see if it would make a difference to my face. This is my middle favourite from the bunch. 

Overall, I think these are good for coloured concealers as they can be a bit hit and miss. The green is like a lot of green concealers in terms of it being drying, but it's a better texture than most I've tried. They are £6 a pot with £5 delivery so a fairly expensive buy but worth it if you're wanting coloured concealers. 

Just another little note... Yes there are palettes of coloured concealers on eBay for very cheap, however I would like to point out that cosmetics from abroad and China etc often aren't regulated and could have any ingredient in them, so be cautious! I found my cheap coloured palette really hurt my skin (yes, actually hurt!) so please be careful!

Ellie x

BornPrettyStore Wishlist & 10% Discount Code!

Hello!

I've got a pretty exciting offer for you guys today! How would you like 10% off at BornPrettyStore?! You'll probably know BornPrettyStore for their extensive and awesome range of nail art supplies, however they also sell things like jewellery and hair accessories. At the moment I'm obsessed with accessories, to finish off my outfits I add a statement necklace, a watch, a bracelet and pile on some rings. Perfect! Today I'm going to show you my current BornPrettyStore accessories wishlist!

HAIR
Leaf Chain Hair Clip - £3.80
Hair Chalks - £0.76 per set (or £13.71 for all 24 colours!)
Metal Ponytail Cuff - £2.09
Rose Hair Band - £2.53
Silver Hair Band - £3.51

RINGS
Elephant - £2.19
Rose Cut-Out - £1.75
Rat ring - £0.59
Bear ring - £0.59

NECKLACES
Black Chevron - £1.16
Moon/Stars Necklace - £1.96 (per design)
Coloured Statement - £2.97
Bib Statement - £3.73

THE CODE
I'm sure this is the part you've been waiting for. A 10% discount code! Please note: the code can only be used on non-sale items. However, BornPretty currently have a huge sale on, where you can get up to 80% off! There is also worldwide free shipping. If you fancy treating yourself to lots of new goodies, go for it with this code!

Simply use the code ELLT10 at checkout.

You're welcome!

Love, Ellie x

NOTD #1 - No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour: Spring Meadow (LE)

Hello!

Just a snippet for you today, I'm off to Alton Towers!!

My nails of the day featuring No7 Stay Perfect in Spring Meadow. I am unsure if they still have this polish (sorry!) as it was limited edition and I got it for my birthday back in April. It's a super pretty minty colour and just gorgeous!
I do find No7 polishes don't last long and chip easily, but this could be to do with my base/topcoat, I'm not sure. Anyway, it's super pretty and I don't mind doing touch-ups!

Ellie x

I'm on Pinterest! & My Top 4 Pins of the Week

Hello!

So a while ago I joined Pinterest but I wasn't really bothered by it until recently. Now I'm SUPER ADDICTED. So I thought I'd pop my blog on there too, the more social networks the better, right?!

I have loads of boards, and probably more to come as I want to make a wedding board (not that I'm getting married any time soon, I just love how gorgeous weddings are!) and an equine board for my inner horse lover. 

MY TOP 4 PINS OF RIGHT NOW

I absolutely adore this nail polish look, it would be super easy to recreate too. Matte out all your nails, place some striping tape near the tip then paint on some shiny topcoat. Super easy!

I love this picture for two reasons, the first being succulents (I adore succulents!) and the second being white and gold pots. Adore!! They would be super easy to make. Buy some cheap terracotta pots from your local garden centre and paint them white. Then paint the bottle half, or wherever you want, gold. Flick some gold paint around them and finish off with a clear gloss to seal the colour!

This is my kind of style for those chillier days. Comfy shirt and jumper over skinny jeans and cute skater shoes. Gorgeous!

OH MY GOODNESS. Possibly the prettiest palette ever? This is my kind of palette. I'd probably replace some of the browns with golds, but oh gosh isn't this the best MAC inspiration ever?! I really want All That Glitters and Woodwinked, but I just can't bring myself to spend £20 on eyeshadow just yet.

FOLLOW ME
So yeah, I'm officially on Pinterest! Keep a look out for my "blog" board, it's not been made yet! I'll also follow boards back that inspire me/similar to my taste/make me hungry. 

Ellie x

A Nasty Surprise: Amazon Prime "Free Trial"

Hello!

So today I had an incredibly nasty surprise after visiting my bank. Money was not in my bank account, and I automatically assumed work hadn't payed me. Angry, I phoned my boss and asked why I hadn't been payed. But I had been payed. So where had my money gone?

Still angry, I went into my bank and enquired as to what might have happened to my money, and was passed into a private desk. Then the woman explained.

When you buy from Amazon, there is an offer for free next day delivery. As I was buying the new Die Antwoord CD, of course I wanted it ASAP, so I chose it. However, choosing this option automatically enters you into the Amazon Prime free trial, and if you do not cancel after 30 days you are charged £79. Yep, £79! I was completely unaware of this free trial, and I received no email to tell me about it, or that it was coming to an end soon.

Luckily, as I haven't bought anything else since they took my money, I will be able to get my full refund back which will be back safely in a couple of days!

The lady I spoke with in the bank says this happens frequently, so check before making your Amazon order. Or if you want, use up your free trial and then cancel it. I was unaware of this situation, which is why I had my nasty surprise.

I am still very angry at Amazon as I received no emails informing me of what was happening, although I am glad to be getting my money back.

If this has happened to you, the easiest thing would be by seeing if you can cancel your membership and get a refund online, if not, pop into your bank. Nationwide have a service that deals with things like these, so I assume other banks would too. They'll get in contact with Amazon for you to see if you're eligible for a refund or not!

Just thought I'd do a quick post on it in case anyone else gets caught out. It's not nice to have money worries, especially when things are tight. If you've ordered recently and don't know if you have Prime, go check now!

Also, thank you to the lady that dealt with me in Nationwide - super friendly and helpful! :)

Ellie x